Domain Authority Auditor

Based on CITE Domain Rating. Full benchmark reference: references/cite-domain-rating.md

[SEO & GEO Skills Library](https://github.com/aaron-he-zhu/seo-geo-claude-skills) · 20 skills for SEO + GEO · ClawHub · skills.sh System Mode: This cross-cutting skill is part of the protocol layer and follows the shared Skill Contract and State Model.

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.

System role: Citation Trust Gate. It decides whether a domain is credible enough to support ranking, citation, and brand authority work.

When This Must Trigger

Use this when domain credibility or citation trustworthiness is in question — even if the user doesn't use audit terminology:

• User asks "how trustworthy is my site" or "is my domain credible"
• When backlink-analyzer finds toxic link ratio above 15%, its handoff summary recommends this gate check
• 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

1. Full 40-Item Audit: Scores every CITE check item as Pass/Partial/Fail
2. Dimension Scoring: Calculates scores for all 4 dimensions (0-100 each)
3. Weighted Totals: Applies domain-type-specific weights for CITE Score
4. Critical Issue Detection: Flags critical manipulation signals that cap the score
5. Priority Ranking: Identifies Top 5 improvements sorted by impact
6. Action Plan: Generates specific, actionable improvement steps
7. Cross-Reference: Optionally pairs with CORE-EEAT for combined diagnosis

Quick Start

Start with one of these prompts. Finish with a citation-trust verdict and a handoff summary using the repository format in Skill Contract.

Audit Your Domain

Audit domain authority for [domain]
Run a CITE domain audit on [domain] as a [domain type]

Audit with Domain Type

CITE audit for example.com as an e-commerce site
Score this SaaS domain against the 40-item benchmark: [domain]

Comparative Audit

Compare domain authority: [your domain] vs [competitor 1] vs [competitor 2]

Combined Assessment

Run full 120-item assessment on [domain]: CITE domain audit + CORE-EEAT content audit on [sample pages]

Skill Contract

Gate verdict: TRUSTED (no critical issues, scores above threshold) / CAUTIOUS (issues found but none critical) / UNTRUSTED (a critical trust issue failed — see "Critical Issue to Fix" in the report). Always state the verdict prominently at the top of the report using plain language, not item IDs.

Expected output: a CITE audit report, a citation-trust verdict, and a short handoff summary ready for memory/audits/domain/.

• Reads: the target domain, supporting authority signals, comparison domains, and prior decisions from CLAUDE.md and the shared State Model when available.
• Writes: a user-facing authority report plus a reusable summary that can be stored under memory/audits/domain/.
• Promotes: veto items and domain risks to memory/hot-cache.md (auto-saved). Authority context to memory/audits/domain/. Results feed into entity-optimizer as authority input for brand's canonical profile.
• Next handoff: use the Next Best Skill below once the trust picture is clear.

Data Sources

See CONNECTORS.md for tool category placeholders.

Note: All integrations are optional. This skill works without any API keys — users provide data manually when no tools are connected.

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:

1. Domain to evaluate
2. Domain type (if not auto-detectable): Content Publisher, Product & Service, E-commerce, Community & UGC, Tool & Utility, or Authority & Institutional
3. Backlink data: referring domains count, domain authority, top linking domains
4. Traffic estimates (from any SEO tool or SimilarWeb)
5. 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).

Instructions

When a user requests a domain authority audit:

Step 1: Preparation

### Audit Setup

**Domain**: [domain]
**Domain Type**: [auto-detected or user-specified]
**Dimension Weights**: [from domain-type weight table below]

#### Domain-Type Weight Table

> Canonical source: `references/cite-domain-rating.md`. This inline copy is for convenience.

