What Is GEO Scoring? The 7 Dimensions of AI Citation Readiness
Search engine optimisation (SEO) has been the gold standard for content discoverability for two decades. But as AI-powered answer engines — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews — become primary sources of information, a new discipline is emerging: Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO).
GEO is the practice of structuring your content so that AI systems can accurately understand, cite, and attribute it.
The 7 Dimensions of GEO Scoring
At WayCite, we analyse content across seven dimensions that determine how likely it is to be cited by AI systems.
1. Structure
How well-organised is your content? AI systems parse content hierarchically. Clear heading structures (H1 → H2 → H3), logical section ordering, and consistent formatting make your content easier for AI to understand and extract information from.
Score range: 0–100
2. Entity Clarity
Does your content clearly identify the entities it discusses? Named places, specific restaurants, exact addresses, opening hours, and prices all help AI systems match your content to specific queries.
Score range: 0–100
3. First-hand Signals
Does your content demonstrate genuine experience? Phrases like "when I visited," specific dates, original photography, and personal observations signal to AI systems that this is primary source material, not aggregated content.
Score range: 0–100
4. Freshness
How current is your information? AI systems preferentially cite recent content, especially for time-sensitive topics like restaurant recommendations, travel advisories, and pricing.
Score range: 0–100
5. Q&A Alignment
Does your content directly answer the questions people ask? Content that naturally matches common query patterns — "best ramen in Tokyo," "cheapest way to get from the airport" — is more likely to be cited.
Score range: 0–100
6. Competitive Differentiation
What makes your content unique compared to other sources covering the same topic? Unique angles, exclusive information, and distinctive expertise help your content stand out in a crowded field.
Score range: 0–100
7. Topic Depth
How comprehensively do you cover your topic? Shallow overviews get cited less than deep, authoritative guides that cover all aspects of a subject.
Score range: 0–100
How We Calculate Scores
Each dimension is scored independently on a 0–100 scale. We use a combination of natural language processing, entity extraction, and structural analysis to evaluate content.
The overall GEO score is a weighted composite of all seven dimensions, with weights that reflect the relative importance of each dimension for AI citation likelihood.
Getting Started
Want to see how your content scores? Try our free GEO audit — submit any blog post URL and get a detailed breakdown across all seven dimensions.