Answer Engine Optimization Checklist for 2026
If you’ve decided to take Answer Engine Optimization seriously this year, the question becomes: what exactly do you do? AEO is still new enough that most “AEO guides” are vague hand-waving. This is the opposite — a concrete 25-item checklist organized into seven categories. Each item has a quick definition, a reason it matters, a way to check it, and a way to fix it.
Score yourself out of 25. Anything under 10 means your site is mostly invisible to AI assistants. Anything over 18 puts you ahead of 95% of small business sites we audit.
Category 1: Schema.org Markup
Schema is JSON-LD code embedded in your HTML that tags facts about your business in a way machines can read without ambiguity. AI assistants rely on it heavily because it removes guesswork.
1. LocalBusiness schema on the homepage
What. A JSON-LD block defining your business name, address, phone, hours, geo coordinates, and category.
Why. This is the foundational identity signal — it’s how AI knows what entity you are.
Check. View source on your homepage. Search for "@type": "LocalBusiness" or a more specific subtype like Restaurant, Dentist, Plumber.
Fix. Add a JSON-LD block to your <head>. Use the most specific subtype available.
2. Service schema for every service page
What. A Service block on each service detail page describing what the service is, who provides it, and where it’s available.
Why. AI matches user queries (“plumber near me”) to specific services, not generic homepages.
Check. Look for "@type": "Service" on your /services/[name] pages.
Fix. Add one Service block per page. Include serviceType, provider, and areaServed.
3. Offer schema with explicit pricing
What. An Offer nested inside Service (or standalone) with price and priceCurrency.
Why. Concrete prices in machine-readable form get cited far more than prose like “starting at $499.”
Check. Look for "@type": "Offer" with a "price" field on service pages.
Fix. If you publish prices, mark them up. If you don’t yet, this is a strong reason to start.
4. FAQPage schema on FAQ blocks
What. A FAQPage block with question/answer pairs marked up explicitly.
Why. AI assistants pull citations from FAQ schema more often than from any other content type.
Check. Look for "@type": "FAQPage" and "@type": "Question" blocks.
Fix. Wrap any FAQ content on the page in proper schema.
5. Review schema with aggregate ratings
What. AggregateRating and Review schema reflecting your real Google or Facebook reviews.
Why. Provides credibility signal and lets AI cite “rated 4.9 stars” with confidence.
Check. Look for "@type": "AggregateRating" in homepage or business schema.
Fix. Pull aggregate from your Google Business Profile and add it. Don’t fake reviews — that’s a Google penalty risk.
6. BreadcrumbList schema on internal pages
What. A breadcrumb trail in JSON-LD showing where the page sits in your site.
Why. Helps AI understand site structure and link related content.
Check. Look for "@type": "BreadcrumbList" on services, blog, and about pages.
Fix. Add to every page that isn’t the homepage.
Category 2: llms.txt
7. llms.txt exists at site root
What. A plain-text file at https://yoursite.ca/llms.txt.
Why. It’s the AEO equivalent of a sitemap — first stop for AI assistants.
Check. Visit the URL directly. It should load.
Fix. Write one. See our llms.txt guide for small businesses for a full template.
8. llms.txt front-loads business basics
What. Name, location, contact, services, and pricing in the first 200 words. Why. AI often reads only the top of the file before forming an answer. Check. Open the file. Are essentials in the first paragraph? Fix. Restructure with summary up top, detail below.
9. llms.txt includes pricing where possible
What. Specific prices for major services, in dollars. Why. Concrete pricing is the single most-cited fact type in AI answers. Check. Search the file for dollar signs. Fix. Add price ranges. “From $499” is better than nothing.
10. llms.txt has at least three FAQ entries
What. Question/answer pairs for the most common customer questions. Why. Direct Q&A format is heavily favoured by LLMs. Check. Look for an FAQ section in your file. Fix. Write the three questions you actually answer most often. Answer each in 2-4 sentences.
Category 3: robots.txt AI Bot Allows
Most agencies have not updated default robots.txt to address AI assistants. Without explicit allows, you may be silently invisible.
11. GPTBot allowed
What. OpenAI’s crawler for ChatGPT. Without an allow, ChatGPT can’t index your site.
Check. Visit /robots.txt. Look for User-agent: GPTBot followed by Allow: / or no Disallow.
Fix. Add: User-agent: GPTBot newline Allow: /.
12. ClaudeBot allowed
What. Anthropic’s crawler for Claude.
Check. Same as above for User-agent: ClaudeBot.
