What is the biggest weakness of municipal / city websites?

The biggest weakness for municipal / city websites is AEO, with an average score of just 14 out of 100. This means most sites in this vertical have significant room for improvement in this area.

Municipal / City Website Audit Report - AISO Studio

Overview

The municipal / city industry faces a clear challenge online. Most websites in this space score well below what search engines and AI systems need to surface content. The average AISO score across all 305 sites is just 40 out of 100. That is a low bar. It also means there is a big opportunity for businesses that invest in their web presence now.

The strongest area for municipal / city sites is WCAG, with an average of 57. The weakest area is AEO, at just 14. According to Google's SEO documentation, sites that fail to meet basic technical standards risk losing visibility in both traditional and AI-powered search results.

What does this mean for your business? If your site scores above 40, you are already ahead of most competitors. If it scores below, you risk losing traffic to rivals who fix these issues first. According to the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, accessible websites also reach a wider audience and reduce legal risk.

Key insight: 84% of municipal / city websites score below 50. The majority of sites in this vertical are underperforming across multiple dimensions.

Summary Scores

AISO Score

SEO

Readability

Engagement

AEO

WCAG

Key Findings

84%

Score Below 50

More than half of sites in this vertical are underperforming.

85%

Missing Schema Markup

These sites have no structured data, making them harder for search engines and AI to understand.

50%

No Open Graph Tags

Without OG tags, shared links on social media appear without rich previews.

What This Means

These findings tell a simple story. Most municipal / city websites were built without modern optimization in mind. They load, they look fine, but they fail to communicate with the systems that drive traffic today.

Search engines need structured data to understand your pages. AI answer engines need clear, direct answers to cite your content. Screen readers need proper HTML to serve users with disabilities. Missing any of these means missing out on visitors, customers, and revenue.

Key Takeaways

After analyzing 305 municipal / city websites, here's what stands out most. These are the three most important points from the data.

Most sites score poorly overall. An average AISO score of 40 means the typical municipal / city website misses more than half of what modern search and AI systems look for.
AEO is the weakest link. At just 14 on average, this dimension drags down overall scores. Fixing it first gives the biggest return.
Basic technical issues are widespread. 85% of sites lack schema markup. 50% have no Open Graph tags. These are quick wins that most sites have not addressed.

Bottom line: The municipal / city industry is behind on web optimization. Early movers who fix these issues will gain a real edge in both search rankings and AI visibility.

How to Improve Your Score

Want to beat the average? Follow these steps in order. Each one builds on the last. Start with the basics and work your way up.

Step 1: Fix your technical SEO. Add a meta title, meta description, and canonical URL to every page. Add schema markup using JSON-LD. Add Open Graph tags so your links look good when shared. These changes take less than an hour and have an immediate impact.
Step 2: Improve readability. Rewrite your main pages at an 8th grade reading level. Use short sentences. Use simple words. Break up long paragraphs. According to Google, clear and simple content performs better in search results.
Step 3: Add engagement elements. Use headings, bullet lists, bold text, and blockquotes. Add images with descriptive alt text. Make your content easy to scan. Visitors decide within seconds whether to stay or leave.
Step 4: Optimize for AI engines. Add a FAQ section to your key pages. Use direct answer formats. Define what your business does in one clear sentence at the top of your homepage. AI systems like ChatGPT and Perplexity prefer content that gives a straight answer.
Step 5: Check accessibility. Run a WCAG audit. Ensure all images have alt text. Check that color contrast meets minimum ratios. Use semantic HTML elements like headings, lists, and landmarks. According to the W3C, over one billion people worldwide live with some form of disability.

Score Distribution

The charts below show how scores are spread across all 305 sites. The histogram groups sites by score range. The grade chart shows how many sites earned each letter grade. A score of 80 or above earns an A. Below 30 is an F.

AISO Score Ranges

0-9

10-19

20-29

30-39

40-49

119

50-59

60-69

70-79

80-89

90-99

Grade Distribution

0 (0%)

6 (2%)

44 (14%)

255 (84%)

Dimension Breakdown

Average scores across all 305 municipal / city websites for each scoring dimension.

