Free checklist · No email

Is your site ready for AI search?

27 checkpoints for ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and Google's AI Overviews. Tick what's done, the list remembers your progress in this browser. Print it or save it as PDF for your team.

01Crawler access

AI search bots are allowed in robots.txtOAI-SearchBot (ChatGPT search), Claude-SearchBot and PerplexityBot fetch pages to answer questions. If robots.txt disallows them, those assistants can't read or cite you.Check with the AI Crawler Check →
You decided on training bots on purposeGPTBot, ClaudeBot, CCBot and the Google-Extended token control training, not search. OpenAI documents that blocking GPTBot doesn't remove you from ChatGPT search; Google says Google-Extended doesn't affect Google Search. Block or allow them as a business decision, not by accident.
Your CDN or firewall doesn't block AI user agentsBot protection at the host or CDN can return 403 to AI crawlers before robots.txt is ever read. Check your bot settings and test with each crawler's user agent.Test server responses →
Key pages are indexable in GoogleGoogle says a page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet to appear as a link in AI Overviews or AI Mode. noindex, robots.txt blocks or wrong canonicals keep you out.Check with the Index Check →
Snippet controls are set deliberatelynosnippet, data-nosnippet and max-snippet also limit what Google can show in its AI features. Use them where you mean to, not as leftovers from an old plugin.

02Rendering & technical

Main content is in the raw HTMLMany AI crawlers don't execute JavaScript. If your text only appears after scripts run, they see an almost empty page.Check the raw HTML →
Pages respond fast and reliablyTimeouts, 5xx errors and redirect chains cost you with every crawler, AI or not.
One clean URL per piece of contentSelf-referencing canonicals and no near-duplicate URLs, so every engine knows which version to read and cite.
XML sitemap is current, with lastmodFresh pages get discovered faster when the sitemap lists them with an accurate last-modified date.
Optional: an llms.txt fileA proposal some AI tools read. Google says no special files are needed for its AI features. Cheap to add on documentation-heavy sites, but it won't fix access problems.

03Content that can be quoted

The page answers the question earlyState the answer near the top, then explain. Assistants look for passages that answer a question on their own.
Concrete, checkable factsNumbers with their source, dates, prices with an "as of" date, named methods. Vague claims give nothing to quote.
Clear structureDescriptive headings, short paragraphs, lists for steps, tables for comparisons.
Content is maintainedA visible "last updated" date and old facts actually updated, especially prices, terms and anything time-sensitive.
Something only you can sayYour own data, experience, examples and opinions. Google's guidance on helpful content favours original value over rewritten summaries.

04Entities & trust

It's clear who is behind the siteAbout page, imprint and contact details, real authors with short bios and their expertise.
Structured data matches what's on the pageOrganization or Person, Article with author, Product or Service where it fits, as JSON-LD that describes visible content. It helps machines; Google says it isn't required for AI features.
Consistent facts everywhereThe same name, description, services and key facts on your site, social profiles and directories.
You cite your sourcesLink to primary sources for claims you make. It makes your pages easier to verify and to trust.
Extra care on money, health or gambling topicsFor "your money or your life" topics, expertise, disclosures and accuracy matter even more, for people and for machines.

05Mentions beyond your site

You know which sources AI answers cite in your nicheRun your key questions in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google, note which sites they cite, and work on being mentioned there.
Profiles and reviews are currentBusiness profiles, industry directories and review platforms often feed the answers about who does what.
Earned mentions over bought linksExpert quotes, talks, podcasts and data others reference build the kind of authority answers draw on.

06Measurement

A fixed set of real buyer questionsThe questions your customers actually ask, in every language you sell in, kept stable so results stay comparable.
Mentions and citations tracked over timeRe-run the same questions regularly and compare against your main competitors.AI visibility audit & monitoring →
AI referrals visible in analyticsWatch visits from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai, copilot.microsoft.com and similar referrers as their own segment.
Server logs show which AI bots visitLogs tell you which crawlers actually come, how often, and which pages they fetch.