The Signal AI Understands Best — Technically Speaking

You’ve got the blog. The posts. The expertise.

You're publishing. Showing up. Sharing the message.

You might be sending the right message — everything looks perfect.

But…

Can AI even read it?

That’s what Signal 5 is all about: the technical signals AI should read best.

And, most importantly — why your visibility depends on what’s happening behind the scenes.

Because here’s the quiet truth about AI and search:

It’s not just what you say — it’s how easy you make it to be seen, scanned, and trusted by AI.

We see it all the time with local businesses here in Colorado Springs — everything looks great on the surface, but technical visibility is what gets you found.

Explaining the Basics of Technical Signals

This is the infrastructure layer of AI visibility.

The stuff that lives behind your homepage.

You’ve probably heard of it — the coding, HTML, CSS, and all that back-end talk your web developer throws around.

But here’s what matters:

This is what determines whether your content ever gets surfaced — or stays buried and unseen by AI.

Signal 5 covers the cues that help AI:

• Crawl your site

• Understand your structure

• Prioritize your content

• Decide if you’re trustworthy enough to rank

  
  

Think of it like digital plumbing.

You don’t need to know every pipe, but you do need to know what’s flowing — and what’s blocked.

So, let’s talk about what might be clogging your pipes.

Common Visibility Blockers (Even on “Pretty” Websites)

Your site might look polished.

Friends rave about it. Clients love the vibe. Competitors may even compliment your branding.

But to AI?

It might just be another site… or worse, one it skips entirely.

That includes service-based sites right here in Colorado Springs — businesses we know are trusted in the community but locked, they still aren’t showing up because their backend sends either the wrong signals or no signal at all.

Here’s what may be holding you back:

• Pages that aren’t crawlable

• ‘Noindex’ tags that hide your content

• Broken links or outdated structure

• Confusing headers or inconsistent formatting

• No schema markup — so AI doesn’t “get” what it’s reading

  
  

And what happens when this is going on?

The content you worked hard to create never gets delivered — to Google, to ChatGPT, to anyone.

It sits there like a beautiful portrait on the back wall of the art museum.

Never noticed. Never found.

Let’s figure out how to take you from pretty looking to beautifully found.

The Three Categories of Technical Signals

Let’s break it down in human terms. These aren’t just tech specs.

They’re signals of trust and accessibility for AI.

1. Crawlability & Indexing

Can AI even find the door?

• Clear, logical URL paths (not gibberish links)

• Sitemap submitted (this is your GPS)

• No rogue “noindex” tags

• Crawl permissions set correctly

  
  

2. Readability by AI

Okay — AI knocked, and your website answered the door.

Now... can it understand what you’re saying?

• Headers structured properly (<h1>, <h2>, etc.)

• Schema markup (like giving AI a translator)

• Fast page loads, especially on mobile

• Images have alt text for context

  
  

3. Trust & Site Health

You want AI to sit down, stay awhile, and recommend you when asked.

That means your site needs to be safe, stable, and maintained.

• Secure connection (HTTPS)

• No broken links or 404s

• Fresh content cadence

• Core Web Vitals in good shape (speed, layout shift, etc.)

  
  

At this point, it’s time we do a quick website physical and see what shape your site is in.

Self-Check: Are You Signal 5 Ready?

Answer yes or no to these 5 questions:

1. Is every main page of your site crawlable and indexable?

2. Are your headers and content structured logically?

3. Do you use JSON-LD schema to describe your content?

4. Is your site fast and mobile-friendly?

5. Have you updated or published content in the last 30 days?

   
   

4–5 Yeses? You’re building on solid ground.

Less than 3? AI might be skipping right past your site.

Don’t know your score or even how to figure it out? Contact us and let's do a consult.

Let’s take a look at what you can do to turn that 3 into a 4… and that 4 into a 5.

Simple Fixes You Can Start Today

No, you don’t need to become a developer.But these small steps can start clearing the visibility pipes:

• Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console

• Run a free audit using tools like Screaming Frog or SEOptimer to catch crawl issues and broken links

• Add alt text to images — especially blog headers and hero graphics

• Clean up your headings — one <h1> per page, then logical nesting

• Use schema markup with tools like Google’s Structured Data Helper

  
  

Want an AI-focused version of those tools? That’s what AIInSite is for — it scans for the visibility signals AI systems actually look for.

You don’t have to fix everything at once. But the more signals you send, the more clearly you show up.

TL;DR: Signal 5 – Technical Signals

If AI can’t crawl, read, or trust your site — your content won’t show up.

✅ Clear structure

✅ Schema

✅ Mobile-friendly speed

✅ Indexable pages

✅ Secure and maintained

Technical signals are how you make your message findable — not just publishable.

Final Thought

Technical signals don’t just support your content — they deliver it.

If you’ve invested time into blogs, FAQs, guides, or posts…

Make sure you’re not hiding them behind a locked digital door.

Whether you’re a local expert in the Springs or serving clients across the country, your content can’t convert if it never gets found.

And for businesses that depend on showing up in local search, these signals are often the difference between being found… or forgotten.

And if you're not sure where your visibility gaps are?

That’s what Found First is for, let's talk.