This skill should be used when the user asks to "audit domain authority", "domain trust score", "CITE audit", "how authoritative is my site", "domain credibility check", "is my domain trustworthy", or "domain credibility score". Runs a full CITE 40-item domain authority audit, scoring domains across 4 dimensions with weighted scoring by domain type. Produces a detailed report with per-item scores, dimension analysis, veto checks, and a prioritized action plan. For content-level assessment, see content-quality-auditor. For link profile details, see backlink-analyzer.
This skill should be used when the user asks to "audit domain authority", "domain trust score", "CITE audit", "how authoritative is my site", "domain credibility check", "is my domain trustworthy", or "domain credibility score". Runs a full CITE 40-item domain authority audit, scoring domains across 4 dimensions with weighted scoring by domain type. Produces a detailed report with per-item scores, dimension analysis, veto checks, and a prioritized action plan. For content-level assessment, see content-quality-auditor. For link profile details, see backlink-analyzer.
license
Apache-2.0
compatibility
Claude Code ≥1.0, skills.sh marketplace, ClawHub marketplace, Vercel Labs skills ecosystem. No system packages required. Optional: MCP network access for SEO tool integrations.
metadata
{"author":"aaron-he-zhu","version":"3.0.0","geo-relevance":"medium","tags":["seo","geo","domain audit","credibility","domain scoring","domain-authority","domain-rating","domain-trust","trust-signals","site-authority","da-checker","ahrefs-dr","moz-da","cite-framework","domain-strength"],"triggers":["audit domain authority","domain trust score","CITE audit","how authoritative is my site","domain credibility check","domain rating","site authority","is my domain trustworthy","domain credibility score"]}
This skill evaluates domain authority across 40 standardized criteria organized in 4 dimensions. It produces a comprehensive audit report with per-item scoring, dimension and weighted scores by domain type, veto item checks, and a prioritized action plan.
Sister skill: content-quality-auditor evaluates content at the page level (80 items). This skill evaluates the domain behind the content (40 items). Together they provide a complete 120-item assessment.
Namespace note: CITE uses C01-C10 for Citation items; CORE-EEAT uses C01-C10 for Contextual Clarity items. In combined 120-item assessments, prefix with the framework name (e.g., CITE-C01 vs CORE-C01) to avoid confusion.
When to Use This Skill
Evaluating domain authority before a GEO campaign
Benchmarking your domain against competitors
Assessing whether a domain is trustworthy as a citation source
Running periodic domain health checks or after link building campaigns
Identifying manipulation red flags (PBNs, link farms, penalty history)
Cross-referencing with content-quality-auditor for full 120-item assessment
What This Skill Does
Full 40-Item Audit: Scores every CITE check item as Pass/Partial/Fail
Dimension Scoring: Calculates scores for all 4 dimensions (0-100 each)
Weighted Totals: Applies domain-type-specific weights for CITE Score
With ~~link database + ~~SEO tool + ~~AI monitor + ~~knowledge graph + ~~brand monitor connected:
Automatically pull backlink profiles and link quality metrics from ~~link database, domain authority scores and keyword rankings from ~~SEO tool, AI citation data from ~~AI monitor, entity presence from ~~knowledge graph, and brand mention data from ~~brand monitor.
With manual data only:
Ask the user to provide:
Domain to evaluate
Domain type (if not auto-detectable): Content Publisher, Product & Service, E-commerce, Community & UGC, Tool & Utility, or Authority & Institutional
Backlink data: referring domains count, domain authority, top linking domains
Traffic estimates (from any SEO tool or SimilarWeb)
Competitor domains for comparison (optional)
Proceed with the full 40-item audit using provided data. Note in the output which items could not be fully evaluated due to missing access (e.g., AI citation data, knowledge graph queries, WHOIS history).
Note: Some items require specialized data (C05-C08 AI citation data, I01 knowledge graph queries, T04-T05 IP/profile analysis). Score what is observable; mark unverifiable items as "N/A — requires [data source]" and exclude from dimension average.
