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Glossary entry vertical-rubric

Vertical-specific rubric

Adjusting the AEO scoring weights for industry-specific signal importance: healthcare prioritizes E-E-A-T 3x harder than e-commerce.

Filed under
Frameworks

Definition

Vertical-specific rubric is a calibrated scoring system that adjusts signal weights based on industry. AI engines apply different signal weights to different verticals because the importance of signals genuinely varies: healthcare/finance (YMYL) treat E-E-A-T 3x stronger than commerce; news weighs freshness 5x harder than evergreen content. A one-size-fits-all rubric under-serves all verticals.

Example

Healthcare page scoring: E-E-A-T weighted well above the default. Commerce page scoring: Trust + Structure weight up; E-E-A-T down. Same 47 signals, different weights.

How to optimize

Match rubric to your vertical. A generic score can miss vertical-specific risks.

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