GEO Audit Checklist: 30 Things to Check Before You Publish

A GEO audit checklist is a systematic pre-publish review that ensures your content is structured, sourced, and accessible enough for AI engines to cite. Unlike traditional SEO audits that focus on rankings, a GEO audit checks whether your content is extractable—whether AI can lift a passage and quote it in an answer.

This checklist covers 30 items across six categories. It's not theory. It's the operational work that separates content that gets indexed from content that gets cited.

Key takeaways:

30 actionable checks across 6 categories: Structure, Extractability, Proof, Technical, Authority, and Distribution
Pages with clear H2/H3/bullet structures are 40% more likely to be cited by AI engines
Content updated within 30 days earns 3.2x more citations than stale content
Most pages fail on extractability—AI can't quote what it can't parse

The bottom line: The checklist isn't busywork. It's the difference between content that gets indexed and content that gets cited.

What is a GEO audit checklist?

A GEO audit checklist is a standardized set of criteria you run before publishing content to maximize the chance that AI systems—ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Claude, Copilot—will cite it when answering relevant queries.

The concept comes from Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), which Princeton researchers define as the practice of optimizing content to appear in AI-generated responses. Their research found that specific tactics—adding citations, statistics, and quotable statements—can boost AI visibility by up to 40%.

A GEO audit takes those tactics and turns them into a repeatable checklist. Instead of hoping your content is citation-worthy, you verify it against specific criteria before you hit publish.

This isn't a replacement for SEO. It's an additional layer. Google Search Central says there are no special requirements beyond good SEO to appear in AI Overviews. But good SEO is a low bar. The checklist pushes you toward great SEO—the kind that also works for AI extraction.

For a deeper dive into GEO fundamentals, see our Definitive Guide to GEO.

Why audit before you publish?

Because AI engines are picky about what they cite. BrightEdge data shows that 82.5% of AI Overview citations link to deep content pages. Only 0.5% link to homepages.

That stat tells you something: AI doesn't cite thin content. It doesn't cite vague content. It cites pages that answer specific questions with specific evidence.

Here's the environment you're operating in:

Search behavior is shifting. Gartner predicts traditional search volume will drop 25% by 2026 as users turn to AI assistants.
Click-through is compressing. When AI summaries appear, users click on traditional results just 8% of the time versus 15% without.
Citation slots are scarce. LLMs typically cite only 2-7 domains per response. You're competing for one of those slots.

The audit is how you tilt the odds. Run it before you publish, and you catch the gaps that would have made your content invisible.

For context on why clicks are disappearing, see What Is Zero-Click Search?

The 6 audit categories

The checklist is organized into six categories, each targeting a different aspect of citation-worthiness:

Category	What It Checks	Why It Matters
Structure	How content is organized	AI extracts from well-structured pages
Extractability	Whether passages can be lifted cleanly	AI quotes what it can parse
Proof Density	Evidence supporting claims	AI trusts content with sources
Technical	Crawler access and performance	AI can't cite what it can't reach
Authority	Trust signals and credentials	AI weighs credibility
Distribution	Off-site presence preparation	AI cites from multiple sources

Each category has 5 checks. Total: 30 items.

The goal isn't to score 30/30 on every page. The goal is to catch the obvious gaps before they cost you citations.

Category 1: Content Structure (5 checks)

Structure is the foundation. If your content is a wall of text with vague headings, AI will skip it for something easier to parse.

The 5 structure checks

Direct answer in first 100 words. Start with the answer, not the backstory. AI often extracts opening content for summaries.
Question-based H2s where natural. Frame sections as questions when the content genuinely answers a query. This mirrors how users search.
Answer capsule under each heading. The first 1-2 sentences after a heading should directly answer the question the heading poses.
Short paragraphs (2-4 sentences). Long paragraphs are hard to quote. Keep them scannable.
Scannable formatting. Use bullet lists for features, numbered lists for steps, tables for comparisons. These are easier for AI to extract.

The research backs this up: pages with clear H2/H3/bullet structures are 40% more likely to be cited by AI engines.

For a full breakdown of GEO implementation, see How to Do GEO: Step-by-Step Guide.

