AI SEO Checklist
A checklist to optimize your website for AI search engines and large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.
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Strategy & Content Planning
Define Your Optimization Scope (AEO vs GEO)
Decide whether you’re optimizing for Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) — short, factual responses for AI Overviews — or Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) — deeper content designed to be summarized or cited by LLMs. This distinction helps you set goals and content tone.
Choose Questions & Topics AI Users Ask
Focus on prompting-style queries (“How to X?”, “What is X in 2025?”). AI engines often surface Q&A content more easily.
Map Content Clusters with Pillar + Supporting Pages
Create a deep topic cluster so AI systems see your site as an authority. Cover the core topic + adjacent subtopics.
Target AI Answer Opportunities (AEO) & Generative Citation (GEO)
For direct answer potential, use AEO tactics (FAQ schema, short answers). For broader AI essay-style coverage, use GEO tactics (data, context, brand signal).
Prioritize Comparison and Alternatives Pages
Create “X vs Y” or “Top Alternatives” pages that directly compare tools, products, or approaches. These rank well in AI-powered search because users frequently ask comparative or decision-based prompts.
Track “AI Overviews” Visibility in SERPs
Use tools like SGE Radar or SEOTesting to monitor if your pages appear in Google’s AI Overview snapshots. This helps you measure early LLM-SEO impact.
Content & Writing Style
Provide Direct, Concise Answers Upfront
Start with a clean, one-sentence answer before elaboration. AI models often extract that first sentence as the quoted answer.
Use Semantic Language & Entities
Include related terms, synonyms, named entities (people, places, dates) to give context. AI models understand semantic relationships better than raw
Write in Clear, Conversational Tone
Avoid overly formal or convoluted sentences. AI prefers natural language, simpler structure, and clear logic.
Break Into Logical Passages / Chunks
Use descriptive headings, short paragraphs, bullet lists. LLMs parse content in chunks, so well-structured text is more “usable.”
Include Rich Examples, Case Studies & Data Points
Unique facts, original research, citation-worthy data boost trust and increase chances of AI referencing your content.
Add TL;DR Summaries Near the Top
Place a short “Summary” or “Key Takeaways” box after your intro. Generative engines and AI assistants often extract these sections directly when answering user prompts.
Use Question-Style H2s That Mirror Prompts
Write subheadings as natural questions like “What Is Generative SEO?” or “How Does AEO Work?” This structure mirrors how users phrase AI prompts, improving discoverability in voice and generative responses.
Add Contextual Definitions Throughout Content
When introducing a complex term, define it briefly inline. LLMs often select these snippets when explaining topics to users.
Publish Multi-Format Content (Text, Video, PDF, Audio)
LLMs and AI search engines crawl multiple file types — supporting formats widens your discoverability across answer contexts.
Add “Problem–Solution” Formatting
Frame posts around a user problem followed by your solution. This mirrors the conversational intent AI assistants respond to most.
Structure & Markup
Use Schema Markup (FAQ, HowTo, QAPage, Article)
Add structured data so AI systems know which parts are questions, steps, or definitions.
Add “Citation” or Source Attributes When Possible
In your FAQ, Q&A, or Article schema, include reference URLs or citation fields linking to credible sources. This signals that your content is well-researched and trustworthy, increasing the chance of being cited by AI systems and search overviews.
Include Author, Organization & Brand Schema
Use Person, Organization, or Author schema to show authority and authorship. AI systems check for trust signals.
Link Internally with Contextual Anchor Text
Connect your supporting pages with relevant anchor text. That context helps AI understand topic relationships.
Technical & Discoverability
Ensure AI / Bots Can Crawl & Index Content
Do not block main content behind JS, modals, or hidden tabs. Keep answers in the raw HTML when possible.
Fast Page Speed & Minimal Load Overhead
Keep your pages lightweight so AI crawlers and search bots can fetch your content efficiently. Compress images, cache assets, and delay non-essential scripts like pop-ups or analytics. A fast-loading site increases crawl frequency and improves your chances of being used as a reliable LLM source.
Use Clean URLs and Canonical Tags
Create short, readable URLs with clear keywords (e.g., /ai-seo-checklist instead of /page?id=123). Add canonical tags to avoid duplicate pages competing for the same topic. Clear, canonicalized URLs help AI models identify your primary version when learning or citing data.
Include Up-to-Date Content with Timestamps
Add visible “Published” and “Last Updated” dates on each article, especially for time-sensitive or data-driven topics. LLMs and generative search models favor sources that appear fresh and regularly maintained over static, outdated pages.
