G/T/D Dimensions — Governance, Transparency, and Data Quality
4.1 G Dimension: Governance
The G dimension answers one question: Do you have legitimate business credentials?
G Dimension Signal Catalog
OTR evaluates 10 governance signals:
| Signal | What It Checks | Data Source |
|---|
| GLEIF Legal Entity | Legal entity information registered with GLEIF | GLEIF API |
| LEI Number | Whether the entity holds a valid Legal Entity Identifier | GLEIF API |
| LEI Status | Whether the LEI number is current and active | GLEIF API |
| Jurisdiction of Registration | Which jurisdiction the entity is incorporated in | GLEIF API |
| Public Company Verification | Stock ticker and exchange information | Finnhub API |
| SEC Filing | Filing records with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission | SEC EDGAR |
| Parent Company Relationship | Parent company information and its verifiability | GLEIF / Wikidata |
| Headquarters Geographic Verification | Consistency between reported HQ location and domain registration | Multi-source |
| OpenFIGI Financial Identifier | Financial Instrument Global Identifier | OpenFIGI API |
| Entity Type | Public company / private company / nonprofit / government | Composite determination |
Weight Allocation
The G dimension carries a weight of 20% in the OTR total score (under COLD mode).
Characteristics of the G Dimension
The G dimension differs from other dimensions in an important way: not every merchant can achieve a high G score.
An LEI number requires formal corporate registration. Public company verification applies only to listed companies. SEC filings apply only to companies listed in the United States. For small merchants, many G-dimension signals simply do not apply — and that is normal.
OTR’s scoring system adjusts expectations based on entity type. A small independent online store will not be heavily penalized for lacking an LEI number. However, a domain that claims to be a large enterprise while lacking any governance signals will raise suspicion.
Tips for Improving G Dimension
| Action | Applicable To | Effect |
|---|
| Register an LEI number | Mid-to-large enterprises | Significant improvement |
| Ensure GLEIF information is accurate | Registered entities | Moderate improvement |
| Confirm Finnhub discoverability | Public companies | Significant improvement |
| Keep registration information current | All entities | Prevents penalties from stale data |
4.2 T Dimension: Transparency
The T dimension answers one question: Are your policies and information clear and transparent?
T Dimension Signal Catalog
OTR evaluates 18 transparency signals:
| Signal | What It Checks | Detection Method |
|---|
| Privacy Policy Presence | Whether an accessible privacy policy page exists | HTML crawl |
| Privacy Policy Quality | Completeness and clarity of the policy content | Content analysis |
| Return Policy Presence | Whether a return/refund policy page exists | HTML crawl |
| Return Policy Quality | Whether return conditions are specific and actionable | Content analysis |
| Terms of Service Presence | Whether a terms of service page exists | HTML crawl |
| Contact Email | Whether a contact email is provided | HTML crawl |
| Contact Phone | Whether a contact phone number is provided | HTML crawl |
| Physical Address | Whether a physical office address is provided | HTML crawl |
| Schema.org Organization | Whether machine-readable company information markup exists | JSON-LD parsing |
| Schema.org ContactPoint | Whether contact information is structured | JSON-LD parsing |
| About Page | Whether an “About Us” page exists | HTML crawl |
| Social Media Links | Whether links to official social media accounts exist | HTML crawl |
| Cookie Policy | Whether a cookie usage disclosure exists | HTML crawl |
| Data Processing Agreement | GDPR-related data processing information | HTML crawl |
| Accessibility Statement | Website accessibility declaration | HTML crawl |
| Complaint Channel | Whether a clear complaint-handling process exists | HTML crawl |
| Price Transparency | Whether pricing includes tax and fee disclosures | HTML crawl |
| Shipping Information | Shipping coverage and estimated delivery times | HTML crawl |
Weight Allocation
The T dimension carries a weight of 10% in the OTR total score (under COLD mode).
Tips for Improving T Dimension
The T dimension is the most “democratic” dimension — it requires no corporate credentials and no technical expertise. It simply requires well-written policy pages.
