SEO & GEO Audit Checklist
This is the exact framework we use to audit and optimise every client site. Click each checkbox to track your progress. Green = compliant, Red = needs work.
Technical Foundation
Why This Matters
AI crawlers are impatient. Slow site? They move on. Broken robots.txt? You don’t exist. This is where most sites lose before they even start.
Core Web Vitals
Crawl Access
Mobile & Performance
Security & Trust
Structured Data & Schema
Schema Is How LLMs Read Your Site
No schema? You’re asking AI to guess what your content means. Schema markup tells models exactly what each element is, who wrote it, and why it matters.
Essential Schema Types
Advanced Schema
Validation & Maintenance
AI-Optimised Content
Write Once, Get Cited Forever
LLMs don’t read like humans. They scan for structure, facts, and sources. Give them that, and they cite you. Make them guess, and they move on.
Content Structure
<ul> or <ol> tags, not fake lists with dashes.<li> elements. Keep each list item to 1-2 sentences. Impact: Structured lists are easier for AI to extract and cite as “Top X” responses.<caption> tags
Critical
<caption> as first child of <table>. Example: <caption>Comparison of SEO vs GEO Metrics</caption>. Reference: arXiv study on table captions. Impact: LLMs read captions to understand table context; missing caption = ignored table.Writing Style
Content Depth
E-E-A-T Signals
AI Trusts Experts, Not Brands
Google and LLMs evaluate content based on who wrote it, how much they know, and whether anyone else trusts them. Build these signals or stay invisible.
Experience
Expertise
Authority
Trustworthiness
Entity Recognition
Be a Real Entity, Not Just a Website
AI models build knowledge graphs. If you’re not in the graph, you don’t exist. Entity recognition puts you on the mapβliterally and semantically.
Business Identity
Advanced Entity Signals
Social Proof
Citation Optimisation
Citations Are the New Rankings
AI models don’t link. They cite. Your content either gets quoted in LLM responses, or it doesn’t exist. This is how you make sure they quote you.
Citation-Ready Content Formats
<caption> tags (e.g., SEO vs GEO, GBP Suspension Types).<caption>, <th> headers, and 3-5 comparison criteria. Include sources. Impact: Tables = structured data = easy AI extraction.<ol> format. Add HowTo schema. Example: “How to Reinstate a Suspended Google Business Profile in 7 Steps”. Impact: Step-by-step = voice assistant + LLM citation format.Content Freshness
Citation-Friendly Writing
<ol> or <ul> with full titles and URLs. Impact: Cited sources = verifiable content = AI trust boost.Distribution & Visibility
Content That Sits Idle Dies
AI models index what they see. If you don’t distribute your content, they won’t see it. Syndication, backlinks, and social signals all matter.
Content Publishing Cadence
Link Acquisition
Social & Community
Tracking & Measurement
You Can’t Improve What You Don’t Measure
GEO isn’t about rankings. It’s about citations, traffic, and conversions. Here’s how to track what matters.
Manual Citation Checks
GEO Tracking Tools
Traffic & Engagement
Brand Monitoring
Semantic Coverage
Need Help Implementing These Optimisations?
This checklist shows you what needs fixing. We can fix it for you. Fast.
Get Your Free Audit