Short answer
- If AI crawlers cannot reach your pages, nothing else matters — start with access.
- AI engines recommend suppliers whose facts are consistent and verifiable across many sources.
- Evidence (certifications, MOQ, lead times) must be in crawlable text, not only PDFs or images.
- Third-party confirmation is what buyers — and AI — check after the first answer.
How to use this checklist
Score each item yes / partly / no. Fix crawl access first, then company facts, then evidence. In our reviews, evidence and the third-party trail are the most common gaps. This checklist measures preparation, not AI mention or citation rates. For a homepage check, use the readiness self-check; for actual answer evidence, follow the measurement methodology.
The 40 checks
| # | Area | Check |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crawl access | robots.txt allows Googlebot, Bingbot, OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User, PerplexityBot, Perplexity-User, Claude-SearchBot and Claude-User on intended public pages |
| 2 | Crawl access | Check firewall and CDN logs for blocked crawlers; user-agent-only requests are diagnostics, not verified bot identity (use provider IP or reverse-DNS guidance where available) |
| 3 | Crawl access | Key pages return HTTP 200 in under ~2 seconds from outside your country |
| 4 | Crawl access | Important text is in the HTML, not only rendered by JavaScript or embedded in images |
| 5 | Crawl access | An XML sitemap lists every important page and is referenced in robots.txt |
| 6 | Crawl access | The site is verified in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools |
| 7 | Crawl access | New and changed URLs are notified to participating search engines via IndexNow; an accepted notification does not prove indexing or an AI citation |
| 8 | Crawl access | Contact email is readable as text (not obfuscated into an image or script) |
| 9 | Company facts (entity) | One exact company name used everywhere, with the legal name stated once |
| 10 | Company facts (entity) | Full address, city and country on an About or Company Facts page |
| 11 | Company facts (entity) | Organization schema with name, legal name, URL, logo, address, email and real sameAs profiles only |
| 12 | Company facts (entity) | Year established, team size range and markets served stated plainly |
| 13 | Company facts (entity) | The same facts on LinkedIn, Google Business Profile and key directories |
| 14 | Company facts (entity) | No contradictions between your site, marketplace listings and trade-show catalogues |
| 15 | Company facts (entity) | Clear description of what you make — and what you do not |
| 16 | Company facts (entity) | A dated 'last updated' on fact pages |
| 17 | Evidence | Certifications (e.g. ISO 22716, GMP audits) listed as text with issuer and validity date |
| 18 | Evidence | Certificate scans available, but never as the only source of the fact |
| 19 | Evidence | MOQ ranges stated per product type |
| 20 | Evidence | Sampling and production lead times stated |
| 21 | Evidence | Capacity stated in units a buyer understands |
| 22 | Evidence | Regulatory status stated accurately for each market you serve (e.g. MoCRA registration, EU documentation support) |
| 23 | Evidence | Test methods and standards named for claims you make |
| 24 | Evidence | Real client or project examples only where you have permission |
| 25 | Answer pages | One page per core product category, opening with a direct answer |
| 26 | Answer pages | FAQ answers to the questions buyers actually ask (MOQ, lead time, customisation, compliance) |
| 27 | Answer pages | A comparison or 'how to choose' guide for your category |
| 28 | Answer pages | Specs in HTML tables, not PDFs |
| 29 | Answer pages | Page titles and H1s that match how buyers phrase prompts |
| 30 | Answer pages | FAQPage, Product or Service schema where it genuinely fits |
| 31 | Answer pages | Internal links from category pages to evidence pages |
| 32 | Answer pages | Pages written in the language of the target market |
| 33 | Third-party trail | A complete LinkedIn company page with the same facts |
| 34 | Third-party trail | Listings in the directories your buyers use, with consistent data |
| 35 | Third-party trail | Trade association memberships listed on both sides |
| 36 | Third-party trail | Trade-media mentions or interviews that describe what you make |
| 37 | Third-party trail | Reviews on relevant B2B platforms, never purchased or fabricated |
| 38 | Third-party trail | Honest participation in communities buyers read (e.g. Reddit, industry forums), disclosed as your company |
| 39 | Third-party trail | Trade-show exhibitor listings that link to your site |
| 40 | Third-party trail | A short, factual press page others can quote |
What to do with the result
- Fix everything in Crawl access within a week — it is usually configuration, not content.
- Write one Company Facts page and make every profile match it.
- Move evidence out of PDFs into dated HTML pages.
- Publish answer-first pages for the prompts your buyers use (see our prompt library).
- Build the third-party trail steadily; it is the slowest part and the hardest to fake.
Want us to run it for you? The free AI snapshot tests four engines on your category in three business days.