AEO Checklist: 15 Things to Fix Before AI Replaces Google Search

Why Do You Need an AEO Checklist Right Now?

An AEO checklist is a structured set of optimizations that make your website visible to AI search engines — ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and every other AI assistant that is rapidly replacing traditional search for millions of users. If your site is not optimized for these AI models, you are losing traffic you will never even know about.

The shift is already measurable. Gartner projects that traditional search engine volume will drop 25% by 2026 as users move to AI-powered answer engines. ChatGPT has over 400 million weekly active users. Perplexity processes millions of queries daily. Google now shows AI Overviews on the majority of search results, pushing organic links below the fold.

The businesses that get cited in these AI answers will capture the traffic. The ones that do not will watch their organic traffic decline and wonder why their SEO is not working anymore. The answer is that SEO alone is no longer enough. You need Answer Engine Optimization (AEO).

This checklist gives you exactly 15 things to fix, organized by category and priority. Each item includes what to do, why it matters, and how to fix it. You can work through the entire list in 1-2 weeks. Or you can scan your site with Vida AEO right now to see which items you have already covered and which need immediate attention.

Content Structure: How Should You Format Content for AI Search?

AI models do not read your content the way humans do. They scan for structure, extract key information from specific positions, and prioritize content that directly answers questions. The first five items on this checklist address how your content is organized — and these are often the highest-impact changes you can make. (If you are using AI writing tools to create content, getting the prompts right makes these structure fixes much easier to implement from the start.)

1. Lead With the Answer — Put Your Main Point in the First Paragraph

When an AI model scans your page to answer a user's question, it gives disproportionate weight to the first paragraph. If your opening is a vague introduction, a personal anecdote, or throat-clearing filler, the AI may skip your page entirely in favor of one that gets to the point.

This is the most important content structure change you can make. State your main point, answer, or definition in the very first paragraph. Then elaborate in the paragraphs that follow. Journalists call this the "inverted pyramid" — and AI models love it.

How to fix it: Open every page and blog post on your site. Read the first paragraph. If it does not contain a clear, direct answer to the question the page is about, rewrite it. Put the answer first, context second.

2. Break Content Into Short, Quotable Paragraphs (Under 80 Words Each)

AI models extract information in chunks. Long, dense paragraphs make extraction harder and reduce the chance your content gets quoted. Short paragraphs — under 80 words — are easier for AI to parse, and individual paragraphs are more likely to be pulled as standalone citations.

This also improves human readability. Dense walls of text have high bounce rates. Short, punchy paragraphs keep both AI crawlers and human readers engaged.

How to fix it: Review your most important pages. Any paragraph over 80 words should be split into two or three shorter ones. Each paragraph should make one clear point. If a paragraph covers multiple ideas, break it up.

3. Use Question-Based Headings That Match How People Ask AI

When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity a question, those models search for content that mirrors that exact question. If your heading says "Our Pricing", it is less likely to match the query "How much does [product] cost?" than a heading that says exactly that.

Question-based headings also create natural FAQ-style content that AI models prefer. Each question-heading-plus-answer-paragraph becomes a self-contained unit that AI can extract and cite independently. For more on this approach, see our guide on how to improve your AEO score.

How to fix it: Rewrite your H2 and H3 headings as questions. Instead of "Service Areas", write "What Areas Does [Business] Serve?". Instead of "Benefits", write "Why Should You Choose [Product]?". Match the natural language people use when asking AI assistants.

4. Add a Key Takeaways or Summary Section

AI assistants frequently look for summary sections when generating concise answers. A "Key Takeaways" section near the top of your content gives AI models a pre-packaged summary they can cite directly — and it signals that your content is well-organized and comprehensive.

This also serves your human readers. Busy professionals scan for summaries before deciding whether to read the full article. A key takeaways section improves both engagement metrics and AI citability.

How to fix it: Add a "Key Takeaways" or "Summary" box near the top of every long-form article. Include 3-5 bullet points that capture the most important points. Keep each bullet under two sentences. Front-load the most valuable insight.

5. Include Comparison Tables for "Which Is Better" Queries

Some of the most common AI queries are comparisons: "Which is better, X or Y?" or "Compare [product A] vs [product B]". Comparison tables are extremely citation-friendly because they present structured, factual data that AI models can extract with high confidence.

Tables also earn featured snippets in traditional Google search, giving you a dual benefit. If your content covers a topic where comparisons are natural — pricing tiers, product features, service options — a well-formatted table dramatically increases your chances of being the source AI pulls from.

How to fix it: Identify pages where comparisons make sense. Create HTML tables (not images of tables) with clear column headers and concise cell content. Keep tables focused: 3-6 columns and 3-10 rows. Use semantic <table>, <thead>, and <tbody> markup so AI can parse the structure.

