The Complete AEO Checklist
27 actionable items to make your brand visible in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and every other AI engine. Check them off as you go.
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Your AEO Readiness
Technical Foundation
8 items
robots.txt is configured to allow AI crawlers
Ensure robots.txt permits crawling by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI bots.
sitemap.xml exists and is submitted to Google Search Console
XML sitemap helps all crawlers discover your content structure.
llms.txt file is deployed at root domain
llms.txt tells AI engines your content policies and crawlability preferences.
HTTPS is enabled with a valid SSL certificate
Secure connections are required by all modern crawlers and AI engines.
Page speed: Core Web Vitals pass (LCP < 2.5s, CLS < 0.1, FID < 100ms)
Fast pages improve crawl efficiency and ranking signals.
No broken links (0 404 errors in nav/footer)
Broken links hurt crawlability and user experience.
Mobile-responsive design confirmed
Mobile-first indexing is the standard; AI engines expect responsive design.
Canonical tags on all pages
Canonical tags prevent duplicate content issues for crawlers.
Schema Markup
6 items
Organization schema on all pages
Tells AI engines who you are, your contact info, and brand identity.
WebSite schema on homepage
Helps AI engines understand your site structure and search functionality.
FAQPage schema on FAQ sections
Makes your Q&As machine-readable and citable.
Service schema on service pages
Clearly defines what services you offer and their benefits.
Article schema on blog posts
Signals authorship, publication date, and content credibility.
BreadcrumbList schema on inner pages
Helps AI engines understand page hierarchy and navigation.
On-Page Content
7 items
H1 tag contains primary keyword (static, not animated)
Clear H1 tags help AI engines immediately understand page topic.
Meta descriptions under 155 characters and unique per page
Unique meta descriptions improve click-through rates and relevance signaling.
FAQ section exists on homepage (minimum 5 Q&As)
FAQs are highly citable content that AI engines frequently extract.
Blog content published (minimum 3 articles)
Fresh, authoritative content signals active expertise to AI engines.
Each page has unique title tag
Unique titles prevent keyword cannibalization and improve clarity.
Alt text on all images
Alt text makes images searchable and accessible to AI crawlers.
Internal linking structure between related pages
Internal links help AI engines understand topical relationships and authority flow.
AI & Entity Signals
6 items
Brand name appears consistently across all pages
Consistent branding helps AI engines recognize and trust your entity.
About page with company background and founding story
Founding stories and company history build E-E-A-T signals.
Team / founder information published
Named individuals strengthen brand entity and authority in AI indexing.
Social media profiles created and linked from website
Social signals help AI engines verify brand authenticity.
Third-party directory listings (Clutch, G2, etc.)
Third-party mentions corroborate your expertise and credibility.
Google Business Profile (if applicable)
Local citations and business profiles strengthen local entity signals.
Your AEO Score
Use your completion count to gauge your AEO readiness.
0–10 items: Critical
Your brand is nearly invisible to AI engines. Priority: deploy foundational infrastructure (robots.txt, llms.txt, schema markup) immediately.
11–20 items: Needs Work
You have basics in place but are missing key entity signals and content optimization. Focus on blog content, team bios, and social proof.
21–27 items: Well Optimized
Strong AEO foundation. Your brand should be appearing in AI citations. Focus on ongoing content and authority-building.
Based on 0 items completed
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