What is AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation)?

AEO — Answer Engine Optimisation — is the practice of structuring your website content so that AI-powered answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews can find, understand, and cite your pages as authoritative sources. It builds on traditional SEO but adds requirements for structured data, llms.txt, E-E-A-T signals, and crawlable, definitional content.

What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)?

GEO — Generative Engine Optimisation — is the discipline of optimising content for retrieval by large language models (LLMs) used in AI search tools. Where traditional SEO targets keyword ranking in blue-link results, GEO targets inclusion in AI-generated summaries and cited responses. Key factors include structured data, llms.txt, author attribution, and content that directly answers specific questions.

What does the AI Search Checker test?

The AI Search Checker runs 25 automated checks across 5 categories: (1) AI Crawler Access — whether Googlebot, GPTBot, ClaudeBot, and PerplexityBot are allowed to crawl your site; (2) AI Signals — whether llms.txt and ai.txt are present; (3) Structured Data — whether FAQPage, BreadcrumbList, HowTo, Article, and other JSON-LD schemas exist; (4) E-E-A-T — whether your pages show author attribution, publication dates, and external outbound links; and (5) Content Quality — whether page content is substantial, well-structured, and definitionally clear. Results appear as a score from 0–100 with a letter grade.

What is llms.txt and does my website need it?

llms.txt is a standardised plain-text file placed at the root of a website (e.g. yoursite.com/llms.txt) that describes your site's content and permissions for large language models. It helps AI tools understand what your site covers, which tools or documents are available, and whether your content may be used for inference, training, or commercial applications. While not yet required by any regulation, having a well-written llms.txt improves the likelihood that AI search tools accurately describe and cite your website.

Why does structured data matter for AI search visibility?

AI search engines like ChatGPT Browse, Perplexity, and Google's Gemini retrieve and parse structured data (JSON-LD schemas) to quickly understand what a page is about without reading every paragraph. FAQPage schema is particularly powerful: it surfaces specific question-and-answer pairs directly in AI responses. BreadcrumbList schema establishes page context. HowTo and Article schemas mark up procedural and editorial content. Sites with well-implemented structured data are significantly more likely to be cited in AI-generated answers than sites without it.

How long does the AI Search Checker scan take?

The AI Search Checker typically returns results in 10–20 seconds. It fetches your public page, checks robots.txt and headers for crawler permissions, looks for llms.txt and ai.txt, parses all JSON-LD structured data, and analyses your page source for E-E-A-T signals and content quality markers. No login, browser extension, or account is required.

Is this tool free to use?

Yes. The AI Search Checker is completely free. There is no login, no account required, and no usage limit per session. You can check any publicly accessible website URL.

Free AI Search Checker

Is your site visible to AI search engines?

Free AEO and GEO readiness checker. Tests your site against 25+ signals across AI crawler access, structured data, content quality, and E-E-A-T - the factors that determine whether ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini cite your content.

AI Crawler Accessllms.txt CheckFAQPage SchemaHowTo SchemaE-E-A-T SignalsContent DepthStructured DataCanonical Tags

URLs Analyzed

Reports Generated

Checks Run

Report Breakdown

What your report includes

25+ automated checks across 5 AI search readiness dimensions. Each check returns a pass, warning, or fail with a specific fix recommendation.

AI Crawler Access

25 pts - highest weight category

Checks robots.txt for 8 named AI bots (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, and more) plus llms.txt and ai.txt at your domain root.

Structured Data

25 pts - FAQPage worth 7 pts alone

Scans for JSON-LD schemas AI engines read directly: FAQPage, HowTo, Article, BreadcrumbList, and Organization.

Content Quality

20 pts - heading hierarchy + depth

Checks H1/H2/H3 structure, list usage, word count, definition patterns, and author attribution in metadata.

Technical Signals

15 pts - table-stakes checks

Verifies HTTPS, meta description, canonical tag, Open Graph tags, and page response speed.

E-E-A-T Signals

15 pts - trust and authority

Checks for publication dates, visible author attribution, About and Contact page links, and external outbound links.

Total Score

100 pts - instant, no login

Every check returns a pass, warning, or fail with a specific "How to fix" recommendation tailored to the issue found.

How it works

From URL to actionable report in 4 steps

No setup, no account, no waiting. Paste your URL and get a full AI readiness audit in under 20 seconds.

Enter your URL

Paste any public page URL into the checker. No account, browser plugin, or login required.

We run 25+ checks

AI crawler access, structured data, content quality, technical signals, and E-E-A-T - all fetched and analysed in parallel. Takes 10-20 seconds.

Get your score

Instant 0-100 score with letter grade, per-category progress bars, and pass/warning/fail count.

Fix what matters

Every failed check shows a specific "How to fix" recommendation. Prioritise structured data and llms.txt for the fastest AI visibility gains.

How Scoring Works

What your score actually means

Each of the 5 categories carries a different weight based on its impact on AI search visibility. AI Crawler Access and Structured Data account for 50% of the total score.

Strong

85 to 100 points

Site is well-optimised for AI search. Focus on maintaining scores and addressing any remaining warnings.

Good

65 to 84 points

Solid foundation with clear opportunities. Address warnings to push into the Strong range.

Needs Work

45 to 64 points

Several gaps likely affecting AI visibility. Prioritise structured data and crawler access first.

Critical

0 to 44 points

Significant issues preventing AI search visibility. Immediate action needed on crawl access and schema.

Category Weights

AI Crawler Access

25 pts25%

Structured Data

25 pts25%

Content Structure

20 pts20%

Technical Signals

15 pts15%

E-E-A-T Signals

15 pts15%

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about AI search optimisation and how this tool works.

AEO is the practice of structuring web content so AI-powered answer engines - ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini - can extract and cite your page as a direct answer to user queries. Unlike traditional SEO (ranking in blue links), AEO targets zero-click responses where the AI quotes your content. Key signals include FAQPage and HowTo schema, question-formatted headings, and strong E-E-A-T indicators.