Methodology · 32-factor framework
The 32-factor HEO audit.
Every factor we check on every site, every engagement. 32 factors across four pillars — SEO foundations, GEO visibility, AEO + snippet capture, and trust signals. Use this as a self-audit, or have us run it.
SEO
SEO foundations
30% of total HEO score
Crawlability + robots
What: robots.txt + sitemap.xml + noindex hygiene
Why it matters: If Googlebot can't crawl it, nothing else matters.
Core Web Vitals
What: LCP < 2.5s, INP < 200ms, CLS < 0.1
Why it matters: Direct ranking signal + UX loss for failures.
Mobile-first parity
What: Same content/schema/links on mobile + desktop
Why it matters: Google indexes the mobile version. Parity = consistency.
URL hygiene
What: Canonicals, slugs, no parameter sprawl
Why it matters: Stops Google from splitting authority across duplicates.
Internal linking architecture
What: Topic clusters, not random inter-link
Why it matters: Sends focused signal to your priority pages.
Title + meta hygiene
What: Unique, intent-matched, under 60/155 chars
Why it matters: Single biggest lever for organic CTR.
On-page content depth
What: Buyer-intent keywords + actual depth
Why it matters: Thin content underperforms regardless of links.
Authority profile
What: Editorial backlinks, brand mentions, citation hygiene
Why it matters: The single hardest signal to fake, single most powerful when earned.
GEO
Generative engine visibility
25% of total HEO score
Entity consistency
What: Same legal name + address + phone everywhere
Why it matters: Entity fragments across schema = weaker AI engine recognition.
/llms.txt published
What: Site-level LLM-readable instructions
Why it matters: The single highest-leverage AI engine signal in 2026.
Organization schema
What: @id, sameAs, knowsAbout populated
Why it matters: How AI engines pin your entity to a stable identity.
Author schema + bylines
What: Person schema with credentials + linked profiles
Why it matters: AI engines weight cited authors heavily.
Citation-bait content
What: Original data, frameworks, definitions worth quoting
Why it matters: AI engines cite what's quotable; opinion isn't quotable.
Wikipedia + Wikidata
What: Entity present and verified across
Why it matters: Direct training-data signal for most major models.
External proof properties
What: Crunchbase, LinkedIn Company, GBP, press
Why it matters: Independent verification AI engines triangulate against.
Brand mention monitoring
What: Track citations across ChatGPT + Gemini + Perplexity + Claude
Why it matters: You can't improve what you can't see.
AEO
Answer engine + snippet capture
25% of total HEO score
FAQPage schema
What: Structured Q&A with proper markup
Why it matters: Direct eligibility for People-Also-Ask + voice.
HowTo schema
What: Step-by-step instructions structured
Why it matters: Captures procedural snippets + voice answers.
Definition snippets
What: Short, clean, scannable category definitions
Why it matters: Featured-snippet eligibility on what-is queries.
List + table markup
What: Comparative content structured for parsing
Why it matters: Comparison snippets are high-value, low-competition.
Question-first H2/H3 structure
What: Headers phrased as buyer questions
Why it matters: Matches the way buyers + voice assistants phrase queries.
Speakable schema
What: Speakable markup on key paragraphs
Why it matters: Voice-first surface eligibility (Alexa, Assistant).
Concise lead paragraphs
What: Answer in the first 60 words, expand below
Why it matters: Inverted-pyramid structure is what snippet algorithms reward.
Internal Q&A linking
What: Q&A pages linked from buyer-journey pages
Why it matters: Distributes snippet authority across the site.
TRUST
Trust + EEAT signals
20% of total HEO score
Author identity + expertise
What: Real people, real bios, real credentials
Why it matters: EEAT — the meta-signal that boosts everything else.
Editorial calendar + freshness
What: Visible publishing cadence + dateModified hygiene
Why it matters: Active sites get crawled more often + cited more.
Customer proof
What: Named case studies + verifiable reviews + testimonials
Why it matters: Proof beats claim. AI engines weight verifiable proof.
Brand mentions + press
What: Earned media + directory listings + interviews
Why it matters: Off-site signals validate on-site claims.
Transparent pricing
What: Public pricing or pricing range
Why it matters: Trust signal + intent qualifier; also helps AI engines answer 'how much.'
Privacy + terms hygiene
What: Real privacy policy + terms + cookie practice
Why it matters: Legal baseline + trust signal.
HTTPS + security headers
What: Modern TLS, HSTS, CSP
Why it matters: Trust signal for browsers + ranking factor.
Real contactability
What: Phone + email + physical address + working forms
Why it matters: Sites that don't want to be contacted don't get cited.
Want this run on your site?
We run the 32-factor audit in week 1 of every Be Found sprint — you get a written audit + prioritised roadmap regardless of whether you continue past week 2.