GEO Insight
25 Homepage Checks for AI Search Visibility
SUMMITFEED's 25-point homepage review covers access, indexing, readable text, page structure, JSON-LD and brand evidence.
Quick answer
A frequent GEO meeting question is whether organizing the homepage is all GEO requires.
SUMMITFEED started with its own homepage and 25 SEO checks to trace access, indexing, body text, JSON-LD and brand information.
Homepage structure is the start of GEO, not the completed result. Schema and layout alone do not create citations or recommendations.
Question-specific content, consistent official information, outside mentions and repeated measurements across four AI platforms complete the workflow.
SSL certificate problem
A security warning or failed connection can prevent reliable access for people and crawlers.
Important page blocked in robots.txt
A browser may open the site while crawler access to a key page is denied.
JSON-LD disagrees with the page
Different company, service or FAQ values make the official information inconsistent.
Why can a page rank on Google but have little AI visibility?
Google ranking and inclusion in an AI answer are not identical. A page can rank while a relevant crawler is blocked or independent mentions supporting the brand are scarce. Check robots.txt, initial HTML and agreement between the visible page and JSON-LD, then compare actual AI mentions and cited sources.
Can AI access the page?
Check whether robots.txt blocks important pages.
Can the homepage explain itself?
Align the company name, main service and answer in the page and JSON-LD.
Is the brand described elsewhere?
Compare official channels and external references for consistent brand information.
What do the 25 homepage checks cover?
The list finds breaks between discovery, readable content and official brand evidence; it is not a score in which every item has the same weight.
| No. | Check | Problem to look for | First action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | robots.txt | Public page or needed asset blocked | Compare rules with actual URLs |
| 2 | Server and security access | 403, 429 or regional block | Check CDN, WAF and server logs |
| 3 | Index blocking | noindex or X-Robots-Tag on a public page | Check HTML and response headers |
| 4 | sitemap.xml | Broken, redirected or duplicate URLs; wrong lastmod | Keep canonical public URLs |
| 5 | HTTPS and redirects | Certificate error or redirect loop | Unify host and redirects |
| 6 | Initial HTML | H1 or key answer appears only after scripts run | Review server or static output |
| 7 | Page reliability | Repeated timeout, blank page or 5xx | Check server and critical assets |
| 8 | Mobile view | Text, table or button clipped | Check key viewport widths |
| 9 | Document language | lang or hreflang differs from page language | Check language and canonical URLs |
| 10 | Image alt | Essential explanation only in an image | Write purpose-specific alt text |
| 11 | Page title | Several pages share one title | Match title to each question |
| 12 | Meta description | Repeated or inaccurate summary | Summarize actual page content |
| 13 | Canonical | Points to another domain or unrelated page | Check sitemap and internal links |
| 14 | Open Graph | Wrong title, URL or image | Check preview and absolute URLs |
| 15 | H1 | Missing or contained only in an image | Show the page subject as text |
| 16 | H2 and H3 | Empty, misplaced or decorative headings | Organize questions and answers |
| 17 | Opening answer | Long introduction delays the answer | Answer in the first paragraph |
| 18 | Body coverage | Marketing copy lacks conditions and evidence | Add missing questions and sources |
| 19 | Tables, lists and FAQ | FAQ differs from body or table breaks on mobile | Align screen and structured data |
| 20 | Internal links | Key page isolated or link broken | Connect relevant hubs and services |
| 21 | Author and date | No responsible author or date changed without edits | Show publisher and actual revision |
| 22 | Company and brand | Names, address or service differ across pages | Align About, footer and outside profiles |
| 23 | Organization and WebSite | Duplicate @id, wrong logo or false sameAs | Compare entities with visible facts |
| 24 | Article, BreadcrumbList and FAQPage | Markup includes unseen questions | Match rendered content and schema |
| 25 | Sources and canonical content | No evidence or duplicated article across URLs | Connect official sources and canonical URL |
Fix access and indexing first, then title, body, brand facts and structured data on important pages.
Does an open robots.txt mean AI can read the homepage?
robots.txt is an access instruction, not proof that a public page is indexable. A remaining noindex setting or missing sitemap entry can still interrupt discovery.
| Check | Meaning | Problem | What to inspect |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSL certificate | Can the site be opened securely? | Warning or failed connection | Certificate and URL |
| robots.txt | Which pages may crawlers request? | Important page blocked | Public-page rules |
| noindex | Should the page stay out of search? | Left on a public page | HTML or header setting |
| sitemap.xml | Which URLs should search engines find? | Missing or obsolete URLs | Compare with public pages |
Is the text visible on screen also in the HTML?
If a heading and description are baked into one large image, people see words but the page may contain only an image element. Put the company name, service and answer in real HTML text, and add descriptive alt text to informative images.