Category 2: Extractability (5 checks)

Structure gets AI to your page. Extractability determines whether it can quote you.

Think of your page like an API. Each section should return a clean payload—a statement AI can lift and use without modification.

The 5 extractability checks

Standalone sentences that work as facts. Can any sentence be quoted out of context and still make sense? Write at least 2-3 per section.
One concept per section. Don't bundle multiple ideas under one heading. AI parses one topic at a time.
Key terms bolded at first mention. This signals to both readers and AI what the section is about.
Lists for features, steps, or comparisons. Lists are inherently extractable. Use them for anything that can be enumerated.
Tables for structured data. If you're comparing options or presenting data, put it in a table. Tables are easier for AI to parse than prose.

Here's the uncomfortable reality: LLMs typically cite only 2-7 domains per response. If your content isn't the easiest to extract, AI will pull from a competitor whose content is.

For more on optimizing content for AI extraction, see How to Optimize Content for AI Search.

Category 3: Proof Density (5 checks)

AI doesn't trust unsourced claims. The Princeton GEO research found that adding statistics and citations significantly improved visibility in AI responses.

Proof density is your credibility score.

The 5 proof density checks

At least 1 statistic per major section. Don't make claims without numbers. "Significant improvement" is weak. "40% improvement" is strong.
Expert quotes with attribution. Include a quotable line from a named source—researcher, practitioner, official documentation.
Primary source links (not re-quoted blogs). Link to the original study, official documentation, or authoritative source. Re-quoting other blogs doesn't add authority.
Specific numbers over vague claims. "$200/month" beats "affordable pricing." "3.2x more citations" beats "significantly more."
Dates on all statistics. Stats go stale. Include the date so AI (and readers) can assess recency.

The data supports this: pages that include original data tables earn 4.1x more AI citations. Content updated within the last 30 days earns 3.2x more citations than stale content.

Ready to see where you're invisible? Most companies don't know which AI engines cite them and which don't. Get your AI visibility audit and see exactly where you stand.

Category 4: Technical Accessibility (5 checks)

AI can't cite what it can't crawl. Technical issues that wouldn't hurt your SEO rankings can kill your AI visibility.

The 5 technical checks

AI crawlers allowed in robots.txt. Check that GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, and Googlebot aren't blocked. Some sites accidentally block AI crawlers with overly restrictive robots.txt rules.
Server-side rendering for JS content. If your content requires JavaScript to render, many AI crawlers won't see it. Use server-side rendering for critical content.
Fast page load (under 2 seconds). Superlines research recommends targeting 0.4-second first contentful paint on priority pages. Fast pages are 3x more likely to be cited.
Mobile-friendly layout. Most crawlers index mobile-first. If your mobile experience is broken, your AI visibility suffers.
Clean semantic HTML. Use proper heading hierarchy (H1 > H2 > H3), semantic elements (<article>, <section>, <figure>), and valid markup.

Technical accessibility is table stakes. Fix these issues, and you're in the game. Ignore them, and no amount of great content will help.

Category 5: Authority Signals (5 checks)

E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) matters for AI just as it does for traditional SEO. AI engines weigh trust signals when deciding which sources to cite.

The 5 authority checks

Author byline with credentials. Include a real name and brief bio. "Written by the Typescape team" is weaker than "Written by Bijan Bina, GEO Specialist."
Publication date visible. AI engines consider recency. Show when the content was originally published.
Last updated date if refreshed. If you've updated the content, show the update date. This signals ongoing maintenance.
About page linked. Make it easy for AI (and readers) to learn about your organization's credibility.
Schema markup implemented. Article schema, FAQPage schema, and Organization schema help AI understand your content. Proper schema increases AI citations by 28%.

Authority isn't something you can fake. But you can make your legitimate authority visible by including these signals.

For more on answer engine optimization and E-E-A-T, see What is AEO? Complete Guide.

Category 6: Distribution Readiness (5 checks)

Here's what practitioners often miss: on-site optimization is necessary but not sufficient.

As one r/SEO practitioner put it: "structuring the content on your website is a great start, but syndicating that content is more important."

