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Readiness Scoring

One score hides the problem.
Six dimensions reveal the fix.

Citegrade evaluates your content across 6 weighted dimensions that determine whether AI models like ChatGPT and Perplexity will cite it. Each score maps to specific, fixable issues.

6 dimensions+18 pt avg lift30s full audit
citegrade.com/report
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Citation Readiness

Critical

ANS
25%
STR
20%
EVI
20%
SPC
15%
COV
10%
FRS
10%
CRITICALAnswer Clarity

Answer buried in paragraph 4. Move "reduces churn by 42%" to the first sentence.

The framework

Six dimensions. Weighted by impact.

chat_bubbleAnswer Clarity
25%

Does your page answer the query directly in the first 1-2 sentences?

  • Core answer placement in opening paragraphs
  • Lead sentence strength under each heading
  • Presence of clean definitions ("X is...")
Example issue: Answer buried in paragraph 4 instead of the opening
account_treeStructure
20%

Is your content organized so AI can extract the relevant section?

  • Heading hierarchy and descriptive labels
  • Query-aligned heading phrasing
  • Scannable elements (lists, tables, FAQ blocks)
Example issue: Vague headings like "Our Approach" instead of "How Redis Caching Works"
fact_checkEvidence
20%

Are claims backed by named sources, statistics, or first-hand data?

  • Named source citations
  • Specific statistics with attribution
  • First-hand experience signals ("we tested", "our data shows")
Example issue: "Studies show" with no named source or date
format_quoteSpecificity
15%

Does your content use concrete language AI can quote, or vague hedging it will skip?

  • Hedging density ("might", "could potentially")
  • Quotable statement count
  • Concrete vs abstract claim ratio
Example issue: 12 hedging phrases in 2,800 words — nothing definitive to cite
library_booksCoverage
10%

Does your page cover the topic thoroughly enough to be the single best source?

  • Sub-question coverage
  • Important term definitions
  • Comparison with alternatives
Example issue: Missing comparison section for a product overview page
updateFreshness
10%

Is your content dated, attributed, and recently updated?

  • Visible publish/update date
  • Author attribution
  • Current examples and references
Example issue: No publish date — AI deprioritizes undated content

Score guide

What your score means.

85-100

Content is structurally and semantically optimized for AI citation.

70-84

Most citation signals are present. A few targeted fixes will close the gap.

50-69

Content has structural issues that prevent reliable AI citation.

0-49

Major citation blockers present. AI is unlikely to cite this content.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

The overall score is a weighted average of 6 dimension scores: Answer Clarity (25%), Structure (20%), Evidence (20%), Specificity (15%), Coverage (10%), and Freshness (10%). Each dimension combines deterministic content analysis (heading structure, date detection, entity counting) with LLM evaluation (semantic quality, answer placement, claim specificity).

Scores above 70 indicate content that is structurally ready for AI citation. Scores above 85 indicate cite-ready content. The average page audited by Citegrade scores 52 on first scan. After applying recommended fixes, the average score improves by 18 points.

A single score hides the root cause. A page might rank 80 overall but score 35 on Answer Clarity because the key definition is buried in paragraph 6. The 6-dimension breakdown tells you exactly which aspect of your content AI models struggle with, so you fix the right thing.

Yes. Citegrade stores every audit result. You can re-run an audit after applying fixes and see the score change per dimension on the report page. Pro and Scale plans include score history and trend tracking.

No. A high citation readiness score means your content has the structural and semantic qualities that make AI citation likely, but LLM behavior depends on training data, query context, and model architecture. Citegrade optimizes the factors you can control.

See your score across all 6 dimensions

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