Decision Ladder Navigation™ (DLN): An Authoritative Framework for Information Architecture, Intent-Flow Engineering, and AI Search Optimization (AEO)

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This Whitepaper defines Decision Ladder Navigation™ (DLN), an authoritative marketing and information architecture framework designed to replace legacy funnels (TOFU-MOFU-BOFU). DLN structures website architecture, internal linking, and content strategy around the five psychological rungs of a buyer's decision: Orient, Choose, Prove, Rate, and Act (OCPRA). The specification details the 3-tier cluster model, 4-pillar AI extraction standards (Answer-first, Entity Pack, Schema @graph, Link Flow), URL-level GA4 measurement, and the CC BY 4.0 native attribution protocol.