Standard v1.0 Published July 2026

"AI-Optimized" Is a Claim.
This Is a Standard.

A public benchmark for AI citability. Ten criteria, one hundred points. Sites that score 90 or above - and complete the verification process - earn GEO Certified™ status.

10
Criteria
100
Total points
90
Passing threshold
v1.0
Current version
Quick Answer

What does GEO Certified™ mean?

GEO Certified™ means a Squarespace website has been audited against the LaunchHappy GEO Certified Standard v1.0, scored 90 or above out of 100, and passed a human verification by Joseph Conroy. The certification attests to structure, consistency, and citability - not to specific search rankings or AI appearances, which are decided by the engines themselves.

Updated July 2026 · #what-does-geo-certified-mean
The GEO Certified™ Badge
One badge. Four variants.
Every format self-identifies its version.

The badge includes the certification date and standard version. Every badge in the wild tells you exactly which criteria it was earned under.

GEO Certified seal - primary

Primary (on light)

GEO Certified seal - outline light

Outline (on light)

GEO Certified seal - outline dark

Outline (on dark)

GEO Certified lockup

Horizontal lockup

Badges are issued only upon certification - not upon scoring. Displayed date and version are live text fields, unique per certificate.

The criteria
10 criteria · 100 points
Standard v1.0

Published July 2026 · 10 criteria · 100 points · Certification at 90 or above · Criteria change only by version

01 Entity consistency One canonical set of facts - name, numbers, claims - everywhere the entity appears. 10 pts

Name, offer, and pricing match across every page, profile, and listing.

Ratings, counts, and statistics agree site-wide, each with one source of truth.

No legacy brand names or retired claims anywhere in live copy.

02 Structured data coverage Schema markup on every page type, valid and matching the visible content. 10 pts

JSON-LD present and valid on every certified page type (Organization, Service, FAQPage, Review, Person as applicable).

Every schema claim matches visible on-page content verbatim - no markup-only claims.

FAQ content carries valid FAQPage structured data.

03 Direct-answer formatting Every key question answered in its first sentence, quotable in isolation. 10 pts

A self-contained 40–60 word direct answer within the first 100 words of each certified piece.

The first sentence of each answer stands alone with zero surrounding context.

Each answer block carries an anchor ID and matches its schema entry verbatim.

04 Question coverage depth Content maps to the questions engines are actually asked, not just keywords. 10 pts

Headings phrased as the real questions users ask AI engines.

Coverage validated against researched query sets, not keyword lists alone.

A genuine FAQ section answering adjacent questions the main content doesn't.

05 Citation-network presence The entity is corroborated on sources answer engines already trust. 10 pts

Foundational profiles (directories, listings, review platforms) live and consistent with the entity fact set.

At least one independent, citation-grade third-party source corroborating the entity.

Off-site sources agree with on-site facts - corroboration, not contradiction.

06 Crawl and index health Certified pages are reachable, indexable, and render cleanly for crawlers. 10 pts

No unintended NOINDEX, blocked paths, or orphaned certified pages.

Core content renders without JavaScript dependence; key text never locked inside images.

Meta titles and descriptions set deliberately per page - never inherited defaults.

07 Authority and authorship signals Named authors with verifiable credentials attached to the content. 10 pts

Every certified piece carries a named byline linked to a canonical author page.

Author credentials are publicly verifiable (publications, filings, profiles).

At least one quotable expert statement with named attribution per certified piece.

08 Content freshness and dating Visible publish and update dates, with content that honors them. 10 pts

Publish and last-updated dates visible on every certified piece.

Update dates reflect actual content review, not cosmetic touches.

Time-sensitive claims carry their as-of date.

09 Measurement baseline in place A day-zero snapshot exists; every visibility claim traces to measured change. 10 pts

A day-0 baseline snapshot recorded before optimization work begins.

Before/after claims cite identical checks at both dates.

Citation observations reported as observed, never extrapolated into promises.

10 Claims discipline No statistic without a source. No guarantee anywhere. 10 pts

Minimum three specific, attributed, linked statistics or facts per certified piece - every statistic linked to its original source.

No ranking or citation guarantees anywhere; study findings quoted with their parameters.

Mandatory named human editorial review signed off before certification issues.

Criteria change only by version. A site certified under v1.0 retains its certification until re-certification is sought under a new version.View changelog →

Verification
Two-step verification.

Every certification combines automated scoring and human review. The certificate number, reviewer name, and date are publicly verifiable.

Automated scoring

The GEO Report engine checks all 10 criteria programmatically - schema validity, heading structure, entity consistency, content freshness, and more. Each criterion is scored 0–10.

Human review by Joseph Conroy

Every certification is reviewed and signed off by Joseph Conroy. The scorecard includes his name, the review date, and the certificate number (LH-2026-####). This is what separates earned from clip-art.

Honest scope
What GEO Certified™ does not claim.

Certifying your structure doesn't promise specific outcomes. Here's what the standard doesn't guarantee - and why.

Specific citations by any AI engine. Citation decisions are made by the engines, not us.

Rankings in Google Search or any other search engine.

A specific increase in traffic, leads, or revenue.

Immunity to algorithm changes. Certification is assessed at a point in time.

Third-party accreditation. GEO Certified™ is a LaunchHappy standard - not an industry body, not a government designation.

Ready to certify?
Start with a free GEO report.

See exactly how your site scores against the 10 criteria before you invest in anything.