How AI and Users Judge Content Quality: A Simple 5-Factor Framework (+ Checklist)

Your content might seem solid from a traditional SEO perspective and yet not get cited in conversational search.

This is a problem. Users will increasingly rely on platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews for answers. And so if your content doesn't appear there, your potential customers may miss out on your offers.

The 5-factor framework in this guide is meant to fix this dilemma. It evaluates content using criteria that both users and AI search algorithms prioritize for selection and synthesis.

Here's what you'll get:

• The 5 factors that help AI visibility and user engagement
• A 0-15 point scoring system to quickly judge new and existing content
• Specific implementation checklists for each quality criteria
• How to prioritize improvements for fastest results (I.e., starting with 8-10 point high-value content)
• Timeline guidance for seeing measurable improvements
• And more.

You can also download the Content Quality Assessment Checklist that's based on the framework we use to help clients improve traditional search rankings and visibility in AI platforms.

Disclaimer:  AI optimization is far too new to claim expertise or mastery. That's not the framing or positioning here.

We simply wish to share a content framework that works for our clients and may be helpful for you. It uses tried and true content marketing fundamentals and adapts and integrates new AI tactics from trusted industry sources working at the forefront of AI search.

And since this field is evolving rapidly, we'll continue testing and refining our approach with curiosity and an open mind.

What Are The Primary Factors that Determine Content Performance? [Quick Breakdown]

The five factors that determine content performance are:

• Contextual Understanding
• Credibility and Freshness
• User Experience (UX)
• Uniqueness and Value-Add
• Guidance

Quick-Start Breakdown of Assessment

What The Final Scores Will Mean

Map Your Complete Query Landscape (Contextual Understanding)

Search has shifted from target keyword matching to understanding complete user intent. Your content must address your audience's primary question AND the logical follow-up questions they'll explore next. That's because of the query fan-out technique.

What Does Query Fan-Out Means for Your Content?

Google's AI Mode uses query fan-out techniques which immediately generate dozens of related 'subtopic' searches from a single query.

These systems expand the query landscape to analyze semantic relationships, user behaviour patterns, and contextual signals and understand what a user needs from a search.

Key Takeaway: Your content must address the primary query AND logical follow-up questions specific target users will likely want to explore next.

Map Complete User Journeys and Anticipate Follow-Up Questions

For your content to be selected by AI systems for comprehensive responses, it's crucial to map complete user journeys and anticipate follow-up questions. This means thinking beyond the single query to address the logical next steps users will want to take throughout their entire decision-making process. Proactively addressing these relevant content connections ensures complete coverage.

For example, as you read about assessing content quality, you may also want to know about content audits and optimization strategies, quality KPIs, and benchmarks. So you know what to aim for and implementation timelines.

Practical Tip: Map out 5-7 related questions users may ask after consuming your main topic. Tools like AlsoAsked, or looking for high engagement discussions in relevant Subreddits, and Quora pages can help you brainstorm these potential paths.

Consider Your Audience's Behavioural Patterns

Search results now personalize based on 'user embeddings' - data representations of individual behaviour, preferences, and context. Different user contexts (mobile vs desktop, work vs personal time, beginner vs expert level) influence how AI systems serve your content.

Action Item:  Focus your content on what your target users actually need. Ask yourself: "What would make my ICP bookmark this page, share it with colleagues, or return to reference it later?" Our job as content creators is to encourage these positive user behaviours that signal value to both users and AI systems. This focus provides helpful constraints about content depth, format, and next steps to include.

Scoring: "Does your content address the user's primary question plus their likely follow-up questions?"

Quick assessment checklist:



□ Intent mismatch - Your content doesn't address the core user problem or skips follow-up angles users will want to explore

□ Buried answers - Main answer not in first 1-2 paragraphs, missing or unclear TL;DR

□ Incomplete coverage - Doesn't address related FAQs, PAA terms, or relevant keyword variants that users expect

□ Shallow depth - Less comprehensive than top competitors on the SERP, missing key subtopics

□ Missing context variations - No consideration of user circumstances, experience levels, or consumption contexts (mobile vs desktop, beginner vs expert)

□ Weak content relationships - No explanation of how the topic relates to broader concepts, prerequisites, or next-step implications

Scoring: 0 issues = 3 points | 1-2 issues = 2 points | 3-4 issues = 1 point | 5-6 issues = 0 points

(Please make note of the Scoring Guide above!)