Image without text
A vague or empty alt and no body text make the topic difficult to identify.
Text with alt
Use H1 and body text for the answer, and alt for what the image illustrates.
How to check
Inspect initial HTML and the same content on mobile, not just a screenshot.
Do the page title and body answer the same question?
The title, meta description, H1 and opening paragraph should describe the same page. Canonical, Open Graph, sitemap and internal links should point to the same representative URL.
Search result
Title and description summarize the actual page.
Visible body
H1 and opening answer fulfill the search promise.
Representative URL
Canonical, Open Graph, sitemap and internal links agree.
What should you check in content and sources?
Look beyond article count. Check whether the first paragraph answers the heading and official sources support the answer nearby. Keep author, actual revision date, company details and related links consistent.
Heading and answer
The first paragraph answers the heading.
Evidence
A verifiable official source sits near a claim or number.
Author and date
Readers can see who wrote and revised it.
Internal links
Related guides, services and contact pages connect naturally.
What must JSON-LD get right?
Match the visible company name, service, title, author, address and URL. Connect Organization, WebSite, WebPage, Article and BreadcrumbList with stable @id values, and never add unseen FAQ or service content only in markup.
| Node | Verify | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Organization | Company, address, URL and official profile | Different facts or false sameAs |
| WebSite and WebPage | Site-to-page relationship | Mixed hosts or duplicate @id |
| Article | Title, author and actual dates | Date-only updates |
| FAQPage | Visible questions and answers | Hidden or contradictory answers |
Which of the 25 issues should be fixed first?
Prioritize by impact, not the number of findings. Restore access and readable initial HTML before producing more content.
| Order | State | Action |
|---|---|---|
| First | 403, 429, noindex, bad redirects or empty HTML | Restore access and indexability |
| Next | Title, H1, canonical and body disagree | Align one question and URL |
| Then | Brand facts, sources, author and JSON-LD differ | Use consistent visible and structured facts |
| Last | Weak links, mobile tables or alt text | Improve usability and retest |
Repeat the check on the same URL and under the same conditions.
What should you recheck after a fix?
Read the deployed response, initial HTML, canonical, visible body, JSON-LD, sitemap and links. Then check Google and Bing indexing and repeat the same target questions in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude. Record dates and conditions because technical changes and AI-answer changes may not happen at once.
Deployment
Check the live response, HTML and screen.
Indexing
Check sitemap, Google and Bing.
AI answers
Record mentions, citations and recommendations for the same questions.
What terms appear in this homepage audit?
A short glossary for the repeated checks.
Crawling
A crawler requests a URL and retrieves its content.
Indexing
A retrieved page becomes available for search results.
Initial HTML
The document returned before browser JavaScript runs.
Canonical
The preferred URL among similar pages.
Sitemap
An XML list of public URLs and revision information.
JSON-LD
Machine-readable data connecting a company, page, article or FAQ.
Checks to repeat after changes
- ✓ Confirm public pages return 200 and do not carry noindex.
- ✓ Confirm H1 and the key answer exist as text in initial HTML.
- ✓ Align title, canonical, Open Graph and sitemap to one URL.
- ✓ Match visible brand facts with Organization and WebSite JSON-LD.
- ✓ Align the body answer and sources with FAQPage.
- ✓ Retest the live URL under the same conditions and record the date.
Frequently asked questions
Must all 25 checks pass for AI visibility?
No. They are diagnostic checks, not a guaranteed score. Fix access and indexing first, then improve answers and evidence.
Does allowing robots.txt create citations?
No. Also check the server response, noindex, readable body and cited sources.
Can AI read a JavaScript-built homepage?
Coverage differs across systems. Put the company name, H1 and answer in the initial HTML where possible.
Will more JSON-LD nodes increase citations?
Node count matters less than agreement with visible facts and one consistent source of truth.
How often should the homepage be reviewed?
Recheck after major releases, URL changes, content revisions or server-policy changes, and measure answers regularly with the same questions.
Is llms.txt required for AI search visibility?
It is not one of these 25 core checks. Prioritize access, indexing, HTML, content, sources and consistent brand facts.
Homepage structure is the start
Access, readable answers, consistent brand evidence and repeated checks of real AI questions show what still needs work.
Continue reading
References
- Google robots.txt guide
- Google robots meta and X-Robots-Tag
- Google sitemap guide
- Google canonical URL guide
- Google JavaScript SEO basics
- Google Article structured data
- Google structured data policies
- Google helpful content guidance
- Schema.org Organization
- Schema.org Article
- Schema.org BreadcrumbList
- Schema.org FAQPage
- Naver Search Advisor robots.txt guide
- Naver Search Advisor feed guide
The checks are a diagnostic framework, not a visibility guarantee.