TL;DR: This checklist brings together 25 concrete actions to optimize your visibility on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. Organized into 5 categories (technical, content, authority, multi-platform, measurement), each action includes the "why" and a quick implementation tip.
The search landscape has changed. In 2026, being well-positioned on Google is no longer enough. AI answer engines process billions of queries and provide direct responses without clicks. Your business must appear in these responses - or lose a growing share of its audience.
Why this checklist is urgent
This checklist is not a wish list. It's a structured action plan in 5 categories, with 5 actions per category. Each action comes with a clear explanation and an immediate implementation tip.
How to use this checklist
Go through the 5 categories in order. Technical fundamentals come first because they condition the effectiveness of everything else. Then, optimize your content structure, strengthen your E-E-A-T authority, extend your presence across multiple platforms, and finally set up measurement tools.
Check off each action once implemented. Revisit this list monthly to maintain and improve your AI visibility.
1. Technical fundamentals
The essential basics for AI to understand your siteStructured data allows AI to unambiguously understand what your content represents. Pages with Schema.org are 2.7x more often cited in AI Overviews.
Start with Organization (homepage) and Article (each article). Add FAQPage on your pages with FAQ sections. Test with Google's Rich Results Test.
The llms.txt file is the equivalent of robots.txt for AI. It helps LLMs understand your business, your expertise, and your key content.
Create a text file at yoursite.com/llms.txt. Include: company description, areas of expertise, important pages, instructions for AI. Free format but structured.
AI RAG systems have strict timeouts. A slow page risks being ignored during crawling. 97% of AI Overviews sources load in under 3 seconds.
Use PageSpeed Insights. Priority: image compression (WebP), lazy loading, CSS/JS minification, browser caching. Aim for a green Core Web Vitals score.
Google uses mobile-first indexing. Mobile AI assistants (Siri, Google Assistant, Copilot) are experiencing explosive growth. A non mobile-friendly site loses overall visibility.
Test with Google's Mobile-Friendly Test. Check: readable text without zooming, spaced links for touch, no horizontal scrolling, viewport meta tag present.
A misconfigured robots.txt can block AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, etc.). Verify that you're not unintentionally excluding bots that can reference you.
Audit your current robots.txt. To maximize AI visibility, allow GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot. Only block truly private sections.
2. Content structure
Format your content so AI can extract and cite itAI look for direct answers. Content that gives the answer in the first paragraph is more easily cited. This is the opposite principle of traditional SEO which kept the answer for the end.
For each page, identify THE main question. Answer it clearly in the first 100 words. Then develop with details and nuances.
AI analyze page structure via heading tags. A logical H1 > H2 > H3 hierarchy allows models to understand information organization and extract relevant sections.
Each H2 should answer a sub-question. Formulate them as questions or clear statements. Example: "How does AEO work?" rather than "AEO".
The question/answer format corresponds exactly to what AI are looking for. Pages with structured FAQs are 67% more likely to be cited for conversational queries.
Add a FAQ section of 5-10 questions on each important page. Use your customers' real questions. Implement FAQPage schema in parallel.
Lists are easily extractable by AI. When Perplexity or ChatGPT generate a response with "the 5 steps to...", they draw from list-structured content.
Transform your dense paragraphs into lists when possible. Use numbered lists for processes/steps, bullets for features/benefits.
A summary at the beginning of the article (TL;DR = "Too Long; Didn't Read") provides an ideal synthesis for AI. It's often this section that is extracted and cited in generated responses.
Add a "Summary" or "TL;DR" box after the introduction. 3-5 sentences maximum. Include key points and the main conclusion of the article.
Evaluate your current AI visibility
Before implementing these actions, measure your starting point. Discover how your business appears on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity.
Request a free audit3. Authority and E-E-A-T
Strengthen your credibility so AI trust youAI evaluate source credibility via E-E-A-T signals. An author page with biography, qualifications, and social links reinforces the perceived Expertise of the content.
Create an /author/name page for each contributor. Include: photo, 150+ word bio, credentials, published articles, LinkedIn/Twitter links. Link from each article.
Experience (first E of E-E-A-T) is critical. Pages demonstrating real field practice are 3.2x more cited. AI detect patterns of theoretical vs lived content.
Integrate: case studies with quantified results, named client testimonials, proprietary data, mentions of real projects. Avoid purely generic content.