AI cites from multiple sources. If you only exist on your domain, you're limiting your citation surface.

The 5 distribution checks

Tweetable quote identified. Find the one line from your content that's shareable. This is what gets amplified.
Community question it answers identified. What Reddit thread or Quora question does this content answer? Know where to share it.
Related comparison pages linked. If your category has "best of" listicles, make sure you're included or create your own.
Internal links to/from pillar content. Connect new content to your hub pages. This strengthens your topical authority.
Open Graph and social metadata complete. When your content gets shared, make sure the preview looks right. Complete OG tags and meta descriptions.

Distribution readiness isn't optional. It's what turns a published page into a citable presence.

For implementation tactics on off-site distribution, see How to Do AEO: Step-by-Step Playbook.

How to use this checklist

Don't try to memorize 30 items. Use the checklist as a systematic review:

Before writing:

Open the checklist
Keep the structure and extractability sections visible as you draft

Before publishing:

Run through all 6 categories
Fix obvious gaps (missing citations, no author byline, blocked crawlers)
Note items you can't fix immediately for future updates

After publishing:

Track whether the page gets cited in your prompt sampling
If it doesn't, revisit the checklist to identify gaps

The benchmark to aim for: 70% compliance or higher on priority pages. That means passing at least 21 of 30 checks.

And run the audit again every 60-90 days. Content freshness matters. The pages you audited three months ago may have drifted.

For tools that can help automate parts of this audit, see our GEO Tools Buyer's Guide.

What this checklist won't do

Let's be honest about limitations:

This checklist won't guarantee AI citations. No one can. AI is a black box. The same prompt can give different answers at different times. What you can do is the work that makes citations more likely.

This checklist won't replace good content. A perfectly structured page with weak content won't get cited. The checklist assumes you're starting with content that actually answers the question well.

This checklist won't work for every page type. Some pages (homepages, product pages, contact pages) aren't designed for AI citation. Focus the audit on content pages—guides, articles, FAQ hubs.

This checklist won't solve distribution for you. Off-site presence requires actual work: answering questions in communities, getting mentioned in comparison articles, building backlinks. The checklist just reminds you to prepare for it.

Google Search Central says it plainly: "There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, nor other special optimizations necessary."

GEO isn't magic. It's doing SEO fundamentals well, with extra attention to extractability and proof. The checklist keeps you honest about whether you've actually done the work.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a GEO audit take?

For a single page, expect 15-30 minutes for a thorough review. The first few audits take longer as you learn the checklist. After that, you'll spot common gaps quickly. Teams often batch audits—reviewing 5-10 pages in a session rather than one at a time.

Should I audit existing content or just new content?

Both. For new content, run the audit before publishing. For existing content, prioritize pages that target high-value prompts but aren't getting cited. Start with your top 10-20 pages and work outward.

Is this different from an SEO audit?

Yes, but overlapping. An SEO audit checks rankings, backlinks, technical health, and keyword optimization. A GEO audit focuses specifically on citation-worthiness: structure, extractability, proof, and authority signals. You need both. Many SEO audit items (like technical accessibility) appear in both.

What tools can help with GEO audits?

Otterly AI offers a GEO audit tool that scores pages across 25+ AI visibility factors. Aleyda Solis published a comprehensive 10-step checklist with implementation guidance. For tool comparisons, see our GEO Tools Buyer's Guide.

How often should I re-audit content?

Every 60-90 days for high-priority pages. AI engines favor fresh content—pages updated within 30 days earn 3.2x more citations. Set a calendar reminder to review and refresh your top pages quarterly.

Start auditing your content

The checklist exists because most content fails on basics. Pages lack structure. Claims lack sources. Technical issues block crawlers. Authority signals are missing.

None of these are hard to fix. But they're easy to overlook when you're focused on just shipping the content.

The audit is 30 checks. It takes 30 minutes per page. And it's the difference between content that disappears into the internet and content that AI actually cites.

Ready to see where you're invisible? Get your AI visibility audit and find out which AI engines cite you, which cite competitors, and where you're missing entirely.