The Standard · Your working assessment

Review your site against the framework.

Framework version 2.0, revised 23rd September 2026. The August agency study uses version 1.1. The checks have changed; scores from these versions are not directly comparable.

Work through the 32 checks using evidence from your site and processes. The score summarises your answers against the framework's weights, and the action list helps you choose what to investigate next.

It does not measure your actual visibility in search or AI answers. You can read the guide first if you'd like more context.

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01

Keep a clear, current source of business information

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Does your website provide clear, verifiable information about your business, services, products and people?
Start heresite+5 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Does your website provide clear, verifiable information about your business, services, products and people?
Suggested action: Gather the facts customers need and publish them on clearly linked pages.

Does someone take responsibility for reviewing and updating your business information?
Build on thisprocess+4 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Does someone take responsibility for reviewing and updating your business information?
Suggested action: Assign an owner and review schedule. Update the content when the facts change.

Do pages give consistent information and link to the current reference for each subject?
Build on thissite+4 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Do pages give consistent information and link to the current reference for each subject?
Suggested action: Resolve conflicting information and direct people to the current version.

Can customers find current information about price, scope, availability and terms where appropriate?
Build on thissite+3 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Can customers find current information about price, scope, availability and terms where appropriate?
Suggested action: Publish the commercial details customers need. Explain how to obtain a quote when a public price would not be meaningful.

02

Make pages easy to follow and useful passages easy to understand

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Do clear headings help readers find the information they need?
Start herepage+4 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Do clear headings help readers find the information they need?
Suggested action: Use headings that describe the section or answer a relevant question. Not every heading needs to be a question.

Do sections answer their main question clearly, with enough context to understand the answer?
Start herepage+4 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Do sections answer their main question clearly, with enough context to understand the answer?
Suggested action: Put the useful answer near the start of its section. Keep connected paragraphs where the explanation needs them.

Can the search and retrieval systems you intend to allow access the useful content on your priority pages?
Start heresite+3 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Can the search and retrieval systems you intend to allow access the useful content on your priority pages?
Suggested action: Check intended crawler access, rendering, canonicals, indexing and snippet controls. Review training permissions separately from search and user-requested retrieval.

Do page structure and relevant markup help readers find and understand the information?
Build on thispage+3 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Do page structure and relevant markup help readers find and understand the information?
Suggested action: Use lists, tables or FAQs where they help. Add appropriate markup that agrees with the page.

03

Support claims with relevant evidence

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Are relevant numerical claims supported by sources the reader can check?
Start herepage+5 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Are relevant numerical claims supported by sources the reader can check?
Suggested action: Attribute relevant figures and check what their sources support. Do not add statistics to meet a word-count target.

Does the content draw on relevant expertise in a form suited to its subject?
Start herepage+4 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Does the content draw on relevant expertise in a form suited to its subject?
Suggested action: Use relevant first-hand experience, analysis or expert contributions. Add quotations when they help the reader.

Can readers check substantive claims against relevant sources?
Build on thispage+2 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Can readers check substantive claims against relevant sources?
Suggested action: Link claims to reliable sources where the subject calls for supporting evidence.

04

Review what AI tools say about your business

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Do you test how AI tools describe your business using relevant questions?
Start hereprocess+3 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Do you test how AI tools describe your business using relevant questions?
Suggested action: Record the questions, answers, models and dates for a defined set of checks.

Do you investigate the findings and choose appropriate follow-up actions?
Build on thisprocess+2 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Do you investigate the findings and choose appropriate follow-up actions?
Suggested action: Check each finding before choosing an action. The answer may involve existing content, technical work or another source, rather than a new page.

Do you repeat the checks and record changes over time?
Build on thisprocess+2 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Do you repeat the checks and record changes over time?
Suggested action: Choose a suitable review schedule and keep comparable records.

Do you record mentions, recommendations, links, competitor preference and accuracy separately?
Build on thisprocess+2 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Do you record mentions, recommendations, links, competitor preference and accuracy separately?
Suggested action: Keep these observations separate so a mention is not mistaken for a recommendation or an accurate answer.

05

Use AI with editorial responsibility

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Does a named person with relevant knowledge review AI-assisted content before publication?
Start hereprocess+4 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Does a named person with relevant knowledge review AI-assisted content before publication?
Suggested action: Check the facts, add relevant experience and approve the finished work.

Does the content offer useful original work, analysis or experience?
Build on thispage+4 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Does the content offer useful original work, analysis or experience?
Suggested action: Add the evidence and detail that help the reader understand the subject.

Do you review content for accuracy, usefulness and relevance?
Build on thissite+3 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Do you review content for accuracy, usefulness and relevance?
Suggested action: Improve, combine or remove content where the evidence supports that decision. Short content is not automatically poor content.

06

Help people compare and choose

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Does your content plan address customer needs and business priorities across the buying process?
Start herestrategy+4 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Does your content plan address customer needs and business priorities across the buying process?
Suggested action: Choose priorities using customer questions and business evidence. Keep useful introductory content alongside comparison and decision support.

Do you assess meaningful outcomes alongside traffic and AI answer observations?
Build on thisstrategy+3 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Do you assess meaningful outcomes alongside traffic and AI answer observations?
Suggested action: Review enquiries, conversions and relevant visits together with the answers recorded in your checks.

Do you track identifiable referrals and conversions from AI services?
Consider nextstrategy+1 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Do you track identifiable referrals and conversions from AI services?
Suggested action: Segment identifiable AI referrals and document gaps in attribution.

Do commercial pages explain who the offer suits and its important limitations?
Consider nextpage+1 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Do commercial pages explain who the offer suits and its important limitations?
Suggested action: Explain suitable uses, scope and trade-offs so people can compare their options.

07

Make the business identity clear

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Do your business and author pages explain who you are and what you do clearly?
Start herepage+4 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Do your business and author pages explain who you are and what you do clearly?
Suggested action: Provide concise identity information and clarify relevant cases of name confusion.

Does relevant Organisation and Person markup match the visible facts and correct profiles?
Build on thissite+4 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Does relevant Organisation and Person markup match the visible facts and correct profiles?
Suggested action: Use suitable structured data with accurate names and verified profile links.

08

Build relevant recognition beyond your own site

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Do you seek relevant recognition from publications or communities your audience uses?
Start hereentity+4 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Do you seek relevant recognition from publications or communities your audience uses?
Suggested action: Identify useful places to contribute or seek coverage based on audience relevance.

Do credible external sources describe your business and its subjects accurately?
Build on thisentity+3 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Do credible external sources describe your business and its subjects accurately?
Suggested action: Review the context of mentions and build useful relationships around your work.

Do important third-party profiles match your current business information?
Build on thisentity+2 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Do important third-party profiles match your current business information?
Suggested action: Review relevant profiles and correct stale or conflicting details.

09

Explain who is responsible for the content

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Do relevant articles identify their authors and link to useful biographies?
Start herepage+4 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Do relevant articles identify their authors and link to useful biographies?
Suggested action: Explain who wrote the content and their relevant experience.

Is author identity consistent across the site, relevant profiles and structured data?
Build on thissite+3 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Is author identity consistent across the site, relevant profiles and structured data?
Suggested action: Connect accurate author information and the correct professional profiles.

Does the writing show relevant first-hand experience where the subject calls for it?
Consider nextpage+1 pts
What this check asks for

Evidence to review: Does the writing show relevant first-hand experience where the subject calls for it?
Suggested action: Include genuine observations and examples that help explain the work.