Seo content

Content Quality & E-E-A-T Analysis

<!-- Updated: 2026-06-10 -->

E-E-A-T Framework (per Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines and the "Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content" doc)

Read seo/references/eeat-framework.md for full criteria.

How Google uses E-E-A-T: E-E-A-T itself is NOT a direct ranking factor. Google's automated systems use a mix of factors to reward content people find helpful; quality raters use E-E-A-T to evaluate whether those systems are working — rater data is not used directly in ranking. Of the E-E-A-T family, Trust is the most important member — the other three contribute to trust, and content need not demonstrate all of them.

Experience (first-hand signals)

• Original research, case studies, before/after results
• Personal anecdotes, process documentation
• Unique data, proprietary insights
• Photos/videos from direct experience

Expertise

• Author credentials, certifications, bio
• Professional background relevant to topic
• Technical depth appropriate for audience
• Accurate, well-sourced claims

Authoritativeness

• External citations, backlinks from authoritative sources
• Brand mentions, industry recognition
• Published in recognized outlets
• Cited by other experts

Trustworthiness

• Contact information, physical address
• Privacy policy, terms of service
• Customer testimonials, reviews
• Date stamps, transparent corrections
• Secure site (HTTPS)

Content Metrics

Word Count Analysis

Compare against page type minimums:

Page Type	Minimum
Homepage	500
Service page	800
Blog post	1,500
Product page	300+ (400+ for complex products)
Location page	500-600

Important: These are topical coverage floors, not targets. Google has confirmed word count is NOT a direct ranking factor. The goal is comprehensive topical coverage — a 500-word page that thoroughly answers the query will outrank a 2,000-word page that doesn't. Use these as guidelines for adequate coverage depth, not rigid requirements.

Readability

• Flesch Reading Ease: target 60-70 for general audience

Note: Flesch Reading Ease is a useful proxy for content accessibility but is NOT a direct Google ranking factor. John Mueller has confirmed Google does not use basic readability scores for ranking. Yoast deprioritized Flesch scores in v19.3. Use readability analysis as a content quality indicator, not as an SEO metric to optimize directly.

• Grade level: match target audience
• Sentence length: average 15-20 words
• Paragraph length: 2-4 sentences

Keyword Optimization

• Primary keyword in title, H1, first 100 words
• Natural density (1-3%)
• Semantic variations present
• No keyword stuffing

Content Structure

• Logical heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3)
• Scannable sections with descriptive headings
• Bullet/numbered lists where appropriate
• Table of contents for long-form content

Multimedia

• Relevant images with proper alt text
• Videos where appropriate
• Infographics for complex data
• Charts/graphs for statistics

Internal Linking

• 3-5 relevant internal links per 1000 words
• Descriptive anchor text
• Links to related content
• No orphan pages

External Linking

• Cite authoritative sources
• Open in new tab for user experience
• Reasonable count (not excessive)

AI Content Assessment (Sept 2025 QRG addition)

Google's raters now formally assess whether content appears AI-generated.

Acceptable AI Content

• Demonstrates genuine E-E-A-T
• Provides unique value
• Has human oversight and editing
• Contains original insights

Low-Quality AI Content Markers

• Generic phrasing, lack of specificity
• No original insight
• Repetitive structure across pages
• No author attribution
• Factual inaccuracies

Helpful Content System (March 2024): The Helpful Content System was merged into Google's core ranking algorithm during the March 2024 core update. It no longer operates as a standalone classifier. Helpfulness signals are now weighted within every core update — the same principles apply (people-first content, demonstrating E-E-A-T, satisfying user intent), but enforcement is continuous rather than through separate HCU updates.

AI Citation Readiness (GEO signals)

Optimize for AI search engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews):

• Clear, quotable statements with statistics/facts
• Structured data (especially for data points)
• Strong heading hierarchy (H1→H2→H3 flow)
• Answer-first formatting for key questions
• Tables and lists for comparative data
• Clear attribution and source citations

AI Search Visibility & GEO (2025-2026)

Google AI Mode launched publicly in May 2025 as a separate tab in Google Search, available in 180+ countries. Unlike AI Overviews (which appear above organic results), AI Mode provides a fully conversational search experience with zero organic blue links — making AI citation the only visibility mechanism.

