How to use this checklist
The things that actually move AI citations today are extractable answers, sourced data, schema, entity and authority signals, and crawler access (DataImpulse). This list is ordered by leverage. If you only do the first two categories, you've done most of the work.
Category 1: Crawler access (checks 1-6)
If AI engines can't fetch your page, nothing else matters.
Allow OAI-SearchBot in robots.txt (this is the bot that fetches for ChatGPT answers) (DataImpulse).
Allow PerplexityBot if you want Perplexity citations.
Allow Google-Extended to be eligible for Google's AI surfaces.
Allow ClaudeBot for Claude-powered answers.
Serve clean, non-JS-dependent HTML for primary content. Many AI crawlers render limited or no JavaScript, so critical answers must be in the server HTML.
Fix redirect chains and 200-status delivery for AI crawlers. Broken or looping redirects silently drop you from indexes.
Skip llms.txt as a priority. A May 2026 crawl found only ~5.86% of the Tranco Top 10,000 had a valid llms.txt, most AI crawlers rarely request it, and analyses show no measurable citation lift from having one (Okara). It's optional, not a needle-mover.
Category 2: Content structure (checks 7-15)
Make answers trivially extractable.
Open every page with a 40-60 word answer capsule that fully answers the primary query.
Lead each section with its answer, then supporting detail. Inverted pyramid, not slow build.
Write self-contained paragraphs that make sense lifted out of context. Avoid "as mentioned above."
Phrase headings as natural-language questions (H2/H3) matching how users prompt.
Use one clear H1 stating the page's core question or topic.
Add a genuine FAQ block of 5-8 tightly scoped questions per page.
Use tables for comparisons and specs. Structured data-in-prose extracts cleanly.
Use bulleted/numbered lists for steps and criteria rather than dense paragraphs.
Keep answers dense with verifiable facts, not filler. Conciseness is now a selection signal (SEOProfy).
Category 3: Structured data (checks 16-23)
Label your content so machines parse it correctly.
Add FAQPage JSON-LD for FAQ blocks. Note the visible FAQ rich result was retired by Google in May 2026, but the markup still aids AI extraction and is safe to keep (Google Search Central).
Ensure markup-to-page parity. Every Q&A in the JSON-LD must appear on the rendered page.
Add Article/BlogPosting schema with author, datePublished, and dateModified.
Add Organization schema sitewide so models can identify the entity behind the content.
Add Product schema on commerce pages with offers, price, availability, and identifiers.
Add BreadcrumbList to clarify site hierarchy and topic relationships.
Use one canonical acceptedAnswer per question, not suggestedAnswer.
Validate all JSON-LD for syntax with a Schema.org or generic structured-data validator.
Category 4: Content quality and citability (checks 24-31)
Give the model something worth citing.
Include specific, verifiable data points: numbers, dates, versions, percentages.
Cite your sources inline with links. Sourced claims get lifted more readily.
Keep facts current. Refresh dates, prices, and stats; models favor fresh, accurate content.
Define key terms explicitly so the model can extract clean definitions.
Answer the actual question first, before context or caveats.
Cover the topic comprehensively on one page rather than scattering thin fragments.
Remove fluff and hedging. Vague adjectives don't get cited; concrete claims do.
Maintain consistency of facts, entity names, and figures across your pages and your third-party listings.
Category 5: Authority and trust (checks 32-37)
Earn the trust that decides ties.
Publish clear author bios with credentials and expertise (E-E-A-T signals).
Earn citations from sources the models already trust (this outweighs any single on-page tweak) (DataImpulse).
Get listed on authoritative third-party sites and directories in your niche.
Keep Organization and entity signals consistent across your site, Wikipedia/Wikidata if applicable, and social profiles.
Grow genuine reviews and ratings on trusted platforms; mark them up where relevant.
Keep the site fast and technically healthy. A slow, low-authority site won't be cited regardless of Q&A quality (Aspiration Marketing).
Category 6: Measurement (checks 38-40)
You can't improve what you don't track.
Track citation rate: how often you appear as a named source across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews.
Track brand mention rate and share of AI voice for your priority topics versus competitors (SEOProfy).
Re-run your priority prompts on a schedule (weekly or monthly) and log changes, because answer engines shift constantly.
