SEO Checks · AI Readiness
AI readiness checks explained: how we score your AI visibility
Quick answer: Our AI readiness score measures how well your site is optimized for citation by AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude. We run five checks: llms.txt presence, AI crawler access in robots.txt, question-heading ratio, FAQ/HowTo schema, and content chunkability. Together, they cover the three pillars of AI visibility: discoverability, structure, and format.
What is AI readiness?
AI readiness is how well your site is structured for AI retrieval systems — the engines behind ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and other AI assistants that fetch web content to generate answers. When a user asks an AI a question, the system:
- Crawls or retrieves relevant web pages
- Parses the content to find the answer
- Generates a response and (optionally) cites the source
An AI-ready site maximizes its chances at every step: discoverable by AI crawlers, structured for easy parsing, and formatted so AI systems can extract and cite specific answers rather than vague summaries.
Why AI readiness matters
AI-generated answers are rapidly becoming a primary way users find information. Being cited in these answers drives traffic, builds authority, and captures attention in a format that traditional search results increasingly compete with. Sites that optimize for AI readiness now are building a competitive advantage as AI-assisted search grows.
How our engine checks AI readiness
We run five distinct AI readiness checks:
Check 1: llms.txt exists
ID: ai-llms-txt-exists
Severity: Info
Scope: Site-wide
Logic: We fetch /llms.txt at your site root. If it returns a 200 status, the check passes. If it returns 404 or any error, the check fails. Only runs on live URL crawls (skipped for pasted HTML).
Why we check it: llms.txt is an emerging standard that gives AI systems a machine-readable overview of your site — what it does, what content is available, and how to interact with it. Think of it as the AI-era equivalent of robots.txt. Having one makes your site easier for AI systems to understand without crawling every page.
For a full guide on creating llms.txt, see our What is llms.txt? article or use our llms.txt generator tool.
Check 2: AI crawlers allowed in robots.txt
ID: ai-robots-allows-ai-bots
Severity: Warning
Scope: Site-wide
Logic: We parse your robots.txt and check whether the root URL is accessible to three major AI crawlers: GPTBot (OpenAI), ClaudeBot (Anthropic), and PerplexityBot. If any of these bots are blocked from the root, the check fails and we report which bots are blocked.
Why we check it: If your robots.txt blocks AI crawlers, your content won't appear in AI-generated answers from those services. This is a valid choice if you don't want AI systems using your content — but many site owners block AI bots unintentionally (often via a broad CMS plugin setting) and don't realize they're invisible to AI search.
Check 3: Question-heading ratio
ID: ai-question-heading-ratio
Severity: Info
Scope: Per page
Logic: We count the number of headings (H2–H6) that are phrased as questions (ending with ? or starting with question words like "How," "What," "Why," "When," "Where," "Which," "Can," "Do," "Is," "Are"). If at least 20% of headings are question-like, the check passes. Pages with fewer than 3 headings are excluded.
Why we check it: AI systems match user queries against page content. When your heading matches the user's question exactly ("How do I fix a broken canonical tag?"), the AI system can extract the answer from the section below that heading with high confidence. Question headings also improve featured snippet eligibility in traditional search.
Check 4: FAQ or HowTo schema
ID: ai-faq-howto-schema-present
Severity: Warning
Scope: Site-wide
Logic: We scan all crawled pages for JSON-LD blocks with@type of FAQPage or HowTo. If at least one page has either type, the check passes.
Why we check it: FAQPage and HowTo schema provide machine-readable Q&A pairs and step-by-step instructions that AI systems can parse directly — without having to infer structure from HTML. These schema types also enable rich results in Google (FAQ accordions, How-to steps).
Check 5: Content chunkability
ID: ai-content-chunkability
Severity: Warning
Scope: Per page
Logic: We calculate the average number of words between headings. If the page has headings and the average is under 400 words per section, the check passes. If sections average 400+ words, or the page has no headings at all, the check fails.
Why we check it: AI retrieval systems work by "chunking" content — splitting pages into sections and embedding each chunk for semantic search. Long, unbroken sections are harder to chunk effectively. When the average section is under 400 words, AI systems can extract precise answers from specific sections. Above 400 words, the chunks become too large and the AI may pull irrelevant context.
How to read your AI readiness result
When you run a URL through our free checker, each AI readiness check shows:
- Pass (green): Your site meets the criterion. No action needed.
- Warning (yellow): An important AI visibility signal is missing — AI crawlers blocked, no FAQ schema, or content isn't chunked well.
- Info (blue): A nice-to-have is missing — llms.txt not found, or headings aren't phrased as questions. Lower priority but still beneficial.
How to improve your AI readiness
- Create llms.txt: Use our llms.txt generator to create one in seconds.
- Unblock AI crawlers: Check your robots.txt for rules that block GPTBot, ClaudeBot, or PerplexityBot. If using a WordPress plugin, check its AI crawler settings.
- Rephrase headings as questions: Convert "Canonical Tag Overview" to "What is a canonical tag?" — matches how users ask AI.
- Add FAQ schema: Wrap your FAQ sections in FAQPage JSON-LD. This doubles as a Google rich result and an AI parsing signal.
- Break up long sections: Add subheadings every 200–300 words. Each section should cover one specific topic.
AI readiness and traditional SEO
Every AI readiness optimization also improves traditional SEO. Question headings improve featured snippet eligibility. FAQ schema enables rich results. Content chunkability improves passage ranking. AI readiness isn't a separate discipline — it's the next layer of the same optimization.
For a complete guide on getting cited by AI systems, see our How to get cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity & Claude guide.
Check your AI readiness
Our free checker runs all five AI readiness checks plus 60+ SEO checks on your page. See exactly how AI systems perceive your content. No signup required.
Check your site free →FAQ
What is AI readiness for SEO?
How well your site is structured for AI retrieval systems — discoverable by AI crawlers, structured for parsing, and formatted for citation.
What is llms.txt?
A machine-readable file at your site root that summarizes your site for AI systems — like robots.txt but for AI understanding.
How do I make my content AI-friendly?
Use question headings, break content into sub-400-word sections, add FAQ schema, and ensure AI crawlers aren't blocked in robots.txt.
Can I block AI crawlers?
Yes, via robots.txt. GPTBot, ClaudeBot, and PerplexityBot all respect it. But blocking them means your content won't appear in their AI-generated answers.
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