Citation Readiness Checker
Scores your page against patterns common in pages that ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews cite: a direct first paragraph, question headings, tables and concrete numbers.
What we score
First paragraph words: 40-80 is the sweet spot for AI citation snippets. Too short = not enough content. Too long = AI truncates.
Numeric density: AI answers tend to quote specifics. The checker flags pages where less than 0.5% of the content is numbers.
Question headings: AI matches user prompts to Q-format headings. Aim for 30%+ of your H2/H3 phrased as questions.
Tables + ordered lists: Structure beats prose. AI engines parse tables and steps much better than walls of text.
How to use the score
Run it on the page you most want quoted, fix the first paragraph, then run it again to see the difference. After that, turn two or three H2 headings into the questions your readers type, and move any comparison you describe in prose into a table.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is this how ChatGPT and Perplexity actually pick sources?
- Nobody outside those companies knows the exact rules. The checks are heuristics based on patterns common in pages that get cited: a short direct answer first, question headings, tables and concrete numbers. Treat the grade as a writing checklist, not a guarantee.
- What should I fix first?
- The first paragraph. Make it answer the main question of the page in 40 to 80 words, before any background or history.
- Does a better grade improve my Google ranking?
- Not directly. The same changes usually make a page easier to skim, which helps readers, but rankings depend on many other signals such as links and search intent.