Calculators and planners
SEO checklist (with AI search)
A practical SEO checklist for 2026 that includes AI search: setup and tracking, crawling and indexing, pages, content, links, and getting cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI. Every item says why it matters and links to a free tool that checks it. Your ticks stay in your browser.
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Setup and tracking 0 of 6
It's Google's own data: the searches you show up for, your clicks, and pages Google couldn't index.
Check it: Search Console quick winsBing's index feeds Copilot and other assistants, and IndexNow tells it about new pages straight away.
Check it: IndexNow submitterSo both search engines know every page you want found, including new and deep ones.
Check it: XML sitemap checkerOtherwise ChatGPT and Perplexity visits hide in "referral" and you can't tell what's working.
Check it: GA4 AI traffic setupSo you fix and write the pages that pay for themselves first.
Check it: SEO ROI calculatorhttp, https, www and non-www all redirect to one address in a single step, so rankings aren't split.
Check it: Redirect checker
Crawling and indexing 0 of 10
A leftover "Disallow: /" from a staging site hides everything. Block only admin, cart and search pages.
Check it: Robots.txt checkerNoindex removes a page from search results. It's often left on after a redesign.
Check it: Free SEO auditErrors and redirect chains waste crawling, and pages that keep failing drop out of the index.
Check it: Free SEO auditA 301 says the move is permanent. Chains and temporary redirects weaken the signal.
Check it: Bulk redirect map checkerNo redirects, errors or noindexed pages. Search engines trust a clean sitemap more.
Check it: XML sitemap checkerA canonical names the address you want in Google. Pointing it elsewhere asks Google to show another page.
Check it: Canonical checkerGoogle renders JavaScript later; most AI crawlers don't run it at all.
Check it: Googlebot simulatorCore Web Vitals measure loading, responsiveness and layout shifts on real visits. Google indexes the mobile version.
Check it: Page speed checkerA deleted page with links pointing at it throws that value away. Redirect it to the closest live page.
Check it: Lost URL finderOnly if you have more than one language or country version: it shows each visitor the right one.
Check it: Hreflang checker
Pages 0 of 8
The title is the blue link in Google. Duplicates make pages hard to tell apart.
Check it: Title and meta description checkerGoogle may write its own snippet, but a good description is the fallback and earns clicks.
Check it: SERP snippet previewThe page's main heading tells readers, screen readers and search engines what it's about.
Check it: H1 checkerHeadings that say what each section answers are easy to skim and easy for AI answers to quote.
Check it: Heading structure checkerA clear slug tells people what they'll get before they click. Don't change URLs that already rank without a redirect.
Check it: URL slug generatorAlt text is read aloud to people who can't see the image; heavy images slow every page down.
Check it: Image SEO checkerSchema markup states facts (organisation, product, article) in a form search engines can read.
Check it: Schema validatorOpen Graph tags set the title, description and image on LinkedIn, Slack and other apps.
Check it: Open Graph and meta tag checker
Content 0 of 8
Search volume and difficulty tell you which pages are worth writing at all.
If Google ranks lists and you wrote a product page, a better title won't fix it.
Searches that share the same results belong on one page. Two pages chasing one search weaken each other.
The sections, questions and length the ranking pages share, before anyone writes a word.
Short sentences and plain words keep visitors reading, on any topic.
Check it: Readability checkerNamed authors, real update dates and cited sources are how readers and Google judge trust.
Check it: Trust signals (E-E-A-T) checkerLots of near-empty pages make a site look low quality and waste crawling.
Check it: Page inventory exporterTheir pages show what Google rewards for your searches, and where you're missing.
Links 0 of 4
Internal links are how crawlers find pages and how you tell Google which ones matter most.
Check it: Broken link checkerDead links frustrate readers and leak the value a page passes on.
Check it: Broken link checkerSites change. A link that now points at a 404 or was removed is worth chasing.
Check it: Backlink status checkerGoogle's link spam policies ask for it on every link given for money, products or a swap.
AI search 0 of 8
OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot and Claude-SearchBot fetch pages to cite them. A firewall can block them without you knowing.
Check it: AI crawler checkerBlocking a training bot like GPTBot is a separate choice from appearing in AI search. Don't let one break the other.
Check it: Robots.txt generatorAI answers lift a few sentences under a clear heading. Put the answer first and name the subject.
