Is your page written the way AI answers like to quote?

AI search tools retrieve passages, not pages. They split your page at headings, find the passage that best matches the question, and summarise or quote it with a link. So the question is simple: does your page contain passages that answer something on their own?

1. 1Question headings

   H2/H3s phrased as the questions people ask, starting with how, what, why, can, does…

2. 2Direct answers

   A 20–60 word first paragraph under each question, not “In this article we'll…”.

3. 3Lead summary

   An opening paragraph under 60 words that says what the page concludes.

4. 4Lists and tables

   Steps and comparisons in structures that are easy to reuse.

5. 5Specific facts

   Numbers, percentages, prices and dates instead of “fast” and “affordable”.

6. 6Sources

   Links out to the studies, docs and data behind your claims.

7. 7Byline and dates

   A named author, a machine-readable publish/update date, and how fresh it is.

8. 8FAQ, depth, clarity

   FAQ content and schema, word count, paragraph length, vague headings, reading grade and whether your brand is named.

Rewrite headings as questions where the section actually answers one. “Pricing” becomes “How much does Ledgerly cost for a 40-person team?” Not every heading needs it; the ones that match real buyer questions do.

Put the answer in the first sentence. Journalists call it the inverted pyramid. “Setup takes two to five business days” first; the reasons, exceptions and steps after. If an AI tool lifts only that paragraph, it should still be right.

Be specific and show your work. Numbers, dates and named sources are what make a passage worth quoting, and a byline plus an honest “updated” date tell readers and machines it's maintained. Mark it up with valid Article and FAQPage schema, and keep sentences plain with the Readability Checker.

A ranking puts your link on a list. An AI answer picks a few sources and writes the reply from them, so a buyer may read your answer without ever visiting the page. Being one of the quoted sources, with your name attached, is the new version of ranking first.

Content structure is one part of that. Crawler access, structured data and how well-known your brand is matter too. The AI Visibility Grader runs this check alongside the others and gives you one score.