> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zerorank.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Your AEO score

> A 0-100 grade for how AI-friendly a piece of content is.

Your AEO score is a grade from 0 to 100 for a piece of content. AEO means [Answer Engine Optimization](/start/glossary) — making your content easy for AI to find and quote.

A higher score means it is easier for AI to find, read, and quote your content. A lower score means AI may skip it or get it wrong.

<Note>
  The score is a guide, not a pass-or-fail test. Use it to spot weak spots, then fix them.
</Note>

## What goes into the score

ZeroRank looks at 6 signals. Each one gets its own grade from 0 to 100. Then we mix them together. Some signals count more than others, so each has a weight.

| Signal                | Weight | What it means in plain words                                              |
| --------------------- | ------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Information density   | 30.55% | How much real, on-topic substance you pack into each paragraph.           |
| Answerability signals | 22.9%  | Does it directly answer questions the way people actually ask them.       |
| Content freshness     | 16.33% | Is it recent and clearly dated.                                           |
| Machine readability   | 11.57% | Can software easily read the structure and the behind-the-scenes details. |
| Readability           | 10.2%  | Is it easy for a person to scan and understand.                           |
| Content structure     | 8.45%  | Does it have a clear title, headings, and subheadings.                    |

Your overall score is the weighted average of these 6 grades. So the signals with bigger weights move your score the most.

## How to raise each signal

Want a better score? Work on the signals one at a time. Here is one quick tip for each.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Information density (30.55%)">
    Cut filler and fluff. Make every paragraph add a real fact, number, or step that helps the reader.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Answerability signals (22.9%)">
    Ask the question, then answer it right away. Use the same words your readers would type into an AI engine.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Content freshness (16.33%)">
    Show a clear date and keep facts up to date. Old, undated pages look stale to AI.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Machine readability (11.57%)">
    Use clean headings, lists, and a page title and description. This helps software read your page.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Readability (10.2%)">
    Write short sentences and short paragraphs. Break big blocks of text into bullets so people can scan.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Content structure (8.45%)">
    Give the page one clear title. Add headings and subheadings so each part is easy to find.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Tip>
  Start with the heaviest signals. Improving information density and answerability moves your overall score the most.
</Tip>

## Where you see your score

You see the AEO score inside [Create / Optimize](/improve/create-content). When you write a new article or paste in an old page, ZeroRank grades it on all 6 signals and shows you the overall number.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/zerorank/pwA5UkEPSf3AJ_b2/ZeroRank-AEO-Score.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=pwA5UkEPSf3AJ_b2&q=85&s=f43d56813bbbc303b61dfffe48c37507" alt="Zero Rank AEO Score" width="2918" height="1470" data-path="ZeroRank-AEO-Score.png" />
</Frame>

It also lists recommendations for each signal. Make a change, run it again, and watch the score go up.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/zerorank/pwA5UkEPSf3AJ_b2/ZeroRank-AEO-Recommendations.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=pwA5UkEPSf3AJ_b2&q=85&s=c2555135d402c54be83c574311ea98d4" alt="Zero Rank AEO Recommendations" width="2462" height="1366" data-path="ZeroRank-AEO-Recommendations.png" />
</Frame>

## Keep going

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Create and optimize content" icon="pencil" href="/improve/create-content">
    Write or improve a page and grade it on all 6 signals.
  </Card>

  <Card title="AI readiness checks" icon="circle-check" href="/improve/ai-readiness-checks">
    Check whether AI engines can reach and read your whole site.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>
