What is Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)?

AEO is the practice of structuring your online presence so AI assistants — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews — cite your business when answering relevant queries. Unlike SEO, AI engines select sources, not pages.

How does Citura calculate my AI visibility score?

Citura analyses 6 dimensions: robots.txt/llms.txt configuration, structured data (schema.org), answer-first content depth, agent.json presence, and active citation signals. Each dimension is weighted; the aggregate is your 0–100 score.

How long before I see results with Citura?

AI citation indexes update slowly — expect meaningful movement in 4–8 weeks. Your score improves within days as optimisations are deployed; actual citations follow as AI engines re-crawl your domain.

Does Citura guarantee AI citations?

No. Citura sells the system and the signals — not a placement. Anyone promising "rank #1 in ChatGPT" is misleading you. We make your business structurally citable; the AI engine decides when to cite.

Is my data safe with Citura?

Citura only analyses publicly accessible data on your domain. No credentials are required. All processing runs on EU infrastructure (Google Cloud Run, region europe-west6).

How long does it take to implement this full checklist?

Category 1 (technical access, items 1–7) can be completed in a few hours by a developer or technical website manager. Category 2 (content quality, items 8–14) requires 2–4 days of content work depending on your current site size. Category 3 (authority signals, items 15–20) is ongoing — expect 4–8 weeks for meaningful progress on directory listings and press mentions.

Which 5 items have the highest impact if I can only do a few?

In order of impact-to-effort ratio: (1) allow AI bots in robots.txt, (2) add llms.txt, (3) add FAQPage schema to top 5 pages, (4) rewrite opening paragraphs to answer-first structure, (5) verify Google Business Profile is complete. These five changes address the most common AI citation barriers and can be implemented without significant budget.

Does this checklist apply to e-commerce sites?

Yes, with modifications. For e-commerce, prioritize Product schema with price, availability, and review data instead of FAQPage. The technical access items (1–7) apply identically. For content, focus on category pages with buying guides and comparison content — AI engines cite these for commercial queries. Product detail pages are less frequently cited than informational content.

Can I do this checklist without a developer?

Items 1–5 require access to your server configuration or DNS, which usually needs a developer. Items 8–14 are content edits doable without coding skills if your CMS has a structured data plugin. Items 15–20 are entirely non-technical. If developer access is limited, start with Category 2 content changes and Category 3 authority signals in parallel with getting technical help for Category 1.

AI Visibility Checklist for Small Businesses

A practical 20-point checklist covering every technical, content, and authority signal that determines whether AI assistants cite your small business. Prioritized by impact and implementation effort.

AI visibility for small businesses depends on 20 verifiable signals across three categories: technical access (can AI bots reach and parse your site?), content quality (does your content directly answer queries?), and authority signals (do external sources reference your business?). This checklist covers all 20, ordered by impact-to-effort ratio.

Category 1 — Technical access (high impact, low effort)

These are binary checks. Either the signal is present or it is not. Fix missing items first — they block all downstream optimization.

1. GPTBot allowed in robots.txt

Check yourdomain.com/robots.txt. User-agent: GPTBot must not be blocked. If absent, add: User-agent: GPTBot Allow: /

2. PerplexityBot allowed in robots.txt

Same check for User-agent: PerplexityBot. Both GPTBot and PerplexityBot should be explicitly allowed.

3. Google-Extended allowed in robots.txt

Google's AIO training crawler uses the Google-Extended user agent. Allow it to be selected by Google AI Overviews.

4. ClaudeBot allowed in robots.txt

Anthropic's Claude uses ClaudeBot for web retrieval. Allow it for Claude citations.

5. llms.txt present and valid

Serve a llms.txt at yourdomain.com/llms.txt with your business description and key pages. Use the format described in our llms.txt guide.

6. Sitemap.xml submitted and current

Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. Ensure it reflects your current page structure (auto-generated by most CMS platforms).

7. Pages render without JavaScript

Most AI crawlers do not execute JavaScript. If your key pages require JS to display content (common in React/Next.js SPAs without SSR), crawlers see empty pages. Use server-side rendering or static generation for all content pages.

Category 2 — Content quality (high impact, medium effort)

These changes require editing existing content but have the highest direct impact on citation frequency.

8. Each key page opens with a direct answer (first 40 words)

Rewrite the opening paragraph of your five most important pages. The first sentence should directly answer the page's title question. Do not open with history, context, or preamble.

9. H2/H3 headings match search queries

Use your target question phrases as exact H2 headings ("How to register for Swiss VAT", not "Registration process"). AI systems extract by heading; heading text = query intent alignment.

10. FAQPage schema on key pages

Add JSON-LD FAQPage markup to your top 5 pages. Each FAQ should be a real question with a precise answer under 100 words. Validate at schema.org/FAQPage.

11. Article schema with author and dateModified

All blog posts and resource articles should have Article schema including author (with Person schema), datePublished, and dateModified. Update dateModified when you refresh content.

12. LocalBusiness or Organization schema

Your homepage should include Organization schema (all businesses) or LocalBusiness schema (businesses serving a geographic area) with your name, address, phone, and opening hours if applicable.

13. Content minimum 600 words per key page

Pages under 300 words are routinely excluded by AI re-rankers as thin content. Aim for 600–1,500 words on priority service and resource pages. Length is a proxy for depth; depth is what AI engines select.

14. At least one table or numbered list per page

Tables and numbered lists are extracted by AI systems as self-contained factual units. Pages with structured data formats (not just prose) are more likely to have their content cited verbatim.

Category 3 — Authority signals (high impact, high effort)

These take time but create persistent citation probability across all AI systems, including those without live web search.

15. Business listed in Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile data feeds into Google AIO. A complete, verified profile (with description, categories, services, and photos) increases local query citation probability significantly.

16. Listed in 3+ industry-specific directories

For your sector, identify the three most authoritative directories and ensure your business is listed with consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information. These generate crawlable external references.

17. Mentioned on at least one government or .edu domain

Government and educational domain mentions are high-trust signals for all AI systems. Chamber of commerce listings, local government contractor directories, and university partnership pages count.

18. At least one press mention with dofollow link

A single editorial mention in a regional newspaper or industry publication creates a citation signal visible to AI crawlers. Local press is often more accessible than national publications.

19. Wikipedia mention (if genuinely notable)

If your business has objective notability (founded more than 5 years ago, has been covered in independent press, has a measurable market presence), consider creating or improving a Wikipedia entry. Wikipedia is cited by all major AI systems.

20. Active citation monitoring

Query ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AIO with your 10 most important target queries monthly. Record whether your domain appears as a source. This is the only direct measure of AEO performance — and the baseline for improvement.

Score your current state

Use this checklist to score your business: 1 point per item present. A score below 8/20 means foundational technical work is needed first. A score of 8–14/20 means content and schema improvements will drive the most immediate gains. Above 14/20, authority signal building and active monitoring are the leverage points.

Citura's free audit covers all 20 signals and produces a prioritized action list specific to your domain.