Schema and Structured Data: What Markup Do AI Search Engines Need?

Schema markup is structured data that tells AI models exactly what your content is about in machine-readable format. Without it, AI has to guess from raw HTML. With it, you hand AI a well-organized dossier that makes citation dramatically more likely. For a deep dive, read our guide on how to add schema markup to your website.

6. Add Organization or LocalBusiness Schema

Organization schema tells AI models who you are as a business — your name, description, URL, logo, social profiles, contact information, and physical address. Without it, AI has to piece together your identity from scattered text across your site. With it, there is zero ambiguity.

If you serve a specific geographic area, use LocalBusiness schema instead (or in addition). This is critical for queries like "Recommend a [service] in [city]" — exactly the kind of question people ask AI assistants.

How to fix it: Add a JSON-LD script to your homepage with Organization or LocalBusiness schema. Here is a minimal example:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Your Business Name",
  "url": "https://yourdomain.com",
  "logo": "https://yourdomain.com/logo.png",
  "description": "A clear, specific description of what your business does.",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://twitter.com/yourbrand",
    "https://linkedin.com/company/yourbrand"
  ],
  "contactPoint": {
    "@type": "ContactPoint",
    "contactType": "customer service",
    "email": "hello@yourdomain.com"
  }
}
</script>

7. Add FAQ Schema to Your Q&A Sections

FAQ schema is one of the most powerful schema types for AI visibility. It maps directly to how people query AI assistants — as questions. When an AI model encounters FAQPage schema, it can extract question-answer pairs with perfect confidence, making your content extremely citable.

Every page on your site that contains questions and answers should have FAQPage schema. This includes dedicated FAQ pages, blog posts with FAQ sections, product pages with common questions, and service pages with "how it works" sections.

How to fix it: Identify every page with question-and-answer content. Add FAQPage JSON-LD schema. Each question-answer pair becomes a separate entry:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What does your product do?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Our product does X, Y, and Z for [target audience]."
      }
    }
  ]
}
</script>

8. Add Article Schema With Author and Date Information

Article and BlogPosting schema tells AI models what you have written, who wrote it, when it was published, and when it was last updated. This metadata is critical for AI models that prioritize recent, authoritative content — which is all of them.

Without Article schema, an AI model cannot easily determine whether your content was written yesterday or five years ago, whether it has a credible author, or whether it belongs to a legitimate publication. With it, all of that context is immediately available.

How to fix it: Add BlogPosting or Article JSON-LD to every blog post and content page. Include headline, author (with name and credentials), datePublished, dateModified, and publisher. Update dateModified whenever you make meaningful changes to the content. Learn more in our ChatGPT SEO guide.

Authority and Trust: How Do AI Models Know You Are Credible?

AI models do not just look at what you say. They evaluate whether you are a credible source. Authority and trust signals tell AI models that your content comes from a real, accountable entity with genuine expertise. Without these signals, even well-structured content may not get cited. This is closely related to the concept of building AI visibility for your business.

9. Show Real Author Names With Bios and Credentials

Anonymous content is a trust red flag for AI models. When content has a named author with a bio that establishes relevant expertise, AI models have significantly more confidence citing it. Google calls this E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), and AI models apply similar heuristics.

Author bios do not need to be long. Two to three sentences establishing who the author is, what their expertise is, and why they are qualified to write on this topic is sufficient. Include a link to a full bio page or LinkedIn profile for additional credibility.

How to fix it: Add an author byline and bio to every article and blog post. Include the author's name, title or role, relevant credentials, and a brief description of their expertise. If your site has multiple authors, create individual author pages. Add Person schema markup with jobTitle and worksFor properties.

10. Add Outbound Citations to Reputable Sources

Content that cites its sources is more trustworthy — to both humans and AI models. When you reference statistics, research findings, or industry data, linking to the original source signals that your content is well-researched and factually grounded.

Outbound citations also help AI models understand the broader context of your content. If you cite authoritative sources like industry research firms, academic publications, or established media outlets, the AI associates your content with that level of authority. It is a trust signal by association.

How to fix it: Review your content for any statistics, claims, or research references. Add links to the original sources. Aim for 3-5 outbound citations per long-form article. Prioritize authoritative sources: government data, peer-reviewed research, industry reports (Gartner, Forrester, McKinsey), and established news outlets.

11. Ensure About, Contact, Privacy, and Terms Pages Exist and Are Linked

These four pages are trust fundamentals. AI models check for them as basic indicators that your site belongs to a legitimate, real business. A site without an About page, Contact page, Privacy Policy, or Terms of Service raises immediate red flags about credibility.

Beyond just existing, these pages need to be linked from your site's navigation or footer — making them easily discoverable by both users and crawlers. A Privacy Policy buried in an orphaned URL does not count.

