ai readinessFeatured Research
AI Readiness Index 2026
How prepared are small-business websites for AI search? We scored thousands of sites on structured data, authority, and technical health.
Updated 3 weeks agoReviewed by Jordan PierceResearch methodology9,500 websites analyzed13 citations
Executive Summary
The 2026 AI Readiness Index scores small-business websites on their ability to be discovered and cited by AI assistants, finding an average score of just 34/100.
Last updated 8/7/2026
Research Methodology
Each site was scored on schema coverage, content depth, technical health, and entity clarity using the Hawk Scan AI Readiness module.
Key Findings
- •Average AI readiness score: 34/100
- •Sites with FAQ schema score 2.3x higher
- •Only 1 in 5 sites have Organization schema
- •Content depth is the strongest predictor of AI citations
Interactive Chart
Overview
The AI Readiness Index measures how easily AI assistants can understand and cite small-business websites.
Scoring
Each site is scored on schema coverage, content depth, technical health, and entity clarity.
Key Insight
Sites with FAQ schema and authoritative long-form content are cited by AI assistants far more often.
Sources
- Hawk Scan AI Readiness module, 2026 · https://hawksiteamp.io/scan
