AEO and GEO checklist for SaaS sites

An AEO and GEO checklist starts with access: make sure AI crawlers can read your site, then answer each question in the first two lines of the page. After that, get named on the pages AI answers already cite, and test the same prompts every week.

Google says “There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, nor other special optimizations necessary” (Google). So the list below starts with the basics, and every item says how to check it today. If you want the definitions first, read AEO vs SEO vs GEO.

In short

• Access: the crawlers you want are allowed, pages work without JavaScript, pages are indexed, sitemaps are submitted.
• Pages: one question per page, the answer in the first two lines, clear headings, real FAQs, a visible date.
• Markup: structured data that matches what the page shows, and an llms.txt if you want one, which Google says isn’t needed for Google Search.
• Off-site: named on the comparison lists, directories, forums and partner pages your category uses.
• Measurement: a fixed prompt set run weekly, AI referrals in GA4, and Search Console.
• Skip: anything no search engine or AI company has documented.

Access

• robots.txt allows the AI search crawlers you want. OpenAI says sites “opted out of OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers” (OpenAI). Perplexity recommends allowing PerplexityBot “to ensure your site appears in search results” (Perplexity). Check: run your domain through our AI crawler checker, and read our guide to AI crawlers and robots.txt.
• Your firewall or CDN does not block them either. A robots.txt allow does nothing if a bot rule returns an error. Check: look for blocked requests from those user agents in your CDN or firewall logs.
• Pages work without JavaScript. Google renders JavaScript but says “not all bots can run JavaScript” (Google). Check: view the page source, not the inspector, and confirm the main text is in the HTML.
• Your important pages are indexed. For Google’s AI features, a page “must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet” (Google). Check: URL Inspection in Search Console. If a page is missing, see website not indexed by Google.
• Sitemaps are submitted to Google and Bing. Bing’s guidelines ask for sitemaps that “List only canonical URLs” and include freshness signals such as lastmod (Bing). Check: the Sitemaps report in Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
• No snippet controls you did not mean to set. Google says nosnippet, max-snippet and noindex limit how content appears in its AI experiences (Google). Check: search your templates for nosnippet and max-snippet.

Pages

• One question per page. Bing’s guidelines say pages “focused on a primary topic are more likely to be selected for grounding results” (Bing). Check: can you say the page’s question in one sentence?
• The answer is in the first two lines. Bing asks you to “Place essential information near the top” and avoid long introductions. Check: read only the first two lines. Is the question answered?
• Clear H2s that match the questions people ask. Check: read the headings alone. Do they work as a summary of the page?
• FAQs that match real questions. Use questions from sales calls, support and Search Console, not invented ones. Check: each FAQ maps to a question a real buyer asked.
• Facts stand on their own. Bing asks for “Facts and definitions” to be explicit and important information to be on the page itself. Check: every number has a source, and nothing depends on another page to make sense.
• A visible updated date, and pages kept current. Bing asks you to update content when facts change. Check: the date on the page matches the last real change.
• Content is unique. Google’s advice for its AI experiences is to make “unique, non-commodity content” (Google). Check: does the page say something the top results don’t?

For Google specifically, see how to show up in Google AI Overviews and our AI Overviews page.

Markup

• Structured data matches the visible page. Google says “don’t add structured data about information that is not visible to the user” (Google), and its AI search advice is to “Make sure structured data matches the visible content” (Google). Check: compare the JSON-LD with the page text. Our guide to schema markup for SaaS lists which types to use.
• No markup added just for AI. Google says structured data “isn’t required for generative AI search, and there’s no special schema.org markup you need to add” (Google). Keep the markup that earns rich results. Check: remove any type you added only because someone said AI needs it.
• Don’t expect FAQ dropdowns. Google’s update log says the FAQ rich result “is no longer shown in Google Search results” (Google). FAQs on the page still help readers. Check: nothing to do unless you were counting on the dropdowns.
• llms.txt, if you want one, with the right expectations. llms.txt is a proposal for “an /llms.txt file to provide information to help agents use a website” (llmstxt.org). Google says it ignores these files for Search, and that keeping one will “neither harm nor help” there (Google). Check: if you add one, make it with our llms.txt generator and keep it current. Read what llms.txt is first.