How to fix it: Create any of these four pages that are missing. Ensure each one is linked from your site footer or main navigation. Your About page should clearly state who runs the business, what you do, and where you are based. Your Contact page should include at least an email address or contact form. Both Privacy and Terms pages should be current and specific to your business.

Technical Foundations: What Does Your Site Need Under the Hood?

Even if your content is perfectly structured and your authority signals are strong, none of it matters if AI models cannot technically access your site. These four items address the infrastructure that makes everything else work.

12. Allow AI Crawlers in robots.txt (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, and Others)

This is the single most critical technical item on the entire checklist. If your robots.txt file blocks AI crawlers, you are voluntarily invisible to AI search. It does not matter how good your content is — if GPTBot, ClaudeBot, and PerplexityBot cannot crawl your site, they cannot cite you.

Many businesses block AI crawlers accidentally. Some CMS platforms add restrictive default rules. Some developers block all unknown bots. Some businesses intentionally blocked AI crawlers in 2023-2024 over copyright concerns but have not revisited the decision as AI search became mainstream.

How to fix it: Open your robots.txt file (at yourdomain.com/robots.txt). Check for rules that block these user-agents: GPTBot, ChatGPT-User, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, and Amazonbot. Remove any Disallow rules for these crawlers. If you want to explicitly allow them:

# robots.txt — Allow AI crawlers
User-agent: GPTBot
Allow: /

User-agent: ChatGPT-User
Allow: /

User-agent: ClaudeBot
Allow: /

User-agent: PerplexityBot
Allow: /

User-agent: Google-Extended
Allow: /

User-agent: Amazonbot
Allow: /

Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml

13. Create an XML Sitemap at /sitemap.xml

An XML sitemap is a map of your site's most important pages. AI crawlers use it to efficiently discover and prioritize your content. Without a sitemap, crawlers have to follow links organically, which means deep or poorly-linked pages may never get found.

Your sitemap should include every page you want AI to know about: your homepage, product pages, blog posts, service pages, About page, and key landing pages. It should exclude admin pages, login pages, and other pages not meant for public consumption.

How to fix it: If you use a CMS like WordPress, most SEO plugins (Yoast, Rank Math) generate a sitemap automatically. For custom sites, create a sitemap.xml file at your root URL. Reference it in your robots.txt. Include <lastmod> dates so crawlers know which content has been recently updated. For Next.js sites, you can generate sitemaps programmatically:

// src/app/sitemap.ts (Next.js App Router)
import { MetadataRoute } from 'next'

export default function sitemap(): MetadataRoute.Sitemap {
  return [
    { url: 'https://yourdomain.com', lastModified: new Date() },
    { url: 'https://yourdomain.com/about', lastModified: new Date() },
    { url: 'https://yourdomain.com/blog', lastModified: new Date() },
    // ... add all important pages
  ]
}

14. Create an llms.txt File at /llms.txt

llms.txt is a newer standard — a plain text file at the root of your site that gives AI language models a structured summary of what your site is about. Think of it as robots.txt for AI understanding. While robots.txt controls access, llms.txt provides context.

This file is a direct communication channel with AI models. You can tell them your business name, what you do, your key pages, your areas of expertise, and anything else that helps them understand and accurately represent your business. Most competitors do not have one yet — which makes it an easy competitive advantage. For the full specification and setup guide, read our article on what llms.txt is and why your website needs one. You can also dive deeper in our comprehensive llms.txt guide.

How to fix it: Create a file called llms.txt in your site's public directory (so it is accessible at yourdomain.com/llms.txt). Include your business name, a brief description, your most important pages, and your areas of expertise. Here is a template:

# Your Business Name

> A brief description of your business and what you do.

## Key Pages
- [Homepage](https://yourdomain.com): Main entry point
- [About](https://yourdomain.com/about): Who we are
- [Products](https://yourdomain.com/products): What we offer
- [Blog](https://yourdomain.com/blog): Expert content

## Expertise
- Topic area 1
- Topic area 2
- Topic area 3

15. Ensure Content Renders Server-Side (Not JavaScript-Only)

If your content is rendered entirely by client-side JavaScript, AI crawlers may see a blank page. Unlike Google's crawler, which has a sophisticated JavaScript rendering engine, most AI crawlers do not fully execute JavaScript. If your text, headings, and structured data are injected by JavaScript after page load, they are invisible to AI.

This is particularly relevant for sites built with React, Vue, Angular, or other JavaScript frameworks. Single-page applications (SPAs) that rely entirely on client-side rendering are at the highest risk. Server-side rendering (SSR) or static site generation (SSG) ensures your content is available in the initial HTML response — exactly what AI crawlers need.

