AI SEO Audit Template for 2026: A Step by Step Checklist to Get Cited in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

• An AI SEO audit is a repeatable process that improves two things at once. Google rankings and your likelihood of being cited in AI answers.

• The winning pattern in 2026 is simple. Make your pages easy to crawl, easy to understand, and easy to quote accurately.

• Use the 60 point checklist in this post to score your site, fix the highest impact blockers first, then run monthly “AI answer tests” across Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity to track progress.

• This post includes a ready to copy spreadsheet template plus a scoring rubric so you can turn an audit into a prioritized action plan in one sitting.

1. Definition Block. What “AI SEO audit” means in 2026

2. Direct Answers. Quick answers to the top questions

3. The 7 step AI SEO audit workflow

4. Ferventers AI Citation Readiness Scorecard (0 to 100)

5. The 60 point AI SEO audit checklist (grouped and numbered)

6. Common mistakes and how to fix them (12)

7. Key takeaways

8. FAQ

Q. What is an AI SEO audit?

A. An AI SEO audit is an SEO audit with an extra layer. It tests whether your pages are eligible to be used as sources in AI answers, then fixes the technical, content, and credibility gaps that stop citations.

Q. Will this help my Google rankings too?

A. Yes. Most “AI visibility” wins come from traditional best practices. Crawlability, strong internal linking, helpful content, and clean structured data improve both rankings and AI citation likelihood.

Q. Do I need special optimization for Google AI Overviews?

A. Google’s guidance is that AI features use the same fundamentals as regular Search. Focus on Search Essentials, people first content, and structured data that matches what is on the page.

Q. What does “get cited in ChatGPT” practically mean?

A. It means your brand or page becomes a source the assistant can retrieve or has learned from, so it recommends you or cites your page when users ask relevant questions.

Q. How long does it take to see AI citations?

A. Technical fixes can improve discoverability quickly once indexed. Citations usually compound over weeks to months because they depend on freshness, retrievability, and authority.

Q. What is the fastest win in an AI SEO audit?

A. Fix anything that blocks crawling or indexing of your best pages, then rewrite the top 5 pages with answer first structure and strong internal linking so systems can extract a clean response.

Q. Is schema required?

A. Schema is not a magic switch, but it helps machines interpret your page correctly. Follow structured data guidelines and only mark up content that is actually visible on the page.

Q. What score should I aim for?

A. Aim for 80+ on the scorecard. Under 60 usually means you have crawl or content structure blockers that prevent consistent citations.

Q. What tools do I need?

A. At minimum. Google Search Console, analytics, a crawler (Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or similar), and a spreadsheet. Optional. Page speed tools, backlink tools, and a brand mention tracker.

Q. What do I audit first if I have no time?

A. Indexing, internal linking, and your top money pages. If those are weak, content tweaks will not stick.

In 2026, search is not one channel. Buyers ask Google, then they ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and every tool built on top of them. That changes what “winning SEO” looks like. You still need rankings. But you also need your pages to be quoteable, attributable, and hard to misunderstand.

This audit template is designed for commercial intent sites. Agencies, SaaS, local services, and B2B. It turns a messy set of SEO tasks into a scoring system with clear evidence, so you can prioritize fixes and measure progress.

1. Step 1. Establish your baseline AI visibility

   Pick 20 to 50 high-intent prompts your customers actually ask. Run them in Google (including AI features when present), ChatGPT, and Perplexity. Save screenshots and log which sources and brands are cited. This becomes your baseline for share of answer and first-mention rate.

   Step 2. Crawl the site like a machine would
   Run a full crawl and export the data. Review status codes, canonicals, indexability, headings, word count, internal links, and structured data. Machines cannot cite what they cannot access.

   Step 3. Fix indexing and duplication before content
   If your best pages are crawled but not indexed, or trapped behind duplicate variants, AI systems and Google will not trust them as stable sources. Resolve robots rules, noindex tags, canonical conflicts, redirects, and parameter duplicates first.

   Step 4. Rebuild internal linking around answer hubs
   Create a clear hierarchy. One hub page per major topic, supported by pages that answer related sub-questions. Use descriptive anchors and ensure every important page is reachable within a few clicks from the homepage.

   Step 5. Rewrite for extractability and accuracy
   Add definition blocks, direct answers, tight headings, and tables where they add clarity. Replace vague claims with specific, sourced facts. Add “last updated” dates and keep information current.

   Step 6. Add structured data that reflects visible content
   Use JSON-LD and follow Google’s structured data guidelines. Mark up FAQs, breadcrumbs, and article metadata only when the content is visible on the page. Never mark up hidden or unsupported statements.

   Step 7. Measure, iterate, and defend your citations
   Run the same prompt set every month. Track which pages get cited, which answers are incorrect, and where competitors replace you. Update the pages that matter most first, then repeat the cycle.

2. 
   

3. If you are building an internal AI SEO system, you will want repeatable SOPs. Publishing calendars, SERP scan templates, schema checklists, and reporting formats. We continuously add those resources to our blog hub, including step by step guides that your writers and SEO team can follow without guesswork. Browse the latest frameworks and examples here. https://www.ferventers.com/blogs

Use this as the on page checklist. The spreadsheet version with pass criteria and notes is provided after the list.

Indexing and crawlability (1 to 12)

• Verify your important pages return 200 and are not blocked by robots.txt.

