A
AISO Studio

Is your public safety website keeping up? Here's what the data shows.

Public Safety Website Audit Report

We scanned 392 public safety websites across the United States to benchmark their performance for search engines, AI answer engines, and accessibility.

Industry: Government · Sample size: 392 sites · Scan date: March 14, 2026

Overview

The public safety 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 392 sites is just 45 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 public safety sites is WCAG, with an average of 67. 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 45, 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: 71% of public safety websites score below 50. The majority of sites in this vertical are underperforming across multiple dimensions.

Summary Scores

45

AISO Score

62

SEO

28

Readability

64

Engagement

14

AEO

67

WCAG

Key Findings

71%

Score Below 50

More than half of sites in this vertical are underperforming.

82%

Missing Schema Markup

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

42%

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 public safety 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 392 public safety websites, here's what stands out most. These are the three most important points from the data.

  1. Most sites score poorly overall. An average AISO score of 45 means the typical public safety website misses more than half of what modern search and AI systems look for.
  2. AEO is the weakest link. At just 14 on average, this dimension drags down overall scores. Fixing it first gives the biggest return.
  3. Basic technical issues are widespread. 82% of sites lack schema markup. 42% have no Open Graph tags. These are quick wins that most sites have not addressed.
Bottom line: The public safety 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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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 392 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
0
10-19
2
20-29
9
30-39
77
40-49
189
50-59
104
60-69
10
70-79
1
80-89
0
90-99
0

Grade Distribution

A
0 (0%)
B
1 (0%)
C
10 (3%)
D
104 (27%)
F
277 (71%)

Dimension Breakdown

Average scores across all 392 public safety websites for each scoring dimension.

SEO
62
Readability
28
Engagement
64
AEO
14
WCAG
67

Full Results

The table below lists all 392 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 public safety space compare against each other.

