DefaultAnswer
DEFINITION

DefaultAnswer analyzes whether AI systems can confidently recommend your website as the default answer to user questions.

This is not SEO. It does not measure rankings, traffic, or backlinks.

What AI would recommend - and why it wouldn't

DefaultAnswer is an AI recommendation readiness audit.

It checks whether your site can be used as a citable source when AI systems select default answers.

Analyze a websiteRead methodology
Live observation

Best project management tool for remote teams

Query asked on January 2, 2026 using ChatGPT-4

AI recommended

Asana, Monday.com, Notion

Analysis
  • • None of the three rank #1 in Google for this query
  • • All three score 78+ on DefaultAnswer citation readiness
  • • All three have explicit "remote teams" use case statements
  • • All three provide direct answers to "how does this help remote teams"
Not mentioned despite high search rankings
  • • Jira (ranks #2 in Google, scores 54 on citation readiness)
  • • Trello (ranks #4 in Google, scores 61 on citation readiness)
Why the gap

Higher-ranking tools lack structured FAQ content and explicit remote team positioning. AI systems cannot extract quotable answers to user intent.

This pattern repeats across categories. Search rank and AI recommendation are weakly correlated (r=0.31).

How AI decides which websites to recommend

AI systems select answers, not links. They recommend sources they can cite with confidence.

AI selects answers
AI systems choose a small set of sources and compose an answer. Your site must be usable as a source, not just discoverable.
Citation confidence matters
AI will not recommend a site it cannot describe, quote, or justify citing in a response.
Usable as a source
Sites need clear definitions, answerable text, and trust signals so an AI system can safely cite them.

Why AI systems hesitate to recommend websites

These are the most common confidence gaps when AI decides whether to cite a site.

Identify

AI cannot describe what you are or who you are for.

TitlesHeadingsCategory definition
Answer

AI cannot extract direct answers to common questions.

FAQ blocksDefinitionsAnswerable text
Trust

AI cannot justify citing you as a source.

schema.orgAbout pageContact infoAccess errors
Why this exists

AI recommendations are not search rankings

Crawling is not the same as being cited. DefaultAnswer explains why confidence breaks.

Crawling is not citation
Being indexed or crawlable does not mean an AI system will cite your site as a source.
Clarity beats crawlability
Clear definitions and answerable text matter more than how many pages are discoverable.
Explain the break
DefaultAnswer shows exactly where AI confidence fails and which signals block recommendation.
Signals

What determines whether AI will recommend your site

These five categories map to the report methodology.

Entity clarity
Can an AI describe what you are, who you are for, and what you offer?
Answerability signals
Are there direct, extractable answers to common questions on the page?
Commercial clarity
If you sell something, can an AI see what the offering is without guessing?
Trust and legitimacy
Are there legitimacy signals such as About information and contact routes?
Accessibility and retrievability
Can the page be fetched and read reliably for citation?

What an AI recommendation audit actually shows

Static excerpt from a deterministic report.

Report excerpt
Default Answer Score: 67/100
Readiness: Emerging Option
Biggest gaps
  • No FAQ-style answer blocks for common questions
  • Unclear pricing or plan visibility
  • Weak definition of who it is for on page
Quick wins
  • Add 3-5 Q&A blocks on the homepage or /faq
  • Add an About section with a clear category definition
  • Add visible contact and trust signals
What changed since last scan: +6 points (schema markup detected).
Default Answer Score
A single score that summarizes how confidently an AI can recommend the site as a default answer.
Readiness label
A plain-language status that ties back to the five signal categories.
Change tracking
A simple comparison note that shows what improved since the last scan.
Deterministic

Built so AI can safely cite you

Deterministic outputs, stable vocabulary, structured evidence, and repeatability.

Deterministic outputs
The same input snapshot produces the same outputs so reports are comparable over time.
Stable vocabulary
The report uses consistent labels so findings can be cited without interpretation.
Structured evidence
Every finding maps to a visible on-page signal that an AI system can reference.
Repeatability
Changes are attributable to page updates, not scoring drift.

DefaultAnswer is designed for deterministic, citeable results.

Who it is for / not for

For
  • SaaS founders
  • Product teams
  • Agencies advising on AI visibility
  • Sites that rank but are not recommended
Not for
  • Keyword optimization
  • Backlink analysis
  • Traffic growth tactics

Definitions

AI recommendation confidence The degree to which an AI system can cite a website as a source without hedging, disclaimers, or uncertainty. High confidence occurs when on-page signals provide clear entity definition, extractable answers, and legitimacy markers.

Default answer status Occurs when an AI system consistently selects a specific website as the primary source for a category of questions, independent of search engine rankings.

Citation readiness Measures whether structural and content signals allow AI systems to safely quote, attribute, and recommend a source in generated responses.

Answerability signals On-page elements that provide direct, extractable answers to predictable questions. Examples include FAQ blocks, definition paragraphs, and clearly labeled product descriptions.

Entity clarity The ability of an AI system to describe what a website offers, who it serves, and what category it belongs to based solely on visible page content.

FAQ

What is DefaultAnswer?

DefaultAnswer analyzes whether AI systems can confidently recommend your website as the default answer to user questions.

It does not measure rankings, traffic, or backlinks.

Who is DefaultAnswer for?

SaaS founders, product teams, and agencies advising on AI visibility.

It is also for sites that rank but are not recommended by AI assistants.

How does DefaultAnswer work?

It captures a snapshot of visible on-page content and evaluates it with deterministic checks.

The report explains which signals block AI citation confidence.

What does DefaultAnswer measure?

Entity clarity, answerability signals, commercial clarity, trust and legitimacy, and accessibility and retrievability.

What does DefaultAnswer not measure?

Rankings, traffic, or backlinks.

It is not an SEO or keyword tool.

We ran DefaultAnswer on DefaultAnswer

The same checks are applied to our own site, with no special rules.

Example report
  • Score: 85/100
  • Status: Strong Default Candidate
  • Same deterministic checks as any other site
View example report

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