# GEO Audit Scorecard

Use this checklist when evaluating existing content. Each category is scored out of 20 points for a total of 100.

## 1. Direct Answerability (20 points)

| Criterion | Points | What to Look For |

|-----------|--------|------------------|

| Lead with the answer | 5 | Does the content answer the primary query in the first 1-2 sentences of the relevant section? |

| Quotable sentences | 5 | Are there self-contained, factual sentences that work as standalone quotes? Count how many key claims pass the "copy-paste into an AI answer" test. |

| Query-intent match | 5 | Does the content match what someone actually searching this topic wants to know? (informational, transactional, navigational) |

| Concise definitions | 5 | For definitional topics, is there a clear "X is..." statement? For how-to topics, are steps numbered and actionable? |

### Scoring Guide

- 0-5: Content buries answers, requires heavy inference
- 6-10: Some direct answers but inconsistent

- 11-15: Most key questions answered directly
- 16-20: Every section leads with its answer, highly extractable

## 2. Authority & Citations (20 points)

| Criterion | Points | What to Look For |

|-----------|--------|------------------|

| Statistics and data | 5 | Are specific numbers, percentages, and data points included? Are they sourced? |

| Expert attribution | 5 | Are claims attributed to named experts, organizations, or studies? |

| Source diversity | 5 | Do citations come from multiple credible sources (not just one)? |

| Recency of sources | 5 | Are cited data points and studies current (within 1-2 years for fast-moving topics)? |

### Scoring Guide (2)

- 0-5: No sources, all opinion
- 6-10: Some statistics but mostly unsourced

- 11-15: Good sourcing with minor gaps
- 16-20: Comprehensive, well-sourced, diverse citations throughout

## 3. Structure & Formatting (20 points)

| Criterion | Points | What to Look For |

|-----------|--------|------------------|

| Heading hierarchy | 5 | Clear H1 > H2 > H3 progression? Do headings mirror natural queries? |

| List and table usage | 5 | Are comparison data, steps, and options formatted as lists or tables instead of prose? |

| Paragraph length | 5 | Are paragraphs 2-4 sentences? No walls of text? |

| Scanability | 5 | Can someone (or an AI) find the answer to a specific sub-question by scanning headings alone? |

### Scoring Guide (3)

- 0-5: Wall of text, no clear structure
- 6-10: Basic structure but inconsistent formatting

- 11-15: Good structure with clear sections
- 16-20: Excellent hierarchy, every section is scannable and parseable

## 4. Topical Depth (20 points)

| Criterion | Points | What to Look For |

|-----------|--------|------------------|

| Coverage breadth | 5 | Does the content address the full scope of the topic, including related questions? |

| Specificity | 5 | Are there concrete examples, case studies, specific numbers instead of generalities? |

| Edge cases and nuance | 5 | Does the content address exceptions, caveats, and "it depends" scenarios? |

| Follow-up anticipation | 5 | Does the content proactively answer likely follow-up questions? |

### Scoring Guide (4)

- 0-5: Surface-level, could be written without expertise
- 6-10: Covers basics but lacks depth

- 11-15: Solid coverage with good specifics
- 16-20: Comprehensive, expert-level depth with nuance

## 5. Technical Optimization (20 points)

| Criterion | Points | What to Look For |

|-----------|--------|------------------|

| Schema markup | 5 | Appropriate JSON-LD present (Article, FAQ, HowTo, Product, etc.)? |

| Meta description | 5 | Meta description is a clear, concise answer to the primary query? Under 160 chars? |

| Semantic HTML | 5 | Proper use of article, section, header, nav, main tags? Clean heading hierarchy in HTML? |

| Page performance | 5 | Fast load time? No excessive scripts blocking content? Mobile-friendly? |

### Scoring Guide (5)

- 0-5: No technical optimization
- 6-10: Basic meta tags but no schema or poor HTML

- 11-15: Good technical foundation with minor gaps
- 16-20: Full schema markup, optimized meta, clean HTML, fast loading