Priority order:
- Privacy Policy — Must exist, and the content must be specific (do not use a generic template verbatim)
- Return Policy — Clearly state return conditions, timeframes, and procedures
- Complete Contact Information — Email, phone, and address (at least two of three)
- Schema.org Organization Markup — Make your company information machine-readable
- About Page — Introduce your company, team, and history
Policy pages are not about piling up legal boilerplate. AI agents analyze policy content quality — a clear, specific, consumer-friendly privacy policy scores higher than a template filled with impenetrable legal jargon.
4.3 D Dimension: Data Quality
The D dimension answers one question: Is your product information complete, structured, and machine-readable?
D Dimension Signal Catalog
OTR evaluates 21 data quality signals (including 4 penalty signals):
| Signal | What It Checks | Detection Method |
|---|
| Schema.org Product Presence | Whether Product structured markup exists | JSON-LD parsing |
| Product name Field | Whether product name is annotated | JSON-LD parsing |
| Product description Field | Whether product description is annotated | JSON-LD parsing |
| Product price Field | Whether price is annotated | JSON-LD parsing |
| Product availability Field | Whether stock status is annotated | JSON-LD parsing |
| Product image Field | Whether product image URL is annotated | JSON-LD parsing |
| Product brand Field | Whether brand is annotated | JSON-LD parsing |
| Product SKU/GTIN | Whether a unique product identifier is annotated | JSON-LD parsing |
| JSON-LD Format Validity | Whether JSON-LD syntax is valid | Syntax parsing |
| llms.txt Presence | Whether an llms.txt file exists | HTTP request |
| llms.txt Quality | Completeness of llms.txt content | Content analysis |
| agent.json Presence | Whether an agent.json declaration exists | HTTP request |
| Sitemap Presence | Whether an XML Sitemap exists | HTTP request |
| Sitemap Quality | Whether the Sitemap includes product pages | XML parsing |
| robots.txt Presence | Whether a robots.txt file exists | HTTP request |
| AI Crawler Access | Whether robots.txt allows AI crawlers | Rule parsing |
| Page Crawlability | Whether product pages can be fetched normally | HTTP request |
| Penalty: Data Inconsistency | Markup data contradicts on-page content | Comparison analysis |
| Penalty: Missing Critical Fields | Product markup lacks required fields | Completeness check |
| Penalty: Stale Data | Sitemap lastmod does not match actual content | Timestamp comparison |
| Penalty: Crawler Blocking | AI crawlers are actively blocked | robots.txt analysis |
Weight Allocation
The D dimension carries a weight of 15% in the OTR total score (under COLD mode).
Why D Dimension Offers the Greatest Scoring Leverage
Based on analysis of global e-commerce domains:
- Fewer than 5% of domains have an llms.txt file
- Fewer than 30% of e-commerce sites have complete Schema.org Product markup
- Fewer than 3% have both
This means the vast majority of D-dimension signals remain unimplemented by most websites. Doing them puts you ahead. And every single D-dimension signal is free, zero-risk, and has no impact on existing site functionality.
Penalty Signals
The D dimension includes 4 penalty signals. These are not “deductions for absence” — they are “deductions for doing it wrong”:
- Data Inconsistency — Markup says “in stock” but the page displays “out of stock”
- Missing Critical Fields — Product markup exists but lacks price or name
- Stale Data — Sitemap claims “updated today” but content has not changed in months
- Crawler Blocking — robots.txt actively blocks AI crawlers
These penalties are designed to prevent low-quality structured data from misleading AI agents.
D Dimension Differences by Site Type
OTR adjusts D-dimension signal weights based on website type:
| Site Type | Primary Signals | Secondary Signals |
|---|
| E-commerce | Product markup, price, availability | llms.txt, agent.json |
| SaaS / Service | llms.txt, Organization markup | Product markup (not applicable) |
| Content / Media | Article markup, Sitemap | Product markup (not applicable) |
Practical Tips for Improving D Dimension
Refer to Book 6, Chapters 3-8, for detailed implementation guides.
Next Chapter: Scoring Engine — COLD Mode — Weight algorithm, badge calculation, and score lifecycle
