AI Readiness - What we learned after testing 200 websites

The results are in..

Over the past few months over 200 websites have been entered into our Neural Web Optimisation (NWO) tool to help us understand how businesses are really performing online.

These are not vanity metrics or fluffy audits. NWO looks at the essential ingredients of a modern, high-performing site:

• Speed (Core Web Vitals and Edge Delivery)
• API end point (MACH Architecture)
• Schema (Knowledge graph and Semantic Data Layer)
• Content (Generative Engine Optimisation - GEO)

Why? Because these are the things that determine how well your website shows up in search results, in AI assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini, and in front of real people.

Spoiler: most websites aren’t doing as well as their owners think.

The key findings

Here’s what we discovered:

• The average overall score was just 42.7% – meaning most sites are underperforming somewhere along the line
  
• 1 in 3 websites scored 0% for API driven capabilities – so 1 in 3 are invisible to modern search tools
  
• Speed is the highest-scoring area – but 1 in 5 sites still failed the basics
  
• Schema (structured data) had the biggest performance gap – it’s either nailed or non-existent
  
• Content scored just 38% on average – showing a lack of clarity, depth, or consistency
  
  Let’s dig into each finding and what it means for your business.

The average SME website scores just 42.7% overall

Most sites are underperforming, and most owners don’t realise.

Across all 200+ sites, the average NWO score was 42.7%. That means most sites are missing more than half of the key optimisation areas that affect how they’re found, understood, and ranked online.

This isn’t just a score problem. It’s a visibility problem. A trust problem. A missed-opportunity problem.

And the worst part? Many business owners think their site is “fine” because it looks good. But performance isn’t just about design, it’s about what happens when you pop the hood.

1 in 3 websites we tested scored 0% for API driven capabilities

The AI search wave is here. Most businesses are invisible to it.

We were expecting some patchy scores when it came to API driven capabilities (or "MACH Architecture"), so it didn’t shock us to find around 1 in 3 websites scored zero when tested.

That means no clear structure, no machine-readable content, and no chance of being picked up optimally by platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude when users search or ask questions.

This is a huge missed opportunity. AI discovery isn’t something that’s coming… it’s already here.

Speed is the highest-scoring category… but 1 in 5 sites still fail the basics.

Fast is good, but not everyone’s keeping up

Speed (or Core Web Vitals and Edge Delivery) was the strongest area overall, with an average score of 79.7%. That’s good news for user experience and search rankings.

But there’s a catch, some sites scored a big fat zero, meaning they’re painfully slow and likely to frustrate people before they even load the first image (me, I am people).

With attention spans shrinking and bounce rates rising, speed isn’t a luxury, it’s non-negotiable.

Schema showed the biggest gap in performance, some sites had it nailed, others scored zero

Schema making you scream-er?

Structured data (aka Schema or Knowledge Graph & Semantic Data Layer) is a behind-the-scenes ingredient that helps search engines and AI understand what your content means, not just what it says.

Some websites had perfect implementation. Others? Nothing at all.

This category had the widest spread in scores across the whole dataset. It’s either well executed or completely ignored, and that inconsistency is costing some businesses dearly.

If Schema sounds like a developer-only thing, it’s not. It’s a growth opportunity in disguise. Get. On. It.

Content still drives search, yet it scored just 38% on average

Looks alone won’t sell your services.

We get it. Writing content for your own business is time consuming and often found deep at the bottom of the list. But search engines, AI bots, and (you guessed it!) your customers rely on clear, useful content to understand what you offer and why it matters.

And yet, across all sites tested, the average content score was just 38%. Many sites had thin copy, outdated information, or keyword stuffing that did more harm than good.

If your content doesn’t connect, convince, and convert, your website never will. Tale as old as time (well a good 20 years or so).

The bad news: There’s no single fix
The good news: There’s a simple first step

There’s no magic bullet here. You can’t just speed up your homepage and hope it fixes your AI score. You can’t just tweak a blog post and expect to rank. Modern websites need a balanced, holistic approach from code to content.

But the first step is knowing where you stand. Test your website today for free.

The d&f NWO tool takes 30 seconds and gives you real insight into what’s holding your website back. No jargon. No strings. Just a clear score and honest advice on how to improve.

👉 Run your test now

Your next customer might find you in AI search… if your site’s ready for it.

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(This data and resulting analysis was taken from the d&f NWO leaderboard on 30th September 2025, when it had tested 197 websites).