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

#DomainScoreGradeSEORead.Eng.AEOWCAG
1helen*******70B9055853592
2cumberla**************65C67658020100
3kirkl*********64C8249852591
4cityof***********63C7536903590
5slve******63C60955010100
6kaua*****62C8528952691
7brand********62C9423904569
8honol*********61C8942761893
9hancoc**********61C82625810100
10aberd*********61C6557752885
11fairf********61C90308518100
12dps.ge*********59D92228018100
13law.h*********59D8429901891
14spring***********59D67486328100
15stlou*********58D77357025100
16westcol***********58D7651732667
17manas*********58D67408018100
18bridge**********58D8057782547
19temp*****57D7030901891
20fayette************57D7245682092
21calais*********57D5563751086
22fayette***********57D8432903353
23teas*****57D8050901846
24alexan**********57D8241851867
25orla*******56D8732851869
26postfal************56D5463702073
27davenp***********56D6538833371
28stpg******56D5258751091
29lansi********56D60872810100
30stpa******56D8045681085
31cityofh***********56D7243701889
32telfor***********56D72406318100
33ssl*****56D7040702092
34northme***********55D60456520100
35newar*******55D5560753545
36fire.h***********55D7445652570
37dsm*****55D5268681082
38worces*********55D7041731092
39pater*********55D67526010100
40lascr********55D7748783335
41fire-ma************55D6253681092
42scotts**********54D74297510100
43tucso*******54D8221731894
44hartf*********54D7934782560
45dsp.de**********54D8912781890
46newcastle**************54D7146731864
47osweg*********54D8431752071
48linco*********54D7451801057
49andre********54D69376810100
50isli*******54D6450801070
51westfa***********54D5461652073
52oreg******54D7538681092
53sumte*******54D6255681082
54village************54D7441801070
55sheri*********54D6735801090
56bright**********53D8437651078
57danbu*********53D6734702085
58wich*******53D6051582873
59icgo*****53D7029851085
60baltim***********53D6545602086
61readi********53D6239652879
62newa*******53D7453833413
63fallon**********53D7457501082
64dhsem*******53D8429681086
65cbmanhatta******************53D5588581045
66dare******53D6060701067
67ralei********53D6230752884
68bottineau**************53D6258611080
69canto*********53D6249652073
70yuko*******53D52407020100
71experien**************53D7930701091
72cityofh***********52D5254801067
73denve********52D8233801060
74tamp*****52D7721681893
75isp.i********52D72167518100
76vbg****52D6729582892
77dpcou*********52D6951601073
78grandr***********52D5759662550
79minnea***********52D6248681083
80fate******52D5734802080
81oakri*********52D60316520100
82fortwor***********52D7931951048
83nsfi******52D4758602082
84townoft***********51D5451751071
85hawaii**********51D65277310100
86mas*****51D8638631854
87cityofgra**************51D6245581091
88townofd*************51D6932751082
89townofs*************51D6939681082
90cityof***********51D5544582091
91perrys**********51D6723752085
92pafire**********51D6541601091
93sioux*********51D7445531082
94fire.*******51D8941551063
95firesafe**************51D6234831077
96norf*******51D60305528100
97digital*************51D7236601089
98westp*********50D7229751075
99cityofsou**************50D6727752073
100cityof*********50D6730651883
101medicinel***************50D5546651080
102stmich*********50D6446681067
103tupel*******50D7653651046
104omaha*********50D5946681075
105stpauln***********50D7451601054
106charles***********50D6935801060
107alban*******50D62235828100
108mino*******50D5248502092
109edmon*******50D5744652069
110taylors***********50D5552581083
111vsp.ve*********50D5537731877
112cityofc*************50D72117020100
113hudso*******50D5051632073
114portwas*************50D6925781083
115mill*******50D6534651092
116fire*******49F67295510100
117ocgo*****49F6743501085
118miami********49F6432801071
119oakla*********49F5234751085
120gcksf*******49F5449552073
121cityofc***********49F6050501080
122montgome**************49F5738601092
123baltimo************49F7231601083
124dexte*******49F5742681079
125brans********49F7024552883
126boze*******49F5549501091
127ci.mis***********49F6250552848
128livingw***********49F7522751077
129firemars**************49F7228681079
130burlin*********49F7729801058
131cityof**********49F5444751071
132westwa***********49F5938751071
133tcfp.*********49F7520681091
134sheriff.**************49F4261751058
135fayette***********49F6948751038
136caspe*******49F5238701090
137glend*********48F7726651075
138marico*********48F6031801069
139thorn*********48F7713603077
140hamd******48F5235682077
141visitgre*************48F7242681050
142lewist***********48F5234652079
143springf***********48F4950802825
144manka********48F6036631082
145middle*********48F6728631089
146clevel***********48F6735601079
147ci.ath*********48F6739502069
148cityof***********48F7926652056
149bgoh******48F67225020100
150portl*******48F6714801090
151donald**********48F6740551078
152looko********48F52286810100
153townofw************48F7922701073
154unifie***********48F6443832618
155kingc*********48F6223602089
156super*********48F55305020100
157montgo**********47F6227701082
158gogree**********47F5051501082
159porta********47F6928681857
160hawaii**********47F5536651082
161spring***********47F6225904312
162massp*******47F7512651092
163dos.******47F8215731069
164nashu*******47F6031702848
165jacksontw***************47F6938681057
166lebano***********47F57285020100
167phil*****47F6437731054
168crans*********47F5536581090
169jasperc***********47F5739751058
170cityof**********47F6215781086
171tomp******47F6725652069
172vermi********47F6719752065
173cityofm************47F6240702046
174poult*********47F5935611080
175cityofnew**************47F6754401067
176william***********47F4249651073
177torrin**********47F5527582091
178cerri*******46F6236681057
179post*******46F7705820100
180wilmin**********46F5532651082
181dcfc******46F7443651033
182idahofa************46F5145502073
183kckp*****46F6747701033
184ose.lo***********46F7423601079
185fraser**********46F6714652873
186co.silv***********46F5230583071
187bigsk*********46F6841501067
188com*****46F7706810100
189nj.***46F779801067
190dhses*******46F6226661082
191jackson***********46F6429582856
192stillw**********46F5938632053
193jacks********46F7218601089
194texarka***********46F6423582082
195cityofs************46F5533552077
196stjv*****46F5940501078
197wilming*************46F6729681067
198wsp.******46F794901058
199oversigh*************46F6930701847
200dot.a*********45F4930751073
201pomon*******45F4530652075
202citrus***********45F57175020100
203publicsaf****************45F6507510100
204burley*********45F5735582061
205hopkin***********45F620851090
206mdsp.m***********45F5932651067
207cityof**********45F7135651047
208pelaha*********45F6414751080
209cityofnor**************45F6729581069
210angelf*********45F5739652048
211redhill***********45F5907020100
212nashv********45F7006810100
213morgan**********45F7227702036
