Technical AEO Checklist

Technical AEO Checklist

✅ XML Sitemap

• Create an XML sitemap listing all public pages
• Submit to Google Search Console (search.google.com/search-console)
• Submit to Bing Webmaster Tools
• Include your sitemap URL in robots.txt: Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml

✅ robots.txt

Add a robots.txt that explicitly welcomes AI crawlers:

User-agent: GPTBot
Allow: /

User-agent: ChatGPT-User
Allow: /

User-agent: ClaudeBot
Allow: /

User-agent: PerplexityBot
Allow: /

User-agent: Google-Extended
Allow: /

Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml

✅ Meta Descriptions

Every page needs a unique meta description (150-160 characters) that:

• Includes your primary keyword
• Describes what the page is about
• Includes a value proposition or call to action

✅ Page Speed

Target: LCP under 2.5 seconds

• Compress all images (use WebP format)
• Remove unused CSS and JavaScript
• Use a CDN for static assets
• Enable browser caching

✅ HTTPS

Your entire site must use HTTPS. AI engines and search engines penalize HTTP sites.

✅ Mobile Responsive

Over 60% of searches are on mobile. Test your site at search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly.