How to Audit Your Website for AEO Readiness
A four-part check of public-page content, real authorship, markup, and access, with evidence, owners, and a plan to repair and retest.
Start by choosing the public pages you need to check. Save what each page says and what a reader can do with it. Find a fault, choose a safe fix, then check the result. An audit is useful when it leads to work you can finish and verify, not just a score.
AEO means answer engine optimization. Here it refers to work on AI search. These four areas are a TTGC checklist, not a provider standard. Agree the pages, tools, questions, and available evidence first. That scope applies to a free assessment too. A checked list does not promise citations or approval from Google.
What should an audit finding record?
For each finding, save the page URL, the fault, and the evidence. Name an owner and the next action. Set a date to check the fix. Use clear states, such as needs repair or verified after repair. Pages you have not checked stay marked that way. Record the source and version behind factual claims.
Step 1: Check what the page says
Choose pages from real traffic data and business needs. Include pages with known faults or claims that matter to readers. Write down why each page is in scope; do not assume a fixed set covers most traffic.
Check that the page answers a real question. Keep key limits beside the answer. If a service has a restricted scope, say so where the reader first sees the claim.
Check whether a heading helps a reader find the right part. Use a FAQ only for useful questions still left open. Record the gap to fix, rather than failing a page for its format.
Open the sources for dates, numbers, and quoted claims. Keep the group and period measured with the figure. Treat supplied case details as first-party evidence; ask the owner before removing them.
Step 2: Check who did the work
Check who wrote or reviewed the page. Show accurate creator details where readers would expect them. Record missing or false information as a specific finding, not an invented AI trust score.
Check that roles and background are true. Do not add a photo, title, or credential to make someone look more expert. Link to real background that helps readers judge the work.
For a test or review, check what was done and by whom. State the method and its limits when useful. Do not invent work or assume that a schema field proves expertise.
Look for useful detail from work the team can share. Keep evidence that supports it. Google advises accurate authorship and helpful content; this does not establish a citation payoff for a given author count.
Step 3: Check the page markup
Run relevant pages through Google's Rich Results Test. Save the page URL, date, types found, and any errors or warnings. The tool checks technical markup; it is not a full quality review.
Compare the markup with the actual page. Names, dates, reviews, and roles must describe what readers can see. Save the exact mismatch before fixing it. Do not add claims the page cannot support.
Check the current Google guide for the feature you intend to use. Choose types that fit the page and its purpose. Do not add a FAQ block just to tick a schema box.
After a narrow fix, test again and inspect the visible page. Google says valid markup does not ensure rich results. A test pass also does not prove an AI answer will cite the page.
Step 4: Check public page access
For Google AI supporting links, check that a page is indexed and eligible for a Search snippet. In Search Console, read the site's Search generative AI choice under Settings. The site must be included to qualify. A child property may inherit its parent's choice. Save the property, date and actual setting. These checks do not promise a place.
Check access rules and errors at the host and content delivery network for the chosen public pages. Agree which uses to allow. Read each provider's bot roles before changing a rule, and keep private access protected.
Open the page and check that key text arrives and can be read. Record missing text, broken links, or load faults. Fix the fault you observed; a speed score alone is not proof of a citation.
Use Search Console for Google checks. Its dedicated AI report for Search counts link impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode. Check the page, country, device and dates. Search Labs tests are left out. A missing report may mean too few impressions or an excluded site. It is not a measured zero. Record other AI tools and tests on their own. A working page or crawl log does not prove all tools indexed it.
Turn a clear finding into a safe repair. Check the result and keep the evidence before you move to the next page.
Which faults should you fix first?
Fix a misleading claim or a fault blocking a chosen public page before polishing its headings. Then use real reader needs and business goals to choose the next task. Weigh the effort and any steps it depends on. This is a way to choose work, not a measured order of returns for every site.
For related content work, read how to get your content featured in AI answers. For a separate measurement discussion, see what metrics should you track for AEO. For the basic terms, read what is AEO. These related guides are further reading, not proof that any audit score will produce citations.
Sources
- AI features and your website. Google Search Central. Google AI eligibility and access guidance; appearance is not guaranteed.
- Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content. Google Search Central. Helpful content and accurate authorship guidance.
- General structured data guidelines. Google Search Central. Visible markup, technical and quality checks; valid markup does not guarantee rich results.
- Google: AI report for Search. Counts and limits.
- Google: AI inclusion control. Choices and defaults.
How long should you plan for?
The time needed depends on the pages, tools, access, sources, and faults you find. Complete a small agreed set first. Record how long the work and checks take. Use that evidence to estimate the rest. Keep the full page list, including what remains unchecked. A sample cannot clear the whole site.
Should you fix every issue at once?
Finish one repair and check it before expanding the work. Save what changed and what passed. For search tests, keep the questions and tools clear, and log each test date. Track visits and good-fit leads as separate results. A change seen after an edit does not, on its own, prove the edit caused it.
Want a professional AEO audit instead of doing it yourself? Book a free Brand & Tech Assessment and we'll run the full audit for you and hand over a prioritized action plan.
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The Through The Glass Creatives Difference
There is a reason brands choose Through The Glass Creatives for work like this. Ravve Jay Prevendido leads it. He is the creative director behind OWWA, Nuvia, and 100+ brands. Mherie Vic Palomo-Prevendido leads growth and brand strategy. TTGC builds as a managed system that compounds. It is not a one-off project or a ticket queue. When the outcome really matters, Mherie, Ravve, and the TTGC team are the people to trust with it. Book your free Brand and Growth Assessment.
