Case study: Gumlet turned ChatGPT mentions into 20% of inbound revenue. Read it →
Your Results
Here is how your content scores for AI citation readiness.
Based on the signals LLMs actually use to decide whether to recommend, quote, or cite a source.
AI Citation Readiness Score
0
out of 100
Calculating...
We are running your content through six evaluation layers.
The Breakdown
Each category is weighted by how much LLMs actually use that signal during retrieval and citation.
Top Fixes to Raise Your Score
Ordered by expected impact on citation frequency.
Want the full audit across your site and competitors?
The tool scores one page. Our discovery call shows where you stand across every buyer prompt, every LLM, and every competitor in your category.
Definition
What is an AEO Content Evaluator?
An AEO content evaluator is a tool that scores written content against the signals Large Language Models use when deciding what to cite in AI search results. Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of structuring content so that ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude can confidently extract, quote, and recommend it.
DerivateX's free AEO content evaluator analyzes any article, landing page, or blog post across six measurable categories: Answer Clarity, Structural Hierarchy, Citation and Data Signals, Depth and Coverage, AI Retrievability, and Entity Clarity. Each is weighted by how much LLMs actually rely on that signal during retrieval and citation.
AEO sits alongside GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and LLM SEO as the three emerging disciplines for winning visibility in AI search. Traditional SEO optimizes for Google rankings. AEO optimizes for answer extraction.
How It Works
The 6 Signals We Score And Why Each Matters
Every LLM uses overlapping but distinct signals to decide what to cite. Our evaluator distills these into six measurable categories, each weighted by observed impact on citation frequency across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude.
20 Points
Answer Clarity
Whether the first 100 words deliver a direct, extractable answer. LLMs heavily sample page openings when deciding whether to cite. Definitive language, concise opening sentences, and direct-answer markers like "TL;DR" all boost this score.
15 Points
Structural Hierarchy
Heading structure and list usage. LLMs chunk content by H2 and H3 boundaries during retrieval. Pages with clear hierarchy get quoted; flat walls of text get skipped even when the content is strong.
20 Points
Citation & Data Signals
Concrete numbers, percentages, dates, and attribution language ("according to", "research by"). LLMs preferentially cite content that is itself citable. The more specific data points, the higher the citation confidence.
15 Points
Depth & Coverage
Word count and subtopic variety. LLMs rarely cite short or repetitive content for substantive queries. 1,500+ words with varied sentence structure signals real category expertise rather than surface coverage.
15 Points
AI Retrievability
Whether content chunks cleanly. Question-style headings, short paragraphs (60 to 80 words), and concise sentences make it easy for LLMs to pull specific sections without losing context or confidence.
15 Points
Entity Clarity
Named products, companies, and defined terms. LLMs struggle with vague subjects. Bold key terms on first use, name specific frameworks, and use quotes for defined vocabulary to raise entity resolution.
The Market Reality
Why AEO Content Evaluation Matters in 2026
AI search is not a trend. It is an active channel shift. Four numbers every B2B SaaS marketing lead should know.
200M+
Weekly ChatGPT Search users globally
Industry estimate
61%
CTR drop when Google AI Overviews appear
Industry benchmark
4.4x
Higher conversion from AI-referred vs Google organic visitors
Aggregated client data
12%
Of ChatGPT-cited URLs also rank in Google top 10
Citation overlap study
The last stat is the one most B2B SaaS marketing leads miss. Only 12% of the URLs ChatGPT cites also rank in Google's top 10. That means the pages your buyers see in AI answers are almost entirely different from the pages you are currently optimizing for. If your content is not structured for AI retrieval specifically, you are invisible to the fastest-growing discovery channel in B2B software.
Audience
Who Should Use This AEO Content Evaluator?
Built for B2B SaaS teams serious about AI search visibility. If any of these sound like you, the score is worth running.
Marketing Leaders & VPs
You need to prove AI search is worth investing in. Score a flagship page, show the gap, justify the roadmap. Specific numbers work better than a pitch deck.
Content & SEO Teams
You already ship content. Now you need to know which pieces are pulling double duty (ranking in Google and getting cited by AI) vs. which ones are dead weight in AI answers.
Founders & Operators
Bootstrapped SaaS founders running marketing themselves. You noticed a competitor getting mentioned in ChatGPT and want to diagnose why you are not. Start with one page.
Next Steps
How to Use Your AI Citation Readiness Score
The number is only useful if it changes behavior. Four steps to turn a score into citations.
01
Benchmark
Run your 3 to 5 most commercially important pages through the evaluator. Record each score. This is your AEO baseline.
02
Identify Gaps
The category breakdown shows which of the six signals is dragging your score down the most. That is the fastest lever to pull first.
03
Apply Fixes
Work through the prioritized recommendations. Most teams see a 15 to 30 point lift from structural fixes alone within one editing pass.
04
Track Citations
Re-run the page 30 days after updates. Then check ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude for citation changes on your target buyer prompts.
FAQ
AEO Content Evaluator: Common Questions
The questions we get from marketing leads and founders after they run their first content score.
An AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) content evaluator scores a page against the
signals LLMs like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude use to decide what to cite in AI search results.
DerivateX's free tool evaluates six categories: Answer Clarity, Structural Hierarchy, Citation and Data
Signals, Depth and Coverage, AI Retrievability, and Entity Clarity.
Traditional SEO audits check Google ranking signals: keyword density,
backlinks, Core Web Vitals, page speed. An AEO content evaluator checks whether your content is structured
in a way that makes LLMs confidently extract, quote, and cite it. Different signals, different retrieval
mechanics, different outcomes.
Six weighted categories totaling 100 points. Answer Clarity (20) for direct
opening answers, Structural Hierarchy (15) for headings and lists, Citation and Data Signals (20) for
numbers and sources, Depth and Coverage (15) for word count and variety, AI Retrievability (15) for
chunk-friendly structure, Entity Clarity (15) for named entities and defined terms.
The scoring runs in your browser and completes in under 30 seconds for any
content up to 15,000 characters. You receive an overall 0 to 100 score, a category breakdown with specific
feedback, and a prioritized list of fixes ordered by expected impact on citation frequency.
Yes. The AEO Content Evaluator is free with no paywall, no credit card, and no
signup beyond your work email. DerivateX operates the tool as a top-of-funnel resource for B2B SaaS
marketing teams evaluating AI search readiness.
No. The entire scoring runs client-side in your browser. Content you paste is
never uploaded to a DerivateX server. Only the email address and summary score are logged for lead
context. See our privacy policy for details.
The evaluator is optimized for English content. Other languages will produce a
score but several heuristics (question markers, attribution phrases, definitive language) are calibrated
to English patterns. For non-English evaluation, book a call for a language-specific AI visibility audit.
No tool can guarantee AI citations. A high score means your content has the
structural ingredients LLMs reward, which dramatically improves the odds. Actual citation also depends on
domain authority, topical coverage across your site, third-party mentions, and how recently LLMs indexed
the web.
Ready For More?
One page scored. Now audit every page, every prompt, every competitor.
The tool scores one piece of content. Our discovery call maps where your brand stands across every buyer prompt, every LLM, and every competitor in your category.