An isolated article carries less weight than a set of 10+ interconnected content pieces on the same topic. AI recognize thematic authority and favor sources that cover a subject in depth.
Identify 3-5 key themes for your expertise. Create "pillar content" (main article) + 8-10 linked satellite articles. Systematic internal linking between cluster articles.
Authoritativeness depends on third-party recognition. Mentions in industry publications, Wikipedia, or authority sites strengthen your credibility with AI.
Target: guest articles on industry sites, mentions in specialized press, Wikipedia presence if eligible, citations in reports/studies. One quality backlink is worth more than 10 mediocre ones.
76.4% of ChatGPT citations come from content updated in the last 30 days. Freshness is a major reliability signal for AI, especially on evolving topics.
Plan an update calendar. Prioritize strategic pages. An update can be minor (updated stats, new paragraph) but must be visible (modified date).
4. Multi-platform optimization
Extend your presence on all channels where AI find youEach AI has its own preferred sources and algorithms. Your visibility can vary drastically between ChatGPT (81% market share) and Perplexity (search-specialized). Test to identify your gaps.
Ask your 10 key business questions on each platform. Note if you are cited, in what position, with what context. Identify platforms where you underperform.
AI Overviews appear on 30%+ of Google desktop searches. They cannibalize up to 61% of organic CTR. Being cited in these boxes has become critical.
Search your target keywords on Google (desktop US). Note which trigger an AI Overview. Analyze cited sources. 97% come from the top 20 organic - SEO remains the foundation.
Voice assistants (Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant) use AI to generate their responses. Voice queries are more conversational and longer. Direct question/answer format = ideal.
Target natural language queries ("how to do X", "what is the best Y for Z"). Concise answers (40-50 words) at the beginning of sections. SpeakableSpecification schema for audio-friendly content.
Reddit and Quora are major sources for AI. Authentic discussions, user reviews, and community recommendations are highly valued by LLMs as trust signals.
Identify relevant subreddits and Quora topics. Participate authentically (no spam). Answer questions with expertise. Mention your company naturally when relevant.
Specialized directories (G2, Capterra, professional directories) are sources that AI consult for product/service recommendations. Presence = increased visibility on comparative queries.
List the 5-10 key directories in your sector. Complete your profiles 100%. Request customer reviews. Keep information up to date (NAP consistency).
5. Measurement and continuous improvement
Track your progress and optimize continuouslyYou can't improve what you don't measure. AI visibility tracking lets you know when, where, and how you are cited - and identify optimization opportunities.
Use specialized tools like AI Labs Audit. Track referral traffic from AI (chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai) in Google Analytics. Set up alerts on your mentions.
You can't track all possible queries. Define 20-50 business-critical questions - those your prospects ask AI - and monitor your presence on them.
List: your customers' pre-purchase questions, comparisons with competitors, "best X for Y" queries, questions about your sector. Categorize by business priority.
AI Share of Voice measures your share of citations vs your competitors on a set of queries. It's the central KPI of your AEO performance - the equivalent of ranking for SEO.
For each strategic question, note who is cited (you, competitor A, B, C, other). Calculate: (your citations / total citations) x 100 = your SOV. Track monthly evolution.
Different formats perform differently depending on AI and query types. Testing identifies what works for YOUR sector and YOUR target questions.
Test: FAQ vs paragraphs, numbered lists vs bullets, short vs detailed answers. Wait 2-4 weeks between each test. Measure citation evolution.
Regular reporting tracks progress, identifies trends, and adjusts strategy. It's also the tool to communicate AEO value to stakeholders.
Include: SOV evolution, new citations obtained, positions on key questions, AI referral traffic, last month's actions, next month's priorities. Simple format, 1-2 pages max.
Summary: the 5 categories at a glance
- Technical (1-5): Schema.org, llms.txt, speed, mobile, robots.txt
- Content (6-10): Answer-first, H2/H3, FAQ, lists, TL;DR
- Authority (11-15): Author pages, credentials, clusters, citations, freshness
- Multi-platform (16-20): AI tests, AI Overviews, voice, Reddit/Quora, directories
- Measurement (21-25): Tracking, key questions, SOV, A/B tests, reports
Frequently asked questions
FAQ: AEO Checklist 2026