SEO

Readability

Engagement

AEO

WCAG

Full Results

The table below lists all 305 websites ranked by their overall AISO score. Each row shows the total score, letter grade, and individual dimension scores. Use it to see how sites in the municipal / city space compare against each other.

Domains are partially blurred to protect privacy. Scores range from 0 to 100. Higher is better.

#	Domain	Score	Grade	SEO	Read.	Eng.	AEO	WCAG
1	socialsci***************	66	C	86	43	90	36	86
2	kids.*********	65	C	82	61	80	36	70
3	okc****	64	C	82	47	90	41	67
4	encycloped****************	63	C	84	42	85	44	63
5	denve********	63	C	87	45	78	18	100
6	courses.l****************	60	C	75	32	78	30	100
7	westmemph***************	59	D	77	54	70	28	69
8	chicit**********	59	D	70	38	83	28	91
9	wich*******	59	D	55	60	70	28	91
10	mont*******	59	D	72	25	93	73	31
11	morgan**********	59	D	67	39	75	28	100
12	budget***********	58	D	87	41	61	18	100
13	calaw********	57	D	77	33	78	28	82
14	geor*******	57	D	72	50	65	10	100
15	georgiaen**************	57	D	84	27	78	18	98
16	lmc****	57	D	91	15	85	28	80
17	ndstu********	57	D	70	55	68	18	77
18	leban********	56	D	62	42	75	20	91
19	blogs********	56	D	77	21	95	20	82
20	idahocity.m******************	55	D	81	47	73	10	69
21	brl*****	55	D	72	38	65	28	83
22	nashv********	55	D	72	39	68	10	100
23	civic*******	54	D	62	37	75	18	89
24	billi*********	54	D	52	40	80	20	91
25	portsm**********	54	D	67	50	65	10	85
26	cityofm*************	54	D	45	53	68	20	91
27	azlea*******	53	D	45	53	58	28	91
28	okpol*******	53	D	79	50	60	10	73
29	instit*********	53	D	72	39	83	41	29
30	sioux*********	53	D	64	59	65	10	67
31	co.gr*********	52	D	60	34	68	20	92
32	pbchi*********	52	D	62	43	78	18	64
33	tshao*********	52	D	69	38	80	10	70
34	amlcommu*************	51	D	59	47	75	10	71
35	crco*******	51	D	72	23	73	10	94
36	gic.de**********	51	D	77	37	73	10	63
37	baltim***********	51	D	62	40	73	10	77
38	mas*****	51	D	87	11	63	18	100
39	mma****	51	D	69	33	90	33	26
40	nc.***	51	D	67	42	68	10	77
41	oertx.hig***************	51	D	65	35	85	10	67
42	iowal*********	50	D	76	36	70	18	53
43	nlc****	50	D	82	20	56	18	91
44	archiv***********	50	D	47	67	53	18	67
45	mtlea*******	50	D	87	0	90	18	76
46	com*****	50	D	89	0	73	18	92
47	linco*********	50	D	79	26	73	10	73
48	nh.***	50	D	62	32	60	18	92
49	wccn*****	50	D	64	38	80	25	47
50	riac******	50	D	64	44	68	28	44
51	alab******	49	F	62	39	60	26	67
52	guides.ll***************	49	F	65	24	90	10	67
53	libguides.******************	49	F	60	24	85	10	80
54	ilcm*****	49	F	84	7	73	10	91
55	klc****	49	F	60	25	73	10	91
56	bwsr.s**********	49	F	74	20	80	10	75
57	mme****	49	F	72	31	85	10	54
58	cityof*********	49	F	57	50	70	10	60
59	pressbooks*****************	49	F	62	39	55	28	69
60	provid**********	49	F	84	30	75	10	52
61	providen*************	49	F	81	39	61	10	58
62	memph********	49	F	69	32	60	10	91
63	mrs*****	49	F	72	31	90	26	27
64	jacks********	49	F	62	25	58	20	100
65	libgui***********	48	F	55	15	80	10	100
66	cityofc***********	48	F	77	36	65	18	45
67	richm*********	48	F	52	43	68	18	67
68	main*****	48	F	72	26	48	18	91
