The GEO Checklist: 27 Proven Tactics to Get Cited by Every AI Search Engine

Stop Reading Theory. Start Checking Boxes.

There are hundreds of articles about GEO strategy. Most are vague, theoretical, and leave you wondering "but what do I actually DO?"

This isn't one of those articles. Below are 27 specific, actionable tactics organized into three phases. Each one has been tested across 200+ brand implementations. Check them off as you go.

Phase 1: Technical Foundation (Tactics 1-9)

These are the infrastructure requirements that make everything else possible. Without them, even great content won't get cited.

1. Allow AI Crawlers in robots.txt

Most websites block AI crawlers by default. Add explicit allow rules:

User-agent: GPTBot
Allow: /

User-agent: ClaudeBot
Allow: /

User-agent: PerplexityBot
Allow: /

User-agent: Google-Extended
Allow: /

2. Submit to Bing Webmaster Tools

ChatGPT uses Bing's index as a primary data source. If you're not indexed in Bing, you're invisible to ChatGPT. Most brands only submit to Google Search Console and miss this critical step.

3. Implement Organization Schema

Tell AI exactly who you are:

• Company name, description, founding date
• Products and services offered
• Industry and area served
• Social media and official profiles

4. Add Product/Service Schema

For every product or service, define:

• Name, description, category
• Pricing (if public)
• Aggregate ratings and review counts
• Key features and differentiators

5. Deploy FAQ Schema on Key Pages

FAQ markup is the highest-impact schema for GEO. Each product page and major content page should have 5-8 Q&A pairs. Use natural, conversational questions that match how users query AI.

6. Implement Article Schema on Blog Posts

Every blog post needs:

• Headline, author (named person), datePublished, dateModified
• Topic entities (about property)
• Publisher information

7. Fix Core Web Vitals

AI platforms consider page quality signals. Ensure:

8. Ensure Mobile Responsiveness

75% of zero-click searches happen on mobile. If your site isn't mobile-optimized, AI platforms may deprioritize your content.

9. Create and Submit XML Sitemap

Include all important pages with accurate lastmod dates. Submit to both Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.

Phase 2: Content Optimization (Tactics 10-18)

With the technical foundation in place, optimize your content to be citation-worthy.

10. Audit Existing Content Through AI's Eyes

Ask each major AI platform questions about your industry. Compare their answers to your content. Identify gaps where your content doesn't provide what AI is looking for.

11. Restructure Content with Inverted Pyramid

Put the most important, citable information first in every page and section:

1. Direct answer (first paragraph)
2. Key supporting data (second paragraph)
3. Detailed explanation (remaining content)

12. Create Comparison Tables

AI models love structured comparisons. Create tables comparing:

• Your product vs. each major competitor
• Feature-by-feature breakdowns
• Pricing tiers with specific numbers
• Use case suitability ratings

13. Write Fact-Dense Content (Not Marketing Fluff)

Don't write: "Our industry-leading platform delivers world-class results."

Do write: "Our platform processes 2.3M queries daily with 99.7% uptime, serving 450+ enterprise clients across 28 countries since 2021."

AI cites specific facts, not superlatives.

14. Use Question-Based Headings

Structure content sections as questions users actually ask:

• "What is [topic]?"
• "How does [product] compare to [competitor]?"
• "What are the top [category] tools in 2026?"

15. Provide Concise Answer Blocks

After each question heading, provide a direct 40-60 word answer before diving into details. This is the snippet AI is most likely to extract and cite.

16. Include Original Statistics

Content with unique, first-party data gets cited 6x more often. Conduct surveys, analyze your product data, or aggregate industry statistics into citable insights.

17. Maintain Content Freshness

AI platforms heavily weight content recency:

• Update key pages monthly with fresh data
• Always update the dateModified schema
• Add visible "Last Updated" dates on pages
• Publish at least 3 new articles per week for maximum velocity

18. Remove AI-Unfriendly Elements

Eliminate content patterns that hurt AI readability:

• Excessive pop-ups and interstitials
• Content locked behind login walls
• Heavy JavaScript rendering that blocks crawlers
• Thin pages with less than 300 words

Phase 3: Authority Building (Tactics 19-27)

AI trusts brands that have widespread, positive mentions across the web.

19. Launch a Review Generation Campaign

Target 50+ detailed reviews on platforms relevant to your industry:

20. Publish Guest Articles on Authority Sites

Secure 3-5 guest posts monthly on industry publications. Each post should naturally mention your brand with specific, factual information AI can extract.

21. Build Active Reddit Presence

Reddit is one of the most heavily weighted sources for AI models. Create genuine, helpful participation in your industry subreddits. Don't spam — provide real value.

22. Engage Meaningfully on LinkedIn

AI crawls LinkedIn for professional expertise signals. Publish weekly insights, comment thoughtfully on industry discussions, and establish team members as recognized experts.

23. Answer Questions on Quora

Quora answers appear frequently in AI training data. Answer 10+ questions per month in your domain with detailed, expert-level responses.

24. Secure Press Coverage

Get featured in news articles and industry reports. AI models treat press coverage as high-authority signals. Even small trade publications help build the consensus AI needs.

25. Maintain Wikipedia/Wikidata Presence

If eligible, ensure your Wikipedia article is accurate and up-to-date. Update your Wikidata entry with correct structured data. These knowledge base entries carry enormous weight in AI models.

26. Create Linkable Original Research

Publish quarterly research reports with unique data. When other sites cite your research, it builds the network of signals that AI trusts.

27. Monitor and Correct Continuously

Set up weekly AI monitoring to track:

• New brand mentions (positive and negative)
• Hallucinations or inaccuracies to correct
• Competitor citation gains or losses
• Content performance by citation rate

Progress Tracker

Use this table to track your implementation progress:

The brands that complete all 27 tactics within 90 days see an average 340% increase in AI citation rates compared to their starting baseline.

Don't Go It Alone

This checklist is comprehensive, but implementation is where most brands stall. Between schema markup, content production, and authority building, there are hundreds of hours of specialized work.

Huginn can accelerate your implementation from months to weeks. Request your free GEO audit and get a prioritized action plan customized for your brand.