CITE Domain Rating

4 dimensions x 10 items = 40 evaluation criteria for assessing domain authority in the Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) era.

Version: 1.0 | Author: Aaron | Updated: 2026-02-10

Sister Project: CORE-EEAT Content Benchmark — content-level quality assessment (80 items)

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How to Read This Document

This document uses progressive disclosure — read as deep as you need:

Depth	Sections	You Will Learn
Skim	Parts 1-2	What CITE is + all 40 check items at a glance
Apply	Parts 3-5	How to score domains, adapt to domain types, and run evaluations
Master	Parts 6-7	Detailed Pass/Partial/Fail criteria for every item
Optimize	Part 8	AI engine preferences, CORE-EEAT integration, common mistakes

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Part 1: Framework Overview

What is CITE?

CITE is a domain-level authority rating designed for the GEO era. While traditional domain metrics (Moz DA, Ahrefs DR, SEMRush AS) are 90%+ link-based and built for the "10 blue links" era, CITE is the first open standard to formally model AI citations, entity identity, and multi-platform visibility as first-class signals alongside links.

Why CITE?

Problem	Traditional Metrics	CITE Solution
Link-only worldview	DA/DR measure almost exclusively backlinks	Multi-dimensional: links + AI citations + identity + visibility
No AI citation signal	None measure how often AI engines cite a domain	C05-C08 formally model AI citation frequency, prominence, and breadth
No entity identity	None measure knowledge graph presence or brand coherence	I dimension: 10 items covering entity recognition and brand identity
Traffic ignored	Only SEMRush includes organic traffic (and it's closed-source)	E dimension: organic visibility, multi-platform footprint, topical authority
Closed methodology	All existing metrics are proprietary black boxes	Open specification: anyone can implement, audit, and extend

CITE + CORE-EEAT: The Complete Picture

Benchmark	Evaluates	Level	Items	Core Question
CORE-EEAT	Content quality	Single page/article	80	Is this content worth citing?
CITE	Domain authority	Entire domain	40	Is this domain worth trusting as a source?
Combined	Full assessment	Content + Domain	120	Should AI engines cite this source?

Quick rule: If you're evaluating a specific article or page -> CORE-EEAT. If you're evaluating the domain behind it -> CITE.

Positioning Against Existing Metrics

Feature	Moz DA	Ahrefs DR	SEMRush AS	Majestic TF	CITE
Link signals	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
AI citation signals	No	No	No	No	Yes
Entity/brand identity	No	No	No	No	Yes
Organic traffic	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
Anti-spam detection	Spam Score	2025 update	6 factors	TF/CF ratio	10 items
Topical authority	No	No	No	Topical TF	Yes
Multi-platform visibility	No	No	No	No	Yes
Open methodology	No	No	No	No	Yes
Content-level companion	No	No	No	No	CORE-EEAT

4 Dimensions

Dim	Full Name	Weight	Core Question	MECE Boundary
C	Citation	35%	How strongly is this domain referenced by others — through links AND AI citations?	All "others pointing to you" signals (positive attributes)
I	Identity	20%	How clearly is this domain recognized as a distinct entity in the information ecosystem?	Entity presence and brand recognition
T	Trust	25%	Are there red flags suggesting this domain's profile has been manipulated?	All "is this suspicious?" detection signals (defensive)
E	Eminence	20%	How visible and influential is this domain across the information ecosystem?	Visibility, reach, and industry standing

MECE Boundary

The four dimensions are mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive:

• C = positive referencing signals (links + AI citations + editorial endorsements)
• I = entity existence and brand coherence (who you are, not how visible you are)
• T = suspicion and manipulation detection (negative/defensive signals)
• E = visibility and influence outcomes (how much you're seen)

Disambiguation rules:

• "Someone linked to you" -> C (positive reference)
• "Your link profile looks unnatural" -> T (suspicion)
• "You exist in the knowledge graph" -> I (identity)
• "You rank for 10,000 keywords" -> E (visibility)

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Part 2: Complete 40-Item Checklist

One-line standard for every check item. Use this as your evaluation reference.

