Methodology / Weightings

Weightings & rationale

The Magpire Index is a weighted composite of five categories. The scoring model applies these weights to produce the final 0–100 score. Below is the current allocation and the reasoning behind each weight.

Category weightings

CategoryWeight
AI Presence30%The direct measure of whether AI engines cite the firm. If engines do not name a firm, no AI-referred enquiry can reach it. This is both the highest-weight category and the primary metric the Index is designed to capture.
Content25%AI engines favour firms with substantive, current content that directly answers buyer questions. Content depth correlates strongly with citation frequency. We weight it second because it is actionable — firms can invest in content to move the Index measurably.
Technical20%Crawlers cannot cite what they cannot find. Technical foundations — structured data, site speed, mobile usability — are prerequisites for visibility. The weight reflects that good technical health rarely compensates for absent content, but bad technical health can nullify excellent content.
Visibility Signals15%Directory listings, NAP consistency, and backlinks are secondary signals. They matter because AI engines cross-reference multiple sources to verify a firm exists and operates where it claims. However, these signals alone do not drive citations — they support the other categories.
Authority10%Schema.org entity quality and third-party credibility markers are important differentiators at the top end of the Index, but they rarely change the story for the majority of firms. A low weight keeps the Index grounded in measurable visibility rather than prestige signals.

How weights were calibrated

The initial weight allocation was derived from a correlation analysis of the first 500 audited firms. We measured how strongly each individual category score predicted the overall likelihood of a firm being cited by all four AI engines.

AI Presence emerged as the dominant predictor — firms cited by more engines had higher enquiry volumes, regardless of their other scores. Content and Technical were the next strongest predictors, while Visibility Signals and Authority added marginal explanatory power at the population level.

Weights will be reviewed quarterly against the growing dataset and published transparently in the Magpire Index Report. If the data suggests a recalibration, we will document the change and the reasoning here.

See your weighted score

A free Magpire Audit applies these same weightings to your firm’s data — no credit card needed.

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Sam Hoye, founder of Magpire
Sam Hoye ACMA CGMA
ACMA · CGMA · Founder, Social Commerce Accountants · 50+ accounting firm clients · Updated March 2026