What it checks
The Cyberbard AI Citability Checker is a free tool that scores each paragraph of a web page for how easily an AI answer could quote it, based on whether it stands on its own, states facts or numbers, defines its subject and has a quotable length.
Paragraph-level scores
Every paragraph and list item of the main content gets its own 0–100 score, so you see where the page is strong and where it isn't.
Stands on its own?
Passages that open with "This…", "However…" or "It…" only make sense after the previous paragraph, so they lose meaning when quoted alone.
Facts and numbers
Concrete numbers, dates and prices make a claim checkable and quotable; generic superlatives ("world-class") do the opposite.
Definitions and question headings
Sentences like "X is a…" and paragraphs under a question heading map directly onto the questions people ask AI.
Page structure
Word count, heading structure, lists, tables, FAQ markup, summary section and image alt text for the page as a whole.
8 languages
Rules for English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, German, French and Portuguese. Other languages get a clear accuracy notice.
How to use the AI Citability Checker
Paste a content page
An article, guide, product or service page. Any URL works, not just your homepage.Read the strongest and weakest passages
The strongest show what already works; the weakest come with the reason and a specific fix.Rewrite the weak ones
Open with the subject, add a concrete fact, split walls of text, answer the heading's question in the first sentence.Check again
Re-run the check after publishing to confirm the score moved.What this tool does, and what it doesn't (yet)
So you know exactly what the result covers, and where to look for the rest.
What it does
- Score any public page, not only the homepage
- Split the main content into passages (ignoring menus, headers, footers and link lists) and score each one
- Explain every score with the signals behind it and give a fix for weak passages
- Recognise question headings, definitions and reference openers in 8 languages, including full-width "？" in Chinese and Japanese
- Count words correctly in languages written without spaces (Chinese, Japanese, Thai)
- Report page-level structure: word count, headings, lists, tables, FAQ markup, summary section, image alt text
- Detect the page language and tell you when rules for it aren't available
Not covered (yet), and what to do instead
It's a rule-based prediction. It doesn't ask ChatGPT or any AI anything and can't prove you'll be cited.
Instead: The full Cyberbard report asks AI your customers' real questions and shows who actually gets recommended.
It doesn't rewrite your content for you.
Instead: Each weak passage comes with a specific fix you or your writer can apply in minutes.
Content rendered by JavaScript may be missed, because we read the HTML your server sends. We flag pages where that's likely.
Instead: Server-side rendering helps both this check and the many AI crawlers that don't run JavaScript.
It doesn't measure authority: backlinks, brand mentions and reviews also influence what AI cites.
Instead: The full report looks at where your competitors are mentioned and you aren't.
Pages in languages other than the 8 supported get English-tuned content rules.
Instead: Structure checks still apply; treat the passage scores as a rough guide.
What makes content citable by AI
AI citability is how easily an AI system can lift a passage from your page and use it, word for word or summarised, as part of an answer. Answer engines retrieve and quote passages, not whole pages, so a page full of good information can still be hard to cite if no single paragraph states a point clearly on its own.
The traits of a quotable passage
- It stands on its own. It names its subject instead of opening with "This", "It" or "However". Quoted alone, it still makes sense.
- It states something specific. A number, a date, a price, a named example. "Cuts invoicing time from 2 hours to 15 minutes" is quotable; "saves you time" isn't.
- It defines or answers. "An llms.txt file is…" or a direct answer right under a question heading matches the shape of the question someone asked.
- It's a quotable size. A few sentences: long enough to carry a complete point, short enough to lift cleanly. Walls of text get skipped or cut mid-thought.
- It avoids empty claims. "World-class", "cutting-edge", "industry-leading" carry no checkable information.
These traits are how this checker scores passages. They are heuristics drawn from how retrieval-based answers work, not a copy of any AI company's ranking system, which none of them publish.
Page-level structure still matters
Clear H2/H3 sections let a retriever find the right passage; lists and tables are easy to extract for "top X" and comparison questions; an FAQ section gives ready-made question-answer pairs; a short summary gives a quotable overview. The checker reports these for the page as a whole.
How to improve a weak passage
- Rewrite the first sentence so it contains the subject and the main point.
- Add one fact: a figure, a timeframe, a price range, a customer type.
- Split long paragraphs so each makes one point.
- Put the answer first under a question heading, then explain.
- Replace superlatives with specifics.
Citability is one part of being recommended. AI systems also weigh whether they can reach your page and what the rest of the web says about you, which is what the full Cyberbard report measures.
How this checker differs from a readability or SEO content checker
An honest comparison, including what we don't do.
Word count and headings
Scores each paragraph separately
Explains why a passage is hard to quote, with a fix
Flags passages that depend on the previous paragraph
Rules for 8 languages, incl. Chinese and Japanese
Keyword density and SERP keyword targets
Asks real AI assistants
Frequently asked questions
What makes content citable by AI?
Passages that make sense on their own, state specific facts or numbers, define their subject or answer a question directly, and are a few sentences long. Page structure (clear sections, lists, tables, FAQ) helps the right passage get found.
Is this score what ChatGPT or Google actually uses?
No. No AI company publishes how it chooses what to quote. The score is a set of transparent heuristics based on how retrieval-based answers work, and each one is shown so you can judge it yourself. To see who AI really recommends, run the full Cyberbard report.
What is the ideal passage length?
The checker treats about 40 to 160 words (or the equivalent in languages without spaces) as the comfortable range: enough for a complete point, short enough to quote. List items are judged as lists and aren't penalised for being short.
Does it work for pages that aren't in English?
Yes for English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, German, French and Portuguese: question headings, definitions and reference openers are recognised in each, and word counts handle languages written without spaces. For other languages the result shows a notice that content rules are English-tuned; structure checks still apply.
Why does my page score low or show few passages?
Common reasons: the main text is rendered by JavaScript (we read the server HTML, and flag when that's likely), the content is mostly short fragments or links, or paragraphs lean on each other ("This means…"). Check the weakest passages for the specific reason.
How is this different from the full Cyberbard report?
This tool looks at one page's writing. The full report asks AI the questions your customers ask, shows which competitors it recommends instead of you and why, checks your whole site and your presence on other sites, and writes a Fix plan and a Growth plan.
Will it rewrite my content?
No. It points to the passages to change and says what to change. Your words stay yours.
Is it really free? Are there limits?
Yes, it's free and needs no account. To keep it fast for everyone, each visitor can run 20 checks per hour. If you hit the limit, the page tells you when you can try again.
Do you store the URL I check or the results?
No. The address and the results are only shown in your browser and are gone when you leave the page. To enforce the hourly limit we store a one-way hash of your IP address with a counter, nothing else.
What does the full Cyberbard report add?
This tool checks one thing. The full report asks AI the questions your customers ask, shows which competitors it recommends instead of you, scores 50+ factors across your site and the wider web, and writes a Fix plan for your developer plus a Growth plan for the marketing side. You get 3 free reports when you sign up, with no card and no subscription.
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