The 110 factors that generative AI systems evaluate on a website

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## Why generative AI chooses some sites and ignores others When you ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity about a product, service or company, the answer is not random. These systems analyze the web structurally and decide, based on objective criteria, which sources deserve to be cited, recommended or simply ignored. Most companies still treat SEO as a matter of keywords and backlinks. That was enough in 2015. In 2025, the game changed: digital visibility depends on an **architecture of authority** — the ability of a site to be interpreted, understood and recommended by artificial intelligence systems. The **IAS™ (Intelligence Alignment Score)** is SEO 5.0's proprietary methodology to measure that architecture. It checks 110 points distributed across 10 dimensions and generates a score from 0 to 100. This article maps all those points — without revealing the prioritization logic that turns the list into an action plan, which is what the algorithm does. --- ## Dimension 1: Technical Infrastructure (13 points) The foundation of everything. Without solid technical infrastructure, no other dimension works fully. Generative AIs need to be able to crawl, index and interpret your site's content without obstacles. | # | Checked Point | |---|---| | 1 | Valid HTTPS with no certificate errors | | 2 | XML sitemap present and submitted to Google Search Console | | 3 | robots.txt configured correctly | | 4 | Absence of critical 4xx/5xx errors | | 5 | Correct 301 redirects (no loops or long chains) | | 6 | Canonical tags implemented to avoid duplicate content | | 7 | Hreflang configured (for multilingual sites) | | 8 | Pagination with canonical or rel=next/prev | | 9 | Friendly URL structure without unnecessary parameters | | 10 | Absence of internal duplicate content | | 11 | Gzip/Brotli compression active | | 12 | Lazy loading on images and videos | | 13 | Absence of render-blocking resources | **Why this matters for generative AI:** AI crawlers like GPTBot and Google-Extended follow the same crawling rules as Googlebot. A site with technical errors simply isn't indexed correctly — and cannot be cited. --- ## Dimension 2: Core Web Vitals and Performance (17 points) Speed is not just user experience. It's a direct quality signal for Google and a factor that determines whether content will be processed with priority by AI systems. | # | Checked Point | |---|---| | 14 | LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) below 2.5 seconds | | 15 | FCP (First Contentful Paint) below 1.8 seconds | | 16 | CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) below 0.1 | | 17 | INP (Interaction to Next Paint) below 200ms | | 18 | TTFB (Time to First Byte) below 800ms | | 19 | Speed Index within Lighthouse parameters | | 20 | Performance Score on PageSpeed Insights ≥ 70 (mobile) | | 21 | Performance Score on PageSpeed Insights ≥ 80 (desktop) | | 22 | Images in WebP or AVIF format | | 23 | Images with explicit dimensions (width/height) | | 24 | Fonts loaded with font-display: swap | | 25 | CDN active for static assets | | 26 | Browser caching configured correctly | | 27 | Minification of CSS, JS and HTML | | 28 | Absence of blocking JavaScript in the head | | 29 | Preload of critical resources (LCP image, fonts) | | 30 | Mobile-first: responsive layout without breakages | **Why this matters for generative AI:** Google uses technical quality signals to determine a source's trustworthiness. Slow or unstable sites receive less weight in citation decisions. --- ## Dimension 3: Semantic Organization (11 points) The most impactful dimension in the IAS™. Without clear semantics, Google and AIs cannot determine what topics the site is an authority on — and simply won't recommend it. | # | Checked Point | |---|---| | 31 | Single, clear H1 aligned with the main search intent | | 32 | Coherent H1→H2→H3 hierarchy with no skips | | 33 | Main topic cluster identifiable | | 34 | Semantically related keywords distributed naturally | | 35 | Schema Organization markup present and complete | | 36 | Schema WebSite markup with sitelinks | | 37 | Product/service schema markup on relevant pages | | 38 | Strategic interlinking between pages in the topic cluster | | 39 | Unique and persuasive meta descriptions (120–160 chars) | | 40 | Optimized title tags (50–60 chars, keyword at the start) | | 41 | Open Graph and Twitter Card configured | **Why this matters for generative AI:** Generative AIs extract entities and semantic relationships from content. A site with a clear hierarchy and complete schema markup is interpreted much more accurately — and is more likely to be cited as a reference source. --- ## Dimension 4: Contextual Presence (13 points) Authority doesn't exist in a vacuum. Google and AIs evaluate what the rest of the web says about you — backlinks, mentions and citations in relevant sources are signals that your brand exists and is recognized. | # | Checked Point | |---|---| | 42 | Backlinks from domains with DA > 30 | | 43 | Diversity of referring domains | | 44 | Absence of toxic or spam backlinks | | 45 | Brand mentions without links (brand mentions) | | 46 | Google Business Profile active and verified | | 47 | NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistent online | | 48 | Citations in industry-relevant directories | | 49 | Internal links distributed strategically | | 50 | Click-depth: important pages ≤ 3 clicks away | | 51 | Diverse anchor text in backlinks | | 52 | Presence on Wikipedia or Wikidata (for established brands) | | 53 | Mentions in industry press outlets | | 54 | LocalBusiness or Organization schema with geo-coordinates | **Why this matters for generative AI:** When ChatGPT or Gemini need to cite a company, they look for confirmation across multiple sources. A brand with a strong contextual presence appears in more sources — and therefore receives more citations. --- ## Dimension 5: Consistency of Messaging (7 points) Generative AIs are excellent at detecting inconsistencies. A site that says one thing on the homepage and another on internal pages creates semantic confusion — and loses authority. | # | Checked Point | |---|---| | 55 | Clear and explicit value proposition on the homepage | | 56 | Consistent tone and voice across