69	bgr****	48	F	74	31	50	10	90
70	malegi***********	48	F	65	28	48	20	97
71	colum********	48	F	59	42	50	20	79
72	njl*****	48	F	70	21	55	20	92
73	nyc****	48	F	67	39	73	10	56
74	cityofm************	48	F	42	51	58	20	73
75	slc****	48	F	64	42	80	10	47
76	wv.***	48	F	74	36	80	10	40
77	cheyen**********	48	F	74	40	65	18	42
78	alalm.s************	47	F	69	21	68	18	71
79	ballot*********	47	F	87	3	85	26	43
80	commerc************	47	F	54	35	55	43	50
81	avond*********	47	F	50	50	50	20	69
82	atlan********	47	F	57	41	55	10	80
83	cityofco**************	47	F	57	44	60	10	73
84	dom.i*******	47	F	79	16	50	10	100
85	stlou*********	47	F	77	16	55	10	100
86	counci*********	47	F	72	27	90	10	36
87	townof*********	47	F	76	36	73	10	38
88	colum*******	47	F	77	18	58	10	91
89	lwvp******	47	F	47	34	75	58	19
90	eastpro*************	47	F	57	55	65	20	29
91	localgovernm**********************	47	F	62	29	63	10	85
92	oca.******	47	F	66	40	55	10	75
93	fortsm*********	46	F	60	33	55	10	82
94	ual*****	46	F	74	19	55	10	89
95	libgui***********	46	F	60	19	71	18	77
96	portl*******	46	F	74	37	65	18	33
97	ohi*****	46	F	54	19	80	25	65
98	guides.l**************	46	F	57	26	73	20	62
99	vlc*****	46	F	72	15	63	18	75
100	lwvd*****	46	F	62	41	78	10	36
101	phoe*******	45	F	62	43	63	10	45
102	admin*******	45	F	72	39	55	10	54
103	dlg.******	45	F	55	26	61	10	89
104	dot.st*********	45	F	59	25	43	18	100
105	mino*******	45	F	40	37	50	20	91
106	santa********	45	F	74	45	55	0	50
107	comptro***********	45	F	60	28	63	10	77
108	tml*****	45	F	60	15	65	10	92
109	ulct.********	45	F	57	56	60	10	34
110	ci.tum***********	45	F	55	37	50	10	82
111	cityof***********	45	F	57	19	50	20	100
112	louisv**********	44	F	50	37	65	10	64
113	honol*******	44	F	76	27	65	10	50
114	ilg*****	44	F	59	51	65	10	30
115	icgo*****	44	F	55	43	50	10	69
116	taylor**********	44	F	56	37	66	10	55
117	revenue************	44	F	57	18	68	10	86
118	natch********	44	F	67	31	68	20	38
119	lon*****	44	F	45	19	75	10	91
120	ohioau*********	44	F	55	31	60	10	75
121	oml****	44	F	83	34	48	0	61
122	libguides***************	44	F	55	16	68	10	90
123	columbiaba*****************	44	F	45	22	68	10	90
124	dc.***	44	F	57	35	55	18	60
125	ligadec*************	44	F	89	14	70	10	42
126	atlasa**********	43	F	84	0	68	20	57
127	delaw*******	43	F	59	32	60	10	64
128	honoluluc**************	43	F	64	25	63	10	60
129	iow*****	43	F	67	0	63	10	100
130	cityo*********	43	F	69	29	60	10	53
131	cedar-**********	43	F	64	39	60	10	43
132	memu*****	43	F	54	47	65	10	38
133	mo.***	43	F	57	21	55	10	90
134	cityofh************	43	F	59	38	50	30	39
135	mas****	43	F	54	27	55	10	80
136	mtas.te***********	43	F	72	0	75	10	75
137	mesa******	42	F	59	29	60	10	62
138	newar*******	42	F	67	10	50	20	79
139	middle**********	42	F	40	43	55	10	67
140	libguides**************	42	F	55	7	71	10	90
141	mocit*******	42	F	50	35	70	10	50
142	spring***********	42	F	57	37	63	20	31
143	libguide*************	42	F	45	23	58	10	89
144	nm.***	42	F	86	21	65	25	13
145	nmdfa.***********	42	F	52	24	63	10	71
146	video.**********	42	F	47	35	60	18	56
147	virgi*******	42	F	77	0	53	10	93
148	charle**********	42	F	69	21	73	10	41
