The Citation Readiness score rates every post, page and product from 0 to 100 on the traits AI answers tend to quote: a direct answer up front, clear structure, specific facts, outside sources and recent updates. It lists what is missing and lets you fix it with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity or your own AI API key.
The score is a guide built from patterns AI answers tend to quote. A high score helps, but it cannot guarantee citations.
Where do I see the score? #
- Post, page and product lists: the AI Ready column (click it to sort). Click a score to open Review & Fix.
- The editor: the AI Citation Readiness box with a checklist and a Review & fix with AI button.
- AI Visibility > Citation readiness: the site average, how many items are Ready (75+), Close (50–74) or Needs work (<50), the Most common gaps and All scored content.
- AI Analytics: next to the pages AI reads most.
Scores update automatically when you save. To score existing content, click Scan content under AI Visibility > Citation readiness.
How are articles and pages scored? #
| Check | Points | Passes when |
|---|---|---|
| Answer-first intro | 15 | The first paragraph is 15-90 words |
| Question-style headings | 10 | At least 2 H2/H3 headings are phrased as questions (What, How, Why…) |
| FAQ section | 10 | The page has an FAQ block or an FAQ heading |
| Lists or tables | 10 | At least one list or table |
| Facts & numbers | 10 | At least 3 specific figures (prices, percentages, measurements, results) |
| Outbound sources | 10 | Links to at least 2 other websites |
| Recently updated | 15 | Updated within 6 months (half points within 12 months) |
| Content depth | 10 | 800+ words for posts, 300+ for pages (half points at half the length) |
| Meta description | 5 | A hand-written meta description in your SEO plugin (half points for a template) |
| Indexable | 5 | Not set to noindex |
How are products scored? #
| Check | Points | Passes when |
|---|---|---|
| Short product summary | 15 | A short description of 15-90 words |
| Price | 10 | A price is set |
| Availability | 5 | A stock status is set |
| Brand & identifiers | 10 | A brand plus a SKU or GTIN/UPC/EAN |
| Specifications | 15 | At least 3 attributes or a specifications table |
| Full description | 10 | At least 150 words |
| Customer reviews | 10 | At least 3 reviews (half points for 1-2) |
| FAQ section | 10 | Pre-purchase questions answered |
| Recently updated | 5 | Updated within 6 months |
| Meta description | 5 | A hand-written meta description |
| Indexable | 5 | Not hidden or set to noindex |
Checkout, cart, account and receipt pages are not scored, and neither are page-builder templates and widgets (Elementor templates and floating buttons, Divi layouts, Bricks and Oxygen templates and similar). Content types unticked under AI Visibility > Settings > Content types are not scored either.
How does Review & Fix work? #
Click a score, Fix N issues or Review & fix with AI to open the review window. It lists every open issue with what was found (for example “35 words” or “No FAQ section”), how to fix it, how many points the fix adds, and who can fix it:
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| AI can fix | Structure and wording: intro, headings, FAQ, lists and tables, depth, meta description |
| AI suggests, you add | Facts and sources. The AI lists what to add, and you add real figures and real links |
| Do it yourself | Real-world data: price, SKU/GTIN, reviews, stock, freshness, noindex settings |
Click an item count under Most common gaps to see every page with that issue, with Edit and View links.
At the top of the review window you can Re-scan the page after editing it, or Remove from scan for pages that should not be scored (thank-you pages, legal pages, landing pages). Removed pages are listed under Excluded from the scan on the AI Visibility tab, where you can add them back.
How do I fix one issue? #
Under each issue AI can help with, click Fix this issue (or Get suggestions):
| Issue | What the AI writes | What is inserted |
|—|—|—|
| Meta description | One meta description | Saved to your SEO plugin |
| Answer-first intro | One opening paragraph | Added at the top of the post |
| Short product summary | 1-3 sentences | Saved as the product short description |
| FAQ section | 4 questions and answers | An FAQ block at the end, in your FAQ format |
| Question-style headings | existing heading => new question heading lines | Only those headings are renamed |
| Lists or tables | 3-6 key takeaways | A “Key takeaways” list after the first paragraph |
| Facts, sources, specifications | Suggestions | Nothing. Add real facts yourself |
Generate the text with your connected provider, or open ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot or Perplexity with the ready prompt and paste the answer. Review it, then click Apply this fix. WordPress keeps a revision every time. Content depth and full product descriptions need the whole page, so use Fix the whole page below the issues.
Is every fix based on my page? #
Yes. Each fix is written from the content of that page only:
– The page is the only source. The prompt contains the page, its title and your SEO focus keyword. The AI is told to use only facts that are on the page and to keep its topic, terms and claims.