C — Citation (10 Items)

ID	Check Item	One-Line Standard
C01	Referring Domains Volume	>=500 unique referring domains
C02	Referring Domains Quality	Referring domains themselves have strong CITE profiles
C03	Link Equity Distribution	Link sources concentrate their outbound links (not "link to a million sites")
C04	Link Velocity	Steady, natural link growth over time (no sudden spikes)
C05	AI Citation Frequency	Domain cited by >=2 AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, AI Overview)
C06	AI Citation Prominence	Cited as primary/sole source, not just supplementary mention
C07	Cross-Engine Citation	Cited across >=3 different AI engines
C08	Citation Sentiment	Cited in positive or neutral context, not as a negative example
C09	Editorial Link Ratio	>=60% of backlinks come from genuine editorial decisions (not directories/comments/signatures)
C10	Link Source Diversity	Referring domains span >=3 industries and >=5 geographic regions

I — Identity (10 Items)

ID	Check Item	One-Line Standard
I01	Knowledge Graph Presence	Entity exists in >=2 major knowledge graphs (Google KG, Wikidata, DBpedia)
I02	Brand Search Volume	Brand name has measurable monthly search volume
I03	Brand SERP Ownership	Brand search yields >=7 first-page results controlled by the domain
I04	Schema.org Coverage	>=50% of indexable pages have correct Schema.org markup
I05	Author Entity Recognition	Content authors have verifiable public identities or knowledge graph entries
I06	Domain Tenure	Domain registered >=3 years with continuous active use
I07	Cross-Platform Consistency	Brand name, description, and contact info consistent across all platforms
I08	Niche Consistency	Domain has operated in the same niche for >=3 years without pivoting
I09	Unlinked Brand Mentions	Brand mentioned by third parties without links (pure reputation signal)
I10	Query-Brand Association	Users append brand name to industry queries (e.g., "SEO tools moz")

T — Trust (10 Items)

ID	Check Item	One-Line Standard
T01	Link Profile Naturalness	Link growth curve follows natural distribution (no bulk acquisition patterns)
T02	Dofollow Ratio Normality	Dofollow percentage between 40-90% (>90% is suspicious)
T03	Link-Traffic Coherence	Link volume and organic traffic are proportional (Veto Item)
T04	IP/Network Diversity	Referring domains distributed across diverse IP ranges (no PBN clusters)
T05	Backlink Profile Uniqueness	No other domain shares a near-identical backlink profile (Veto Item)
T06	WHOIS & Registration Transparency	WHOIS info public, reputable registrar, no frequent ownership changes
T07	Technical Security	HTTPS site-wide, HSTS enabled, no malware/phishing flags
T08	Content Freshness Signal	Domain regularly publishes or updates content (not abandoned)
T09	Penalty & Deindex History	No history of Google manual actions or deindexing (Veto Item)
T10	Review & Reputation Signals	Positive or neutral reviews on third-party platforms (BBB, Trustpilot, G2)

E — Eminence (10 Items)

ID	Check Item	One-Line Standard
E01	Organic Search Visibility	Ranks for >=1,000 keywords across search engines
E02	Organic Traffic Estimate	>=10,000 estimated monthly organic visits
E03	SERP Feature Ownership	Appears in Featured Snippets, Knowledge Panels, or People Also Ask
E04	Technical Crawlability	AI-crawler-friendly: permissive robots.txt, clean rendering, clear structure
E05	Multi-Platform Footprint	Official presence on >=3 platforms (YouTube, LinkedIn, X, Reddit, etc.)
E06	Authoritative Media Coverage	Featured or cited in authoritative news media or industry publications
E07	Topical Authority Depth	Ranks for long-tail keywords deep within its niche
E08	Topical Authority Breadth	Covers >=70% of sub-topics within its primary niche
E09	Geographic Reach	Receives organic traffic from >=5 countries/regions
E10	Industry Share of Voice	Holds measurable visibility share among industry core keywords

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Part 3: Scoring System

Per-Item Scoring

Status	Score	Meaning
Pass	10	Fully meets criteria
Partial	5	Partially meets criteria
Fail	0	Does not meet criteria

Dimension and Total Scores

Each dimension: sum of 10 items = 0-100 points.

Default Weights

CITE Score = C x 0.35 + I x 0.20 + T x 0.25 + E x 0.20

Weighted Scoring by Domain Type

For specific domain types, apply dimension weights instead of default:

Weighted CITE = C x Wc + I x Wi + T x Wt + E x We

Dim	Default	Content Publisher	Product & Service	E-commerce	Community & UGC	Tool & Utility	Authority & Institutional
C	35%	40%	25%	20%	35%	25%	45%
I	20%	15%	30%	20%	10%	30%	20%
T	25%	20%	25%	35%	25%	25%	20%
E	20%	25%	20%	25%	30%	20%	15%

Example (E-commerce domain):

CITE = C x 0.20 + I x 0.20 + T x 0.35 + E x 0.25

Rating Scale

Score	Rating	Meaning
90-100	Excellent	Industry benchmark; highly cited by AI engines
75-89	Good	Strong domain authority; regularly cited
60-74	Medium	Adequate authority with room to improve
40-59	Low	Needs focused optimization across dimensions
0-39	Poor	Needs fundamental domain authority building

Veto Items

These items trigger a risk alert regardless of total score:

Item	Trigger	Impact
T03 Link-Traffic Coherence	Fail: massive links + zero organic traffic	Classified as link farm
T05 Backlink Profile Uniqueness	Fail: near-identical profile exists on another domain	Classified as manipulation network
T09 Penalty & Deindex History	Fail: has been penalized or deindexed by Google	Domain trust = zero

When any veto item is triggered: CITE Score is capped at 39 (Poor) regardless of other dimension scores, and a Manipulation Alert flag is raised.