149	cityofmo*************	42	F	57	28	75	10	47
150	maratho***********	42	F	52	43	50	10	57
151	lexing*********	41	F	71	38	40	0	64
152	mtcm*****	41	F	62	21	75	10	40
153	stories************	41	F	60	21	43	10	90
154	cityof*********	41	F	45	29	50	10	82
155	hcp*****	41	F	54	35	73	18	20
156	guides.***********	41	F	54	6	73	26	62
157	hawaii**********	40	F	52	15	65	10	75
158	msa.ma**********	40	F	62	32	80	10	12
159	cityofnor**************	40	F	67	38	55	10	25
160	nhmuni*********	40	F	60	0	60	10	91
161	sos.o*********	40	F	59	22	43	10	82
162	dakotaa************	40	F	77	17	48	18	48
163	ssl*****	40	F	57	42	50	20	30
164	57812529268******************	40	F	50	41	43	18	50
165	cityofma*************	40	F	52	44	50	10	44
166	lwm-i*******	40	F	52	15	50	20	80
167	wcma*******	40	F	47	13	50	20	91
168	carbonc***********	40	F	57	0	50	20	100
169	wyom*******	40	F	62	26	50	10	62
170	dll****	39	F	50	0	75	10	78
171	portal.***********	39	F	62	0	50	10	100
172	mauic*********	39	F	55	0	50	20	91
173	allega*********	39	F	50	0	50	20	100
174	mdcou*********	39	F	54	12	55	20	69
175	clarkc***********	39	F	62	14	60	18	50
176	megae*********	39	F	52	29	65	10	42
177	ncdo*****	39	F	65	0	75	10	58
178	sc.***	39	F	55	9	61	10	75
179	issu*****	39	F	62	0	65	10	77
180	ogden********	39	F	62	31	65	20	10
181	manche***********	39	F	59	16	68	10	50
182	montpe***********	39	F	50	0	50	20	100
183	doa.******	39	F	45	13	46	17	92
184	dhcd.v***********	39	F	56	33	58	10	38
185	cml****	38	F	50	27	50	10	62
186	tax.ne***********	38	F	69	0	65	10	60
187	nctrea*********	38	F	72	0	61	10	61
188	kidsvot***********	38	F	59	27	45	0	67
189	omlo*******	38	F	57	0	50	20	85
190	researchgu****************	38	F	45	0	68	10	90
191	civiced*************	38	F	30	42	45	24	50
192	co.col*********	37	F	55	0	53	10	91
193	cityof*********	37	F	52	0	60	10	86
194	guides.l*************	37	F	50	6	68	10	64
195	lasvega***********	37	F	52	44	45	18	22
196	sog.*******	37	F	54	0	60	10	83
197	ncl*****	37	F	47	46	45	10	36
198	uta*****	37	F	62	0	48	10	88
199	code.wvl**************	37	F	67	31	50	10	25
200	guides.li**************	36	F	45	12	65	10	57
201	porta********	36	F	52	0	43	10	100
202	gacit*******	36	F	47	13	50	10	75
203	apps.*********	36	F	35	35	48	0	73
204	in.***	36	F	57	0	53	10	78
205	lla.******	36	F	73	22	63	10	9
206	mmlon********	36	F	52	27	73	10	17
207	oksen*******	36	F	15	88	23	15	20
208	dced*******	36	F	76	0	60	10	43
209	sciw******	36	F	71	0	85	10	20
210	parkc*******	36	F	50	23	50	18	42
211	dccou********	36	F	62	8	53	10	57
212	nv.***	35	F	62	0	40	0	100
213	lgc.st*********	35	F	39	1	58	18	75
214	pml****	35	F	86	0	70	10	11
215	courts.***********	35	F	55	0	50	10	81
216	akm*****	34	F	64	0	50	10	63
217	flcit*******	34	F	15	88	15	15	20
218	lma****	34	F	47	22	40	0	71
219	kentu*******	34	F	39	24	75	26	0
220	nebrask***********	34	F	79	0	68	10	20
221	nheco********	34	F	60	0	50	10	67
222	greenv**********	34	F	57	0	28	18	90
223	knoxvi*********	34	F	57	0	45	10	78
224	vml****	34	F	54	6	80	18	16
225	wvm*****	34	F	59	9	73	10	25
226	illinoisc**************	33	F	54	0	75	10	32
227	mainele*************	33	F	35	45	25	10	50
