Content Standards for AEO
Exact specifications for word count, fact density, FAQ length, image alt text, author signals, and content freshness to maximize AI citation rates.
WriteCited structures your content automatically. These standards define what your published page must meet for maximum AEO performance — they apply both to articles generated by WriteCited and to any content published manually.
Word count by content type
| Type | Minimum word count |
|---|---|
| How-To Guide | 1,200 – 1,800 words |
| Ranked List | 1,500 – 2,500 words |
| What Is Guide | 1,000 – 1,500 words |
| Comparison | 1,500 – 2,000 words |
| Alternatives Guide | 2,000 – 3,000 words |
| Complete Guide | 2,500 – 4,000 words |
Fact and entity density
AI models prefer content with verifiable specifics over vague generalizations. Every article must include:
- •Minimum 3 named statistics with source attribution per 1,000 words
- •Minimum 5 named entities (companies, tools, people, platforms) per article
- •Specific numbers — percentages, dates, counts — not approximations like 'many' or 'most'
- •Named entities referenced by full name on first use, then shortened form is acceptable
FAQ section standards
Every article must include a FAQ section that meets all of the following:
- •Minimum 4 questions, maximum 8 questions
- •Each question must be a complete question ending with a question mark
- •Each answer must be 50–150 words — long enough to be complete, short enough to be directly quotable
- •Answers must start with a direct response — never with 'That's a great question' or context-setting
- •Questions must match search queries users would actually type — not internal jargon
- •FAQPage JSON-LD schema must include every question and answer from the visible FAQ section
Opening paragraph standards
The first paragraph is the highest-value AEO real estate. It must:
- •Contain a direct answer or definition of the target keyword in the first 2 sentences
- •Include the target keyword in the first sentence
- •Be 60–100 words — long enough to be complete, short enough to be citable
- •Contain no preamble — no 'In this article we will explore...' or similar
Image alt text
Every image must have an alt text attribute that:
- •Describes the image content specifically — not 'image' or 'photo'
- •Includes the article target keyword where naturally relevant
- •Is 10–20 words in length
- •Does not begin with 'image of' or 'picture of' — describe the content directly
Author and E-E-A-T signals
AI models and Google weight content from identifiable, credible authors. Every published article must have:
- •Author name displayed on the page
- •Author bio of 50–100 words describing relevant expertise
- •Author schema included in JSON-LD with name and optionally a URL to an about page
- •Consistent author name used across all articles on the domain
Content freshness
AI models deprioritize stale content. Maintain freshness with:
- •Update dateModified in schema whenever article content is updated
- •Review and update statistics annually — replace outdated figures with current sources
- •Add new FAQ questions when new related questions appear in search trends
- •Never update the URL slug when refreshing content — only update the content and schema dates
External linking standards
Every article must include:
- •Minimum 1 external link per statistic cited — link directly to the source
- •Links open in new tab (target='_blank')
- •Link to authoritative sources only — government sites, peer-reviewed research, established industry publications
- •Do not link to competitor domains