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Part 4: Domain Type Guide

Decision Tree

What is the domain's primary function?
|
+-- Publishes articles, news, guides, or research     -> Content Publisher
+-- Sells/markets a product or service                 -> Product & Service
+-- Operates an online store or marketplace            -> E-commerce
+-- Hosts user-generated content, forums, or Q&A       -> Community & UGC
+-- Provides web tools, utilities, or applications     -> Tool & Utility
+-- Academic, government, non-profit, or standards     -> Authority & Institutional

Domain Type Profiles

Content Publisher

Examples: Blogs, news outlets, knowledge bases, media sites, niche content sites

Why C is weighted highest (40%): Content publishers live or die by being cited. Their entire value proposition is being referenced as an information source — by both traditional links and AI engines.

Key priorities: C05-C08 (AI citation signals), E07-E08 (topical authority depth/breadth)

Product & Service

Examples: SaaS companies, B2B services, software vendors, agencies

Why I is weighted highest (30%): Product sites need brand recognition and entity identity above all. Users and AI engines must be able to clearly identify what the product is and who's behind it.

Key priorities: I01-I03 (knowledge graph, brand search, SERP ownership), T06-T07 (registration transparency, security)

E-commerce

Examples: Online stores, marketplaces, D2C brands

Why T is weighted highest (35%): Trust is the lifeline of e-commerce. Security, reviews, and anti-fraud signals directly determine whether users (and AI engines) will recommend the site.

Key priorities: T06-T07 (transparency, security), T10 (review signals), I04 (Schema.org for products)

Community & UGC

Examples: Forums, Q&A platforms, social communities, Reddit-style sites

Why E is weighted highest (30%): Community sites thrive on visibility and engagement. Their identity is distributed across users, so I is weighted lowest (10%).

Key priorities: E01-E02 (organic visibility and traffic), E05 (multi-platform), C01 (referring domains volume)

Tool & Utility

Examples: Web applications, online calculators, utility tools, developer tools

Why I is weighted highest (30%): Tools need brand trust to get users to rely on them. Identity and recognition are more important than raw citation volume.

Key priorities: I01 (knowledge graph), I07 (cross-platform consistency), T07 (technical security)

Authority & Institutional

Examples: Universities, government agencies, non-profits, standards organizations, research institutions

Why C is weighted highest (45%): Institutional domains exist to be authoritative sources. Their core value is being cited — by researchers, journalists, AI engines, and other websites.

Key priorities: C01-C02 (referring domain volume and quality), C05-C07 (AI citation signals), I06 (domain tenure)

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Part 5: Evaluation Workflow

4-Gate Evaluation Process

+---------------+--------------+------------------+---------------------+
|    Gate 1     |   Gate 2     |     Gate 3       |      Gate 4         |
|  Preparation  | C+I Review   |   T+E Review     |   Score & Action    |
+---------------+--------------+------------------+---------------------+
| Identify      | Review       | Review           | Calculate C/I/T/E   |
| domain type   | C01-C10      | T01-T10          | dimension scores    |
| Select        | (Citation)   | (Trust)          |                     |
| weights       | Review       | Review           | Calculate CITE      |
| Gather        | I01-I10      | E01-E10          | Score with weights  |
| competitor    | (Identity)   | (Eminence)       |                     |
| data          | Mark each    | Mark each        | Check veto items    |
|               | Pass/Partial | Pass/Partial     | Generate action     |
|               | /Fail        | /Fail            | plan                |
+---------------+--------------+------------------+---------------------+
| Output:       | Output:      | Output:          | Output:             |
| Config sheet  | C+I card     | T+E card         | Report + priorities |
+---------------+--------------+------------------+---------------------+

Emergency Brake

These conditions require immediate action — do not wait for full evaluation:

Trigger	Severity	Immediate Action
T05 Fail: Identical backlink profile found	Critical	Flag as manipulation network; investigate link sources
T09 Fail: Google manual action on record	Critical	Address penalty first; all other optimization is futile
T03 Fail: 10,000+ links but <100 organic visits/mo	High	Audit backlink profile; disavow toxic links
3+ Fails in T dimension	High	Systematic trust audit before any link building

