How we score for AEO.
Traditional SEO metrics — DR, DA, traffic — are necessary but not sufficient for answer-engine visibility. Our AEO score combines four signals computed from Ahrefs, Semrush and Moz data, so every citable link is rated for AI answers as well as search rankings.
Authority — 55%
Ahrefs Domain Rating, normalised to 0–1, with Moz Domain Authority as the fallback when DR isn't available. LLMs preferentially retrieve and cite high-authority domains.
Real traffic — 20%
Log-scaled monthly organic traffic from Ahrefs, or Semrush when Ahrefs has no data. Sites with consistent readers signal trust and publishing velocity.
Topical citability — 10%
News, tech, SaaS, finance, science and research-heavy publications are disproportionately cited by LLMs. We tag and boost LLM-favored verticals.
Link hygiene + placement — 15%
Organic traffic that matches the site's DR (high DR with no traffic is a link-farm tell), dofollow links, availability from multiple vendors, and sponsored-label disclosure.
Tier thresholds
Each site is scored 0–100.
| Tier | Score | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Elite | 75–100 | Tier-1 news & trusted AI-cited domains (Yahoo Finance, AP, Forbes) |
| Strong | 60–74 | High-DR niche authorities — topical hubs LLMs retrieve from |
| Standard | 45–59 | Mid-market sites with real traffic, good for diversification |
| Emerging | 0–44 | Lower authority — useful as support links |
Quality filters
Before a site hits the catalog, we check: sample URL indexes in Google, dofollow link preserved, no PBN indicators, real author bylines, and publishing cadence ≥ weekly.