Quick Answer: Your Technical Audit grade ranges from A+ (95-100%) to F (below 40%). Grades are calculated based on the number and severity of issues found relative to your total pages. Target B+ or above for good AI visibility.
What You’ll Learn
- How grades are calculated
- What each grade means
- What grade to target
- How to improve your grade
Grade Scale
| Grade | Score Range | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 95-100% | Excellent - minimal issues |
| A | 90-94% | Very good - few issues |
| A- | 85-89% | Good - minor improvements possible |
| B+ | 80-84% | Above average - some issues to address |
| B | 75-79% | Average - noticeable issues |
| B- | 70-74% | Below average - multiple issues |
| C+ | 65-69% | Fair - significant issues |
| C | 60-64% | Poor - many issues affecting visibility |
| C- | 55-59% | Very poor - serious issues |
| D | 40-54% | Bad - critical issues present |
| F | 0-39% | Critical - major blockers to AI visibility |
How Scores Are Calculated
The formula
Issue weighting
| Severity | Point Deduction (per occurrence) |
|---|---|
| Critical | 10 points |
| Warning | 3 points |
| Info | 1 point |
Example
For a 50-page site with:- 2 Critical issues = 20 points
- 8 Warnings = 24 points
- 15 Info items = 15 points
Per-Category Grades
Each of the five categories gets its own grade:| Category | Weight | Your Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Crawlability | 25% | Calculated independently |
| Content Structure | 25% | Calculated independently |
| Schema | 20% | Calculated independently |
| Performance | 20% | Calculated independently |
| Security | 10% | Calculated independently |
What Grade Should You Target?
| Grade | AI Visibility Impact |
|---|---|
| A+ / A | Optimal - technical health is not a bottleneck |
| A- / B+ | Good - minor issues unlikely to limit visibility |
| B / B- | Acceptable - some improvements would help |
| C+ and below | Concerning - technical issues are likely limiting AI visibility |
| D / F | Critical - technical barriers may be preventing AI recommendations entirely |
Improving Your Grade
Quick wins (biggest impact)
| Action | Grade Impact |
|---|---|
| Fix all Critical issues | +10-30 points |
| Add HTTPS (if missing) | +10 points |
| Fix broken AI bot blocks in robots.txt | +10 points |
| Add missing title tags | +5-10 points |
Medium effort
| Action | Grade Impact |
|---|---|
| Fix all Warning issues | +10-20 points |
| Add schema markup | +5-15 points |
| Fix heading hierarchy | +5-10 points |
| Improve page speed | +5-10 points |
Ongoing maintenance
| Action | Grade Impact |
|---|---|
| Fix Info items | +1-5 points |
| Optimize images | +2-5 points |
| Add alt text | +2-5 points |
| Improve content length | +1-3 points |
Grade Trends
Tracking improvement
After each audit, compare grades:- Grade improving = Technical fixes are working
- Grade stable = No new issues introduced
- Grade declining = New issues appearing (investigate)
Common grade killers
| Issue | Impact |
|---|---|
| AI bots blocked in robots.txt | Can drop from A to C instantly |
| SSL certificate expired | Critical - drops security grade to F |
| Major redesign without redirects | Many broken links = significant drop |
| CMS update breaking schema | Schema category drops |
FAQ
Can I get A+ with a large site?
Can I get A+ with a large site?
Yes, but it requires more effort. Large sites naturally accumulate more issues. Focus on eliminating Critical and Warning issues; a few Info items on a 500-page site won’t prevent an A grade.
Does my grade directly affect my AI Authority Rank?
Does my grade directly affect my AI Authority Rank?
How quickly does my grade update after fixes?
How quickly does my grade update after fixes?
Run a new audit after making fixes. The new grade reflects the current state of your site at the time of the audit.
Related Articles
Fixing Issues
How to resolve audit findings
Re-running Audits
Verify your fixes worked