228	charle***********	33	F	59	21	50	20	10
229	verm*******	33	F	49	0	50	18	64
230	armuni**********	32	F	50	21	50	10	31
231	californ*************	32	F	44	5	50	10	63
232	stateplann****************	32	F	42	0	45	10	82
233	pubs.li***********	32	F	30	56	8	0	71
234	thegree***********	32	F	37	5	55	10	71
235	jersey**********	32	F	60	0	40	10	69
236	orci******	32	F	57	11	63	20	7
237	ilr*****	32	F	15	80	15	15	20
238	cdm16831.c*****************	32	F	15	78	15	15	20
239	wyomi********	32	F	60	0	40	18	58
240	ctco******	31	F	15	77	15	15	20
241	fcit.*******	31	F	37	46	46	0	22
242	mdmuni*********	31	F	45	0	80	10	25
243	sos.******	31	F	15	65	30	15	20
244	sfsd*******	31	F	37	0	53	10	70
245	okmm*****	31	F	63	11	38	0	55
246	wyo****	31	F	50	0	50	10	57
247	anc6*****	31	F	30	41	30	15	40
248	cityofm***********	30	F	15	72	15	15	20
249	ind*****	30	F	47	43	30	8	18
250	louis********	30	F	47	0	50	10	58
251	berwynheig****************	30	F	15	73	15	15	20
252	lwvm*****	30	F	15	50	40	15	20
253	nd.***	30	F	50	0	36	10	69
254	ri.***	30	F	54	0	60	10	36
255	dos.******	29	F	47	0	50	10	50
256	kcm*****	29	F	52	3	50	18	27
257	mn.***	29	F	12	72	15	0	40
258	amlan********	28	F	15	64	15	15	20
259	content.l***************	28	F	15	42	40	15	20
260	iml****	28	F	37	0	50	10	60
261	rosel*********	28	F	15	60	20	15	20
262	opengov***********	28	F	47	0	50	0	54
263	opportuni***************	27	F	44	0	50	10	41
264	toro******	27	F	10	70	5	15	20
265	nvlea*******	27	F	42	0	60	10	29
266	manche**********	27	F	39	2	63	10	27
267	ndle*******	27	F	15	61	15	15	20
268	cityof*********	26	F	47	0	60	10	15
269	gcd.exten****************	26	F	15	34	40	15	20
270	oregonle*************	26	F	15	56	15	15	20
271	corr*******	26	F	10	64	10	15	20
272	my.l******	26	F	15	41	33	15	20
273	aimin*********	25	F	54	0	50	10	16
274	lkm****	25	F	40	0	65	18	4
275	townofst**************	25	F	15	32	40	15	20
276	nmm*****	25	F	5	66	5	15	20
277	rilea*******	25	F	42	0	45	18	28
278	tml****	25	F	15	51	15	15	20
279	docs.legi***************	25	F	15	49	20	15	20
280	leg.st*********	24	F	35	51	15	0	5
281	clevela*************	24	F	15	49	15	15	20
282	sdlegi***********	24	F	35	14	15	0	71
283	sheffie*************	23	F	15	45	15	15	20
284	cityofc*************	23	F	15	39	20	15	20
285	www2.c*********	23	F	15	42	15	15	20
286	assets**********	23	F	15	44	15	15	20
287	mccmeetingspubli*****************************	23	F	15	42	15	15	20
288	statutes.c****************	23	F	30	0	18	10	78
289	ca-i******	22	F	15	40	15	15	20
290	nj.***	22	F	15	45	10	15	20
291	brow*******	22	F	15	42	10	15	20
292	idcou*********	22	F	15	33	25	15	20
293	ghar.*******	22	F	15	39	15	15	20
294	wacit*******	22	F	15	41	15	15	20
295	mun*****	21	F	47	11	20	0	29
296	common*********	20	F	15	27	20	15	20
297	repository****************	20	F	0	55	0	0	40
298	fishki*********	20	F	15	30	15	15	20
299	lgd.az**********	19	F	32	0	35	10	21
300	orcit*******	19	F	15	26	15	15	20
301	vac*****	19	F	15	26	15	15	20
302	wvstatem**************	18	F	27	3	0	0	80
303	media.***********	14	F	15	0	25	15	20
304	floridale****************	14	F	15	7	15	15	20
305	legfin**********	12	F	15	0	15	15	20