214dmpsj*******45F4948651056
215cityof***********44F5785820100
216newha*********44F5538651056
217discov**********44F6436801028
218smyrn*******44F6229553052
219cityo*********44F6921601860
220cityof**********44F5735701050
221stgeo*********44F5252651035
222lasf*****44F4537851044
223cityofw***********44F6739731029
224houst*********44F5026611090
225mehlvi***********44F7612681857
226repub*********44F5222582771
227ncos******44F6220751061
228concor***********44F7129501070
229okc****44F7414851044
230corvall************44F6710651085
231johnso***********44F5715751082
232seat*******44F6241582035
233fayett**********44F3774251075
234lwm-i*******44F3936552080
235phoe*******43F7727701030
236chand*********43F753751071
237roger*******43F7027502842
238dfpc.c***********43F670681091
239colorad************43F55116010100
240dalto*******43F6728701045
241sunri********43F5017701082
242eastpo*********43F7625751821
243kckf*****43F5740611050
244opkan*******43F8438651014
245main*****43F5525481882
246fallri*********43F5722681069
247annap********43F5727582850
248princegeo****************43F750631092
249minnet**********43F709581087
250stloui***********43F5743651041
251gulfpo*********43F5739681044
252santafe************43F6422751050
253bendo*********43F770581092
254gresha***********43F5934751041
255portsm**********43F6205820100
256evansv**********43F6620751055
257birmin**********42F763845053
258laf*****42F4733701058
259temple**********42F5012582092
260wpb****42F7419681045
261dekalbc***********42F6018681063
262idahofirech********************42F5451681016
263eaglef*********42F742868042
264peori********42F5220582073
265connectg**************42F5041851018
266adeli*******42F4928751054
267upm*****42F4224502091
268farm*******42F690631092
269anokac***********42F5775020100
270dfs.d*********42F4233581870
271clint********42F874058109
272dojm*****42F7111801047
273dps.******42F573701089
274hobbs********42F4746781024
275elpaso*********42F6135801023
276arling*********42F720601091
277magna*********42F5216702067
278ogden********42F623582085
279wsfm.*******42F4739431080
280prepspo***********42F7125551846
281willc*********41F6615652537
282peachtre**************41F6723582039
283aacou*******41F5231501075
284sfm.ne**********41F600751082
285cityofh************41F5034501069
286trent********41F6205020100
287cab*****41F6424751033
288ohiofirec***************41F4026531094
289lawto*******41F578582079
290ci.wes**********41F3546601055
291wichita***********41F5010652079
292westal*********41F5230401089
293fems*******41F5734681038
294pellc*******40F6413731841
295dps.a*********40F5429581057
296goham********40F602751071
297kcm*****40F550651882
298nyc****40F4744631030
299farmin**********40F5247502028
300dps.******40F3920651079
301northpro*************40F795651053
302davisco************40F540751080
303unified************40F4767501012
304nnv*****40F620652073
305mun*****39F4732801025
306ridgef**********39F5512801044
307polic********39F670481091
308publics************39F670481091
309atlantaf*************39F625501089
310detro********39F760752029
311cityofh***********39F3732751046
312post*******39F475833057
313trapp*********39F4453581025
314gettys**********39F4247601030
315frank*********39F5229501064
316cityofv***********39F840581060
317cityofma*************39F4523501082
318hcf*****38F6712501067
319sfm.il**********38F570601082
320in.***38F524653344
321wdm.i*******38F6010501077
322lexing*********38F762740054
323sherm********38F5436531039
324laure*******38F4541651024
325lasvega***********38F5436651019
326camde*******38F5727651035
327villageofm****************38F4719581071
328charle***********38F5731502033
329washin**********38F440681090
330boscobel*************38F620651073
331firefig***********37F640411091
332chic*******37F540801052
333middle**********37F6718652013
334greens***********37F4717751039
335kingsp*********37F5210631064
336cst*****37F6225651025
337fireh*******37F590751056
338washc********37F6203610100
339anchora************36F543845047
340statefirema******************36F690551060
341csim*****36F6112531053
342allamu*********36F5910601048
343santa********36F5612751035
344tnmap*******36F454433063
345vafi******36F640651053
346jefferso*************36F520501091
347code.dc***********36F4527250100
348afma*******35F5414681033
349littl*********35F5429581024
350marioncou****************35F500500100
351garfiel*************35F550551071
352lafaye*********35F5511631832
353hattie***********35F6411681027
354fire*******35F450581083
355sthelen***********35F470581083
356greenv**********35F570331890
357pwcv*****35F690551053
358middle**********34F440582067
359hamm*******34F690651033
360imperi*********34F494515064
361wyomi********34F626601829
362washin*********34F6413501038
363coconu**********33F520681047
364cdai*****33F4710781020
365carol*********33F400502071
366chn*****33F441502067
367roswe*********33F490582053
368farg*******33F520581846
369statefi*************33F470501075
370westwindso******************33F572743044
371fairfa***********33F590681040
372calci*********32F3914651035
373joinde**********32F595651028
374southha***********32F4529431033
375cityofla*************31F4214501044
376cobbc*********31F611040058
377cityof***********31F502150035
378cityof*********31F3725581027
379ramseyc***********30F61025088
380croww*******30F500502039
381penn******30F460751026
382wcfir*********29F254116071
383local*******28F451340050
384pfd.pro*************27F3511431047
385siouxco***********26F320351070
386clarkc***********26F421040050
387firecar************26F510601014
388clermont**************25F470551018
389wfde******24F340451042
390ksfm*******23F245551023
391richmon************18F50030011
392usfire**********11F2231587

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average AISO score for public safety websites?

The average AISO score for public safety websites is 45 out of 100. This is based on a scan of 392 sites in the government industry. The score combines five dimensions: SEO (62), readability (28), engagement (64), AEO (14), and WCAG accessibility (67).

How do public safety websites perform on accessibility?

The average WCAG score is 67 out of 100. Many public safety 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 public safety 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, 82% of public safety sites have no schema markup at all.

What is the biggest weakness for public safety websites?

The weakest dimension is AEO, with an average score of just 14. This represents the area where public safety 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 (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 Public Safety Website Score?

The average public safety website scores 45/100. Run a free audit to see where you stand and get actionable recommendations to improve your search visibility, AI readiness, and accessibility today.

Get Your Free Audit
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