Which Tools Help You Assess Contextual Understanding?

• Google Search Console (GSC) (Free): Lets you quickly check what queries your page already ranks in Google for, and info regarding impressions, clicks, and positions of queries for each page on your site. The goal is to have at least 15+ relevant queries per page.
• Use this custom regex to identify conversational queries in GSC = ([^" "]*\s){32,}?
  

• AlsoAsked (Freemium): A valuable tool that shows you likely follow-up questions users ask. And because it uses a mind map style design (although they all do, since AnswerThePublic), it's great for spotting missing coverage areas and understanding the full search query landscape.

• Frase (Paid): An NLP content optimization tool that also provides easy access to PAA questions, Quora discussions, and Reddit conversations relevant to your topic. This way you can get a full view of the subtopics your target audience may want to know as you create.

• Quick test: Ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude (whichever you prefer) what follow-up questions users would have after reading your content. The gaps they identify show where your coverage needs work. We've been also been experimenting with the follow up questions provided by Perplexity as a source.

• Content gap analysis: Search your main topics on conversational AI platforms. Note what information appears that you haven't covered. This reveals content opportunities your traditional keyword research might miss. But we'll get into this more a in the 'Which Criteria Will Deliver the Fastest Results?' section below. With a full video walkthrough on how to set up your own free analysis thanks to a senior SEO at TripAdvisor.

How To Implement Contextual Understanding Into Your Upcoming Content?

• Before creating: Define your target audience's core query and analyze 3-5 competing content pieces for gaps. Seek out at least 5-7 highly relevant subtopic ideas your user will likely also want to know.

• During creation: Write clear, engaging, and conversational titles that match the style user may search. Place critical information under each header. And be sure to address sub-intents, common PAA questions, and contextual variations.

• Success benchmark: When users (or AI agents) can find everything they need without additional searches. And you're visible for at least 10-15+ related long-tail queries beyond your primary keyword.
  

Build Trust Through Fresh, Authoritative Content (Credibility and Freshness)

Your content needs to earn trust from both readers and AI systems. It's what drives selection.

What Makes Content Credible to AI Systems?

Fresh data, authoritative sources, and expert validation create the trust signals that matter. This includes:

• E-E-A-T signals that build trust with users and search algorithms
• Clear attribution and current information from well-sourced content
• Expert bylines and credentials

Key Principle:  Create content that includes your unique insights and testing combined with information citing .gov, .edu, or industry-leading domains.

Why Do AI Systems Prioritize Credible Content?

Search engines and Large Language Models use direct preference optimization (DPO) to fine-tune outputs based on user preferences. This means AI systems learn to favour content that users find trustworthy and valuable. This includes:

• Accurate and up-to-date information they can trust,
• Helpful guidance they can act on,
• Balanced perspectives they can rely on,
• And user-centric designs around your user's goal rather than your business objectives.

Key Insight:  When your content consistently satisfies users, AI systems learn to select it more often for future responses.

External Validation Builds Authority

Not really an on-page factor but critical to note: AI systems don't evaluate content in isolation - they consider external signals that indicate authority and trustworthiness.

Particularly in competitive spaces, content quality alone isn't enough. Algorithms rely on external signals like brand mentions, authoritative backlinks, and industry recognition to understand your content quality and determine citation worthiness.

Strategic approach: Aim for steady growth in referring domains and branded mentions. Track this through SEO tools like Ahrefs Webmasters Tool or SEOUtils for backlink analysis.

And set up Google Alerts for your brand name plus "according to" or "research from" to catch instances when other websites or AI systems cite your brand or content.

Key insight: Monitor these mentions as a new form of brand visibility measurement - being cited by AI platforms indicates strong external validation signals.

Write for Machine Precision Using Advanced Syntax

Use clear semantic structure, with active voice and explicit subject-predicate-object relationships. Structure sentences so AI can easily extract who-did-what-to-whom relationships.

And connect ideas with clear transitions like "therefore," "because," and "however." This helps AI systems understand the logical flow of your arguments and extract clean semantic relationships.

For example: "Our content update services (subject) increased (predicate) client leads by 286% (object)" vs. passive constructions like "Client leads were increased through content updates."

Why this matters: AI systems need unambiguous references to help it build accurate knowledge representations. Clear semantic triples make your content more likely to be selected for AI Overviews and conversational search results.