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average AISO score for municipal / city websites?

The average AISO score for municipal / city websites is 40 out of 100. This is based on a scan of 305 sites in the government industry. The score combines five dimensions: SEO (54), readability (28), engagement (55), AEO (14), and WCAG accessibility (57).

How do municipal / city websites perform on accessibility?

The average WCAG score is 57 out of 100. Many municipal / city websites still lack basic accessibility features like alt text on images, proper heading structure, and sufficient color contrast. Improving accessibility helps you reach more users and reduces legal risk.

Are municipal / city websites ready for AI search engines?

Not yet. The average AEO score is 14 out of 100. AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overview need structured data, FAQ sections, and direct answer formats to cite a website. Currently, 85% of municipal / city sites have no schema markup at all.

What is the biggest weakness for municipal / city websites?

The weakest dimension is AEO, with an average score of just 14. This represents the area where municipal / city websites have the most room to grow. Focusing improvement efforts here will have the largest impact on overall scores.

How can I check my own website's score?

You can run a free audit on any website using AISO Studio. Enter your URL and get a full breakdown of your SEO, readability, engagement, AEO, and WCAG scores in under a minute. No signup required.

Methodology

We score each website across five areas. The AISO Score is a weighted mix of all five. It shows how well a site works for both people and AI systems. Here is what each area measures.

SEO checks meta tags, schema markup, headings, and other signals search engines use to crawl and index pages.
Readability looks at sentence length, word complexity, and plain language. Higher scores mean easier reading.
Engagement counts headings, lists, bold text, images, and other elements that make content easy to scan.
AEO checks if AI engines can find and cite the content. It looks for FAQ sections, direct answers, and structured data.
WCAG tests for color contrast, alt text, ARIA labels, and proper HTML. It follows the W3C accessibility guidelines.

SEO (Technical Search Optimization)

Checks meta titles, descriptions, canonical URLs, schema markup, Open Graph tags, heading structure, and other signals that help search engines crawl and index a page.

Readability

Measures the Flesch Reading Ease score, average sentence length, and word complexity. Higher scores mean the content is easier for the public to read and understand.

Engagement

Looks at content formatting: headings, lists, bold text, blockquotes, images, and other elements that make content easy to scan and read.

AEO (AI Engine Optimization)

Checks how well content is set up for AI answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overview. Looks for direct answer formats, FAQ sections, and clear definitions.

WCAG (Accessibility)

Tests for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines compliance: color contrast, alt text, ARIA labels, semantic HTML, and keyboard navigation support.

How Does YOUR Municipal / City Website Score?

The average municipal / city website scores 40/100. Run a free audit to see where you stand and get actionable recommendations to improve your search visibility, AI readiness, and accessibility today.

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