Evaluation Frequency

Domain Type	First Evaluation	Regular Re-evaluation	Re-evaluate Trigger
Content Publisher	Before GEO campaign	Quarterly	Traffic drop, AI citation loss
Product & Service	Before launch/rebrand	Semi-annually	Brand perception change
E-commerce	Before launch	Monthly	Review score changes, security incidents
Community & UGC	Before monetization	Quarterly	Engagement decline
Tool & Utility	Before launch	Semi-annually	Competitor emergence
Authority & Institutional	Annually	Annually	Policy or leadership change

Cross-Reference with CORE-EEAT

When evaluating a domain holistically, pair CITE with CORE-EEAT:

1. Run CITE evaluation on the domain (40 items)
2. Sample 3-5 representative pages
3. Run CORE-EEAT on each sampled page (80 items)
4. Cross-reference: Domain CITE Score + Average Content CORE-EEAT Score
5. Identify gaps: Is the domain strong but content weak, or vice versa?

Pattern	CITE Score	CORE-EEAT Score	Diagnosis	Action
Strong domain, strong content	High	High	Ideal state	Maintain and expand
Strong domain, weak content	High	Low	Authority wasted on poor content	Prioritize content quality
Weak domain, strong content	Low	High	Great content, invisible domain	Build domain authority
Weak domain, weak content	Low	Low	Fundamental issues	Start with CORE-EEAT, then CITE

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Part 6: C + I Dimensions — Detailed Criteria

Detailed Pass/Partial/Fail criteria for all 20 Citation + Identity check items.

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C — Citation (10 items)

How strongly is this domain referenced by others — through links AND AI citations?

C01: Referring Domains Volume

• Pass: >=500 unique referring domains pointing to the domain
• Partial: 50-499 referring domains
• Fail: <50 referring domains

C02: Referring Domains Quality

• Pass: >=20% of referring domains themselves have strong authority (e.g., DA 50+, DR 50+, or equivalent)
• Partial: 5-19% of referring domains have strong authority
• Fail: <5% of referring domains have notable authority

C03: Link Equity Distribution

• Pass: Top referring domains concentrate their outbound links (avg <1,000 outbound domains per source), sending meaningful link equity
• Partial: Mixed — some concentrated sources, some "link to everyone" sources
• Fail: Most referring domains link to >10,000 other domains (diluted equity)

C04: Link Velocity

• Pass: Steady link growth with natural variance; no month with >3x the average monthly link acquisition
• Partial: Mostly steady with 1-2 unusual spikes (explainable by viral content or PR events)
• Fail: Sudden massive spikes inconsistent with domain activity; patterns suggest bulk link acquisition

C05: AI Citation Frequency

• Pass: Domain cited by AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overview) on >=10 distinct queries within its niche
• Partial: Cited on 3-9 distinct queries
• Fail: Cited on 0-2 queries or not cited at all
• Test method: Query 20+ niche-relevant questions across major AI engines; count citations

C06: AI Citation Prominence

• Pass: When cited by AI, domain is the primary or sole source in >=50% of citations
• Partial: Domain appears as one of several sources in most citations
• Fail: Domain only appears in supplementary mentions or footnotes

C07: Cross-Engine Citation

• Pass: Cited by >=3 different AI engines
• Partial: Cited by 2 AI engines
• Fail: Cited by 0-1 AI engines

C08: Citation Sentiment

• Pass: >=80% of citations are in positive or neutral context (domain presented as reliable source)
• Partial: 50-79% positive/neutral citations
• Fail: >50% of citations are negative (domain used as counterexample or unreliable source)

C09: Editorial Link Ratio

• Pass: >=60% of backlinks come from editorial decisions (in-content links from articles, guides, research)
• Partial: 30-59% editorial links
• Fail: <30% editorial links (dominated by directory listings, forum signatures, comment spam, sidebar widgets)

C10: Link Source Diversity

• Pass: Referring domains span >=3 industries and >=5 geographic regions
• Partial: 2 industries or 3-4 regions
• Fail: Concentrated in 1 industry or <3 regions

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I — Identity (10 items)

How clearly is this domain recognized as a distinct entity in the information ecosystem?