How to fix it: Test your site by viewing the page source (right-click, View Page Source) in your browser. If you can see your text content in the HTML source, your content is server-rendered. If the source shows mostly <div id="root"></div> with no visible content, you have a client-side rendering problem. For Next.js, use Server Components (the default in App Router). For React SPAs, migrate to Next.js or Remix. For Vue, use Nuxt. The key principle: your content must be in the initial HTML response, not loaded after JavaScript execution.

AEO Checklist vs. Traditional SEO Checklist: What Is Different?

If you already follow SEO best practices, you have a head start on AEO. But there are critical differences. This comparison table shows where the two checklists overlap and where AEO requires additional or different optimizations.

The key insight: SEO and AEO are complementary, not competing. Every item on this AEO checklist also improves your traditional SEO. But AEO adds specific requirements — llms.txt, AI crawler access, answer-first content, and stricter schema standards — that traditional SEO does not address. For a complete understanding of the relationship between the two, read our guide on what AEO is and how it differs from SEO.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an AEO checklist?

An AEO checklist is a structured list of optimizations that make your website visible to AI search engines like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. It covers four key areas: content structure (how you format and organize your writing), schema markup (machine-readable data), authority signals (author bios, citations, trust pages), and technical foundations (robots.txt, sitemaps, llms.txt, server-side rendering). The 15 items in this checklist represent the minimum viable standard for AI search readiness.

How many items should an AEO checklist include?

A comprehensive AEO checklist should cover at least 15 items across four categories. Some advanced checklists go further — Vida AEO evaluates 34 scoring factors across 6 categories. But the 15 items in this guide represent the essential foundation. Completing these 15 puts you ahead of the vast majority of websites that have done zero AEO work.

What is the difference between an AEO checklist and a traditional SEO checklist?

A traditional SEO checklist focuses on ranking in Google's blue links — emphasizing keywords, backlinks, meta tags, and page speed. An AEO checklist optimizes for being cited in AI-generated answers. It adds requirements that SEO does not address: llms.txt files, AI crawler access in robots.txt, answer-first content formatting, question-based headings, and stricter schema markup standards. The two are complementary — AEO builds on SEO foundations — but AEO requires additional work that most SEO practitioners are not yet doing. Read more about the differences in our complete guide to AEO.

How do I know if my site is ready for AI search?

The fastest way is to scan your site with Vida AEO and get an instant score. You can also manually check the basics: can you see your content in View Page Source (server-side rendering)? Does your robots.txt allow GPTBot and ClaudeBot? Do you have Organization and Article schema markup? Do you have an llms.txt file? Does your content lead with direct answers? If the answer to any of these is no, you have work to do.

What is llms.txt and why is it on the AEO checklist?

llms.txt is a plain text file placed at your site's root (yourdomain.com/llms.txt) that gives AI language models a structured summary of your site. It includes what your business does, your key pages, and your areas of expertise. It is on the AEO checklist because it is a direct communication channel with AI crawlers. While most sites do not have one yet, early adopters get a significant advantage. Learn everything about it in our complete llms.txt guide.

How long does it take to complete an AEO checklist?

Most businesses can complete all 15 items in 1-2 weeks. Technical items (robots.txt, sitemap, llms.txt) take an afternoon. Content restructuring (answer-first paragraphs, question headings, summary sections) takes 3-5 days depending on how much content you have. Schema markup takes 1-2 days. Trust pages (About, Contact, Privacy, Terms) take a day if any are missing. Start with the highest-impact items: allow AI crawlers in robots.txt, add Organization schema, and rewrite your top 5 pages to lead with answers.

The AI Search Shift Is Not Coming — It Is Here

Every day you wait to complete this checklist is a day your competitors might get ahead. AI search adoption is accelerating, not slowing down. The businesses that are already optimized for AI are building a compounding advantage — more citations lead to more authority, which leads to more citations.

The good news is that the barrier to entry is still low. Most businesses have done zero AEO work. Completing even half of this checklist puts you in the top 10% of AI-readiness. Completing all 15 items puts you in a position where AI models actively prefer your content over less optimized competitors. (This is exactly the approach we took when building Vida Together in 48 hours.)

You do not need to do everything at once. Start with items 12 and 6 — allowing AI crawlers and adding Organization schema — because those are the foundations everything else builds on. Then work through the content structure items (1-5), which have the highest impact on citability. Then layer on the authority signals and remaining technical items.

Or, skip the manual audit and let Vida AEO scan your site right now. In under 60 seconds, you will know exactly which of these 15 items you have covered, which need fixing, and in what order to prioritize them. Free scan. No credit card. No account required.

AI is already deciding which businesses to recommend. Make sure yours is one of them. Check your AEO score free.