SEO+AI/GEO Checklist for Content: Download and Use Every Time When Writing an Article

For creating content, SEO and GEO (AI citability) tactics 100% overlap.

In other words, when optimizing your content for AI Answers (ChatGPT, AI Mode, Perplexity, etc.), you are optimizing it for organic search results as well.

There’s no specific tactic that would be “AI-only”. All SEO best practices apply here.

Moreover, all of these tactics aim at helping human readers as well by making your content more readable and engaging.

Here are the best practices for creating SEO- and AI-friendly content (you can also download the free PDF here).

To clarify:

• I refer to SEO as ranking in organic search (10 blue links)
• I refer to GEO / AI content optimization as being cited in AI answers (in ChatGPT, AI Mode, Perplexity, etc.)

SEO+GEO (AI Optimization) FORMATTING: CHECKLIST

KEYWORDS for SEO and GEO / AI Optimization

Keywords are still important, no matter what you hear from newly appearing “GEO experts”. Keywords help ideation, they let you better understand your target audience, and they allow search crawlers and AI agents to quickly understand what your page is about.

• Use your main keyword in:
  • Title
  • H1 heading
  • Beginning of the article
  • Throughout your page, when it makes sense
  • Page URL / slug
  • Meta description
• Use related keywords and synonyms throughout the content as you see fit.
  • Use “fan-out” queries in the content (or as ideas for more content)

Further reading and tools:

• My favorite keyword research tools
• Optimize for “fan-out” queries

STRUCTURE Content for SEO and GEO / AI Optimization

Structuring content is important for search crawlers / AI agents as well as for human readers because it helps quickly find information they need. Here’s how to make your structure better optimized:

• For structuring your articles, use H2 and H3 headers (*don’t* use H1 or bold for subheadings).
  • Use secondary keywords in H2 and H3 subheadings
  • When possible*, phrase your H2 and H3 subheadings as questions, as these are more engaging
• Include bullet-­point and numbered lists in the post as this improves scannability and makes the post easier to read.
  • Lists should have proper HTML formatting: <ul> for bullet-point lists and <ol> for numbered lists.
• Other structuring rules:
  • Keep your sentences and paragraphs short, concise, and easy to read.
  • When asking a question in a subheading, follow it immediately with a concise and factual answer
  • Don’t write a huge block of text, which can be exhausting to read.
  • End the article with a conclusion and a question for the readers.

Further readings and tools:

• Question research tools
• Intent-based optimization: This is what SEO and GEO/AEO/AIO have in common

READABILITY Sections for SEO and GEO / AI Optimization

These content sections help search crawlers, AI agents and human readers to quickly extract information they need:

• Takeaways at the beginning of the article
• FAQs at the end of the article (FAQ schema won’t hurt and may help some search or AI bots)
• Summary as the conclusion

LINKS (Internal + external)

Contextual links serve many important goals: They let crawlers access more pages of your site, pass link equity and relevance signals to other URLs, make your content more trustworthy (when you reference original sources), etc.

• Link sources: When you refer to a name, a company, or a quote, include a link to the *original* source so readers can go and discover more.
  • When you are citing stats or studies, try and find the original source of the study
• Link words: Don’t place links in subheads or image captions.
  • Write link text so that it is clear what the linked page is about
• Use the original link: don’t use any shortened links such as bit.ly
  • Remove any tracking parameters from a link
• Always check (click through) all the links before using them (to make sure they are working);
• Internal links: In each article, you must link to older relevant articles published on your site
  • Tip: Use [SITE:blogdomainhere.com KEYWORD] Google search to find related articles to link to
• Always make sure you are providing the full URL address of a link you embed (including https://)

Further reading and tools:

• Internal anchor text (Your SEO low-hanging-fruit opportunity)

IMAGES for SEO and GEO / AI Optimization

Images should add to content value, instead of distracting readers. Keep your audience and intent in mind when deciding on your visual style. For example, for HOW-TO content, images would visualize and help complete steps (avoid images for just decorative purposes here). For entertaining content, images can be purely decorative (adding humor, etc.)

• Make it a rule to use *original* images, e.g. large, clear screenshots
• Image alt text should describe an image and add to context. Add your main or secondary keywords when possible
• Image files should include your main or secondary keywords
• Images should be under 100k in size. Use compressor.io to compress them
• Do not link images to image files (unless you want readers to click through to a larger copy)

You can download it for free here.