First-Hand Experience signal · 15% of your score
Why AI surfaces the source, not the summary
AI engines are tuned to surface real, lived expertise over content that just restates what everyone else already published. Your own methods, numbers, and examples are what set you apart from the summarizers.
Why it matters
Engines learn which sites speak from real experience and which ones rehash. Your own way of doing things, a named method, real results from your work, screenshots of what you actually built, and your own point of view, is what makes you the source instead of a copy. You don't need a formal research study. You need to show the work only you can show.
What the Tracker checks
- First-party data and results with specifics: your own numbers, dates, outcomes
- A named method or framework you own
- A first-person operator voice explaining how and why you do the work
- Original visuals (product screenshots, your own diagrams) versus stock imagery
How it's scored
Every site gets a 0 to 10 on this signal. Here's what each band looks like.
Strong
8–10Unmistakably the source: first-party data, a named method, a first-person operator voice, and original visuals all present.
Mixed
5–7Some first-hand voice or one concrete example, but most content is general synthesis. Original and generic are mixed.
Weak
0–4Almost entirely synthesis of common knowledge, generic stock imagery, and numbers cited without first-party provenance.
How to improve it
- 1Name your method or framework so it's yours, not generic advice
- 2Add at least one real result with a specific number and date
- 3Write in first person about how and why you do the work
- 4Swap stock photos for original screenshots or your own diagrams
The Tracker doesn't just score this, it drafts the exact pages to close the gap, built in the structure engines reward. Run your site through all six signals and get the one highest-impact fix to start with.
Questions, answered
Do I need to run original research to score well?
No. First-hand operator knowledge counts. A named method, a real customer result, a first-person explanation, and original screenshots all signal genuine experience without any formal study.
Why does stock imagery hurt?
Stock photos are a tell that a page is generic synthesis rather than first-hand work. Original visuals, screenshots of what you actually built or measured, signal that you're the source.
The other five signals
See where you stand on all six.
One scan scores your site on every signal, shows the pages an engine reads and skips, and hands you the fix worth making first.
$39/mo, cancel anytime