• Check for accidental noindex, X-Robots-Tag, or canonical pointing away on key pages.

• Submit a clean XML sitemap that contains only canonical, indexable URLs.

• Fix crawled but not indexed pages by improving internal links and content uniqueness.

• Fix discovered but not indexed pages by improving crawl paths and reducing thin pages.

• Standardize trailing slash, www, and HTTPS versions sitewide.

• Remove redirect chains on important URLs.

• Resolve parameter duplicates. Sort, filter, UTM, session IDs.

• Fix canonical loops and conflicting canonical signals.

• Reduce soft 404 and thin pages that waste crawl budget.

• Ensure pagination and faceting have a controlled strategy.

• Use the URL Inspection tool to confirm the indexed version matches your intended version.

Rendering, speed, and accessibility (13 to 20)

• Confirm server side rendering or reliable rendering for critical content and links.

• Ensure important content is not hidden behind user interactions that bots cannot trigger.

• Improve Core Web Vitals and major UX speed issues on key pages.

• Avoid heavy client side navigation that hides internal links from HTML.

• Provide clean HTML headings and semantic structure.

• Add descriptive alt text to meaningful images and diagrams.

• Avoid intrusive interstitials that block content access.

• Ensure your site works well on mobile and small screens.

Site architecture and internal linking (21 to 30)

• Create one clear hub page for each major commercial topic.

• Link supporting articles to the hub using descriptive anchors.

• Link from hubs to the most important money pages with contextual anchors.

• Fix orphan pages. Every important page should have at least one internal link.

• Reduce crawl depth. Important pages should be reachable quickly from the homepage.

• Add breadcrumb navigation and validate it.

• Use consistent naming for categories, services, and products across the site.

• Add related content modules that use real relevance, not random widgets.

• Use internal links to reinforce entities. People, product, location, service.

• Create an internal link map and keep it updated monthly.

On page clarity and extractability (31 to 44)

• Add a TL;DR or quick answer at the top of informational pages.

• Use a definition block for key terms to reduce ambiguity.

• Answer the main question in the first 100 to 150 words.

• Use short paragraphs and clear headings that mirror questions people ask.

• Include tables for comparisons, pricing ranges, checklists, and specs where relevant.

• Add how it works steps for processes and services.

• Include constraints and edge cases. When your advice does not apply.

• Avoid vague claims. Replace with measurable specifics or remove the claim.

• Add references to trusted sources for important facts.

• Add a last updated date and update when facts change.

• Standardize terminology. Use the same term for the same thing everywhere.

• Add author and reviewer details for high stakes topics.

• Ensure your content is original and not a rewrite of a competitor.

• Remove fluff. Keep every section tied to user intent.

E-E-A-T and credibility (45 to 52)

• Create a real About page with company details, address, and contact methods.

• Add author bios with expertise and relevant experience.

• Add a clear editorial policy and fact checking approach for your blog.

• Use consistent NAP (name, address, phone) across the web if you are local.

• Show proof. Case studies, screenshots, numbers, testimonials with context.

• Avoid anonymous content for topics that require trust.

• Make your policies easy to find. Privacy, terms, refunds if relevant.

• Improve review signals and third party profiles where appropriate.

Structured data and machine understanding (53 to 57)

• Validate JSON-LD with Rich Results Test and fix errors.

• Use Article schema for blog posts with author, dates, and image.

• Add FAQPage schema for your FAQ section and keep it consistent with visible content.

• Add BreadcrumbList schema, even if mobile SERPs show less breadcrumb UI.

• Use Organization and WebSite markup on the site level where appropriate.

Measurement and AI answer testing (58 to 60)

• Maintain a monthly prompt test log across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI features.

• Track share of answer, first mention rate, and citation rate for your target prompts.

• Create a change log. Every time you edit a page, record what changed and why.

Mistake 1. You optimize content but key pages are not indexable. Fix robots, noindex, canonicals, and sitemap quality first.

Mistake 2. You publish many thin pages and dilute trust. Consolidate into fewer, stronger pages that fully answer the intent.

Mistake 3. Your page answers the question too late. Add a direct answer in the first 100 to 150 words.

Mistake 4. Your headings are generic. Rewrite headings to match question language and intent.

Mistake 5. Your content is easy to misquote. Use definitions, tables, constraints, and standardized terms.

Mistake 6. You make claims with no sources. Add references for the few key claims that matter and remove the rest.

Mistake 7. You copy competitor structure. Add original assets. Templates, scorecards, first party examples, and clear process.

Mistake 8. You rely only on schema. Treat schema as support, not strategy. Focus on content clarity and credibility.

Mistake 9. You ignore internal linking. Build hubs and create contextual links that guide bots and users.

Mistake 10. Your About and author pages are weak. Add bios, credentials, company details, and ways to verify legitimacy.

Mistake 11. You never test prompts. Run a stable set of prompts monthly and track citations over time.

Mistake 12. You update pages but track nothing. Maintain a change log so you can connect improvements to outcomes.

AI visibility is mostly fundamentals plus extractability. If bots cannot access or understand your page, they cannot cite it.

• Your top 5 to 10 pages usually drive most of your AI mentions. Fix those first.

• Use a scorecard and evidence. It prevents opinion based SEO and speeds up decisions.

• Run monthly prompt tests and keep the wording stable. That is how you measure progress.