The complete AEO checklist

Answer Engine Optimization is getting an AI to cite YOUR page as the answer. Here’s the concrete checklist, from most fundamental to most advanced.

1. Technical foundations

• Your content is in the server-side HTML (visible without running JavaScript).
• robots.txt allows AI crawlers (GPTBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended).
• An llms.txt file describes your site to the models.
• The site is fast and mobile-friendly.

2. Structured data

• Organization (or LocalBusiness) schema site-wide.
• FAQPage schema on your pages with Q&A.
• Product / Service / Article schema where relevant.
• A consistent NAP (name, address, phone) everywhere.

3. Extractable content

• Each page answers ONE clear intent, stated in the title.
• Short, self-contained answers at the top of each section (answer first).
• A real FAQ section with the questions your customers ask.
• Hierarchical H1–H3 headings, one idea per section.
• Lists and tables: easy to extract and cite.

4. Authority & trust

• A clear entity: an About page, authors, visible expertise.
• Verifiable citations and sources in your content.
• Consistent mentions elsewhere (directories, press, reviews).
• Content kept up to date (freshness matters to the AIs).