I01: Knowledge Graph Presence

• Pass: Domain's parent entity exists in >=2 major knowledge graphs (Google Knowledge Graph, Wikidata, DBpedia, CrunchBase)
• Partial: Exists in 1 knowledge graph
• Fail: Not present in any knowledge graph

I02: Brand Search Volume

• Pass: Brand name has >=1,000 monthly searches (exact match)
• Partial: 100-999 monthly searches
• Fail: <100 monthly searches or no measurable brand search volume

I03: Brand SERP Ownership

• Pass: Searching the brand name yields >=7 first-page results controlled by the domain (own site + official social profiles)
• Partial: 4-6 controlled results
• Fail: <4 controlled results (brand SERP dominated by third parties or competitors)

I04: Schema.org Coverage

• Pass: >=50% of indexable pages have correct, content-type-appropriate Schema.org markup (Organization, Article, Product, FAQ, etc.)
• Partial: 20-49% coverage or markup present but incorrect types
• Fail: <20% coverage or no Schema.org markup

I05: Author Entity Recognition

• Pass: >=80% of content has attributed authors with verifiable public identities (LinkedIn, personal sites, or knowledge graph entries)
• Partial: 40-79% of content has attributed authors
• Fail: <40% of content has author attribution, or authors are unverifiable ("Admin", "Staff Writer")

I06: Domain Tenure

• Pass: Domain registered >=5 years with continuous active use (no extended dormancy periods)
• Partial: 2-4 years of active use, or older domain with gaps in activity
• Fail: <2 years of active use, or recently acquired expired domain

I07: Cross-Platform Consistency

• Pass: Brand name, logo, description, and contact info are identical across all official platforms (website, social media, directories, app stores)
• Partial: Mostly consistent with minor discrepancies (e.g., slightly different descriptions)
• Fail: Significant inconsistencies or contradictions across platforms

I08: Niche Consistency

• Pass: Domain has operated in the same niche for >=3 consecutive years without major pivots
• Partial: 1-2 years in current niche, or 1 minor pivot in history
• Fail: Frequent niche changes, or domain recently pivoted from an unrelated industry

I09: Unlinked Brand Mentions

• Pass: Brand name mentioned (without link) on >=50 distinct third-party pages
• Partial: 10-49 unlinked mentions
• Fail: <10 unlinked mentions
• Note: This measures pure reputation — mentions without link incentives

I10: Query-Brand Association

• Pass: Users frequently append brand name to industry queries (e.g., "SEO tools moz", "email marketing mailchimp"); visible in autocomplete
• Partial: Some query-brand association visible in search suggest
• Fail: No measurable query-brand association

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Part 7: T + E Dimensions — Detailed Criteria

Detailed Pass/Partial/Fail criteria for all 20 Trust + Eminence check items.

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T — Trust (10 items)

Are there red flags suggesting this domain's profile has been manipulated?

T01: Link Profile Naturalness

• Pass: Link growth curve follows a natural distribution; no single month accounts for >15% of total backlinks; growth correlates with content publishing
• Partial: Mostly natural with 1-2 anomalous periods (explainable by PR events or viral content)
• Fail: Obvious unnatural patterns: bulk acquisition months, step-function growth, or links appearing before content exists

T02: Dofollow Ratio Normality

• Pass: Dofollow links constitute 40-85% of total backlinks
• Partial: 85-90% dofollow (slightly elevated)
• Fail: >90% dofollow (strong manipulation signal) or <20% dofollow (abnormally low)

T03: Link-Traffic Coherence | VETO ITEM

• Pass: Organic traffic is proportional to backlink volume; ratio is within 2 standard deviations of industry norm
• Partial: Mild imbalance (e.g., new site with traffic lagging behind link growth)
• Fail: Extreme imbalance — thousands of referring domains but near-zero organic traffic -> Veto triggered
• Industry benchmarks: Content sites ~10-50 visits per referring domain; E-commerce ~5-20

T04: IP/Network Diversity

• Pass: Referring domains distributed across >=100 unique IP C-class ranges; no single C-class accounts for >5% of links
• Partial: 50-99 unique C-class ranges, or 1-2 C-classes slightly overrepresented
• Fail: <50 unique C-class ranges, or a single C-class accounts for >20% of links (PBN signature)

T05: Backlink Profile Uniqueness | VETO ITEM

• Pass: No other domain shares >60% of the same referring domains
• Partial: One domain shares 40-60% overlap (possible industry co-citation)
• Fail: Another domain shares >60% of referring domains -> Veto triggered (manipulation network)

T06: WHOIS & Registration Transparency

• Pass: WHOIS information publicly available; reputable registrar; consistent ownership for >=2 years
• Partial: Privacy-protected WHOIS (common for individuals) but reputable registrar and stable ownership
• Fail: Frequently changing ownership, suspicious registrar, or recently acquired expired/auctioned domain

T07: Technical Security

• Pass: Site-wide HTTPS with valid certificate; HSTS enabled; no malware, phishing, or unsafe content flags from Google Safe Browsing or similar services
• Partial: HTTPS present but missing HSTS, or minor mixed-content issues
• Fail: HTTP-only pages, expired certificates, or flagged by security services

T08: Content Freshness Signal

• Pass: New content published or existing content updated within the last 90 days
• Partial: Last update 90-365 days ago
• Fail: No content updates for >1 year (abandoned domain)