Implementation: Replace passive constructions with clear actor-action-object statements. Focus on clear verbs that define precise relationships between entities ("causes," "leads to," "compares to," "consists of," "is a type of").

Clarify Entities and Context for AI Understanding

When mentioning brands, people, tools, or terms, add identifying details. Write "Apple Inc. (tech company)" instead of just "Apple." And also include model numbers, dates, or domain context to prevent confusion.

Why this matters: AI systems benefit from unambiguous references to help it build accurate knowledge representations.

Keep Supporting Evidence Close to Claims

Place supporting evidence within the same paragraph as your main point. Avoid separating claims from their proof across different sections as much as humanly possible. This is because AI systems score chunks - a fun word that we'll ironically discuss soon in a different section (in User Experience) - as complete units. Meaning each section needs its own supporting context.

Implementation: Be sure that each major claim has its citation or supporting data in the same content chunk (i.e., under the same heading).

Optimize for Multiple Search Patterns

Use different terms to describe key concepts in your content. For example, your target audience might search for "customer retention," "reducing churn," or "keeping clients longer." Include this rephrasing in separate sentences or sections. Like for instance how we use different synonyms of 'AI systems' in this article.

Benefit: This expands your content's reach for different queries without keyword stuffing.

Implement Strategic Structured Data

Use structured data strategically. Focus on 3 schema types that improve AI understanding: FAQPage for question sections, HowTo for process content, and Article for blog posts. And interlink related entities using consistent phrasing (anchor texts) across pages.

Action step: When you mention industry terms, products, or people, try to use the same exact phrasing sitewide so search platforms recognize these connections.

Scoring: "Is your content trustworthy, current, well-sourced, and machine-readable?"

Quick assessment checklist:

□ Lacks current data - Stats over 12 months old; missing 2024-25 events or trends

□ Claims without proper citation - Stats or strong assertions with no source link

□ Unclear authorship - No byline, author bio, or credentials shown (granted some CMS like Duda - where this site is hosted - don't provide many customization options)

□ Outdated tools or examples - References deprecated methods or dated screenshots/UI

□ Lacks human verification - Reads like unedited AI-generated content with no nuance, disclaimers, or scenario variations

Scoring: 0 issues = 3 points | 1-2 issues = 2 points | 3-4 issues = 1 point | 5 issues = 0 points

Which Tools and Tips Help Assess Credibility and Freshness?

• Google Fact Check Explorer (Free): Cross-check controversial or technical statements against credible outlets.
• PubMed or Semantic Scholar (Free): Find peer-reviewed studies for citations. Academic sources outweigh blog content for authority signals.
• Ahrefs Webmasters Tool (Free): Detect outdated or broken links on your website. Because broken links can damage user experience and 'credibility scores'.
• Your CMS plugin directory: Search for schema markup plugins specific to your platform. Some CMS like Duda does this automatically. While WordPress users should try Schema Pro or RankMath. These help automate structured data without requiring coding knowledge.
• Write with confidence: Replace tentative language with direct statements backed by evidence. Change "many businesses find" to an exact linked stat like "73% of surveyed businesses report." Aim to remove qualifiers like "generally," "usually," and "tends to" from factual claims. But for regulated industries, lead with the direct answer, then add disclaimers. And be sure to actually fact-check what you declare - your brand and even AI training data depends on it.

How Do You Implement Credibility and Freshness and Improvements Into Your New Content?

• Before writing: Make sure to prioritize data from the last 12 months and select sources from .gov, .edu, or industry-leading domains. Plan to include 3-5 high-quality sources.

• During creation: Link every major claim to supporting data. Use phrasing like "we found that" to separate fact from interpretation. Include author credentials and transparent methodology wherever appropriate.

• Success benchmark: Every major claim has supporting evidence from multiple reliable sources. Your content cites recent data and includes clear author credentials.

Optimize For Human and AI Scanning (User Experience)

Clear, solid structure helps both human readers and 'answer engines' scan and extract information quickly.

People like easy-to-consume content. And similarly, LLMs favour well-organized content as it helps identify and extract specific chunks at the passage level.

Core Goal: Design content people can easily scan, and that AI can extract clean, relevant passages for search responses.

The 100-300 Word Chunk Strategy

Structure content in 100-300 word self-contained chunks. This means that each 'chunk' should contain a complete thought with context, key terms, and any necessary supporting details to makes sense without surrounding context. To help this matchup with relevant conversational search queries. And be sure to use conversational H2 and H3 headings with real-world language.