| Dim | Default | Content Publisher | Product & Service | E-commerce | Community & UGC | Tool & Utility | Authority & Institutional |
|-----|:-------:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|
| C | 35% | **40%** | 25% | 20% | 35% | 25% | **45%** |
| I | 20% | 15% | **30%** | 20% | 10% | **30%** | 20% |
| T | 25% | 20% | 25% | **35%** | 25% | 25% | 20% |
| E | 20% | 25% | 20% | 25% | **30%** | 20% | 15% |

#### Critical Trust Check (Emergency Brake)

| Check | Status | Action |
|-------|--------|--------|
| Link profile matches real traffic | ✅ Pass / ⚠️ CRITICAL | [If CRITICAL: "Audit backlink profile; disavow toxic links"] |
| Backlink profile is unique to this domain | ✅ Pass / ⚠️ CRITICAL | [If CRITICAL: "Flag as manipulation network; investigate link sources"] |
| No Google penalties or deindexing | ✅ Pass / ⚠️ CRITICAL | [If CRITICAL: "Address penalty first; all other optimization is futile"] |

If any critical trust check triggers, flag it prominently at the top of the report using plain language. CITE Score is capped per Runbook §2.

Step 2: C + I Audit (20 items)

Evaluate each item against the criteria in references/cite-domain-rating.md.

Score each item:

• Pass = 10 points (fully meets criteria)
• Partial = 5 points (partially meets criteria)
• Fail = 0 points (does not meet criteria)

### C — Citation

| ID | Check Item | Score | Notes |
|----|-----------|-------|-------|
| C01 | Referring Domains Volume | Pass/Partial/Fail | [specific observation] |
| C02 | Referring Domains Quality | Pass/Partial/Fail | [specific observation] |
| ... | ... | ... | ... |
| C10 | Link Source Diversity | Pass/Partial/Fail | [specific observation] |

**C Score**: [X]/100

### I — Identity

| ID | Check Item | Score | Notes |
|----|-----------|-------|-------|
| I01 | Knowledge Graph Presence | Pass/Partial/Fail | [specific observation] |
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

**I Score**: [X]/100

Step 3: T + E Audit (20 items)

Same format for Trust and Eminence dimensions.

### T — Trust

| ID | Check Item | Score | Notes |
|----|-----------|-------|-------|
| T01 | Link Profile Naturalness | Pass/Partial/Fail | [specific observation] |
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

**T Score**: [X]/100

### E — Eminence

| ID | Check Item | Score | Notes |
|----|-----------|-------|-------|
| E01 | Organic Search Visibility | Pass/Partial/Fail | [specific observation] |
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

**E Score**: [X]/100

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.

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§1 · Handoff Schema (authoritative)

Every auditor-class handoff MUST follow this shape:

status: DONE | DONE_WITH_CONCERNS | BLOCKED | NEEDS_INPUT
objective: "what was audited"
key_findings:
  - title: short issue name
    severity: veto | high | medium | low
    evidence: direct quote or data point
evidence_summary: URLs / data points reviewed
open_loops: blockers or missing inputs
recommended_next_skill: primary next move

# Cap-related fields — AUDITOR-CLASS ONLY
cap_applied: true | false        # REQUIRED for auditors
raw_overall_score: <number>      # REQUIRED for auditors; score before cap
final_overall_score: <number>    # REQUIRED for auditors; score after cap

Backward compatibility (v7.1.0 → v7.2.0 deprecation window)

Downstream skills consuming handoffs must treat the cap-related fields as optional with documented defaults during the deprecation window. If absent, apply these defaults:

• cap_applied: false (assume no cap when field missing)
• raw_overall_score: <use final_overall_score> (treat as equal)
• final_overall_score: <use the overall score from the audit, whatever field name>

This prevents breakage when an audit produced before the upgrade is consumed by a skill after the upgrade. A consuming skill MUST never error on missing cap fields during the deprecation window. After v7.2.0, fields become required for all auditor-class producers; consumers may then treat absence as a BLOCKED upstream.

Non-auditor skills

Non-auditor skill handoffs follow skill-contract.md §Handoff Summary Format as-is. Cap-related fields do not apply. Non-auditors never emit cap_applied / raw_overall_score / final_overall_score.