T09: Penalty & Deindex History | VETO ITEM

• Pass: No record of Google manual actions, penalties, or deindexing
• Partial: Had a penalty >2 years ago that was successfully resolved and recovered
• Fail: Active penalty, recent deindexing, or unresolved manual action -> Veto triggered

T10: Review & Reputation Signals

• Pass: Positive or neutral reviews (>=3.5/5 average) on >=2 third-party review platforms (Trustpilot, G2, BBB, Glassdoor, etc.)
• Partial: Reviews exist but mixed (3.0-3.4 average), or only on 1 platform
• Fail: Predominantly negative reviews (<3.0 average) or no review presence despite being a consumer-facing domain

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E — Eminence (10 items)

How visible and influential is this domain across the information ecosystem?

E01: Organic Search Visibility

• Pass: Ranks for >=1,000 keywords across search engines (any position in top 100)
• Partial: Ranks for 100-999 keywords
• Fail: Ranks for <100 keywords

E02: Organic Traffic Estimate

• Pass: >=10,000 estimated monthly organic visits
• Partial: 1,000-9,999 monthly visits
• Fail: <1,000 monthly visits

E03: SERP Feature Ownership

• Pass: Appears in >=3 types of SERP features (Featured Snippets, Knowledge Panels, People Also Ask, Image Pack, Video Carousel, etc.)
• Partial: Appears in 1-2 SERP feature types
• Fail: No SERP feature appearances

E04: Technical Crawlability

• Pass: AI-crawler-friendly robots.txt (does not block major AI crawlers); clean server-side rendering; clear HTML structure; fast load times (<3s)
• Partial: Partially blocks AI crawlers or has minor rendering issues
• Fail: Blocks all AI crawlers, heavily JavaScript-dependent without SSR, or load times >10s

E05: Multi-Platform Footprint

• Pass: Official verified presence on >=3 major platforms (YouTube, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Reddit, GitHub, etc.) with recent activity
• Partial: Present on 1-2 platforms or present but inactive
• Fail: No presence beyond the domain itself

E06: Authoritative Media Coverage

• Pass: Featured or cited in >=3 authoritative publications (major news outlets, industry publications like Forbes, TechCrunch, or domain-specific leaders)
• Partial: 1-2 media mentions
• Fail: No media coverage from authoritative sources

E07: Topical Authority Depth

• Pass: Ranks for long-tail keywords (4+ words) deep within its primary niche; covers specific sub-topics that generalist sites miss
• Partial: Some long-tail rankings but gaps in niche coverage
• Fail: Only ranks for broad/head terms; no depth in niche topics

E08: Topical Authority Breadth

• Pass: Content covers >=70% of sub-topics within the domain's primary niche (as identified by keyword clustering)
• Partial: Covers 40-69% of niche sub-topics
• Fail: Covers <40% of sub-topics (significant gaps in niche coverage)

E09: Geographic Reach

• Pass: Receives organic traffic from >=10 countries/regions
• Partial: 5-9 countries/regions
• Fail: <5 countries/regions (hyper-local unless intentionally local)

E10: Industry Share of Voice

• Pass: Holds >=5% visibility share across the domain's top 50 industry keywords (compared to competitors)
• Partial: 1-4% visibility share
• Fail: <1% visibility share or not ranking for most industry keywords

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Part 8: Advanced Reference

AI Engine Citation Preferences

Each AI engine has different preferences for which domains to cite:

Engine	Citation Style	Preferred Domain Signals	Priority CITE Items
Google AI Overview	Snippet extraction; favors structured content	High organic rankings, Schema.org, SERP features	E01, E03, I04, C01
ChatGPT (Browse)	Conversational synthesis with citation links	Original data, authoritative sources, clear conclusions	C05, C06, I01, E06
Perplexity AI	Multi-source synthesis + inline citations	Research-grade content, methodology transparency, tiered sources	C09, C10, E07, I05
Google Gemini	Knowledge-grounded with entity recognition	Knowledge graph presence, brand recognition, topical authority	I01, I02, E07, E08
Claude	Precision-first with balanced reasoning	Trustworthy sources, balanced perspectives, transparent methodology	T01-T10, C08, I08

Top 6 CITE Priority Items for AI Visibility

Rank	Item	Why It Matters
1	C05 AI Citation Frequency	Direct measurement of whether AI engines already cite you
2	I01 Knowledge Graph Presence	AI engines use knowledge graphs to verify entity identity
3	T03 Link-Traffic Coherence	Veto item that can invalidate all other scores
4	E07 Topical Authority Depth	AI engines prefer deep niche experts over generalist sites
5	C01 Referring Domains Volume	Foundation signal — high-quality links remain the backbone of authority
6	I04 Schema.org Coverage	Structured data helps AI engines understand and parse your content