Key optimization strategies for AI citation:

• Structured answers: Clear question-answer formats, definition patterns, and step-by-step instructions that AI systems can extract and cite
• First-party data: Original research, statistics, case studies, and unique datasets are highly cited by AI systems
• Schema markup: Article, FAQ (for non-Google AI platforms), and structured content schemas help AI systems parse and attribute content
• Topical authority: AI systems preferentially cite sources that demonstrate deep expertise — build content clusters, not isolated pages
• Entity clarity: Ensure brand, authors, and key concepts are clearly defined with structured data (Organization, Person schema)
• Multi-platform tracking: Monitor visibility across Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Bing Copilot — not just traditional rankings. Treat AI citation as a standalone KPI alongside organic rankings and traffic.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): GEO is the emerging discipline of optimizing content specifically for AI-generated answers. Key GEO signals include: quotability (clear, concise extractable facts), attribution (source citations within your content), structure (well-organized heading hierarchy), and freshness (regularly updated data). Cross-reference the seo-geo skill for detailed GEO workflows.

Content Freshness

• Publication date visible
• Last updated date if content has been revised
• Flag content older than 12 months without update for fast-changing topics

Output

Content Quality Score: XX/100

E-E-A-T Breakdown

Factor	Score	Key Signals
Experience	XX/25	...
Expertise	XX/25	...
Authoritativeness	XX/25	...
Trustworthiness	XX/25	...

AI Citation Readiness: XX/100

Issues Found

Recommendations

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Live Data Insights (MCP Overlay)

This section appears only when MCP data sources are available. The static analysis above is complete and unchanged regardless of MCP availability.

MCP Availability Check

Follow the self-contained check pattern from seo/references/mcp-degradation.md:

1. Use ToolSearch with query "+ahrefs" — if tools returned, Ahrefs is available
2. Use ToolSearch with query "+google-search-console" — if tools returned, GSC is available
3. Proceed with whichever MCPs are available; skip sections for unavailable MCPs

Actual Keyword Rankings (Ahrefs)

If Ahrefs available: fetch site-explorer-organic-keywords filtered to the specific URL being analyzed (full URL with https://). Show what Google actually associates with this content — this complements the static keyword analysis by replacing estimation with real ranking data. Add a ### Actual Keyword Rankings (Ahrefs) section:

### Actual Keyword Rankings (Ahrefs)

Top 10 keywords this page actually ranks for:

| Keyword | Position | Monthly Volume | Est. Traffic | Traffic % |
|---------|----------|----------------|--------------|-----------|
| keyword 1 | #X | X,XXX | XXX | X.X% |
| keyword 2 | #XX | X,XXX | XXX | X.X% |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

> Position data reflects current Google rankings. Compare with static keyword analysis above to identify gaps between targeted vs. actual ranking keywords.

Note: cpc values from Ahrefs are in cents — divide by 100 before displaying as USD.

Search Query Performance (GSC)

If GSC available: fetch get_search_analytics filtered to this specific URL for the last 28 days. Add a ### Search Query Performance (GSC) section to validate E-E-A-T signals with real user behavior data:

### Search Query Performance (Google Search Console — Last 28 Days)

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Total Impressions | XX,XXX |
| Total Clicks | X,XXX |
| Overall CTR | X.X% |
| Average Position | X.X |

**Top Queries Triggering This Page:**

| Query | Impressions | Clicks | CTR | Avg Position |
|-------|-------------|--------|-----|--------------|
| query 1 | X,XXX | XXX | X.X% | X.X |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

> High impressions with low CTR on relevant queries suggests title/meta description optimization is needed.
> CTR displayed as percentage (API returns decimal — multiply by 100 for display).

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Data Sources

Always append this footer to the content analysis output:

Source	Status	Data Provided
Static Analysis	Always available	E-E-A-T scoring, readability, keyword density, structure, AI citation readiness
Ahrefs MCP	Available / Not connected	Actual ranking keywords, positions, search volumes, traffic estimates
GSC MCP	Available / Not connected	Impressions, clicks, CTR, avg position, top queries for this page