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SI006 – Cache Validation

Overview

Assessment for cache validation. Looks for cache-related signals in page (headers are not in HTML; implementation likely checks meta or data attributes or embedded cache info in DOM).

Probability that AI systems use this signal: Crawlers and generative AI pipelines consume structured and visible page signals for training and inference. Assessment-specific signals (e.g. schema, canonicals, trust cues) affect how likely a page is indexed and surfaced. The probability that this assessment's signal influences AI behavior is high when the page is in a product or compliance context.

Impact on geo compliance: Passing this assessment supports geo compliance by ensuring machine-readable and visible content meet standards that reduce the risk of wrong locale, pricing, or trust in AI-generated answers. Failing can lead to non-compliant or misleading surfacing.

What We Check

  • **_extract_cache_information:** cache_headers, cache_timestamps, cache_invalidation, freshness_indicators (from soup via class/regex patterns; HTTP headers would require response context).
  • **Scoring:** cache_headers +30, cache_timestamps +25, cache_invalidation +25, freshness_indicators +20. **PASSED** if >= 60.

Pass / Fail and Score

  • **PASSED** if score >= 60. Score: cache_headers +30, cache_timestamps +25, cache_invalidation +25, freshness_indicators +20. Max 100.

How to Fix When It Fails

  • Implement proper cache headers (server-side); add cache timestamps in content; implement invalidation; add freshness indicators where applicable.

Common Issues

  • No cache-related markup or indicators in page (assessment is DOM-based; actual headers need server/config).

Dependencies

None.

How to Verify

  • Check page for cache-related meta, data attributes, or embedded cache/freshness indicators (DOM-based; HTTP headers require server context).

Additional Resources

  • MDN: HTTP Caching — Cache-Control, ETag, and freshness; this assessment checks DOM/meta/data for cache-related signals (server-side headers require response context).
  • Cache timestamps, invalidation hints, and freshness indicators in page help crawlers and users; relate to SI007 (SSR/schema timing) and performance.