§2 · Critical Fail Cap — Decision Table and Worked Examples

How to use this section in Step 4.5: re-read Worked Example 1 below before computing your own cap. Mirror its "Before cap / Veto check / After cap / Handoff" format literally. Walk the decision table (4 rows) to identify which scenario matches your input. Count veto failures across all dimensions (not per-dimension). Apply the cap rule — it is a ceiling, not a floor.

Rule summary: when any veto item fails, cap the affected dimension and the overall score at 60/100. Show raw and capped side by side in the internal report. Set cap_applied: true in handoff.

Veto items:

• CORE-EEAT: T04, C01, R10 — see core-eeat-benchmark.md §Veto Items
• CITE: T03, T05, T09 — see cite-domain-rating.md §Veto Items

Decision table

Cap target: always the post-penalty final dimension value, never the raw pre-penalty value. If non-veto items already penalized the dimension, compute the post-penalty number first, then apply the veto cap to that.

Worked example 1 — single veto, raw dim above cap (classic case)

Before cap:
  Dimensions: C=75 O=77 R=80 E=75 Exp=78 Ept=77 A=77 T=85
  Sum = 624; raw_overall = 624 / 8 = 78 (exact)

Veto check: T04 failed (affiliate links without disclosure)

After cap:
  T dimension: 85 → 60 (capped down because raw > 60)
  Overall: 78 → 60 (capped at 60 because any veto forces overall cap)

Handoff:
  cap_applied: true
  raw_overall_score: 78
  final_overall_score: 60
  key_findings:
    - title: "Missing affiliate disclosure"
      severity: veto
      evidence: "No disclosure banner; 3 affiliate links detected in body"

Worked example 2 — single veto, raw dim already below cap

Before cap:
  Dimensions: C=55 O=75 R=88 E=80 Exp=80 Ept=75 A=82 T=85
  raw_overall = 77.5

Veto check: C01 failed (clickbait — title doesn't match content)

After cap:
  C dimension: 55 → 55 (unchanged; cap is a ceiling, not a floor)
  Overall: 77 → 60 (overall still capped because veto present)

Handoff:
  cap_applied: true
  raw_overall_score: 77
  final_overall_score: 60
  key_findings:
    - title: "Title promises something the page doesn't deliver"
      severity: veto
      evidence: "Title: '10 Free Tools'; body delivers 3 free tools and 7 paid"

Important: the C dimension number in the internal report stays 55. It is NOT raised to 60. The cap is a ceiling only.

Worked example 3 — 2+ veto fails (BLOCKED path)

Before cap:
  Dimensions: C=75 O=77 R=80 E=75 Exp=78 Ept=77 A=77 T=85
  Sum = 624; raw_overall = 624 / 8 = 78 (exact)

Veto check: T04 AND R10 both failed

Resolution:
  status: BLOCKED
  Do NOT compute capped scores.
  raw_overall_score retained for record; final_overall_score omitted.

Handoff:
  status: BLOCKED
  cap_applied: false
  raw_overall_score: 78
  # final_overall_score intentionally omitted
  open_loops:
    - "2 veto items failed: T04 (affiliate disclosure) and R10 (data inconsistency)"
    - "Multi-veto cap calibration pending v7.3; page requires manual review before re-scoring"
  key_findings:
    - title: "Missing affiliate disclosure"
      severity: veto
      evidence: "..."
    - title: "Data points contradict each other"
      severity: veto
      evidence: "..."

Why BLOCKED, not "capped at 40": the 40-tier cap number is unvalidated. Blocking forces manual review, which is more honest than publishing an eyeballed number. Calibration trigger: 30+ real multi-veto audits in memory/audits/. Review date: 2026-07-10 via /seo:p2-review.

