> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://faii.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Audit Categories
> Deep dive into each Technical Audit category - what's checked, why it matters, and how each affects your AI visibility and search performance.
**Quick Answer:** The Technical Audit checks five categories: Crawlability, Content Structure, Schema & Structured Data, Performance, and Security. Each category receives its own grade and contributes to your overall health score.
## What You'll Learn
* All five audit categories in detail
* Specific checks within each category
* How each check affects AI visibility
* Priority levels for different issues
## Category 1: Crawlability
**Weight: 25% of overall grade**
Ensures AI and search bots can access your content.
### Checks performed
| Check | Severity | What's Tested |
| ------------------- | :------: | ----------------------------------- |
| **robots.txt** | Critical | Are AI bots blocked? |
| **XML sitemap** | Warning | Does sitemap exist and is it valid? |
| **Broken links** | Warning | Any 404 errors found? |
| **Redirect chains** | Warning | More than 2 redirects in sequence? |
| **Canonical tags** | Warning | Proper canonical implementation? |
| **Noindex pages** | Info | Intentional or accidental noindex? |
| **Crawl depth** | Info | Are important pages too deep? |
### Why it matters for AI
If AI bots can't reach your pages, they can't read your content. Blocked bots = zero chance of being recommended.
## Category 2: Content Structure
**Weight: 25% of overall grade**
Ensures your content is properly organized for both humans and AI.
### Checks performed
| Check | Severity | What's Tested |
| --------------------- | :------: | -------------------------------- |
| **Title tags** | Critical | Present, unique, proper length? |
| **Meta descriptions** | Warning | Present, unique, compelling? |
| **H1 tags** | Critical | Exactly one per page? |
| **Heading hierarchy** | Warning | Proper H1→H2→H3 nesting? |
| **Image alt text** | Warning | Descriptive alt text on images? |
| **Content length** | Info | Pages with very thin content? |
| **Duplicate content** | Warning | Significant content duplication? |
### Why it matters for AI
AI parses headings and structure to understand content hierarchy. Poor structure = AI misunderstands your content.
## Category 3: Schema & Structured Data
**Weight: 20% of overall grade**
Ensures you have proper structured data markup for AI parsing.
### Checks performed
| Check | Severity | What's Tested |
| ----------------------- | :------: | ------------------------------ |
| **Article schema** | Warning | Present on blog/article pages? |
| **Organization schema** | Warning | Brand entity defined? |
| **FAQ schema** | Info | Present on FAQ content? |
| **HowTo schema** | Info | Present on tutorial content? |
| **Breadcrumb schema** | Info | Navigation structure marked? |
| **Schema validity** | Critical | Any invalid/broken markup? |
| **Schema completeness** | Info | Required fields populated? |
### Why it matters for AI
Schema explicitly tells AI what your content IS. Without it, AI must infer content type - and may get it wrong.
## Category 4: Performance
**Weight: 20% of overall grade**
Ensures your site is fast enough for efficient bot crawling.
### Checks performed
| Check | Severity | What's Tested |
| ---------------------------- | :------: | ---------------------------- |
| **Page load speed** | Warning | Under 3 seconds? |
| **Largest Contentful Paint** | Warning | Under 2.5 seconds? |
| **First Input Delay** | Info | Under 100ms? |
| **Cumulative Layout Shift** | Info | Under 0.1? |
| **Server response time** | Warning | Under 200ms? |
| **Mobile responsiveness** | Warning | Passes mobile-friendly test? |
| **Image optimization** | Info | Properly compressed? |
### Why it matters for AI
Bots have crawl budgets. Slow pages may be deprioritized or skipped entirely.
## Category 5: Security
**Weight: 10% of overall grade**
Ensures your site meets basic security standards.
### Checks performed
| Check | Severity | What's Tested |
| -------------------- | :------: | ------------------------------ |
| **HTTPS** | Critical | Site uses SSL? |
| **Mixed content** | Warning | HTTP resources on HTTPS pages? |
| **Security headers** | Info | HSTS, X-Frame-Options, etc.? |
| **SSL certificate** | Critical | Valid and not expired? |
### Why it matters for AI
HTTPS is a trust signal. Mixed content and security issues can reduce perceived authority.
## Severity Levels
| Level | Icon | Meaning | Action |
| ------------ | :--: | -------------------------------- | ------------------- |
| **Critical** | 🔴 | Directly prevents AI visibility | Fix immediately |
| **Warning** | 🟡 | Negatively impacts AI visibility | Fix this month |
| **Info** | 🔵 | Minor impact or best practice | Fix when convenient |
## Category Interactions
Some issues affect multiple categories:
| Issue | Categories Affected |
| --------------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| Blocked AI bots | Crawlability + Content Structure |
| Missing schema + slow pages | Schema + Performance |
| HTTPS + broken links | Security + Crawlability |
| Thin content + no schema | Content Structure + Schema |
## Tips
* **Focus on Critical issues across all categories** before addressing Warnings
* **Schema is often the quickest win** - Adding markup is straightforward and impactful
* **Performance affects everything** - A slow site hurts all other categories
* **Crawlability is foundational** - Fix access issues first; nothing else matters if bots can't reach you
* **Security is table stakes** - HTTPS should be non-negotiable in 2025
## Related Articles
How category grades are calculated
How to resolve audit findings