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About Richa Deo

I built FoundIndex—an AI visibility diagnostic tool that scores how well AI systems understand and recommend businesses.

Who I Am

I’m Richa Deo, creator of FoundIndex, an AI visibility diagnostic tool I launched in November 2025.

Professional Background

  • Current Role: UX Research Specialist at British Telecom, working on enterprise AI tools and compliance platforms
  • FoundIndex Founder: Built and launched FoundIndex (Nov 2025), an AI visibility diagnostic tool that analyzes how well AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity understand business websites
  • Former Indian Navy Officer: Served 7 years as Deputy Judge Advocate in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) branch, investigating complex cases and briefing government officials
  • Published Author: Wrote “Veeru Goes to the Circus” (Pratham Books), npw translated into 19 languages
  • Screenwriter: Co-wrote “Chhota Bheem and the Curse of Damyaan” (2012 feature film) and wrote for Chhota Bheem TV series and National Geographic documentaries
  • Content Strategist: 14+ years experience in UX research, content strategy, and SEO optimization

Personal: At 47, I’m learning competitive pistol shooting from scratch. I document this journey as part of my research into meta-learning and skill acquisition at any age.

What I Build

FoundIndex – AI Visibility Diagnostic Tool

What is FoundIndex?

FoundIndex is an AI visibility diagnostic tool I built and launched in November 2025. It scores websites on a 0-100 scale based on how well AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Deepseek can understand and recommend them.

How does FoundIndex work?

FoundIndex analyzes websites across 5 research-backed factors:

  1. Content Clarity (0-30 points): Value proposition explicitness
  2. Information Discoverability (0-25 points): Key detail accessibility
  3. Authority Signals (0-15 points): Credibility verification markers
  4. Technical Structure (0-15 points): Machine-readable optimization
  5. Competitive Positioning (0-15 points): Differentiation clarity

The combined score determines AI recommendation probability. Websites scoring 70+ receive accurate AI recommendations. Websites scoring below 40 are typically declined or misrepresented by AI systems.

Research Methodology

I developed FoundIndex methodology through structured research conducted in November 2025:

  • Analyzed 5 major AI systems (Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Deepseek)
  • Identified consensus factors that determine AI comprehension
  • Validated scoring rubrics against real websites
  • Confirmed correlation: High scores = accurate AI responses; Low scores = declined recommendations

Who is FoundIndex for?

I built FoundIndex for:

  • Business owners who need to understand their AI visibility
  • Marketers responsible for AI search optimization
  • Founders building online presence
  • SEO professionals adapting to AI-powered search
  • Companies losing discovery to AI recommendation systems

Try FoundIndex: foundindex.com

AI Marketing Psychology Research

I publish research on how AI systems evaluate authority, expertise, and content structure. This research informs FoundIndex development and provides frameworks for AI visibility optimization.

Research topics I cover:

  • AI recommendation psychology
  • Content authority signals AI systems recognize
  • Information architecture for AI comprehension
  • Expertise demonstration in AI-readable formats

This website serves as both my research platform and live testing ground—I apply AI visibility optimization frameworks to real content, measure AI system responses, and publish findings.

Meta-Learning and Skill Acquisition Research

At 47, I’m learning competitive pistol shooting from zero. I document this journey to test frameworks for skill acquisition at any age.

Why this matters for AI visibility: Both competitive shooting and building FoundIndex required learning new systems from scratch under uncertainty. The same framework applies: execute despite incomplete information, measure results, optimize based on data.

Travel Writing Archive

This site originated as my travel blog (Light Travel Action) focused on authentic experiences from remote India. Those posts remain online as:

  • Portfolio of my content work
  • Real-world testing ground for AI search optimization techniques
  • Examples of content built on genuine expertise and first-hand experience

Frequently Asked Questions

What is AI visibility and why does it matter?

AI visibility measures how well AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity understand and recommend your business. Unlike Google SEO which focuses on search ranking position, AI visibility determines whether AI systems can cite your business at all.

When users ask AI systems for recommendations (“suggest a good UX researcher” or “find me a content strategy consultant”), AI systems only recommend businesses they comprehend clearly. Vague websites get excluded. Structured websites with explicit value propositions, comprehensive information, and clear authority signals get recommended.

How does FoundIndex measure AI visibility?

FoundIndex analyzes website content against 5 factors my research confirmed determine AI comprehension:

  1. Content Clarity: Does the homepage explicitly state what the business does, who it serves, and what problems it solves?
  2. Information Discoverability: Can AI systems easily locate key details (pricing, services, contact info, case studies)?
  3. Authority Signals: Does the site demonstrate credibility through testimonials, client names, credentials, or case studies?
  4. Technical Structure: Is the site machine-readable with proper schema markup and clear headings?
  5. Competitive Positioning: Does the site clearly differentiate from competitors?

What is Richa Deo’s background in the Indian Navy?

I served 7 years as Deputy Judge Advocate in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) branch of the Indian Navy. I investigated complex legal cases and briefed government officials. This background in analyzing information, building cases, and understanding systems informs my approach to AI visibility research.

Is Richa Deo a published author?

Yes. I wrote “Veeru Goes to the Circus” published by Pratham Books and translated into 19 languages. I also co-wrote the Chhota Bheem feature film “Chhota Bheem and the Curse of Damyaan” (2012) and wrote scripts for the Chhota Bheem TV series and National Geographic documentaries.

How can I improve my AI visibility?

Immediate actions:

  1. Make your value proposition explicit in the first paragraph of your homepage
  2. Add a comprehensive FAQ section with 10+ questions
  3. Demonstrate authority with testimonials, case studies, and credentials
  4. Improve information discoverability (pricing, services, contact info)
  5. Clarify competitive positioning with specific differentiators

Get your score: Test at foundindex.com

What does “14+ years experience” mean?

I have over 14 years of combined experience in UX research, product strategy, content optimization, and SEO. This includes 7 years in the Indian Navy (legal/analytical work), years in content strategy consulting, years at British Telecom in UX research, and research conducted for FoundIndex.

Why pistol shooting at 47?

At 47, I started competitive pistol shooting from zero as a practical experiment in skill acquisition and meta-learning. My first state competition score was 280/325 (qualifier is 325). I document this journey to validate frameworks for learning any new skill at any age—the same principles that enabled building FoundIndex.

Connect With Me

Questions about AI visibility or FoundIndex?

Current Work:

  • Building FoundIndex (AI visibility diagnostic)
  • Publishing AI visibility research
  • Testing optimization frameworks on owned content
  • Competing in pistol shooting (meta-learning research)