The Crawl-to-Citation Method
Six stages, each with a deliverable and a measure. We diagnose in order, because later stages fail when earlier ones do.
The six stages
11 · AccessCan crawlers reach and render every key page?
Stage 1 of 6Access: Can crawlers reach and render every key page?What we check
- Crawl, render and index review
- AI-crawler policy (OAI-SearchBot, Claude-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended)
What you get
- Crawl report
- Robots and bot policy
- Rendering fixes
How it's measured
Indexed key pages; bot access in logs
What changes
Nothing valuable is invisible by accident.
22 · UnderstandDo machines know what each page and brand is?
Stage 2 of 6Understand: Do machines know what each page and brand is?What we check
- Entity definition
- Page purpose and headings
- Internal links
- Structured data matching visible content
What you get
- Entity sheet
- Schema plan
- Information-architecture fixes
How it's measured
Correct brand descriptions in sampled answers
What changes
Machines describe you correctly.
33 · TrustIs expertise visible and backed by evidence?
Stage 3 of 6Trust: Is expertise visible and backed by evidence?What we check
- Authorship
- Sources
- First-party evidence
- Authoritative mentions
What you get
- Author profiles
- Evidence plan
- Digital PR targets
How it's measured
Quality referring domains; branded mentions
What changes
Credibility with people and systems.
44 · RetrieveCan a passage be lifted as a clear answer?
Stage 4 of 6Retrieve: Can a passage be lifted as a clear answer?What we check
- Answer-first passages
- Claims with sources
- Freshness
What you get
- Page rewrites
- Question map
- Refresh calendar
How it's measured
Passage-level citations in sampled prompts
What changes
Your content is usable as an answer.
55 · CiteAre you mentioned and cited, accurately?
Stage 5 of 6Cite: Are you mentioned and cited, accurately?What we check
- Mentions, citations and accuracy across engines, disclosed method
What you get
- Visibility baseline
- Monthly report
How it's measured
Mention rate, citation rate, accuracy (sampled)
What changes
A place on the AI-assisted shortlist.
66 · ConvertDoes visibility become qualified pipeline?
Stage 6 of 6Convert: Does visibility become qualified pipeline?What we check
- Landing paths from cited pages
- AI-referral analytics
What you get
- CRO fixes
- Attribution set-up
How it's measured
AI-referral sessions, leads, pipeline
What changes
Visibility becomes revenue.
Measured at every stage: Search Console, Bing AI Performance, sampled AI prompts (method published)
Stage 1 · Access
Can crawlers reach and render every key page?
Search engines and AI crawlers must fetch and render a page before anything else can happen. We compare three things: what your server sends, what the rendered page shows, and what the logs say was crawled. Then we decide with you which AI crawlers to allow.
- What we check
- Crawl, render and index review · AI-crawler policy (OAI-SearchBot, Claude-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended)
- What you get
- Crawl report · Robots and bot policy · Rendering fixes
- Measured by
- Indexed key pages; bot access in logs
Crawl and render check
example.com · Sample
- Key templates render server-sideChecked
- AI crawlers allowed in robots.txtOpportunity
- Priority URLs indexedChecked
Templates checked: 12Illustrative
Stage 2 · Understand
Do machines know what each page and brand is?
A page that is indexed but misunderstood ranks for the wrong things. Answers describe it wrongly too. We define the entities: the organization, the founder and the services. Then we make headings, internal links and structured data agree with the visible text.
- What we check
- Entity definition · Page purpose and headings · Internal links · Structured data matching visible content
- What you get
- Entity sheet · Schema plan · Information-architecture fixes
- Measured by
- Correct brand descriptions in sampled answers
Entity check
example.com · Sample
- Organization schema matches the pageChecked
- Founder entity linked from AboutOpportunity
- Service names consistent across profilesIssues found
Profiles checked: 6Illustrative
Stage 3 · Trust
Is expertise visible and backed by evidence?
Engines weigh who wrote a page and what backs it up. We make authorship clear. We add sources and first-party evidence to the claims that matter. And we plan mentions from trusted places that confirm who you are.
- What we check
- Authorship · Sources · First-party evidence · Authoritative mentions
- What you get
- Author profiles · Evidence plan · Digital PR targets
- Measured by
- Quality referring domains; branded mentions
Evidence review
example.com · Sample
- Author profiles on key articlesChecked
- Claims with linked sourcesOpportunity
- Authoritative mentions this quarterOpportunity
Pages reviewed: 20Illustrative
Stage 4 · Retrieve
Can a passage be lifted as a clear answer?
Generated answers are built from passages, not pages. We rewrite the sections that answer buyer questions. The first sentence gives the answer, the claim has a source, and the date is visible.
- What we check
- Answer-first passages · Claims with sources · Freshness
- What you get
- Page rewrites · Question map · Refresh calendar
- Measured by
- Passage-level citations in sampled prompts
Answer-passage audit
example.com · Sample
- Answer in the first sentenceOpportunity
- Claims carry a sourceChecked
- Last-updated date visibleIssues found
Questions mapped: 30Illustrative
Stage 5 · Cite
Are you mentioned and cited, accurately?
This is the stage everyone asks about, and no one controls it. We run a fixed prompt set across named engines. We record mentions, citations and accuracy, and report the spread. The method is public.
- What we check
- Mentions, citations and accuracy across engines, disclosed method
- What you get
- Visibility baseline · Monthly report
- Measured by
- Mention rate, citation rate, accuracy (sampled)
AI visibility baseline
example.com · Sample
- Mentioned in category promptsOpportunity
- Cited URL is the right pageIssues found
- Description accurateChecked
Prompts: 44 · Engines: 4Illustrative
Stage 6 · Convert
Does visibility become qualified pipeline?
A citation that lands on the wrong page is a lost lead. We check where cited and ranking pages send people. We set up AI-referral tracking and fix the path from answer to enquiry.
- What we check
- Landing paths from cited pages · AI-referral analytics
- What you get
- CRO fixes · Attribution set-up
- Measured by
- AI-referral sessions, leads, pipeline
Landing-path review
example.com · Sample
- AI referrals tracked separatelyOpportunity
- Cited pages have a next stepChecked
- Enquiry form on service pagesChecked
Cited pages reviewed: 10Illustrative
Measure
How measurement works
Every stage has a number, and every number has a source.
Search Console and server logs for the first stages; a fixed prompt set across named engines for the later ones. We publish the prompt method and run it on our own site.
Read the measurement method in the LabAccess
Indexed key pages; bot access in logs
Search Console · Logs
Understand
Correct brand descriptions in sampled answers
Sampled prompts
Trust
Quality referring domains; branded mentions
Backlink index · Mentions
Retrieve
Passage-level citations in sampled prompts
Sampled prompts
Cite
Mention rate, citation rate, accuracy (sampled)
Lab prompt set
Convert
AI-referral sessions, leads, pipeline
Analytics · CRM
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