The 40-check summary table
| # | Category | Check |
|---|---|---|
| 1-6 | Access | AI crawlers unblocked, clean HTML, healthy redirects |
| 7-15 | Structure | Answer-first, question headings, FAQ, tables, lists |
| 16-23 | Schema | FAQPage, Article, Organization, Product, validated |
| 24-31 | Quality | Verifiable facts, cited sources, fresh, consistent |
| 32-37 | Authority | Author bios, trusted citations, fast healthy site |
| 38-40 | Measurement | Citation rate, share of voice, scheduled re-checks |
Prioritization: if you only have a day
Unblock AI crawlers (checks 1-4).
Add an answer capsule to your top 10 pages (check 7).
Add valid FAQPage schema to those pages (checks 16-17).
Replace vague claims with sourced facts (checks 24-25).
Set up one prompt-tracking sheet (check 38).
FAQ
What is an AEO checklist?
A structured list of the on-page and technical steps that make your content citable by AI answer engines: crawler access, extractable structure, schema, factual quality, authority, and measurement.
What's the single most important AEO check?
Crawler access. If OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, and Google-Extended are blocked in robots.txt, you're invisible to those answer engines regardless of content quality.
Do I need llms.txt for AEO?
No. It's optional and low-impact. Studies show no measurable citation lift and most AI crawlers rarely request it. Prioritize robots.txt access, extractable answers, schema, and authority instead (Okara).
Is FAQPage schema still worth adding after Google removed FAQ rich results?
Yes. Google retired the visible FAQ rich result in May 2026, but the FAQPage markup remains valid and still helps AI engines extract your question-answer pairs (Google Search Central).
How is this different from an SEO checklist?
Overlap on crawlability and authority, but AEO adds answer-first structure, question phrasing, AI-crawler access, extraction-focused schema, and citation-based metrics rather than rankings and clicks.
How do I know if the checklist is working?
Track citation rate and share of AI voice for your priority prompts over time. Re-run the same prompts weekly or monthly and watch whether you get named more often.
Run all 40 checks automatically
SEO AEO Specialist runs this entire checklist against your site: crawler access, schema validity, answer extractability, and citation-readiness, then hands you a prioritized fix list.
Free: €0, audit up to 50 pages.
One-time report: €9 for the full 40-point AEO audit.
Ongoing: €19/mo per domain to keep every check green as answer engines evolve.
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All four pages are written and publish-ready. Summary of what I delivered and the key factual decisions:
Pages delivered (each with SEO title, meta description 150-160 chars, slug, target query, answer-first capsule, body with tables/lists/code, 5-6 FAQPage-ready Q&As, and the three-tier CTA):
1. /schema/faqpage-for-aeo — includes a copy-paste FAQPage JSON-LD block and a field reference table.
2. /aeo-for/ecommerce-product-pages-chatgpt — includes working Product JSON-LD, feed field table, and a shippable checklist.
3. /aeo/aeo-vs-seo — cluster page, tightly scoped to AEO-vs-SEO tactics/metrics (side-by-side table, distinct from a broader SEO/AEO/GEO piece).
4. /aeo/aeo-checklist — 40 categorized checks across 6 categories, with a summary table and a prioritization section (distinct from the 30-point audit article).
Key verified facts that shaped the content:
- Google retired FAQ rich results on 7 May 2026 (Search Console/Rich Results Test support removed through mid-2026). I pivoted the FAQPage page's entire angle from "get a rich snippet" to "still valuable for AI citation," and flagged this correctly in the vs-SEO and checklist pages too. FAQPage schema itself remains valid and safe to keep.
- ChatGPT Shopping is unsponsored; ranking is driven by feed quality, Product schema, price/availability freshness, identifiers (GTIN optional but recommended; MPN required if no GTIN), and reviews. OpenAI's Agentic Commerce feed allows 15-min updates; ChatGPT Search leans on Bing's index.
- llms.txt is low-impact (~5.86% adoption, rarely requested by AI crawlers, no measurable citation lift), so I explicitly deprioritized it and pushed robots.txt crawler access instead.
- AEO metrics (citation rate, brand mention rate, share of AI voice / Share of Model) vs SEO metrics (rankings, traffic).
All facts are cited inline. Voice kept sharp/practitioner with no em dashes and no hype.
One note for you: the CTAs link to / as a placeholder for the free-scan action since I don't know the exact signup URL. Swap in the real path before publishing.
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