Monitor AI Mentions / Citations
Periodically query ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini: “What’s the best article on [your topic]?” See if your content appears.
Keep HTML Semantics Clean (H1–H3, Lists, Table Headers)
Use a single H1, logical H2/H3s, and properly labeled lists or tables. LLM crawlers rely on HTML hierarchy to interpret relationships and extract structured answers accurately.
Use Entity Linking with Schema (SameAs, About)
Add sameAs and about properties in schema to connect your brand or topics to authoritative Wikipedia, Wikidata, or Crunchbase entries.
Provide Clear Licensing Metadata (CC, Terms)
Add Creative Commons or terms-of-use metadata to pages and datasets. AI crawlers favor legally clear, reusable content for inclusion.
Use JSON-LD to Mark “MainEntityOfPage” Explicitly
Tell LLMs what your primary topic is by specifying it in schema. It improves topic clarity and reduces off-topic interpretations
Authority & Trust
Earn High-Quality Mentions & Backlinks
AI systems source from trusted domains. More credible backlinks (academic, news, niche) raise your stature.
Get Quoted or Summarized in Aggregator Services
Contribute short insights or definitions to sites like Wikipedia, industry glossaries, or Q&A platforms such as Quora and Reddit. These act as training surfaces for AI models — if your brand or content appears there, LLMs are more likely to recognize and cite you later.
Maintain E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
Show your credentials, sources, author bios, and transparency. AI models weigh reputational clues heavily.
Build Author Knowledge Panels and Profiles
Claim and maintain author profiles in Google’s knowledge graph, LinkedIn, and other sources. LLMs cross-verify authorship credibility.
Checklist to rank on ChatGPT
Optimize for Bing visibility
Ensure mobile responsiveness and fix crawl issues since ChatGPT uses Bing's index.
Target mentions in third-party "Best Of" lists
Actively perform outreach to get listed in "Top 10" or "Best X Tools" articles on authoritative domains. ChatGPT’s non-search knowledge relies on training data, which heavily weighs aggregator lists and comparative reviews from trusted sources.
Provide original value: unique data, case studies, expert insight
Content that offers proprietary research, fresh examples, or unique insights is more likely to be cited by ChatGPT rather than generic content.
Create context-independent H2 passages
Write the first paragraph under every H2 subheading so it stands alone without needing the rest of the article. ChatGPT often extracts single passages to answer specific queries, so ensure the subject (e.g., "The product price") is restated clearly in that specific section.
Monitor ChatGPT results for your queries regularly and iterate
Since AI models evolve, check periodically if your content still appears (or if your competitors appear instead), then update/refine content accordingly.
Checklist to rank on Gemini
Focus on topical authority and content clusters
Cover a subject comprehensively across multiple interlinked pages so Gemini recognizes you as an expert in the topic area, not just a single page
Optimize for both AI-generated summary visibility and traditional SEO (“dual optimization”)
Gemini draws from web content similarly to traditional search engines, maintain classic SEO fundamentals along with AI-centric optimizations
Use semantic-rich content with clear entities, definitions, and context
Support with schema / structured data so Gemini’s (and related Google-AI) retrieval can correctly interpret and surface your content.
Embed YouTube videos with detailed transcripts
Create and embed short video summaries of your articles with accurate captions. Gemini is multimodal and indexes YouTube content natively, often citing video timestamps as the primary source for text-based answers.
Optimize for "Information Gain" scores Description
Include a dedicated section labeled "Original Research" or "Our Unique Take" containing data or quotes found nowhere else. Google’s algorithms reward content that adds new information to the knowledge graph rather than just summarizing existing results.
Checklist to rank on Perplexity
Use Q&A / FAQ style sections, direct answers to common user questions
Perplexity often surfaces concise, answer-like content; structuring content in Q&A helps it match how the engine builds responses.
Cite and link out to credible, authoritative third-party sources (studies/research/official docs)
Perplexity tends to favor content that connects to external evidence, because users often expect verifiable, source backed answers.
Drive social velocity for "Discover" visibility
Share your new content immediately on X (Twitter) and LinkedIn upon publishing. Perplexity’s "Discover" feed identifies trending topics based on social sharing velocity and real-time discussion spikes.
Offer content in indexable PDF format
Provide deep guides or whitepapers as crawlable PDFs alongside HTML content. Perplexity’s "Pro" search often favors academic papers and PDFs as primary sources for technical, medical, or complex queries.