About the AI Search (AEO/GEO) Checklist
AI search tools such as Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, ChatGPT search, Perplexity and Copilot retrieve web pages and quote them in generated answers. This AI SEO checklist focuses on what you can control: whether their crawlers can reach you, whether your content can be extracted and attributed, whether your brand is a clear entity, and whether you can measure the result.
The list separates proven practices from optional ones. Strong SEO fundamentals still do most of the work, and llms.txt is included only as an optional community proposal with no confirmed ranking use. Items link to the AI crawler access checker, AI search readiness checker and semantic HTML checker. Ticks are stored only in your browser.
How to use it
- Check which AI crawlers your robots.txt, CDN and firewall allow.
- Review one key page for server-rendered, answer-first content.
- Strengthen Organization, author and date signals with schema.
- Set up AI referral tracking and a monthly citation spot-check.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between AEO, GEO and SEO?
SEO aims to rank pages in search results. Answer engine optimization (AEO) focuses on being the direct answer in features and assistants, and generative engine optimization (GEO) focuses on being cited or mentioned in AI-generated answers. They overlap heavily: crawlable, clear, trustworthy content with strong entity signals helps all three.
Does blocking Google-Extended remove my site from AI Overviews?
No. Google-Extended controls whether content is used for Gemini models and grounding, but AI Overviews and AI Mode are part of Google Search and use normal Googlebot crawling. To limit what can be shown, use nosnippet, max-snippet or data-nosnippet. Blocking Googlebot would remove you from regular search too.
Do I need an llms.txt file?
It is optional. llms.txt is a community proposal for giving language models a curated map of your key content, and no major search engine has said it uses it for ranking. It is low effort to add, so some sites publish one, but crawl access and good content matter far more.