Note on dimension vs count: the 2+ veto threshold counts total veto failures across all dimensions, not per-dimension. Example 3 shows T04 (Trust dim) + R10 (Referenceability dim) on different dimensions, but T03 + T09 both on the Trust dimension would also trigger BLOCKED. The veto count is dimension-agnostic.

§3 · Guardrail Negatives (windowed positive reframes)

These signals are POSITIVE under stated conditions. Award points, do not deduct. Conditions are explicit — unconditional positive reframes cause false negatives.

Exception path

If the content is explicitly evergreen or the context contradicts a positive reframe, state the exception in the finding's evidence field. For example:

"Year 2024 appears in title. Content is labeled 'evergreen guide' and aims for 2+ year longevity; the 2024 stamp will date the page unnecessarily. Flagged for R dimension."

Current year reference

The windowed year rule depends on the date at audit time, not a hardcoded year in this file. Evaluate current_year dynamically when applying §3.

§4 · Artifact Gate Checklist (7-item self-check)

Before emitting the handoff, the auditor verifies:

• [ ] status is one of the 4 enum values (DONE / DONE_WITH_CONCERNS / BLOCKED / NEEDS_INPUT)
• [ ] key_findings is an array (may be empty)
• [ ] Every finding has title + severity + evidence
• [ ] cap_applied is explicitly set (true or false) — auditor-class requirement
• [ ] raw_overall_score present (auditor-class requirement; may equal final_overall_score)
• [ ] final_overall_score present UNLESS status == BLOCKED
• [ ] evidence_summary non-empty
• [ ] recommended_next_skill present

If any check fails, force status: BLOCKED with open_loops: ["artifact_gate_failed: <which check>"].

Reliability note: v7.2.0 adds a PostToolUse hook that re-validates this checklist outside the self-check loop, in a clean LLM context. Self-check is first line of defense (~35% reliable); external hook is second line (~85%). Together: ~95%. Until the hook ships, rely on self-check with awareness that it is not robust against the auditor's own output bias.

§5 · User-Facing Translation Layer

Before rendering to the user, translate internal language. This respects skill-contract.md §Response Presentation Norms which forbids internal jargon in user output.

Forbidden in user-visible output

• Veto item IDs (T04, C01, R10, T03, T05, T09, and any future IDs)
• Phrases combining "dimension" or "capped at" with raw numbers
• Internal field names: cap_applied, raw_overall_score, final_overall_score, gap_type
• Raw score deltas like "82 → 60" as the primary presentation

Required pattern when cap is applied

**Overall Score: 60/100**  *(capped due to 1 critical issue)*

**Critical issue to fix:**
- Missing affiliate disclosure on your product review
  *(search engines and AI engines treat unsigned affiliate content as low-trust)*

**Fix this one item and your score rises to approximately 78.**

Required pattern when status is BLOCKED (multi-veto)

**Status: Cannot score yet** — 2 critical issues need attention first.

1. Missing affiliate disclosure on your product review
2. Data points contradict each other (prices in intro section don't match the comparison table)

Fix these, then rerun the audit for a score.

Cross-version context (rerun after upgrade)

Before rendering the score to the user, check memory/audits/ for any prior audit of the same URL (by target field match). If a prior audit exists AND the new final_overall_score differs from the prior final_overall_score by more than 10 points, AND the prior audit was produced by a Runbook version earlier than the current one, prepend a one-line explainer to the user output.

Version detection logic (process in order):

1. If prior archive has runbook_version field → compare directly
2. If prior archive is missing the runbook_version field entirely → treat as pre-v7.1.0 (this is the common upgrade case — always trigger the explainer)
3. Never use cap_applied: false as a version proxy — it is ambiguous between "old audit" and "new clean audit"

Explainer template:

> **Note**: This page scored {prior_score} under an older scoring rule. Under v7.1.0's Critical Issue rule, one trust item now caps the score at {final}. The page content is unchanged — only the scoring rule changed.

If no prior audit exists, skip this rule silently. Never invent a prior score.

