What this audit checks
In shortThis free tool runs 23 checks on your homepage, robots.txt, sitemap and llms.txt. It scores how well search engines can rank you (SEO) and how well AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity can understand and recommend you (AEO), then tells you exactly what to fix first.
The checks are grouped into six pillars below. Each one explains what we look for, why it matters and how to fix it, so you can use this page as a checklist even without running the tool.
How the score works
Every check has a weight based on how much it affects visibility. Blocking indexing or AI crawlers matters more than a missing language tag, so it's weighted higher.
- Pass earns the full weight, Needs work earns half, Missing earns nothing.
- The SEO score covers 13 checks and the AEO score covers 10, each out of 100.
- The overall score is 55% AEO and 45% SEO, because AI answers are where most sites are furthest behind.
- Grades: A is 90+, B is 80+, C is 65+, D is 50+, and below 50 is F.
Crawling & indexing
If search engines can't reach and index your pages, nothing else counts.
HTTPS
Your site should load securely over https://. Browsers flag insecure sites, and search engines prefer secure ones. Most hosts offer a free certificate; turn it on and redirect http to https.
Indexable
A noindex robots tag tells search engines to leave a page out of results entirely. It's often left on by accident after a redesign. Remove it from any page you want found.
XML sitemap
A sitemap lists every page you want indexed. Publish one at /sitemap.xml, mention it in robots.txt, and submit it in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
Canonical URL
A canonical tag names the preferred address of a page, so ranking signals aren't split between versions like http and https, or with and without www.
Language
A lang attribute on the html tag tells search engines and screen readers which language the page uses.
On-page basics
Page title
The title is the blue headline in search results. Keep it to 30–60 characters, lead with your main service and location, and put your brand last: "Roof Replacement in Monterey | Your Roofing Co."
Meta description
The short summary under your title. Google doesn't rank on it, but a good one earns more clicks. Write 120–160 characters covering what you do, where, and a reason to click.
One H1
Each page should have exactly one main heading that says what the page is about. It's one of the clearest signals of a page's topic.
Section headings
H2 and H3 headings break content into topics. They help readers skim and help search engines and AI tools lift the right section as an answer.
Image alt text
Alt text describes images for screen readers and search engines. Describe what's in the photo, naturally including the service or place.
Speed & mobile
Mobile viewport
Without a viewport tag, phones render a shrunken desktop page. Google indexes the mobile version of your site first, so this one tag matters a lot.
Server response
We time how long your server takes to deliver the page HTML. Under 0.8 seconds is good. Slow responses usually mean heavy page builders, no caching or slow hosting. For full load metrics, use PageSpeed Insights.
Structured data
Structured data (schema.org JSON-LD) is code that states your facts directly: who you are, what you do, where, when and how to contact you. Search engines use it for rich results, and AI systems use it to be confident about your details.
Any valid schema
We check for JSON-LD blocks and whether they parse. Broken JSON is ignored completely, so test with validator.schema.org after any edit.
Business identity
Use the most specific type that fits (Dentist, Plumber, LegalService, RoofingContractor) with name, phone, address or service area, hours and URL, matching your Google Business Profile exactly.
FAQ markup
FAQPage markup wraps real questions and answers that appear on the page. It's one of the formats AI assistants quote most readily.
AI readiness
AI crawlers allowed
We read your robots.txt for rules affecting GPTBot and OAI-SearchBot (OpenAI), ChatGPT-User, ClaudeBot (Anthropic), PerplexityBot, Google-Extended (Gemini) and Applebot-Extended. A Disallow: / under any of them stops that assistant reading your site. Some hosting and security settings, including Cloudflare's "Block AI bots", add these rules for you, so check them.
llms.txt
llms.txt is a plain-text summary of your business and key pages at yourdomain.com/llms.txt, written for language models. It's an emerging convention, quick to add, and gives AI tools a clean overview.
Readable without JavaScript
Many AI crawlers fetch your raw HTML and don't run JavaScript. If your text only appears after scripts run, as with some site builders and single-page apps, they see an empty page. We count the words present in the HTML; aim for 400 or more on key pages.
Question headings
People ask AI assistants full questions. Headings phrased the same way ("How much does a roof replacement cost?"), answered directly underneath, match those questions closely and are easy to quote.
Trust & identity
Contact details
A clickable phone number and email on every page help visitors and confirm you're a real, reachable business.
Linked profiles (sameAs)
sameAs links in your schema point to your Google Business Profile, LinkedIn and other official profiles, so search engines and AI can tie them together as one entity.
Reviews
Reviews are one of the strongest trust signals for both Google and AI assistants. Collect genuine reviews steadily and show them on your site. Never write or buy reviews; it breaks Google's rules and FTC law.
Social sharing tags
Open Graph tags control the title, description and image shown when your link is shared, so it looks professional everywhere it appears.
Tools for what we can't check
A one-page scan can't see everything. These free tools fill the gaps:
- Google Search Console: which searches show your site, indexing errors, and sitemap status.
- Bing Webmaster Tools: the same for Bing, whose index also feeds Microsoft Copilot.
- PageSpeed Insights: full Core Web Vitals for real-world loading speed.
- Rich Results Test and validator.schema.org: check your structured data.
- The AI assistants themselves: ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity the questions your customers ask, and note whether you're named. Repeat monthly.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AEO audit?
An AEO (answer engine optimization) audit checks whether AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews can access, understand and trust a website enough to quote or recommend it. It looks at AI crawler access, structured data, question-and-answer content, text that is readable without JavaScript, llms.txt and business identity signals.
How is the audit score calculated?
Each of the 23 checks is weighted by how much it affects visibility. A pass earns full points, a warning earns half and a fail earns none. The SEO and AEO scores are out of 100, and the overall score weights AEO at 55% and SEO at 45%.
How do I check if ChatGPT can crawl my website?
Open yourdomain.com/robots.txt and look for rules that apply to GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot or ChatGPT-User, or to all user agents. A line reading Disallow: / under any of them blocks that crawler. Our audit reads your robots.txt and shows which AI crawlers are allowed or blocked.
Is the audit free?
Yes. The audit is free, needs no sign-up and does not store the address you enter.
What does the audit not check?
It checks the homepage code, robots.txt, sitemap and llms.txt. It does not measure actual rankings, backlinks, full page load in a browser, or what AI assistants currently say about the business. Those need tools like Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights and manual AI visibility checks.