CITE + CORE-EEAT Integration Map

How CITE domain-level items relate to CORE-EEAT content-level items:

CITE Item	Related CORE-EEAT Items	Relationship
C05-C08 (AI Citations)	C02 (Direct Answer), O02 (Summary Box), E01 (Original Data)	Domain gets cited when content is citable
I01 (Knowledge Graph)	A07 (Knowledge Graph Presence), A08 (Entity Consistency)	EEAT-A items build the identity that I items measure
I04 (Schema.org)	O05 (Schema Markup), R09 (HTML Semantics)	Content-level Schema contributes to domain-level coverage
I05 (Author Entity)	Ept01 (Author Identity), Ept02 (Credentials Display)	Content author signals build domain author recognition
T07 (Technical Security)	T03 (Security Standards)	Same signal, different scope (domain vs page)
E07-E08 (Topical Authority)	C03 (Query Coverage), E08 (Depth Advantage)	Content depth builds domain topical authority

Data Source Mapping

Maps each check item to data sources, tools, and technical audit methods.

Check Item	Data Source	Tools	Audit Method
C01 Referring Domains Volume	Backlink index	Ahrefs, Moz, SEMRush	API query: unique referring domains count
C02 Referring Domains Quality	Backlink index + authority scores	Ahrefs (DR of sources), Moz (DA of sources)	Aggregate authority of top 100 referring domains
C03 Link Equity Distribution	Outbound link analysis of sources	Ahrefs (outgoing links per domain)	Avg outbound domains of top 50 referring domains
C04 Link Velocity	Historical backlink data	Ahrefs (new/lost referring domains over time)	Month-over-month link growth trend analysis
C05 AI Citation Frequency	AI engine output monitoring	Manual testing, Perplexity API, AI citation trackers	Query 20+ niche questions across 4+ AI engines
C06 AI Citation Prominence	AI engine output analysis	Manual review of AI responses	Classify citations as primary/supplementary/footnote
C07 Cross-Engine Citation	Multi-engine monitoring	ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, AI Overview, Claude	Count distinct engines that cite the domain
C08 Citation Sentiment	NLP sentiment analysis	AI output + sentiment classifier	Classify citation context as positive/neutral/negative
C09 Editorial Link Ratio	Backlink type classification	Ahrefs (link context), Majestic	Categorize links: editorial vs directory/comment/sidebar
C10 Link Source Diversity	Referring domain metadata	Ahrefs + IP geolocation + industry classification	Cluster referring domains by industry and geography
I01 Knowledge Graph Presence	Knowledge graph APIs	Google KG API, Wikidata SPARQL, DBpedia	Query entity name across knowledge graphs
I02 Brand Search Volume	Search volume data	Google Keyword Planner, SEMRush, Ahrefs	Exact-match monthly search volume for brand name
I03 Brand SERP Ownership	SERP analysis	SEMRush, Ahrefs (SERP checker)	Search brand name; count owned results on page 1
I04 Schema.org Coverage	Technical crawl	Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, Google Rich Results Test	Crawl site; % of pages with valid Schema.org
I05 Author Entity Recognition	Author page analysis + KG	Manual review + Google KG API	Check author pages for verifiable public identities
I06 Domain Tenure	WHOIS + Web Archive	WHOIS lookup, Wayback Machine	Registration date + continuous activity verification
I07 Cross-Platform Consistency	Multi-platform scraping	Manual audit or brand monitoring tools	Compare brand info across website + social profiles
I08 Niche Consistency	Web Archive + content analysis	Wayback Machine + topic modeling	Historical content analysis over time
I09 Unlinked Brand Mentions	Brand mention monitoring	Google Alerts, Brand24, Mention.com	Count brand mentions minus linked mentions
I10 Query-Brand Association	Search suggest data	Google Autocomplete, SEMRush	Check if brand appears in industry query suggestions
T01 Link Profile Naturalness	Historical link data	Ahrefs (new referring domains timeline)	Statistical analysis of growth curve distribution
T02 Dofollow Ratio Normality	Link attribute data	Ahrefs, Moz (link attributes)	Calculate dofollow % of total referring domains
T03 Link-Traffic Coherence	Links + traffic estimates	Ahrefs/Moz (links) + SEMRush/SimilarWeb (traffic)	Ratio: organic visits per referring domain
T04 IP/Network Diversity	IP data of referring domains	Ahrefs (referring IPs), Majestic	Count unique C-class IP ranges; check concentration
T05 Backlink Profile Uniqueness	Cross-domain link comparison	Ahrefs (link intersect tool)	Check overlap % with other domains' link profiles
T06 WHOIS & Registration Transparency	WHOIS database	WHOIS lookup, DomainTools	Check registration info, registrar, ownership history
T07 Technical Security	Security scanners	Google Safe Browsing API, SSL Labs, SecurityHeaders	HTTPS check + security header audit + malware scan
T08 Content Freshness Signal	Crawl timestamps	Screaming Frog, Google Cache dates	Check last-modified dates across site pages
T09 Penalty & Deindex History	Google Search Console + archives	GSC Manual Actions report, Web Archive	Check for manual actions; verify index status
T10 Review & Reputation Signals	Third-party review platforms	Trustpilot API, G2 API, BBB	Aggregate ratings across review platforms
E01 Organic Search Visibility	Keyword ranking data	SEMRush, Ahrefs, Sistrix (Visibility Index)	Count keywords ranking in top 100
E02 Organic Traffic Estimate	Traffic estimation models	SEMRush, Ahrefs, SimilarWeb	Estimated monthly organic visits
E03 SERP Feature Ownership	SERP feature tracking	SEMRush (SERP Features report), Ahrefs	Count distinct SERP feature types domain appears in
E04 Technical Crawlability	Technical audit	Screaming Frog, robots.txt analyzer	Check robots.txt AI crawler policies + render test
E05 Multi-Platform Footprint	Platform presence check	Manual audit or social media discovery tools	Verify official profiles on major platforms
E06 Authoritative Media Coverage	Media mention databases	Google News, Meltwater, Cision	Count authoritative media mentions
E07 Topical Authority Depth	Long-tail keyword rankings	Ahrefs (keyword report, 4+ word filter)	Count long-tail keyword rankings in primary niche
E08 Topical Authority Breadth	Topic clustering	SEMRush (Topic Research), MarketMuse	Map sub-topics covered vs total niche sub-topics
E09 Geographic Reach	Geographic traffic data	SEMRush (Traffic Analytics), SimilarWeb	Count countries with organic traffic
E10 Industry Share of Voice	Competitive visibility	SEMRush (Position Tracking), Sistrix	Calculate visibility % across top 50 industry keywords

