What is role drift, and how does probeo find it?

Role drift is what happens to a page that has been added to over time until it no longer does one job. A guide picks up a sales section, a service page grows an explainer, and the page ends up serving everyone a little. Probeo flags those pages, so they can be found across a site rather than one complaint at a time.

What probeo checks

For each page, probeo records three things, each with a reason drawn from what is visible on the page.

• The page’s job: what the page is for, in a few words.
• Role drift: yes or no. Yes means the page has drifted from a single role.
• Needs review: yes or no. Yes means the page’s structure deserves a closer look.

A page flagged on either is the one to open first.

How probeo checks it

A language model reads a structured outline of the page’s visible content: its headings, sections, calls to action, FAQ and pricing. It records the page’s job and makes the two yes-or-no calls, each with the evidence it used. A page is analyzed again every 28 to 56 days, with a site’s higher-ranked pages sooner.

The current analysis has no fixed test for drift. It is the model’s judgment, and the reason that comes with it is the part to read.

What this does not cover

Role drift says that a page is doing more than one job, not how to split it. It doesn’t recommend changes, and it doesn’t compare the page with others on the site. Tone and style are outside it.

Common questions

How is role drift different from a page having several intents?

Intent records what the page does for the reader and flags intents that conflict with its stage. Role drift is broader: whether the page as a whole has stopped being one thing.

Why are there two flags?

Role drift says the page has drifted. Needs review is wider and can be raised for other structural reasons, so a page can need review without having drifted.

Can a flag be wrong?

Yes. These are a model’s readings of the page. The reason shows what the call rested on, so a flag can be checked against the page in a minute.