Printable checklist
GEO checklist: 23 checks to get cited by AI search
Work through this list from top to bottom. Each line says what to do, why it matters and where the rule comes from. Tick it off, print it or copy it into your own to-do list.
Last checked: 19 October 2026
https://geo-score.online/guides/geo-checklist
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Before you start: GEO is mostly good SEO
Google says it plainly: optimizing for its AI features is still SEO. AI Overviews and AI Mode run on the same ranking systems as normal search.
Google also says no outside tool can see inside its ranking or AI systems. That includes ours. Tools like GEO-Score check the things you control.
A. Can AI reach your pages?
If a bot can't read your page, nothing else on this list matters.
Google only uses pages in AI Overviews and AI Mode that are indexed and allowed to show a snippet. A stray noindex or nosnippet tag keeps you out.
Source:Google [1]Google [2]Check it:Google Search ConsoleSince 31 August 2026, every site can choose in Search Console whether it appears in Google’s AI features. If you opt out, you get no traffic from them. Google says the choice doesn’t affect your normal rankings.
Source:Google [3]Google [1]Check it:Google Search ConsoleThese bots fetch pages for AI and search answers: Googlebot, bingbot, OAI-SearchBot, Claude-SearchBot, PerplexityBot. Block one and that service may leave your page out of its answers.
These robots.txt names control AI training: GPTBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended, Applebot-Extended. Blocking them is your choice. Blocking Google-Extended does not remove you from AI Overviews or AI Mode.
Source:Google [5]OpenAI [9]Check it:robots.txt generatorrobots.txt isn’t the only gate. Since 15 September 2026, new Cloudflare domains block AI training and agent bots on pages with ads by default. Search bots are still allowed.
Source:Cloudflare [12]Check it:AI crawler checkerA Vercel study (December 2024) found that GPTBot, ClaudeBot and PerplexityBot don’t run JavaScript. Google can, if you don’t block it. Quick test: turn JavaScript off and reload your page.
Source:Vercel (vendor study) [13]Google [1]Check it:AI crawler access guideA sitemap helps crawlers find new pages. You can also notify Bing and other engines with IndexNow, but that doesn’t guarantee indexing.
Source:Google [7]IndexNow [14]Check it:Sitemap analysis
B. Is your content worth citing?
AI answers lean on pages that add something new, not on pages that repeat what everyone says.
Google asks for a unique point of view, like first-hand experience or your own data. It calls this non-commodity content.
Source:Google [1]Check it:GEO page analysisGoogle recommends organizing text with paragraphs, sections and headings. You don’t need to cut your page into special chunks for AI.
Source:Google [1]Check it:GEO page analysisGoogle’s AI guide recommends high-quality images and video next to your text. Give every image a clear alt text.
Source:Google [1]Google [8]Check it:Images and video guideGoogle says making separate pages for every variation of a question, just to game AI answers, breaks its scaled content abuse policy. Answer the related questions on one good page instead.
Source:Google [1]Check it:Query fan-out toolGood page experience is on Google’s list for AI features too. PageSpeed Insights shows what to fix.
Source:Google [1]Check it:PageSpeed Insights
C. Structured data, honestly
Structured data helps machines read your page. It is not a trick to get into AI answers.
Google asks that structured data matches the visible text. Don’t mark up prices, reviews or questions that visitors can’t see.
Source:Google [2]Check it:Schema validatorGoogle says there’s no special schema.org markup for its AI features. Use structured data because it’s true and useful, for example for rich results.
Source:Google [1]Check it:Structured data guideGoogle stopped showing HowTo rich results in September 2023 and FAQ rich results on 7 May 2026. The markup is allowed, but it won’t win you extra space in search.
Source:Google [6]Check it:Schema validator
D. Your business details
For shops and local businesses, your profiles feed AI answers too.
Google says Business Profiles and Merchant Center feeds can help your products and services show up in AI responses. Check hours, prices and stock.
Source:Google [1]Google [2]Check it:Local AI search guideBing Places (bing.com/forbusiness) feeds Bing search and Bing Maps. Apple Business controls your place card in Apple Maps, Safari and Spotlight. Only needed if people visit you.
Source:Microsoft Bing [16]Apple [17]Check it:Local AI search guide
E. Measure what happens
Google and Microsoft now show how often you appear in their AI answers. Look at those numbers before you guess.
Since 31 August 2026, every site has a report showing how often its pages appear in Google’s AI features. It shows impressions, not clicks.
Source:Google [4]Check it:Google Search ConsoleSince February 2026, Bing shows how often your pages are cited in Microsoft Copilot and Bing’s AI summaries.
Source:Microsoft Bing [15]Check it:Bing Webmaster ToolsAnswers change from day to day, so one test proves little. Write down the question, the tool, the date and whether you were named.
Our advice, not an official ruleCheck it:ChatGPT checkerPerplexity checkerGoogle AI Mode checkerAI prompt generatorYour analytics can show visits from sites like chatgpt.com and perplexity.ai. That tells you whether being cited also brings people.
Our advice, not an official ruleCheck it:AI referral traffic guide
F. Optional: for other AI systems
Google doesn't use these. Other AI tools and browser agents might.
Google ignores llms.txt but says it’s fine to keep one for other systems. If you make one, follow the spec on llmstxt.org.
Source:Google [1]llmstxt.org [18]Check it:llms.txt generatorChrome’s Lighthouse has Agentic Browsing checks for this. They are informational: Lighthouse doesn’t benchmark them yet.
Source:Chrome [19]Check it:Agent-readiness check
Skip these: Google says you don’t need them
Save your time. Google’s AI guide says these are not needed for its AI features:
- Cutting your text into small “chunks” for AI
- Rewriting your pages just for AI
- Special AI files or markup for Google, such as llms.txt
- Buying or faking mentions on other sites
Want to check a page in one go?
Our page analysis scores one page on 22 signals. It covers a few lines of this list for you: AI bots in robots.txt, the sitemap, structured data, page speed, headings and image alt text.
Your Search Console settings and business profiles only you can check. That’s what this list is for.
Sources
Every rule above comes from these pages. Last checked: 19 October 2026.
- Google: AI optimization guide for Google Search (updated 10 July 2026)
- Google: AI features and your website (updated 10 December 2025)
- Google: New controls for website owners in Search (June 2026, updated 31 August 2026)
- Google: Generative AI performance reports in Search Console (June 2026)
- Google: Google’s common crawlers, including Google-Extended
- Google: Google Search documentation updates (FAQ and HowTo rich results)
- Google: Build and submit a sitemap (Google Search Central)
- Google: Google Images SEO best practices, including alt text
- OpenAI: Overview of OpenAI crawlers
- Anthropic: How Anthropic’s bots crawl the web (updated 7 April 2026)
- Perplexity: Perplexity crawlers
- Cloudflare: Cloudflare bot settings changelog (2026)
- Vercel: The rise of the AI crawler (December 2024) (vendor study)
- IndexNow: IndexNow FAQ
- Microsoft Bing: AI Performance in Bing Webmaster Tools (February 2026)
- Microsoft Bing: The new Bing Places for Business (October 2025)
- Apple: Introducing Apple Business (March 2026)
- llmstxt.org: The llms.txt specification
- Chrome: Lighthouse Agentic Browsing scoring