Off-site

• Named on the comparison and “best X” pages for your category. Google says its AI features “can show what’s being said about products and services across the web” (Google). Check: search your category’s main comparison terms and note which lists name you.
• Listed on the directories and review sites your buyers use. Check: your listing is complete and current.
• Present in forums and communities, honestly. Answer real questions and say you work on the product. Check: search the forums your buyers use for your category.
• On partner and integration pages. Check: every tool you integrate with lists you.
• No paid or fake mentions. Google says “seeking inauthentic ‘mentions’” isn’t as helpful as it might seem. Check: any paid placement is disclosed and its links carry rel="sponsored".

For how mentions differ from links, see brand mentions vs backlinks.

Measurement

• A fixed prompt set, run weekly. The questions a buyer asks before choosing a tool, run in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google on the same day each week. Check: see how to track AI visibility.
• AI referral traffic in GA4. Check: follow tracking ChatGPT traffic in GA4 to see visits from AI tools.
• Search Console. Google points to its “Generative AI performance report” for how content performs in its generative AI features (Google). Check: open it monthly next to the Performance report.

What not to bother with

• Special AI markup or files for Google. Google says you can ignore “creating unnecessary AI text files (like llms.txt)” and “chunking” content for Google Search (Google).
• Writing every variation of a phrase. Google says AI systems understand synonyms, so you don’t have to capture “every variation” of how people search.
• Tools that promise rankings. Google warns to “Be wary of third-party tools that promise ranking success”.
• Anything no vendor has documented. If neither a search engine nor an AI company has written it down, treat it as a test, not a checklist item.

The checklist to copy

ACCESS
[ ] robots.txt allows the AI search crawlers you want
[ ] Firewall and CDN do not block them
[ ] Main text is in the HTML without JavaScript
[ ] Important pages are indexed (URL Inspection)
[ ] Sitemaps submitted to Google and Bing
[ ] No unintended nosnippet or max-snippet

PAGES
[ ] One question per page
[ ] Answer in the first two lines
[ ] H2s that match real questions
[ ] FAQs from real buyer questions
[ ] Facts sourced and on the page
[ ] Visible updated date
[ ] Something the top results do not say

MARKUP
[ ] Structured data matches the visible page
[ ] No markup added only for AI
[ ] llms.txt optional, kept current

OFF-SITE
[ ] Named on comparison and best X pages
[ ] Directory and review listings complete
[ ] Honest forum presence
[ ] Listed on partner and integration pages
[ ] No paid or fake mentions

MEASUREMENT
[ ] Weekly fixed prompt set
[ ] AI referrals in GA4
[ ] Search Console reports

FAQ

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

Most items are the same, because AI answers are built on pages that search engines can crawl and index. The extra items are other AI crawlers to allow and a weekly prompt test. See AEO vs SEO vs GEO for the definitions.

Can I run a GEO audit for free?

Yes. Every check here uses free tools: your robots.txt, page source, Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, GA4, the AI tools themselves and our free AI crawler checker.

Do I need special markup for Google AI Overviews?

No. Google says there are no additional requirements or special optimizations for AI Overviews or AI Mode, and no special schema.org markup for generative AI search.

Does llms.txt help AI search?

Google’s AI optimization guide says an llms.txt file “will neither harm nor help your site’s visibility or rankings in Google Search”. No major AI company has said its crawlers read the one on your site. It is optional and cheap to add, but don’t expect it to change results.

How often should I re-check?

Run the prompt set weekly. Re-check access and markup after any site release, and the rest of the list monthly.

Want the checklist done for you?

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