All 28 AEO Signals Explained: The Complete Guide

AEO scoring at RankAsAnswer is built on 28 research-backed signals, grouped into four weighted pillars. Each signal reflects something that AI answer engines use — directly or indirectly — when deciding whether to extract and cite content from a web page.

Structure signals — 30% of your AEO score

How your page is structured determines how easily an AI can parse, segment, and extract specific answers. AI answer engines work by chunking content — structure signals determine how cleanly those chunks map to user questions.

Metadata signals — 25% of your AEO score

Metadata signals tell AI answer engines what a page is about before they read a single word of body content. Well-optimized metadata increases the probability your page surfaces in the retrieval stage.

Content signals — 25% of your AEO score

Content signals measure the quality, readability, and density of the actual text on your page. AI answer engines extract better answers from pages with clear, readable, appropriately detailed content.

Citation pattern signals — 20% of your AEO score

Citation pattern signals are the structured-data and link signals that help AI understand your authority, trustworthiness, and content type. These are the signals most directly controllable through Schema markup.

How signals combine into your AEO score

Each signal is evaluated as present, partial, or absent. Partial implementations receive partial credit. The pillar score is the weighted average of signals within that pillar, and your overall AEO score is the weighted average of all four pillar scores.

Score your site across all 28 signals Get a full breakdown showing exactly which signals you're passing and failing. What is an AEO score? How to interpret your score and what ranges mean for citation probability.