Common Evaluation Mistakes

#	Mistake	Item	Wrong	Right
1	Ignoring AI citations	C05	Only checking backlinks	Also monitor AI engine citations across major platforms
2	Counting total links, not domains	C01	"We have 50,000 backlinks!"	Count unique referring domains, not total link count
3	Link quality conflated with quantity	C02	10,000 low-authority links = good	200 high-authority editorial links > 10,000 directory links
4	Ignoring entity identity	I01	Focus only on links and traffic	Check knowledge graph presence; it's how AI verifies sources
5	Neglecting Schema markup	I04	"Schema doesn't matter for authority"	Schema helps AI engines understand your domain's scope
6	Not checking veto items first	T03	Full evaluation before checking fundamentals	Always check T03, T05, T09 first — they can invalidate everything
7	Treating abandoned domains as trustworthy	T08	"Old domain = authoritative domain"	A domain dormant for 3 years has decayed authority
8	Overlooking AI crawler policies	E04	Blocking all bots for "security"	Review robots.txt; blocking AI crawlers kills GEO potential
9	Equating social presence with authority	E05	"We have 100K followers = high authority"	Social presence is one of 40 items, not a proxy for overall authority
10	Using single-metric shortcuts	—	"Our Moz DA is 60, so we're good"	No single metric captures the full picture; CITE evaluates 40 signals

MECE Disambiguation Rules

When unsure which dimension a signal belongs to:

Rule	Assign To
"Someone referenced/linked to us"	C (Citation)
"Our link profile looks suspicious"	T (Trust)
"We exist in the knowledge graph"	I (Identity)
"We rank for keywords / get traffic"	E (Eminence)

Commonly Confused Pairs

Pair	Disambiguation
C01 (Referring Domains) vs E01 (Organic Visibility)	C01 = who links to you (input); E01 = where you rank (output)
I09 (Unlinked Mentions) vs E06 (Media Coverage)	I09 = any third-party mention without a link; E06 = authoritative media specifically
I08 (Niche Consistency) vs E07/E08 (Topical Authority)	I08 = how long you've stayed in one niche (identity); E07/E08 = how deep/broad your rankings are (visibility)
C09 (Editorial Link Ratio) vs T01 (Link Naturalness)	C09 = positive quality (what % are editorial); T01 = negative detection (is the growth pattern natural)
T06 (WHOIS Transparency) vs I06 (Domain Tenure)	T06 = is the registration suspicious (trust); I06 = how long has it been active (identity)

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Changelog

• v1.0 (2026-02-10): Initial release — open domain authority standard for the GEO era; 4 dimensions, 40 items, 6 domain types