--- id: geo-tactics-checklist title: "GEO Tactics Checklist — Get Cited by AI Engines" category: geo platform: web tags: [ai-search, llm, citations, llms-txt, schema, checklist] sources: ["https://llmrefs.com/generative-engine-optimization", "https://searchengineland.com/guide/optimize-for-ai-crawlers", "https://llmstxt.org/", "https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features", "https://nextgrowth.ai/geo-best-practices-ai-citations/", "https://totheweb.com/blog/beyond-seo-your-geo-checklist-mastering-content-creation-for-ai-search-engines/", "https://www.lumar.io/blog/best-practice/4-pillar-geo-strategy-framework-for-ai-search-visibility/", "https://authoritytech.io/curated/answer-engine-optimization-checklist-chatgpt-perplexity-claude-2026", "https://www.averi.ai/learn/the-definitive-guide-to-geo-get-cited-by-ai-in-2026"] updated: 2026-07-08 --- # GEO Tactics Checklist — Get Cited by AI Engines (2026) Prescriptive, in priority order. Apply to money pages first, then roll out sitewide. ## 1. Content structure — answer-first (highest leverage) - [ ] **Open every page with a self-contained answer block**: 2–4 sentences, directly under the H1, that fully answers the page's core question and includes at least one specific statistic, date, or named entity. AI engines extract these as canonical passages. - [ ] **One question per H2/H3 section.** Phrase headings as the actual questions users ask ("How much does a website redesign cost in 2026?"), answer in the section's first sentence, elaborate after. - [ ] **Make every section standalone.** No "as mentioned above" — chunks are retrieved out of context. Repeat the subject noun instead of pronouns at section starts. - [ ] Paragraphs ≤ 3 sentences. Use bullets, numbered steps, and comparison tables — pages with structured lists, quotes, and statistics show **30–40% higher AI visibility** (Princeton GEO study, confirmed by later industry studies). - [ ] **Add a Q&A/FAQ block** (3–6 real questions from sales calls, Reddit, "People Also Ask") near the end of key pages. - [ ] Include a **TL;DR or "Key takeaways"** bulleted summary near the top of long pages. **Answer-first example (put this pattern under the H1):** > **Bad:** "In today's fast-moving digital landscape, businesses of all sizes are asking how they can improve their online presence..." > > **Good:** "A small-business website redesign in 2026 typically costs £3,000–£12,000 and takes 4–8 weeks. The price is driven by three factors: page count, custom design vs. template, and CMS complexity. Below is a line-item breakdown based on 40 studio projects delivered in 2025." ## 2. Factual density — citations, statistics, quotes - [ ] Every important claim carries a **number + named source + year**: "According to Semrush (2025), AI-referred visitors convert 4.4x higher than organic." - [ ] Add **expert quotes with full attribution** (name, title, company). Unattributed quotes carry near-zero weight. - [ ] Publish **original data** (surveys, benchmarks, case-study metrics). Original statistics are the most re-citable asset a brand can own — other sites cite you, and AI engines cite them citing you. - [ ] Link out to authoritative primary sources; engines treat well-sourced pages as trustworthy synthesis candidates. - [ ] Show **author bio with credentials** on every article (name, role, experience, LinkedIn). E-E-A-T still gates retrieval. ## 3. Entity clarity — make the brand machine-legible - [ ] Use **one exact brand name spelling** everywhere (site, socials, directories, schema). Inconsistency splits the entity. - [ ] Write a canonical one-sentence definition and reuse it verbatim on the homepage, About page, and schema `description`: "Example Studio is a web design studio that builds conversion-focused websites for small businesses." - [ ] Create/claim entity homes: **Wikidata, Crunchbase, LinkedIn company page, Google Business Profile**, key industry directories — consistent name, description, URL, logo. - [ ] Add `Organization` schema sitewide with `sameAs` links to every profile (see §5 snippet). - [ ] Define niche jargon in plain words on first use; engines can't cite what they can't parse. ## 4. Off-site brand mentions (≈40% of GEO effort) - [ ] **Find the pages AI already cites** for your target prompts (ask ChatGPT/Perplexity your 20 core buyer questions; log every cited URL). Get your brand into those exact pages: comment, contribute, request inclusion, or pitch listicle authors. - [ ] Maintain honest, active presence on **Reddit and niche forums** — heavily weighted in ChatGPT and Perplexity training/retrieval. Genuine answers only; spam gets pruned and nukes trust. - [ ] Collect reviews on **G2 / Trustpilot / Clutch / Google** — AI engines lean on review aggregators for "best X" prompts. - [ ] Pitch **digital PR and data stories** to industry publications; a mention in one trusted article propagates into many AI answers. - [ ] Target inclusion in "**best [category] 2026**" roundups — these dominate commercial-intent AI answers. ## 5. Schema markup for LLMs Schema is the metadata layer engines use to verify who/what/when. Align it exactly with visible content (Google requirement). Priority types: `Organization`, `WebSite`, `Article`/`BlogPosting` (with dates + author), `FAQPage`, `HowTo`, `Product`/`Service` + `Review`, `BreadcrumbList`, `Person` for authors. ```html ``` - [ ] `datePublished` **and** `dateModified` on every article — ~65% of AI bot hits target content updated within the past year. - [ ] `FAQPage` schema on pages with Q&A blocks; questions must match visible text verbatim. - [ ] Validate with Google's Rich Results Test / schema.org validator after every template change. ## 6. llms.txt and machine-readable content Status 2026: an emerging convention (llmstxt.org), adopted by many dev-tool and SaaS sites; large-scale tests show **no measurable citation lift yet** and Google says no AI text files are required — implement it as a cheap, low-risk hedge, never instead of items 1–5. - [ ] Serve `/llms.txt` at the site root: markdown, H1 title, blockquote summary, H2 link sections. - [ ] Optionally serve `/llms-full.txt` (full flattened content) and `.md` twins of key pages (`/pricing.md`). ```markdown # Example Studio > UK web design studio building conversion-focused websites for small > businesses. Founded 2024. Services: web design, redesigns, GEO/SEO. ## Services - [Web Design](https://example.com/services/web-design): Custom sites, 4–8 week delivery - [Website Redesign](https://example.com/services/redesign): Pricing and process - [GEO & SEO](https://example.com/services/geo): AI-search visibility services ## Resources - [Pricing Guide 2026](https://example.com/pricing): Line-item costs - [Case Studies](https://example.com/work): Results with metrics ## Optional - [About](https://example.com/about) ``` ## 7. Technical access — let AI bots in and feed them HTML - [ ] **robots.txt allows**: `GPTBot`, `OAI-SearchBot`, `ChatGPT-User`, `ClaudeBot`, `Claude-User`, `PerplexityBot`, `Perplexity-User`, `Google-Extended`, `Bingbot`. Blocking OAI-SearchBot/PerplexityBot removes you from those engines' citations entirely. - [ ] **Check CDN/WAF settings** — Cloudflare blocks AI crawlers by default on new zones; explicitly allow the bots you want. - [ ] **Server-render all citable content.** Most AI crawlers do not execute JavaScript; JS-injected content is invisible. Verify: `curl -A "GPTBot" https://yoursite.com/page` must contain the answer text. - [ ] No paywalls/login walls/interstitials in front of content you want cited. - [ ] XML sitemap with accurate ``, referenced from robots.txt. - [ ] Fast TTFB and clean canonical URLs — AI crawlers have shallow budgets; speed = more pages fetched per session. - [ ] Do NOT use `nosnippet` / restrictive `max-snippet` on pages you want in Google AI Overviews — snippet controls are Google's official opt-out mechanism for AI features. ## 8. Design & architecture rules (for the build itself) - [ ] Semantic HTML5: `
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