# Article Audit > Audit a complete article against all criteria — Alan's five voice markers, SEO/GEO requirements, section architecture, corpus citation quality, pillar alignment, and CTA. Returns per-criterion scores, specific failing passages, and a prioritized revision list. Use before publishing any article, or to diagnose why an article isn't performing. - Skill: `joshuashepherd/article-audit-2` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add joshuashepherd/article-audit-2` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/joshuashepherd/article-audit-2/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Marketing & Growth - Author: JoshuaShepherd (https://skillmd.com/u/joshuashepherd) - Updated: 2026-09-21 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/joshuashepherd/article-audit-2 --- Audit this article: $ARGUMENTS $ARGUMENTS should be either: (a) a file path to an existing article markdown file, or (b) the article content pasted directly. If neither, ask the user to provide the article. --- ## What This Audit Covers Six audit dimensions, each scored independently: 1. **Voice Fidelity** — Alan's five markers scored 0.0–1.0 each + failure mode check 2. **Section Architecture** — mandatory sections present, word counts in range, order correct 3. **SEO Requirements** — keyword placement, H structure, meta fields, URL slug, internal links 4. **GEO Requirements** — definition anchor quality, entity disambiguation, citation quality, FAQ presence 5. **Corpus Citation** — passages grounded in Alan's actual books, citations formatted correctly, no invented quotes 6. **Pillar & Funnel Alignment** — pillar assignment correct, CTA present and linked, no orphan content --- ## Dimension 1: Voice Fidelity Score each marker 0.0–1.0 based on presence, density, and authenticity. ### Marker 1: Christocentric Anchoring (weight: 30%, target: ≥0.7) Count explicit references to: Jesus, Christ, Lord, Kingdom, Gospel, sent by God, mission of God, missio Dei. - **≥0.7 (pass):** 2–3 explicit references in the body; at least one in the opening and one in the close; grounded in Jesus's mission, not just God generically - **0.4–0.6 (weak):** References present but thin; mostly God-language without Christological specificity; missing from opening or close - **<0.4 (fail):** Fewer than 2 references; or references are decorative rather than load-bearing; Jesus not connected to the argument Score and quote the specific passages that carry (or fail to carry) this marker. ### Marker 2: Pastoral Warmth (weight: 20%, target: ≥0.5) Count "we," "you," "I" instances. Check distribution: target is 45% "we", 35% "you", 20% "I". - **≥0.5 (pass):** Relational, invitational language throughout; reader feels included not lectured; "I" present but not dominant - **0.3–0.5 (weak):** Third-person dominant; or "you" used preachy/prescriptive rather than invitational; or "I" absent (feels impersonal) - **<0.3 (fail):** Academic tone; no reader address; feels like a paper, not a conversation Check for generic motivational language ("you've got this!") — flag as failure even if warmth score is otherwise passing. ### Marker 3: Narrative Imagery (weight: 15%, target: ≥0.6) Count metaphors and analogies. Target: ~8.5 per 1000 words. Check for Alan's primary metaphor systems. - **Movement/DNA:** Apostolic Genius, movement DNA, genetic code, dormant potential, fractal patterns - **Organic/biological:** seed, vine, tree, growth, organism, health, DNA - **Journey/travel:** path, road, pilgrimage, quest, hitting the road with Jesus - **Ocean/water:** streams, currents, red ocean vs. blue ocean, scattering - **≥0.6 (pass):** Multiple metaphor systems present; metaphors are load-bearing (they carry the argument) not decorative - **0.4–0.6 (weak):** Some metaphors but thin; only one system used; metaphors feel generic rather than Alan's signature - **<0.4 (fail):** Bare prose; metaphors absent or only clichés Score and name the dominant metaphor systems used. ### Marker 4: Theological Depth (weight: 10%, target: ≥0.7) Count: theological terms, biblical references, historical examples with specific data. Historical examples require specificity to score: - "The early church grew" → 0 (too vague) - "The early church grew from 25,000 to 20 million between AD 100–310" → 1 (counts) - **≥0.7 (pass):** 1–2 historical examples with specific data; biblical integration woven not proof-texted; theological concepts named and unpacked - **0.4–0.7 (weak):** Historical examples vague; or scripture quoted sermonically; or theology stays at surface - **<0.4 (fail):** No historical grounding; no scripture; generic spirituality language ### Marker 5: Prophetic Intensity (weight: 25%, target: 0.5–0.8) Count: questions, urgency statements, reframing moves, challenge language. Target: ~3.2 questions per 1000 words. Also check calibration — too high is preaching, too low is passive. - **0.5–0.8 (pass):** Questions present at openings and transitions; urgency felt; article challenges rather than confirms existing assumptions; balance with pastoral warmth - **0.3–0.5 (weak):** Too gentle; no productive tension; reads as information delivery not prophetic challenge - **>0.8 (over):** Hectoring; all challenge no warmth; reader feels lectured ### Overall Voice Coherence Score Weighted average: `(Marker1 × 0.30) + (Marker2 × 0.20) + (Marker3 × 0.15) + (Marker4 × 0.10) + (Marker5 × 0.25)` **Target: ≥0.75.** Below 0.75, the article should not publish before revision. ### Failure Mode Check Flag any of these as automatic issues requiring revision regardless of scores: - [ ] **Antithesis patterns** — "not X, but Y"; "Instead of X, we should Y"; "Contrary to X" - [ ] **Corporate consultant vocabulary** — "leverage," "optimize," "best practices," "scalable," "key takeaways," "actionable insights" - [ ] **Detached academic phrasing** — "The ecclesiological implications suggest..."; "Research indicates..."; "It could be argued that..." - [ ] **Rushing to practice** — application appears before theology and meaning are established (before the 60% mark) - [ ] **Homiletical opening** — article opens with a scripture quotation or "As [verse] says..." - [ ] **Missing first-person narrative** — no "I've seen...", "Let me walk you through...", "My experience..." - [ ] **Generic motivational language** — "You've got this!" "Believe in yourself!" "Start your journey today!" - [ ] **Missing Christocentric anchor** — movement/mission language not grounded in Jesus specifically --- ## Dimension 2: Section Architecture Check that all mandatory sections are present, in the correct order, and within word count range. | Section | Required | Word Count Target | Check | |---------|----------|-------------------|-------| | Opening hook (no heading) | Yes | 150–250 | Present? Starts with question/reframe (not scripture)? Keyword in first 100 words? | | **H2: What Is [Term]?** | Yes | 200–350 | Present? Definitional? GEO-ready? | | **H2: Stakes/Problem** | Yes | 250–400 | Present? Diagnosis + historical parallel? | | **H2: Core Teaching × 2–4** | Yes | 600–1,200 total | Present? Multiple H3s? H2s as questions? Corpus cited? | | **H2: Common Misunderstandings** | Yes | 300–500 | Present? 2–3 H3s? Dissolution not just negation? | | **H2: Biblical Foundation** | Yes (may merge) | 200–350 | Scripture woven? Not proof-texted? Not leading? | | **H2: What This Means in Practice** | Yes | 250–400 | Present? Prose not steps? Application earned? | | **H2: How This Connects** | Tier 1 required, others optional | 150–250 | Present (Tier 1)? Internal links? | | CTA / Formation Invitation | Yes | 100–200 | Present? One CTA? Prophetic close? | | FAQ | Optional but recommended | 200–400 | Present? 3–5 Q&As? Complete standalone answers? | **Total word count check:** - Tier 1: 3,500–4,500 — flag if outside range - Tier 2: 2,200–3,200 — flag if outside range - Tier 3: 1,500–2,200 — flag if outside range **Order check:** Sections must follow the sequence above. Application (Section 7) must come after Core Teaching (Section 4). Flag if not. --- ## Dimension 3: SEO Requirements Score pass/fail for each item: **H Structure:** - [ ] Primary keyword in H1 (article title) - [ ] Primary keyword appears within first 100 words of body - [ ] Primary keyword in at least one H2 - [ ] H2s mirror real search queries ("What Is X?", "How Does X Work?", "Why Does X Matter?") - [ ] H3s are genuine sub-points, not just continuations **Keyword distribution:** - [ ] Primary keyword: natural density, not stuffed (flag if appears more than once every 100 words) - [ ] 3–5 semantic variants present in body - [ ] GEO disambiguation phrase present: "Alan Hirsch [concept]" or "Alan Hirsch developed..." **Meta fields (check if present in frontmatter):** - [ ] `meta_title` — 50–60 characters, leads with keyword, ends with `— Alan Hirsch` - [ ] `meta_description` — 140–160 characters, includes keyword, contains question or tension - [ ] `slug` — short, keyword-anchored, lowercase, hyphens, no stop words **Internal links:** - [ ] Minimum 3 internal links (to related articles, pathways, or courses) - [ ] Maximum 8 internal links - [ ] Anchor text is natural and descriptive (not "click here" or "read more") --- ## Dimension 4: GEO Requirements Score pass/fail: **Definition Anchor (Section 2):** - [ ] Clean opening definition sentence (20–30 words, complete, crisp) - [ ] Self-contained — a reader can understand the concept from this section alone - [ ] Entity disambiguation: attributes the concept to Alan Hirsch explicitly - [ ] Does not open with "According to Alan Hirsch..." (too academic) — embed the attribution naturally **Factual specificity:** - [ ] Historical examples include specific numbers, dates, or locations (not vague) - [ ] Framework components are named precisely (APEST = Apostolic, Prophetic, Evangelistic, Shepherding, Teaching — not just "five gifts") **First-person authoritative statements:** - [ ] At least 2 first-person passages (increases GEO citation rate) - [ ] Statements are grounded in known biographical facts or corpus (not invented) **Citation quality:** - [ ] Book sources cited in correct format: `*Book Title* — ch[N] "[Chapter Title]"` - [ ] No invented Alan quotes or paraphrases without attribution - [ ] Direct quotes are verbatim from corpus (not close paraphrases presented as quotes) **FAQ:** - [ ] FAQ section present (optional but recommended — flag if absent) - [ ] Each Q&A is complete and self-contained - [ ] Questions reflect real search phrasing --- ## Dimension 5: Corpus Citation - [ ] Article draws on Alan's actual books, not general theological knowledge alone - [ ] At minimum 1–2 direct citations from the corpus (blockquotes or close-referenced paraphrases) - [ ] Citations use the correct format - [ ] No invented quotes (flag any Alan-attributed statement not verifiable in corpus) - [ ] Books cited are appropriate to the pillar (see pillar-to-book map in `article-corpus`) If the article cites Alan without a book source, flag each instance for verification. --- ## Dimension 6: Pillar and Funnel Alignment - [ ] Article is clearly assigned to one of the six pillars - [ ] Topic fits the pillar assignment (not cross-pillar confusion) - [ ] One primary CTA present, linking to a pathway or course - [ ] CTA is appropriate to the pillar (not a random cross-sell) - [ ] No orphan content — the article connects to something deeper in the funnel - [ ] If Tier 2/3: link to the Tier 1 pillar page is present --- ## Audit Output Format Return the audit as: --- # Article Audit: [Article Title or File Path] **Overall Readiness:** [PUBLISH READY / NEEDS REVISION / MAJOR REVISION REQUIRED] **Word Count:** [actual] / [target range] **Tier:** [1/2/3] — **Pillar:** [name] --- ## Voice Fidelity Scores | Marker | Score | Target | Status | |--------|-------|--------|--------| | Christocentric Anchoring | 0.X | ≥0.7 | ✓ / ✗ | | Pastoral Warmth | 0.X | ≥0.5 | ✓ / ✗ | | Narrative Imagery | 0.X | ≥0.6 | ✓ / ✗ | | Theological Depth | 0.X | ≥0.7 | ✓ / ✗ | | Prophetic Intensity | 0.X | 0.5–0.8 | ✓ / ✗ | | **Overall Coherence** | **0.X** | **≥0.75** | **✓ / ✗** | **Failure modes found:** - [List specific failures with quoted passages] --- ## Section Architecture | Section | Present | Word Count | Status | Notes | |---------|---------|------------|--------|-------| | Opening hook | ✓/✗ | [N] | ✓/✗ | | | What Is [Term]? | ✓/✗ | [N] | ✓/✗ | | | [etc.] | | | | | --- ## SEO Score: [X]/[total checks] passing **Failures:** - [specific items failing, with what's needed to fix] --- ## GEO Score: [X]/[total checks] passing **Failures:** - [specific items failing] --- ## Corpus Citation: [GROUNDED / WEAK / UNVERIFIED] **Issues:** - [specific unattributed or suspect passages] --- ## Pillar & Funnel: [ALIGNED / MISALIGNED] **Issues:** - [specific alignment problems] --- ## Priority Revision List Rank issues by impact (fix these first): 1. **[CRITICAL]** [Issue] — [What to do to fix it] 2. **[HIGH]** [Issue] — [Fix] 3. **[MEDIUM]** [Issue] — [Fix] 4. **[LOW]** [Issue] — [Fix] --- ## Publish Decision **[PUBLISH READY]** — All dimensions pass. Ready to go. **[NEEDS REVISION]** — Minor issues. Fix the Priority Revision List items, then publish. **[MAJOR REVISION REQUIRED]** — Voice coherence below 0.6, or multiple mandatory sections missing, or corpus citations unverifiable. Significant rewrite needed before this article should go live.