Implementation Tip: Structure each 100-300 word 'chunk' as a mini-article with its own context, main point, and conclusion. This helps AI systems using retrieval systems (RAG) (used by platforms like Perplexity and Google AI) for passage-level retrieval in search responses extract and use the information even when pulled out of the broader article context.

Create Semantic Breaks Between Ideas

Identify natural boundaries between different concepts, topics, or user intents to create meaningful content breaks. Start new sections when you shift from explaining "what" something is to "how" it works, or when moving from benefits to implementation steps.

For example introducing new entities or concepts, shifting between problem and solution discussions, moving between different audience segments, or transitioning from theory to practical application. And use transition phrases to signal these conceptual shifts.

Implementation tip: Start a new paragraph whenever you introduce a new concept, shift focus, or answer a different question. Use transition phrases like "however," "additionally," or "on the other hand" to signal topic changes to both readers and AI.

Write Headings With Natural Language

Use conversational H2 and H3 headings with real-world language. Write headings as natural questions users would actually search or uses phrasing that adds scannable context. For example: "Which Tools and Tips Help Assess Credibility and Freshness?" instead of "Tools and Tips."

Note: Turning EVERY header into a question could be bit much but having as many as possible won't hurt.

Quick test: Read your headings out loud - and ask yourself if they sound like real questions your target audience would ask?

Plan Cross-Format Content Strategy

Google's AI mode and likely others use multimodal models. This means they'll source relevant information from all formats (and even any language), to ensure comprehensive responses. Your written content should work alongside video, audio, and interactive elements.

Strategic approach: Focus on genuine user value aligned with their specific content consumption preferences, and you'll naturally create content that performs well across all search algorithms.

Scoring: "How easy is it for all users to find and understand your content, while being optimized for AI parsing?"

Quick assessment checklist:

□ Poor content structure - Long paragraphs (5+ sentences), weak headings, confusing flow, lacking clean chunks (haha)

□ Mobile/visual issues - Layout breaks on mobile devices, low contrast, poor visual hierarchy

□ Poor readability - Dense vocabulary, technical terms without explanation, low readability score

□ Missing visual support - Charts lack alt text, no diagrams for complex processes, and insufficient accessibility features

□ Lacks helpful elements - No FAQs for edge cases, missing calculators or tools when they'd add value

□ Missing engagement features - No interactive elements, accordions, or scannable formatting when helpful

Scoring: 0-2 issues = 3 points | 3-4 issues = 2 points | 5 issues = 1 point | 6 issues = 0 points

Which Tools and Tests Help You Assess User Experience?

• Hemingway Editor (Free): This free tool simplifies your writing for better content readability. In fact, this tool, combined with reading Rudolf Flesch's 1946 classic The Art of Plain Talk, made me a better writer and a better person. It really depends on your niche, but for business content, for most niches I recommend targeting a grade 9-11 reading level. It's also helpful for keeping track of section lengths. Use it to maintain consistent chunk sizes across your content.
• Microsoft Clarity (Free): Watch how users scroll, click, and navigate. Spot where they get stuck, lose interest, or show confusion. You can use it to monitor scroll depth. Typically we'd aim for 60% as a solid scroll depth goal - it can be hard to accomplish though. (However, with information retrieval tools, we may need to reevaluate.)

• PageSpeed Insights (Free): Monitor load times. Target under 3 seconds on mobile for optimal experience.
• Quick test: Can someone scan your page and understand the main points in 30 seconds? If not, add clearer headings or summary sections.

What Are Some Simple Ways To Implement User Experience Improvements?

• Before writing: Create an outline with a logical H2/H3 structure. Plan visual elements every 300-400 words and confirm images have descriptive alt text.

• During creation: Write H2s and H3s as direct questions with immediate answers below. Use short paragraphs (3-5 sentences), bullet points, and dedicated FAQ sections. Include actual engagement elements that match user intent.

• Success benchmark: Mobile users can easily read and navigate your content without zooming (particularly important for visuals like screenshots). Your content uses conversational headings and visual elements that reinforce key concepts and help scannability.

Highlight Your Irreplaceable Human Expertise (Uniqueness and Value-Add)

Search algorithms bury generic content. On the flip side, valuable insights, personal experience, and fresh perspectives that add nuance to consensus get cited and rewarded. Because where LLM platforms like ChatGPT can use next-word-prediction to regurgitate existing content at scale, human expertise offer new opportunities.

