AEO checklist: 42 steps to get cited

AEO checklist: 42 steps to get cited

SEO & AEO
TripleDart
Work through it line by line when you want one complete pass over a site, from AI bot crawlability through to citation signals.
Source
TripleDart
Tools
Search Console, schema validators
Runs
Per site
Cost
Free checklist
Last updated
August 7, 2026

What it is.

The list runs to 42 numbered steps, grouped into crawlability for AI bots, indexation, sitemaps, schema, and Core Web Vitals, then content structure and citation signals. Each step is one thing to check or change.

The content section carries the specifics. Lead every section with a direct answer, write concise definition paragraphs for the terms your category argues over, and keep pages current, because content updated inside the last 90 days draws more citations.

This is TripleDart's own checklist and TripleDart sells AEO work. The steps hold up whoever runs them.

What you get.

  • 42 numbered steps you can turn straight into tickets.
  • A technical foundation section covering AI bot crawlability, indexation, and schema.
  • Content structure rules, including a direct answer at the top of every section.
  • Client figures for context: Signeasy at 60-68% month-over-month growth, FlowForma at 7x AI search visibility growth in six months.
HOW TO USE IT

How to set it up.

1

Start at step one and confirm AI bots can crawl the site at all, because everything after it depends on that.

2

Check indexation across search engines before you judge any content change.

3

Add schema for the page types you publish, then validate every one of them.

4

Rewrite section openings so the direct answer comes ahead of the context.

5

Add concise definition paragraphs for the terms buyers in your category compare.

6

Set a refresh schedule, since pages updated inside the last 90 days draw more citations.

Use cases

Turn it into tickets

Split the numbered steps into work items and assign them.

One complete pass over a site

Work it line by line when you want nothing left unchecked.

Start with crawlability

Clear the technical section before anyone rewrites a page.

Best for

A full site pass

When you want every AI visibility surface covered once, in a defined order, with things to tick off.

Handing work to engineering

42 discrete steps map onto tickets far more cleanly than a strategy document does.

Auditing an agency's work

You can score somebody else's AEO work against a public list.

Open the original.

Hosted on TripleDart, free to open.
Open the Tool

Questions about AEO checklist: 42 steps to get cited

Do I have to work through all 42 steps?
What's step one?
Are the client figures transferable?

Questions about SEO & AEO

Is AEO separate work from SEO?
How long before AEO work shows up?
Strengths
  • 42 discrete steps, each one a single check, which makes it usable as a ticket list.
  • It splits the technical foundation from the content signals, so two people can own two halves.
  • The client figures are named, including Signeasy at 60-68% month-over-month growth.
Limitations
  • TripleDart's own checklist, and TripleDart sells AEO as a service.
  • It runs long at 42 steps, so treat the technical section as the required part and the rest as a backlog.
  • The FlowForma and Signeasy figures come from client work with no method published, so read them as examples.
Skip this if
  • Skip it if you already have a complete AEO pass documented for your pages.
Ideal for
  • SEO leads
  • Technical marketers
  • Stage: Any stage

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