Checklist
Answer engine optimization (AEO) checklist
A practical AEO / GEO checklist for small sites: crawler access, answer-first copy, schema, evidence, llms.txt, and how to verify each item for free.
9 October 2026 · 7 min read
Access
- robots.txt allows OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot and Googlebot.
- No WAF/CDN block on AI user agents.
- Sitemap present and declared in robots.txt.
- Optional: a non-empty /llms.txt.
Verify all four with the free check.
Content
- Each key page answers its main question in the first 50 words.
- H2s phrased as the questions people ask.
- Specific numbers, dates and sources.
- A clear statement of who you are and who it's for.
Markup
- Organization JSON-LD on the homepage.
- FAQPage or HowTo schema where it fits.
- A meta description that reads as a standalone answer.
- Server-rendered HTML (answer engines often skip JS-only content).
Score it
The $39 audit turns this checklist into a 0–100 score for one page, with about ten prioritized fixes.