And also important to know: AI systems prioritize content with genuine human expertise.

Leverage Your Irreplaceable Lived Experiences AI Cannot Synthesize

Your lived experience, proprietary data, and nuanced judgment become your competitive advantage against AI synthesis. Information unavailable elsewhere add great value to your content - insights, perspectives, or data that don't exist in other sources.

Prioritize what you can offer that AI cannot create from existing content:

• First-hand testing results,
• Conditional recommendations based on specific scenarios,
• Cross-industry insights that require human judgment,
• And real-world application examples.

Include original research, case studies, and contextual advice that draws from your unique position in the market.

Key principle: This unique value-add becomes your content strategy's  competitive moat against AI synthesis. Your unique perspective and real-world experience cannot be replicated by AI systems trained on existing content.

Strategic advantage: Focus on experiential knowledge that comes from actually doing the work - the nuanced decisions, unexpected challenges, and practical workarounds that only emerge through hands-on experience. These human elements provide the authenticity and depth that LLMs cannot manufacture.

Implementation: Document your actual processes, share specific examples with measurable outcomes, and provide conditional guidance based on different scenarios you've encountered. Make your expertise tangible through concrete details rather than general principles.

Scoring: "Does your content offer distinct value and demonstrate expertise in ways AI cannot easily replicate?"

Quick assessment checklist:

□ No distinct viewpoint - Feels like AI-generated content or a stylistic copy of existing content without original perspective

□ Lacks testing or evidence - No real-world examples, caveats, prioritization frameworks, or tradeoffs shown

□ Missing nuanced judgment - Avoids complex pros/cons, doesn't address scenarios or provide conditional recommendations

□ Single-discipline focus - Stuck in one lens (SEO-only) without cross-industry insights or broader business considerations

□ No human author presence - Missing bio, byline, personal anecdotes, or "we found that" language grounding advice in experience

Scoring: 0 issues = 3 points | 1 issue = 2 points | 2 issues = 1 point | 3+ issues = 0 points

Which Tools and Tests Can Help You Gauge Your Uniqueness and Value-Add?

• Comparison test: Compare your draft to the top 3 ranking pages. What perspective, data, or experience do you offer that they don't? Add personal commentary or proprietary insights if you can't identify clear differences.
• Grammarly or ProWritingAid: Polish grammar and style without losing your unique voice. Clean writing helps originality shine through.
• Quetext: Verify originality against existing content. Avoid accidentally duplicating competitor insights.
• Validate with academic research. Find relevant, authoritative research to reference from sites like Base-Search.net to support your content. And include phrases like "Recent studies indicate..." or "Research from [institution] confirms..." when making claims about user behaviour or search patterns.

How Can You Guarantee Uniqueness and Value-Add?

• Before writing: Ask yourself what makes your content irreplaceable? Include original data from your experiments, client work, or testing results. Plan expert-level analysis with content frameworks, tradeoffs, and cross-industry insights. Add author credentials that validate expertise for your specific topic.

• During creation: Use language like "We found that..." or "In our testing..." to ground advice in actual implementation. Share specific results, failure points, and lessons learned. Include conditional advice like "best for teams under 50" or "avoid if budget is limited."

• Success benchmark: Readers get insights they can't find elsewhere. Meaning, your content includes case studies from your work, proprietary data from experiments, helpful decision frameworks for different use cases, or simply references research studies that competitors miss.
  

Guide Users to Their Natural Next Step (Guidance)

Strategic guidance and customized calls to action (CTAs) aligned with user intent converts 42% more visitors than generic "contact us" CTAs. So naturally, your content should create a natural progression from information consumption to meaningful action.

Search platforms innately want users to keep coming back. And like traditional Google search, conversational search 'rewards' content via visibility and mentions when there's a high probability to please users' needs. 

Core insight: Conversational AI favours content that anticipates user needs and provides clear pathways forward because it leads to higher user satisfaction.

Align CTAs with User Awareness Stages

Match your calls-to-action to the general awareness stage of the content's core topic:

• Problem-aware users need educational resources.
• Solution-aware users want templates, demos or consultations.
• Decision-ready users need pricing and implementation details.

Quick framework: Ask "What would someone naturally want to do next after reading this?" and design your guidance around that answer.

