The AEO checklist: 10 things every business needs

Getting cited by AI search is not luck. It comes down to specific, checkable things your content either has or doesn’t. Here are the ten that matter most.

1. An answer in the first sentence

Every page should answer its core question in the first one or two sentences, before any backstory or scene-setting. AI tools extract the most direct answer available - if yours buries it, a competitor’s page wins the citation.

2. FAQ schema markup

Structured FAQ data tells AI tools exactly what question your content answers and what the answer is. It is one of the cheapest, highest-impact technical fixes available.

3. A topic cluster, not a single page

One great page on a topic is good. Four or five connected pages covering it from different angles is what builds the topical authority AI tools look for before citing a source repeatedly.

4. Specific numbers and facts

Vague claims get skipped. Concrete details - prices, timeframes, named processes - get quoted because they are easy for AI to verify and extract with confidence.

5. Consistent business information everywhere

Your name, services and key facts should match exactly across your website, Google Business Profile and any directory listings. Inconsistency makes AI tools less confident citing you at all.

6. Fast, clean technical performance

AI crawlers, like search engines, deprioritise slow or broken pages. Technical SEO basics still matter as the entry ticket to being considered at all.

7. Comparison content

"X vs Y" style pages are heavily favoured by AI Overviews because they present structured, easy-to-extract comparisons. If a comparison question exists in your industry, you should own the page that answers it.

8. Author and organisation credibility signals

Clear "who wrote this" and "who is this business" signals - an About page, organisation schema, real contact details - help AI tools trust a source enough to cite it.

9. Content that gets updated

Stale content with outdated facts is a citation risk. Revisiting and updating key pages signals ongoing accuracy, which AI tools weigh when choosing between sources.

10. Mentions beyond your own website

AI tools cross-reference. The same facts about your business appearing accurately on other sites - directories, press, partner pages - reinforces that what you say about yourself is true.