Why: users whose rerun drops 82 → 60 without explanation file bug reports. The inline note preserves trust by separating "content quality changed" from "rule changed".

Escape hatch for explicit user requests (still no IDs, ever)

If a user explicitly asks for "raw scoring details", "which veto items failed", or "why is my score lower", translate to plain language rather than leak IDs or refuse. The escape hatch means "explain more", not "bypass the translation layer". Provide the underlying mechanism in marketer terms:

Single-veto escape hatch example:

✅ "The most-critical trust dimension on your page was reduced to the minimum because one trust item failed — specifically, affiliate links without a disclosure banner. Once you add the disclosure, the full score is restored."

❌ "T04 failed, raw T=85, capped to 60" (contains veto ID and raw/capped delta)

❌ "I can't share that information" (refuses a legitimate request, damages trust)

For the BLOCKED case (2+ critical issues), the "Required pattern when status is BLOCKED" template above is the only required user-facing pattern. No separate escape hatch is needed — the template itself provides the plain-language explanation.

Open_loops field translation (internal vs user-facing)

The open_loops field in the handoff YAML is internal state for downstream skills (content-refresher, seo-content-writer consume it to pick the next fix). It MAY contain raw veto IDs and internal phrasing because the consumer is another skill, not a user.

However, if a user request ever surfaces open_loops to the user directly — for example, "show me all pending issues" or "what's still open on this page" — the surfacing skill MUST translate each open_loops entry to plain language using the Never-say → Always-say mapping below before rendering. The raw open_loops array never reaches a user's screen.

Never say → Always say (plain-language mapping)

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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` on key pages
- For backlink strategy: use `backlink-analyzer` for detailed link analysis
- For competitor benchmarking: use `competitor-analysis` with CITE scores
- For tracking progress: run `/seo:report` with CITE score trends

Step 4.5: Apply Scoring Runbook

Execute in order, referring to the ## Scoring Runbook (authoritative) block earlier in this file:

1. Cap Enforcement (Runbook §2): walk the decision table. Identify which scenario matches your input (0 veto, 1 veto above cap, 1 veto below cap, or 2+ veto). Apply the cap rule — remember it's a ceiling, not a floor. Set cap_applied in the handoff. For CITE, single-veto fails also raise a Manipulation Alert entry in open_loops.
2. Artifact Gate Self-Check (Runbook §4): run the 7-item checklist. If any item fails, force status: BLOCKED with reason in open_loops.
3. User-Facing Translation (Runbook §5): translate internal language before rendering the user-facing report. Veto IDs (T03, T05, T09), raw-vs-capped deltas, and internal field names must not appear in the rendered output. The handoff YAML retains the raw values for downstream consumers; the user sees plain-language findings and a single score with the explanatory sentence.

Save Results

After delivering findings to the user, ask:

"Save these results for future sessions?"

If yes, write a dated summary to the appropriate memory/ path using filename YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>.md containing:

• One-line verdict or headline finding
• Top 3-5 actionable items
• Open loops or blockers
• Source data references

If any veto-level issue was found (CORE-EEAT T04, C01, R10 or CITE T03, T05, T09), also append a one-liner to memory/hot-cache.md without asking.

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

Output Validation

• [ ] All 40 items scored (or marked N/A with reason)
• [ ] All 4 dimension scores calculated correctly
• [ ] Weighted CITE Score matches domain-type weight configuration
• [ ] 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

1. Start with veto items — T03, T05, T09 can invalidate the entire score
2. Identify domain type first — Different types have very different weight profiles
3. AI citation items (C05-C08) matter most for GEO — Test by querying AI engines with niche-relevant questions
4. Some items need specialized tools — Knowledge graph queries, AI citation monitoring, and IP diversity analysis may require manual research if tools aren't connected
5. 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

Next Best Skill

• Primary: backlink-analyzer — turn trust or citation issues into link-level investigation.