Scoring: "Does your content guide users toward a relevant next step or conversion opportunity?"

Quick assessment checklist:

□ No clear next step - No CTA, link, section summary, or onward navigation present

□ Fails to anticipate user needs - No consideration of user constraints like time, budget, team size, or technical skill level when providing recommendations

□ Misaligned content depth - Advanced content without context for beginners, or oversimplified content for expert audiences

□ Generic advice without options - No segmentation, branching logic, or personalization cues for different user types

□ Missing decision support - No pros/cons, prioritization frameworks, comparisons, templates, or relevant resources linked

Scoring: 0 issues = 3 points   1-2 issues = 2 points   3 issues = 1 point   4 issues = 0 points

Which Tools Can Help You Improve Content Guidance?

• Google Analytics 4 (Free): Track CTA clicks with event tracking. And measure internal click-through rates - aiming for around 25% clicks to related content. You'll be able to see where users engage and where they drop off. (It's a pain to set up and has a steep learning curve but it's a 'necessary evil' for all websites.)
• HubSpot (Freemium): A good starter CRM to monitor lead generation. Let's you connect content performance to actual business results.
• ConvertBox (Paid): A/B test and deploy journey-aligned, behavior-triggered CTAs that match user intent and reading patterns. Plus it's cheaper than alternatives like Unbounce, and as of writing this, they have a lifetime deal.
• CTA alignment test: Match your calls-to-action to reader awareness stages:
• Problem-aware users need educational resources.
• Solution-aware users want demos or consultations.

How Can You Best Implement Guidance Improvements?

• Before writing: Define the target user stage (such as awareness, comparison, or decision). Map common objections, tangents, or FAQs that users expect to see next. Plan contextual resources like calculators, downloads, or bonus tools.

• During creation: Include CTAs matched to the awareness stage - "See Comparison," "Download Resource," or "Start Trial" based on user journey position. Address objections with inline FAQs or pros/cons. End with "What's next?" direction that links to follow-up action or related content.

• Success benchmark: Each CTA feels like the logical next step based on the high-quality content users just consumed. Readers know exactly what to do next without confusion or friction.
  

When Should You Include Subtopics vs. Create Separate Pages?

AI systems work best with comprehensive single pages that cover complete query landscapes.

Or at least that's what the man at the forefront of understanding AI search, Michael King said when I asked him. And it does make sense, given energy constraints, that such query fan-out techniques prefer one robust page over many smaller ones.

Create Comprehensive Single Pages When

• Related subtopics support the main query (even if individually searchable)
• User journey flows naturally from topic to subtopic
• Combined content stays under 6,000 words 
• Subtopics answer logical follow-up questions

This approach captures more synthetic queries on one optimized page.

Split Into Separate Pages When:

• Subtopics serve different user intents or funnel stages
• An individual subtopic needs around 700-1,000 words
• Page length hurts user experience (over 6,000 words total - having said that, there are exceptions like our guides on content audits and SEO for higher education - they're a bit much but they're a labor of love)
• Search data shows strong demand for standalone topics

How Can You Connect Related Content for AI Systems?

You can connect related content for AI systems with internal links that map relationships between concepts, not just navigation paths.

Use descriptive anchor text that explains connections - replace 'click here' with phrases like 'learn  how to avoid fluff content' or 'the  difference between content marketing vs SEO.'"

• Create content clusters around core topics. Group related pages and link them using descriptive anchor text. Build hub pages for broader topics or core offers and spoke pages that explore specific applications. This creates a knowledge map AI systems can follow.

For example: In this article we link to our Content Update Services (a hub page with commercial intent). We've also created a supporting guide on how to do a content audit (a spoke) which includes content quality assessment and so, links to this framework outlining the qualitative evaluation in the content audit (another spoke).

This way, our commercial hub page gets linked from multiple highly relevant mid-funnel supporting pages that are also helpful for users and provide a glimpse into our processes.

How to Test This Approach?

Check your rankings for related queries. If multiple pages compete for similar terms (cannibalizing), consolidate them. If one comprehensive page ranks for dozens of related searches, you've found the sweet spot.

But keep in mind, conversational search rankings will likely soon replace traditional search engine rankings with paragraphs and cited links. And with passage-level retrieval techniques, we'll need to see if cannibalization is still a thing.

Bottom line: Start with comprehensive coverage on single pages. Split only when user experience or intent clearly demands it.

