AEO Audit Checklist | Northlight Advisory Services

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AEO Audit Checklist

Area 1 FAQ sections — visible and in schema

Every post on a topic people ask questions about has a visible FAQ section — not just a schema block buried in JSON
FAQPage schema (JSON-LD) is present on pages with FAQ sections, with each question and full answer included
FAQ questions are phrased the way people actually ask them — not internal jargon ("What is a fractional COO?", not "Fractional leadership overview")
Each FAQ answer is self-contained — a reader who only sees that answer has everything they need
At least 5 FAQ questions per post on complex topics; at least 3 on shorter pieces
FAQ section is in the HTML body and visible to users, not hidden or collapsed by default

Area 2 Answer blocks — lead with the answer

Key sections start with a direct answer in the first 1–2 sentences before expanding with detail
Definition questions ("What is X?") are answered in 40–60 words that could stand alone as a citation
Comparison questions ("X vs. Y") include a direct verdict, not just a list of differences
Avoid burying the answer after long preambles — AI skims for extractable answers; so does your reader
Count your answer blocks: aim for at least 3 per post on substantive topics

Area 3 Numbered sequences — use <ol> for ordered content

Step-by-step processes use <ol> (ordered list), not bullet points — order carries information AI engines use for structured extraction
Numbered sequences have at least 3 items and are written to be understood out of context
HowTo schema is present on pages that explain a process, with each step as a structured object
Steps are specific, not vague — "Choose one KPI to track this quarter" not "Set goals"
Review your site's total <ol> count — fewer than 1 per page is a citability gap worth addressing

Area 4 Comparison content — tables and side-by-sides

Comparison posts include at least one HTML <table> with clear column headers
Tables have a verdict row or summary — the comparison leads to a conclusion, not just a list
Table content is visible in the HTML, not rendered via JavaScript from an external source
At least one comparison page exists for your most-searched "X vs. Y" topic in your domain
Tables have a caption or introductory sentence that explains what's being compared

Area 5 Technical signals — structured data and crawl access

Article or BlogPosting schema is present on every blog post, with headline, datePublished, author, and publisher
Organization schema is present on the homepage with name, url, and sameAs links to your social profiles
sitemap.xml is accessible and up to date — includes all published pages and posts
robots.txt is not blocking AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended)
llms.txt is present at /llms.txt — lists your key pages and their purpose in plain language
All canonical URLs are correct and match the live URL — no canonical pointing to a 404
Page load time is under 3 seconds — slow pages are less likely to be crawled fully

Area 6 Authority signals — E-E-A-T and citation readiness

Author bio is present on blog posts — first-hand experience is stated, not implied
Claims are grounded in experience or cited sources — vague assertions don't get cited
At least one post on your highest-traffic topic includes a link to a primary source (research, official publication, or industry body)
Your business entity (full legal name) is consistent across the website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, and schema
Contact information is findable and crawlable — a visible email address or form, not hidden behind obfuscation
Run an AI visibility tool (MentionScout, Profound, or similar) to see how often you're being cited — baseline before optimizing