Check it: AI answer readiness checkerAsk the questions your buyers ask. Being cited and being recommended are different results.
And which sites it cites. A page cited there gets seen even when fewer people click.
Site, social profiles and directories should agree, so AI answers don't repeat an old price or the wrong category.
Check it: Brand entity checkerFor "best tool for..." questions, AI answers mostly repeat third-party lists.
Optional. Google says its AI features need no special files; some AI tools read one, and it's quick to add.
Check it: llms.txt generator
How it works
Work down the list, or jump to a section. Each item has one line on why it matters.
Use the free tool next to an item to check it on your own site, then tick it off.
Your progress is saved in this browser. Print the list for a meeting, or reset it after a redesign.
How to use this SEO checklist
Go in order the first time. The sections follow the questions search engines ask about a site: can they reach it, can they index it, do the pages say clearly what they're about, are they worth showing, and do other sites vouch for them. A problem early in the list, like a robots.txt rule that blocks Google, makes everything after it irrelevant, so it's worth ticking the setup and crawling sections before you rewrite a single title.
Not every item applies to every site. Hreflang only matters with more than one language or country version, and llms.txt is optional. Skip what doesn't fit; the progress bar is for you, not a score from Google.
Run through it again after big changes: a redesign, a new platform, a site move, or a new section. That's when noindex tags, broken redirects and missing titles tend to sneak back in.
What's on the list, and why
- Setup and tracking: Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools are where search engines tell you what they see. Analytics that separates AI assistant visits tells you whether the AI search work is paying off.
- Crawling and indexing: robots.txt, noindex, status codes, redirects, sitemaps and canonical tags decide which pages can appear at all. Content that only appears after JavaScript runs may be invisible to AI crawlers.
- Pages: titles, descriptions, headings, addresses, images and structured data tell search engines and readers what each page is about.
- Content: pages built on real searches, matching the kind of result Google shows, with one page per topic and named authors and sources.
- Links: internal links show which pages matter; earned links still need checking; paid ones need rel="sponsored".
- AI search: letting AI search crawlers in, writing passages an assistant can quote, knowing where you're mentioned, and keeping your brand facts consistent.
SEO and AI search: what changes, what doesn't
Most of the work is the same. AI answers in Google come from Google's own index, and ChatGPT, Perplexity and Copilot answer from search indexes too, so a page has to be crawlable and indexed before any AI tool can cite it. Google says its AI features need no special markup or files beyond what normal search needs.
What's new is mostly about access and shape. AI search crawlers such as OAI-SearchBot and PerplexityBot need to be allowed in, and a firewall can block them without anyone noticing. Many of them don't run JavaScript, so the answer should be in the HTML. And because an assistant quotes a few sentences rather than sending a click, the answer should sit right under a clear heading, in words that make sense on their own. Blocking AI training bots is a separate decision from appearing in AI search; you can do one without the other.
What a checklist can't do
A ticked box means you checked, not that it's perfect across every page. The free tools check one page or a sample at a time; a site with thousands of pages needs a crawl to be sure. The checklist also can't tell you which searches to target or what to write, only that you've done the research. For that, start with the keyword research tool and the content brief generator.
Nor does it rank anything by itself. The basics stop you losing traffic you've earned; new traffic comes from pages that answer searches better than what already ranks.
Questions people ask
What's the most important item on an SEO checklist?
That Google can crawl and index the pages you care about: no robots.txt block, no stray noindex, and pages that load with a 200. Everything else depends on it.
Is this SEO checklist up to date for AI search?
Yes. It includes AI crawler access, content in the raw HTML, quotable passages, AI Overview checks and brand consistency, alongside the classic technical and on-page items.
Where are my ticks saved?
In your browser's local storage on this device. Nothing is sent to us. Clearing your browser data, or using a private window, clears them.
Do I need llms.txt?
No. It's an optional file some AI tools read. Google says its AI features need no special files, so treat it as a nice extra, not a requirement.
How often should I go through it?
Once properly, then after any redesign, platform change, site move or big new section. Those are the moments when the basics tend to break.
Want it done for you?
Romeo keeps the whole checklist ticked
He checks the technical items on every page every day, writes and improves titles, descriptions and pages, adds internal links, and sends each change for you to approve before anything goes live.