Which Criteria Will Deliver the Fastest Results? [Content Quality Assessment Timeline]

So, which pages should you prioritize first and for how long?

Which Pages Should You Prioritize First?

Focus on revenue-driving pages before traffic-building content. Service pages, product descriptions, and homepage content convert visitors into customers.

• Priority 1: Service pages, product descriptions, homepage (ideally, weeks 1-4)
• Priority 2: Resource guides linked to offers, comparison pages (weeks 5-8)
  
• Priority 3: Blog posts and educational content (weeks 9-12)

Which Factors Deliver The Fastest Wins Per Page?

Start with pages scoring 8-10 points. These will need structural improvements rather than complete rewrites. And user Experience improvements require the least technical knowledge while delivering measurable AI visibility ASAP.

After your audit, tackle these factors in this order for each individual ESSENTIAL page (important for your business - offer page, highest-traffic supporting page linked to your offer page) for the quickest wins:

:

1. User Experience:
2. Break long sections into 100-300 word chunks.
3. Convert headings to questions.
4. Add FAQ sections if possible, using actual customer questions from support tickets, sales calls, or contact form responses.
5. Credibility & Freshness:
6. Update statistics from last 12 months.
7. Add 3-5 authoritative sources.
8. Implement relevant schema markup.
9. Guidance:
10. Optimize CTAs for user journey stage.
11. Add internal links with descriptive anchor text.
12. Include decision frameworks.
13. Contextual Understanding:
14. Research follow-up questions users ask.
15. Add PAA coverage to existing content.
16. Expand thin content with related topics.
17. Address different experience levels.
18. Uniqueness & Value-Add (May take the longest to implement):
19. Add original data and case studies.
20. Include "In our testing" examples.
21. Show off proprietary insights.

How Long Does Each Content Type Take?

New content creation: Can take around 15-20 minutes for quick checks of different criteria while writing. And then expect 30-60 minutes for quality review before publishing.

This will really depend on the website and editorial guidelines though.

We've managed content websites that publish 100+ new pages of relatively short content (around 2k words each) per month while others publishing 4-5 highly in-depth guides (averaging 6k words). So note that gauging this editorial process will definitely be a case-by-case basis.

But for existing content - our content quality scoring (the result of updating 1000+ pages for clients) can really help remove ambiguity during the planning and budgeting process:

Existing content optimization:

• Minor refreshes (11-15 points): Expect to spend 1-2 hours per page
• In-depth updates (6-10 points): 3-5 hours per page
• Major revisions (0-5 points): 1-2 weeks per page

Comprehensive audits:  Expect to spend 6-8 hours for 10-15 pages depending on their business value.

When Should You Get Professional Help With Content Optimization?

One strong signal that you'd benefit from professional help is if you have multiple high-value pages scoring below 8 points signals. This shows a need for systematic improvements across your content.

A specialized team also brings fresh and objective eyes to content and can complete comprehensive audits and updates faster than internal efforts thanks to proven frameworks and dedicated focus.

How to Identify Content Gaps Against Competitors?

Start with your most important business pages, let's say your main service page. Then find your top 2 competitors' equivalent pages. Score all three pages using the 5-factor checklist.

Simple comparison:

• Your page: 7 points
• Competitor A: 11 points
• Competitor B: 9 points

Identify the gap and fix the biggest weakness first. Look at which factors they score higher on - maybe their User Experience beats yours (better headings, clearer structure, smaller chunks) or their Credibility outperforms yours (more recent data, more authoritative, relevant sources).

Focus on those area where both competitors beat you. Get your page to 11+ points, then move to the next priority page.

But don't get lost in the weeds, give yourself 15 minutes per comparison. Because as we've discussed, external factors like brand mentions can also play a substantial role in visibility.

When Can You Expect to See Results?

Test changes within two weeks by searching your topics on AI platforms. Look for improved visibility in generated responses as validation of your optimization efforts.

Historically, content updates have shown performance improvements within 30 days of republishing optimized content. But changes will likely appear faster on AI platforms. So, be sure to monitor KPIs for important pages at least monthly to track progress and identify new opportunities.

And as you go through your changes, you can also test how at least Google's AI mode via Gemini interprets your website. And that's because fellow Canadian and Senior SEO strategist at TripAdvisor, Jean-Christophe Chouinard has shared a cool way to create a 'RAG Pipeline' within NotebookLM.

