AI website audit checklist
40 checks to make any page clearer to AI search and Google.
Use this AI website audit checklist to review a page by hand, or run the free audit below to check most of these signals automatically in about 60 seconds. Work through the sections in order: a page has to be reachable before it can be understood, and understood before it can be used in an answer.
How to use it
Review one important page at a time.
Most AI search and SEO signals are page-specific. Checking a single page thoroughly is more useful than skimming your whole site.
Choose the page
Start with your homepage or the service page that brings in the most business. Those are the pages you most want AI-generated answers to understand.
Run the automatic check
Use the free AI website audit to cover the signals a tool can measure, then use the list for anything that needs human judgment.
Fix in order
Resolve access and indexing problems first. Content and structure improvements only pay off once the page can be reached.
The checklist
The complete AI website audit checklist.
Each item is phrased as a question. If the answer for your page is “no” or “not sure,” that is the item to work on.
Access and crawling
If crawlers can’t reach or read the page, nothing else on this list matters.
- Is the page indexable?
No accidental noindex tag in the page source or the HTTP headers.
- Does robots.txt allow the crawlers you want?
Check rules for search crawlers such as Googlebot and Bingbot, and AI crawlers such as GPTBot, ClaudeBot, and PerplexityBot, and decide deliberately which to allow.
- Is the canonical tag correct?
It should point to the page itself, or to the one preferred version if duplicates exist.
- Is the main content in the HTML?
Key text should not depend entirely on JavaScript to appear. View the page source to confirm it is there.
- Does the URL load directly?
No redirect chains, login walls, or interstitials between a crawler and the content.
- Is the page in your XML sitemap?
Important pages should be listed so crawlers can find them reliably.
- Is it served over HTTPS?
Secure, with no mixed-content warnings.
Purpose and topic
A reader, and a machine, should know what the page is about within seconds.
- Does the title tag lead with the main topic?
Specific, unique, and short enough to display fully.
- Is there one descriptive H1?
A single primary heading that states the page subject plainly.
- Does the opening paragraph summarize the page?
Say who it is for and what it covers before any marketing language.
- Does the page stick to one primary topic?
If it tries to cover several unrelated subjects, consider splitting it.
- Does the meta description explain the value?
A clear, accurate summary that gives searchers a reason to click.
- Does the URL describe the topic?
Short, readable, and relevant to the page subject.
Answers and content
AI-generated answers draw on content that addresses real questions clearly. The AI visibility checker flags pages that lack direct answers.
- Does the page answer the questions buyers ask?
Price, process, timing, eligibility, alternatives, and limitations, where relevant.
- Are answers stated directly?
Lead with a one- or two-sentence answer, then add the detail.
- Does each key answer make sense on its own?
Avoid answers that only work if the reader has read the previous three paragraphs.
- Is the depth appropriate?
Enough detail to fully satisfy the page’s purpose, without padding.
- Are follow-up questions covered or linked?
Anticipate the next question and answer it or link to the page that does.
- Is the content current?
Facts, prices, products, and dates reflect today, and visible update dates are accurate.
- Is there a clear next step?
A call to action that fits the reader’s intent.
Entities and trust
Clear, consistent identities make information easier to attribute to the right source. These checks are also central to a GEO audit.
- Is the brand clearly identified?
Your business name and what you do appear on the page in plain words.
- Are product and service names consistent?
One name per thing, used the same way across the site.
- Are business details complete and consistent?
Name, address, phone, and service area match your other listings and profiles.
- Is authorship or ownership clear?
Named authors, reviewers, or the organization responsible, especially for expert topics.
- Are important claims supported?
Sources for statistics, explanations of methods, and real examples or case studies.
- Does the site have a solid About page?
Who you are, what you do, and why you are credible, linked from the page.
- Are there links to related pages on your site?
Descriptive internal links connect the page to the rest of your expertise.
Structure and markup
Good structure helps people scan and helps machines extract information accurately.
- Are headings descriptive and in a logical order?
H2s and H3s that say what each section covers, without skipped levels.
- Are processes written as numbered steps?
Sequential instructions are easier to follow and to summarize.
- Are comparisons in tables?
Side-by-side information is clearer in rows and columns than in paragraphs.
- Are common questions grouped in an FAQ where useful?
Only when grouping them improves the page, not as filler.
- Is relevant structured data present?
Organization, LocalBusiness, Product, Article, or FAQ schema, matching what is visible on the page.
- Is Open Graph data set?
A title, description, and image for when the page is shared.
- Do meaningful images have alt text?
Short descriptions of what the image shows.
Technical basics
The quality signals that affect every visitor, human or automated.
- Does the page work well on mobile?
A mobile viewport and a layout that adapts without horizontal scrolling.
- Are there broken links?
Internal and external links resolve to working pages.
- Does the page load reasonably fast?
Large images compressed, unnecessary scripts removed.
- Is the page accessible?
Readable contrast, logical heading order, and labeled form fields.
- Are paragraphs short and readable?
Plain language, short paragraphs, and no walls of text.
- Did you re-check after changes?
Re-run the AI website grader after publishing to confirm each issue is resolved.
Manual vs. automatic
Let the tool do the counting. Keep the judgment for yourself.
A tool is fast and consistent at measurable signals. A person is better at judging whether an answer is actually useful. Combine both.
- 01
Run the automatic audit
Get a score and findings for indexability, tags, headings, schema, links, and answer-readiness signals in about a minute.
- 02
Review the judgment items
Use the list to evaluate answer quality, depth, evidence, and whether the page truly serves its reader.
- 03
Fix, publish, re-check
Make the changes on the pages that matter most, then audit again to confirm the improvements.
Automatic check
Check most of the list in about 60 seconds.
The free audit covers access, topic, answer-readiness, entity, structure, and technical signals, and flags exactly which items need attention.
Check my page automatically →- ✓ Indexable and crawlableNo blocking rules or noindex tags found.
- ✓ One descriptive H1The primary heading states the page topic.
- ! Opportunity: direct answersAdd short answers to common buyer questions.
- ! Opportunity: structured dataAdd schema that matches the visible content.
Frequently asked questions
Checklist FAQs
What is this checklist for?
It is a structured way to review a single webpage for the signals that help both AI-powered search and traditional search engines reach, understand, and trust it.
Do I need to complete every item?
No. Not every item applies to every page. Prioritize access issues first, then the items most relevant to the page’s purpose.
Can I check these items automatically?
Many of them, yes. The free AI website audit checks most measurable signals in about a minute. Items that require judgment, like answer quality, still need a human review.
Should I allow AI crawlers in robots.txt?
It is a business decision. If you want AI-powered search tools to be able to use your content, their crawlers generally need access. Review your current rules and decide deliberately.
Does structured data help with AI search?
Relevant schema makes key details machine-readable, which can help systems interpret the page. It should always reflect content that is visible on the page.
What about llms.txt?
llms.txt is a proposed convention, not an established standard, and support varies. The items on this list have far more impact.
How often should I run through it?
After significant changes to a page, and periodically for your most important pages.
Will completing it guarantee AI visibility or rankings?
No. It improves the parts of visibility you control: how reachable, clear, and useful your page is. External factors also matter.
Which page should I start with?
Your homepage, then the service or product pages that drive the most business.
Is this the same as an SEO audit checklist?
It includes the SEO fundamentals, plus answer, entity, and evidence checks that matter more for AI-generated answers. For a deeper SEO-focused review, run the free SEO website audit.
Skip the manual work
Check your page against the list automatically.
Run the free audit and see which items need attention in about 60 seconds.
Check my page →