Step 4: Scoring & Report
Calculate scores and generate the final report:
## CITE Domain Authority Report### Overview-**Domain**: [domain]
-**Domain Type**: [type]
-**Audit Date**: [date]
-**CITE Score**: [score]/100 ([rating])
-**Veto Status**: ✅ No triggers / ⚠️ [item] triggered — Score capped at 39
### Dimension Scores
| Dimension | Score | Rating | Weight | Weighted |
|-----------|-------|--------|--------|----------|
| C — Citation | [X]/100 | [rating] | [X]% | [X] |
| I — Identity | [X]/100 | [rating] | [X]% | [X] |
| T — Trust | [X]/100 | [rating] | [X]% | [X] |
| E — Eminence | [X]/100 | [rating] | [X]% | [X] |
| **CITE Score** | | | | **[X]/100** |
**Score Calculation**: CITE Score = C × [w_C] + I × [w_I] + T × [w_T] + E × [w_E]
**Rating Scale**: 90-100 Excellent | 75-89 Good | 60-74 Medium | 40-59 Low | 0-39 Poor
### Per-Item Scores
| ID | Check Item | Score | Notes |
|----|-----------|-------|-------|
| C01 | Referring Domains Volume | [Pass/Partial/Fail] | [observation] |
| C02 | Referring Domains Quality | [Pass/Partial/Fail] | [observation] |
| ... | ... | ... | ... |
| E10 | Industry Share of Voice | [Pass/Partial/Fail] | [observation] |
### Top 5 Priority Improvements
Sorted by: weight × points lost (highest impact first)
1.**[ID] [Name]** — [specific modification suggestion]
- Current: [Fail/Partial] | Potential gain: [X] weighted points
- Action: [concrete step]
2.**[ID] [Name]** — [specific modification suggestion]
- Current: [Fail/Partial] | Potential gain: [X] weighted points
- Action: [concrete step]
3–5. [Same format]
### Action Plan#### Quick Wins (< 1 week)- [ ] [Action 1]
- [ ] [Action 2]
#### Medium Effort (1-4 weeks)- [ ] [Action 3]
- [ ] [Action 4]
#### Strategic (1-3 months)- [ ] [Action 5]
- [ ] [Action 6]
### Cross-Reference with CORE-EEAT
For a complete assessment, pair this CITE audit with a CORE-EEAT content audit:
| Assessment | Score | Rating |
|-----------|-------|--------|
| CITE (Domain) | [X]/100 | [rating] |
| CORE-EEAT (Content) | [Run content-quality-auditor on sample pages] | — |
**Diagnosis Matrix**:
- High CITE + High CORE-EEAT → Maintain and expand
- High CITE + Low CORE-EEAT → Prioritize content quality
- Low CITE + High CORE-EEAT → Build domain authority
- Low CITE + Low CORE-EEAT → Start with content, then domain
### Recommended Next Steps- For domain authority building: focus on top 5 priorities above
- For content improvement: use [content-quality-auditor](../content-quality-auditor/) on key pages
- For backlink strategy: use [backlink-analyzer](../../monitor/backlink-analyzer/) for detailed link analysis
- For competitor benchmarking: use [competitor-analysis](../../research/competitor-analysis/) with CITE scores
- For tracking progress: run `/seo:report` with CITE score trends
Validation Checkpoints
Input Validation
Domain identified and accessible
Domain type confirmed (auto-detected or user-specified)
Backlink data available (at minimum: referring domains count, DA/DR)
If comparative audit, competitor domains also specified
All 3 veto items checked first and flagged if triggered
Top 5 improvements sorted by weighted impact, not arbitrary
Every recommendation is specific and actionable (not generic advice)
Action plan includes concrete steps with effort estimates
Example
See references/example-report.md for a complete CITE audit of cloudhosting.com showing veto check, dimension scores, top 5 improvements, action plan, and cross-reference with CORE-EEAT.
Tips for Success
Start with veto items — T03, T05, T09 can invalidate the entire score
Identify domain type first — Different types have very different weight profiles
AI citation items (C05-C08) matter most for GEO — Test by querying AI engines with niche-relevant questions
Some items need specialized tools — Knowledge graph queries, AI citation monitoring, and IP diversity analysis may require manual research if tools aren't connected
Pair with CORE-EEAT for full picture — Domain authority without content quality (or vice versa) tells only half the story
Reference Materials
CITE Domain Rating — Full 40-item benchmark with dimension definitions, scoring criteria, domain-type weight tables, and veto items
references/example-report.md — Complete CITE audit example with scored dimensions, top 5 improvements, action plan, and CORE-EEAT cross-reference