Fix. Add the same allow block.
13. PerplexityBot allowed
What. Perplexity’s crawler — sources its citations from sites that allow it. Check. Same. Fix. Add the allow.
14. Google-Extended allowed
What. Google’s separate AI training and AI Overviews crawler. Distinct from Googlebot.
Why. Without this, your site shows in regular search but gets excluded from AI Overviews.
Check. Look for User-agent: Google-Extended.
Fix. Add Allow: /.
Category 4: FAQ Structure
15. Customer-language questions
What. FAQ questions written the way a real person would type them into ChatGPT. Why. Specificity wins. “How much does a furnace install cost?” beats “What are your prices?” Check. Read your FAQs aloud. Do they sound like a real question? Fix. Rewrite generic ones with specific scenarios.
16. Direct answers, no fluff
What. Each FAQ answer states the answer in the first sentence. Why. AI extracts the first 1-2 sentences most often. Check. Does the first sentence of each answer actually answer the question? Fix. Move the answer to sentence one. Save context for sentence two.
17. FAQs on service pages, not just one page
What. Service-specific FAQs on each /services/[name] page, not just a global FAQ.
Why. Per-service FAQs match per-service queries. AI matches by service.
Check. Visit each service page. Is there an FAQ block?
Fix. Add 3-5 FAQs specific to each service.
Category 5: Entity Disambiguation
When multiple businesses share a name or category, AI needs help knowing which one is which.
18. sameAs links in LocalBusiness schema
What. An array of URLs pointing to your Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Yelp.
Why. Cross-references confirm you’re a single, real entity — not a hallucination.
Check. Look for "sameAs": [...] in your LocalBusiness JSON-LD.
Fix. Add the array. Include every social and directory profile you control.
19. Consistent NAP across the web
What. Name, Address, Phone identical on website, Google Business Profile, Yelp, social. Why. Inconsistent NAP makes AI think you’re multiple businesses. Check. Compare your homepage footer to your Google Business Profile. Fix. Pick one canonical version. Update every directory listing.
20. About page states the business identity clearly
What. Your /about page opens with “[Business Name] is a [category] in [location] specializing in [services].”
Why. AI reads this sentence and lifts it directly into answers.
Check. Read your About page first paragraph.
Fix. Rewrite with the identity sentence first, story second.
Category 6: Comparison Content
LLMs are constantly asked “X vs Y” and “best X” questions. Content that directly addresses these gets cited.
21. At least one comparison page or post
What. A page like “[Your Service] vs [Alternative]” or “How to choose a [your category].” Why. Explicit comparison content is heavily over-indexed in AI citations. Check. Search your site for content with “vs” in the title or “how to choose.” Fix. Write one. Be honest — fake comparisons are easy to spot.
22. “Best of” content for your category
What. Content like “What to look for in a [your service] provider.” Why. “Best of” queries are some of the most common AI prompts. Check. Do you have content that frames your category objectively? Fix. Write a buyer’s guide for your service category.
Category 7: Local Signals
23. Google Business Profile fully filled out
What. Hours, photos, services with prices, posts, Q&A all completed. Why. GBP is the single biggest external signal AI uses to confirm local businesses. Check. Visit your profile. Any blank sections? Fix. Complete every section. Add 5+ photos. Post weekly.
24. Location-specific content on website
What. A page or strong section addressing your service area by name. Why. AI matches “near me” queries by location string. Check. Search your site for your city or neighbourhood names. Fix. Add a “Service Area” section listing every locality you serve.
25. Citations in local directories
What. Listings in Yelp, Yellow Pages, BBB, and industry-specific directories. Why. AI assistants cross-reference directories to confirm a business is real. Check. Search your business name + city in Google. Do at least 5 directory listings appear? Fix. Submit to the missing directories. Use a NAP-consistent listing.
Where to Start
If you scored under 10, focus on the highest-leverage items first: llms.txt, LocalBusiness schema, robots.txt AI bot allows, and a complete Google Business Profile. Those four alone move most sites from invisible to citable.
If you scored 10-18, the gaps are usually in service-specific schema, comparison content, and entity disambiguation. Those take more thinking but produce a real citation lift.
If you scored over 18, you’re already ahead of nearly every competitor. Focus on freshness — keep content updated, add new comparison pieces, and watch your AI citation rate compound over time.
For a complete walkthrough of Answer Engine Optimization, or to have someone audit and fix your site against this checklist, get in touch. Every website we build ships with these items in place by default.