all pages | | 57 | Absence of contradictions between pages (e.g., prices, services) | | 58 | Content aligned with search intent (informational, transactional, navigational) | | 59 | Texts without severe grammatical errors or shallow content | | 60 | Absence of keyword stuffing or unreviewed generated content | | 61 | Coherent brand narrative between homepage, About and service pages | **Why this matters for generative AI:** When an AI reads your site to build an answer, it compares information between pages. Inconsistency reduces confidence in the source — and the likelihood of citation. --- ## Dimension 6: AI Interaction / GEO (9 points) GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing content specifically to be extracted and cited by generative AIs. This dimension assesses how prepared the site is for this new paradigm. | # | Checked Point | |---|---| | 62 | Content in Q&A format (explicit questions and answers) | | 63 | FAQ schema implemented on relevant pages | | 64 | HowTo schema on tutorials and guides | | 65 | Citable content: original data, statistics, definitions | | 66 | No blocking of AI crawlers (GPTBot, Google-Extended) | | 67 | Server response speed < 200ms (TTFB) | | 68 | Content structured in lists and tables for AI extraction | | 69 | Presence in sources that AIs use as reference (Wikipedia, G1, Folha) | | 70 | Brand entity registered in the Google Knowledge Graph | **Why this matters for generative AI:** This is the dimension most directly tied to visibility in ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. Sites that block AI crawlers, don't use schema markup or don't produce citable content simply don't appear in generated answers. --- ## Dimension 7: Multichannel Presence (12 points) Google uses multichannel presence signals to validate a brand's legitimacy. A company that exists only on its own site is treated with less trust than one that has a consistent presence across multiple channels. | # | Checked Point | |---|---| | 71 | Active Instagram profile (posts in the last 30 days) | | 72 | Active Facebook profile | | 73 | Active LinkedIn profile (especially for B2B) | | 74 | YouTube channel with indexed videos | | 75 | Google Business Profile with recent photos and reviews | | 76 | Consistent brand name across all channels | | 77 | Consistent bio/description across all channels | | 78 | Website link present on all profiles | | 79 | Presence on TikTok (for consumer niches) | | 80 | Pinterest profile (for visual niches) | | 81 | Podcast or presence on audio platforms | | 82 | Active newsletter or email marketing channel | **Why this matters for generative AI:** Generative AIs use data from multiple sources to build an entity's profile. A brand with consistent multichannel presence is easier to identify, easier to disambiguate and easier to recommend. --- ## Dimension 8: Reputation & Digital PR (12 points) Domain authority, press coverage and public perception are signals Google and AIs use to determine whether a source deserves to be recommended in high-stakes contexts. | # | Checked Point | |---|---| | 83 | Domain Authority (DA) ≥ 20 | | 84 | Domain Rating (DR) ≥ 20 | | 85 | Google Business reviews (average ≥ 4.0) | | 86 | Reviews on Reclame Aqui (for e-commerce) | | 87 | Editorial mentions in press outlets | | 88 | Published case studies or testimonials | | 89 | Participation in industry events or awards | | 90 | Presence in industry lists and rankings | | 91 | Absence of dominant negative mentions in the SERPs | | 92 | Backlinks from .gov or .edu (when applicable) | | 93 | Recognized partners and clients cited on the site | | 94 | Clean domain history (no prior penalties) | **Why this matters for generative AI:** When an AI needs to recommend a company in a decision context, it prioritizes sources with verifiable reputation. Editorial backlinks and media mentions are the strongest signals of trustworthiness. --- ## Dimension 9: E-E-A-T (16 points) Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. Google formalized these criteria in the Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines — and generative AIs use them as a quality filter to decide which sources are reliable enough to cite. | # | Checked Point | |---|---| | 95 | 'About' page with real company/author information | | 96 | Identifiable photo and name of the person responsible | | 97 | Documented credentials, certifications or experience | | 98 | Identifiable authorship on blog articles | | 99 | Schema Person with sameAs for social profiles | | 100 | Schema Organization with logo, contact and address | | 101 | Privacy Policy present and up to date | | 102 | Terms of Use present | | 103 | HTTPS with valid certificate | | 104 | Physical address or CNPJ visible (for local businesses) | | 105 | Phone number or contact email visible | | 106 | Publication and update dates on articles | | 107 | References and sources cited in the content | | 108 | Absence of YMYL content without credentials | | 109 | Functional contact page | | 110 | 'Who We Are' link in the main navigation menu | **Why this matters for generative AI:** E-E-A-T is the most important trust filter for high-stakes content. A medical, financial or legal site without robust E-E-A-T will simply not be cited by AIs in contexts where accuracy matters. --- ## What to do with this list Knowing the 110 factors is the first step. The second — and more important — is knowing **which of them have the greatest impact on your specific site**, your weakest dimension, and your market niche. A list of 110 items without prioritization is just a checklist. What turns a checklist into an action plan is the intelligence to know where to start — and that is precisely the IAS™ algorithm's function. IAS™ not only checks the 110 points. It weights them based on real ranking data from Brazilian sites, identifies the most critical dimensions for your context and generates a roadmap ordered by real impact. > **The difference is not the list. It's the prioritization intelligence.** Take the [free IAS™ Diagnosis](/diagnostico) and discover in which of the 10 dimensions your site is losing visibility to generative AI — and what to do to change that. --- *This article is part of SEO 5.0's technical content series on digital authority architecture for the age of generative AIs. See also: [How the IAS™ algorithm works](/algoritmo).*