GEO METHODOLOGY · AI VISIBILITY
How we score AI-search citation readiness.
The GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) score measures how well your site is structured to be found, understood, and cited by AI answer engines like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. Here are the exact checks and how to fix them.
THE 5 CATEGORIES · 14 CHECKS
What the GEO score measures.
GEO checks span five areas: AI crawler access, llms.txt, structured data, content structure, and entity clarity. Each check has an explicit pass/fail rule.
AI crawler access via robots.txt
◆ WarningWhat it checks: Checks whether robots.txt blocks GPTBot (OpenAI/ChatGPT), ClaudeBot (Anthropic/Claude), or PerplexityBot. Passes if none are blocked.
How to fix it: Add explicit Allow directives for each AI crawler user-agent. If you use a catch-all Disallow, you must explicitly allow these bots.
llms.txt file present
● InfoWhat it checks: Checks for a valid text file at /llms.txt. Passes if the file exists and returns a 200 status.
How to fix it: Create /llms.txt with a site description, key page inventory, and what makes your content citable. Use the free llms.txt generator at /tools/llms-txt-generator.
FAQPage or HowTo schema on at least one page
◆ WarningWhat it checks: Checks whether any crawled page has valid FAQPage or HowTo JSON-LD schema. These are the schemas most directly used by AI systems to extract and cite question-answer pairs.
How to fix it: Add FAQPage schema to any page with a frequently-asked-questions section. Use the schema generator at /tools/schema-generator to build the JSON-LD.
Question-led headings (≥20% of H2/H3s phrased as questions)
● InfoWhat it checks: Per-page check. Passes when at least 20% of H2/H3 headings on a page are phrased as questions (end with "?" or start with "How", "What", "Why", "Which", "When", "Can", "Does", "Is").
How to fix it: Rewrite declarative headings ("Our approach to SEO") as questions ("How does our SEO approach work?"). Question-shaped headings help AI systems identify what a section answers.
Content chunkability (average words between headings < 400)
◆ WarningWhat it checks: Per-page check. Passes when the average number of words between consecutive headings is under 400. This measures whether content is broken into scannable, citable sections.
How to fix it: Add more subheadings to long content sections. AI systems extract answers more reliably when content is structured into short, labeled chunks.
ENTITY CLARITY
Why AI systems need to know who you are.
Organization schema
JSON-LD on your root layout that names your brand, URL, and logo. Helps AI systems attribute content to a known entity rather than an anonymous page.
WebSite schema + SearchAction
Signals your site's primary purpose and optionally enables a Sitelinks search box in Google results.
Consistent brand name
Your site name should appear consistently in titles, descriptions, schema, and llms.txt. Variation ("DeepSEO" vs "DeepSEOAnalysis") makes entity resolution harder for AI systems.
Clear site description
The description in your root metadata, llms.txt, and Organization schema should all describe the same entity. Each is a signal AI systems use to decide what you are and what queries you're relevant to.
FAQ
GEO scoring questions.
How is the GEO / AI Visibility score calculated?
The GEO score is calculated separately from the main 0–100 SEO score. It weights the AI readiness checks by severity (warning checks count 1×, info checks count 0.25×) and produces a 0–100 score. This score is also factored into the overall score at a 5% weight.
Which AI systems does this score cover?
The score is designed around the three major AI answer engines: ChatGPT (GPTBot), Claude (ClaudeBot), and Perplexity (PerplexityBot). Google AI Overviews uses Googlebot, which is already covered by the Technical SEO pillar.
Is llms.txt an official standard?
llms.txt is a proposed convention, not an official standard. It was proposed by Jeremy Howard (fast.ai). A growing number of AI crawlers read it, and the convention is spreading. Having one costs nothing; not having one means you miss the opportunity to frame your site's identity for AI systems.
Why is the AI Visibility score separate from the main score?
Because the audience and the outcome are different. The main score optimizes for Google crawlability and ranking signals. The GEO score optimizes for AI citation readiness. A site can score 95 on SEO and 60 on GEO — they measure different things.
Can I improve my GEO score without affecting my SEO score?
Yes. Adding llms.txt, writing more question-led headings, and adding FAQPage schema all improve GEO independently of the core SEO score. Most GEO improvements are additive and don't risk hurting existing SEO signals.
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