With this, you can get some basic but helpful insights on how to influence your site to appear for queries you care about. I won't regurgitate the video but it's definitely worth watching!

How to Measuring Success in Conversational Search with Content Quality KPIs?

Traditional metrics like page views don't tell the complete story anymore. You need Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that measure how well your content serves users in an AI-powered search landscape.

Solid Core Performance Indicators

Focus on key metrics that indicate comprehensive user satisfaction and AI system preference. Track signals that show your content answers complete question journeys, not individual searches.

Query diversity shows content coverage

Your best content should rank for 15+ related long-tail queries beyond your primary keyword. Check Google Search Console Performance reports and filter by page to review all ranking queries.

When your single page captures as many relevant user intents as possible, you've built something valuable for users and AI systems (via the fan-out technique).

With this, comes passage-level selection because search engines like your content structure.

Sections must offer standalone completeness:  Again, each H2/H3 section should make sense without surrounding context. AI extracts individual passages, not full articles.

User behaviour reveals content value

Aim for bounce rates under 50% combined with scroll depth over 60%. Target 25% of users clicking through to related content on your site.

Monitor this through Google Analytics 4 Engagement reports or Microsoft Clarity for scroll depth and screen records. High engagement across multiple metrics indicates you've anticipated user needs.

Here's what strong content engagement looks like in practice (from one of our client sites):

80% engagement rate with 2 leads from only 25 sessions. This shows users finding complete value. Although granted, this is a small number of sessions and an exception more than an average.

Side note - I believe it can also be an indicator that brand mentions in LLMs are seen almost like a 'word-of-mouth' recommendation by users.

Particularly in a B2B context where decisions rely less on emotion or gut feelings.

It's of course too early in the technology to say definitively, but there have been some interesting related studies with similar findings like a study from 2020 in the Journal of Marketing, Artificial Intelligence in Utilitarian vs. Hedonic Contexts: The “Word-of- Machine” Effect.'

This is not always the case though, and other client sites may do quite well with referral traffic from these LLMs but have room for improvement with engagement rates (where they're hovering in the 50% range).

Measure AI platform performance



Search your main topics monthly on ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI-powered results. Document whether your content appears in generated responses. Track this alongside traditional metrics like organic traffic and rankings.

Conversion alignment proves business impact

Your content-to-conversion rate should match or exceed your funnel benchmarks. Again, track this through GA4 conversion tracking with content attribution.

A content marketing strategy that both educates and converts demonstrates complete user journey optimization.

Red Flags to Monitor

Watch for these warning signs that indicate content quality issues:

• Declining query coverage suggests content gaps or outdated information.
• High bounce rates with low click-through rates mean users see your snippet but don't engage - check for misaligned intent or weak headlines.
• Zero AI Overview appearances may indicate your content lacks the structure or authority (external brand mentions) search algorithms rely on for trust and preferential treatment.
• Flat internal engagement means users consume your content but don't explore related content topics, suggesting incomplete guidance. So you'll want to check for key metrics like Views per Active User in your pages report in GA4 and use the Guidance tips above to boost the numbers of your high-business-potential pages.
  

What Are Some Benchmark Targets For Different Content Type?

• Blog posts: 15+ ranking queries, 3+ featured snippets (make use of FAQs, definitions, step-by-step lists), 60%+ scroll depth
• Landing pages: Under 3-second load times, 40%+ conversion improvements (of your current), 80%+ mobile usability
• Product pages: 5+ commercial queries, 30%+ add-to-cart rates (aspirational), multiple schema validations
• Resource guides: 25+ ranking queries, 30%+ download rates, increase in social media posts sharing

Set at least, quarterly reviews to assess these metrics, prioritizing the most valuable content types, and focus on improvements where you see the biggest gaps.

Apply This Framework to Your Content

Ready to assess your content systematically?  Our Content Quality Assessment Checklist evaluates any piece against these five criteria with scoring guidelines, priority indicators, and specific action items for each factor.

Download the checklist now and start improving your content immediately.  This systematic approach identifies gaps and prioritizes improvements that drive measurable performance gains - whether you're optimizing existing content or creating something new.

Get Professional Help with Content Optimization

Already have great content that needs optimization and want some outside help? Our content update services use this framework to systematically improve your existing pages for better search rankings and AI platform visibility.

We handle the analysis, research, and even implementation so that you can focus on your strengths.

Learn more about our content update services here!