– Enough content first. If the page is too thin for the part you asked for, the plugin refuses instead of letting AI fill the gap. The minimums are 40 words of page content for a meta description or product summary, 80 for an intro, 120 for key takeaways and 150 for an FAQ. Rewriting headings needs existing H2/H3 headings.
– A way out. If the page lacks the information needed, the AI is told to answer NOT_ENOUGH_INFO, and nothing is inserted.
– Grounding check. Before anything is applied, including text pasted from ChatGPT or Claude, the plugin compares it with the page. Every number in the text (prices, percentages, years, measurements) must appear on the page, and most of its meaningful words must come from the page. If either check fails, you see what did not match (for example “numbers that are not on the page: 73, 4.99”) and must confirm before it is applied.
– Only the chosen part changes. Headings are renamed only when they match an existing heading exactly, and new sections go in a fixed place: intro at the top, takeaways after the first paragraph, FAQ at the end.
How do I fix the whole page? #
Option 1: with your AI account (no API key)
1. Click ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot or Perplexity.
2. The assistant opens with a ready prompt and your page as Markdown. The prompt is also copied to your clipboard. Gemini cannot receive a prompt in a link, so paste it there with Ctrl+V or Cmd+V.
3. Copy the assistant’s full answer.
4. Paste it into Improved Markdown in the review window, read it, and click Update post.
Option 2: inside WordPress (API key)
1. Connect a provider (see below).
2. In the review window, click Generate fix.
3. Read the improved page and the Add or verify before publishing notes.
4. Click Update post.
What happens when I update the post? #
– The page goes through the plugin’s Markdown importer. Headings, lists, tables and FAQ blocks become native Gutenberg blocks, and the FAQ uses the format chosen under Settings > SEO FAQ Block Import Format (Rank Math, Yoast, AIOSEO or Details).
– The meta description is saved to your SEO plugin. For products, the short description is updated.
– WordPress saves a revision first, so you can restore the previous version from the editor’s Revisions screen.
– The score is recalculated.
Pages built with Elementor, Divi, WPBakery or Bricks are never overwritten, because their content lives in the builder. For those pages, copy the improved text into the builder.
Does the AI invent facts? #
The prompt tells the AI to keep your meaning, voice, links (including affiliate links), images, tables and shortcodes, and never to invent numbers, prices, specifications, dates, quotes, studies, reviews or sources. When a figure or source would help, the AI lists it under Add or verify before publishing instead. The grounding check catches numbers that slip through. Always read the result before you update: you are the publisher.
Connect an AI provider #
Go to AI Visibility > AI fixing:
- Provider: Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (ChatGPT), Google Gemini or OpenRouter.
- API key: paste your key. The Get a … key link opens the provider’s key page.
- Model: click Fetch models to load the models your account can use, then choose one. OpenRouter lists prices per million tokens and has a filter box. Choose Other: type a model ID to enter any model by name.
- Click Save, then Test connection.
| Provider | Where to get a key |
|---|---|
| Anthropic | console.anthropic.com |
| OpenAI | platform.openai.com |
| Google Gemini | aistudio.google.com |
| OpenRouter | openrouter.ai (the model list loads without a key) |
Your provider bills API usage. A whole-page fix sends the full page and returns the full page, so longer pages cost more. If a page is too long for one answer, the plugin tells you, and you can use Option 1 instead.
Your key is stored in your WordPress database, is visible only to administrators, is never sent to the browser and is only sent to the provider you chose. Leave the key field empty when saving to keep the stored key. Tick Remove to delete it.
FAQ #
How do I get my content cited by ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews? #
Answer the main question in the first paragraph, use question-style headings, add specific facts and numbers, link to the sources behind them and keep the page updated. Make sure AI crawlers can reach the page (see AI Visibility). The readiness score checks each of these for you.
What is a good Citation Readiness score? #
75 or higher is Ready. 50 to 74 is Close, and below 50 Needs work. Start with pages that AI already reads (see Pages AI reads most in AI Analytics) and pages that bring you business.
Why is my answer-first intro failing? #
The first paragraph is shorter than 15 words or longer than 90. Open with 1-3 sentences that answer the page’s main question directly, then add detail below.
Can I fix pages without an API key? #
Yes. Click ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot or Perplexity in the review window. The assistant opens with the prompt and your page, and you paste its answer back. You only pay for your normal AI subscription, if any.
Can I undo an AI fix? #
Yes. Every applied fix creates a WordPress revision first. Open the post, go to Revisions and restore the earlier version.
