Short answer
Before you publish a page you want AI apps to cite, check ten things: a 50 to 100 word direct answer under the title; the reader's problem before your pitch; at least one checkable fact; linked official sources; numbered steps where the reader must act; a worked example; a "Last verified" date above any data; a short methodology note; an honest limits note; and four to six real FAQs, also marked up as FAQPage. Pages that pass all ten are easier for AI apps to quote and for buyers to trust.
On this page
- How to use this checklist
- The ten checks
- Checks 1 and 2: answer first, problem first
- Checks 3 and 4: facts you can check, sources you can click
- Checks 5 and 6: steps and a worked example
- Checks 7, 8 and 9: dates, method and limits
- Check 10: real FAQs with markup
- Writing rules that go with the checklist
- How we help
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
How to use this checklist
Run it on every new page and every page you refresh. Score each check as pass or fail, not partly. Fix the fails before publishing. The list comes from the page formula we apply to every draft, and each item is tied to something AI apps or readers can use.
The ten checks
| # | Check | Pass if |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Answer first | A 50 to 100 word direct answer sits right under the title |
| 2 | Problem first | The first paragraph is about the reader's problem, not your company |
| 3 | Checkable fact | At least one named list, measured result with count and date, per-unit table, dated price with tax treatment, or primary-source citation |
| 4 | Sources | Official and primary sources are named and linked |
| 5 | Steps | Anything the reader must do is in numbered steps |
| 6 | Worked example | One example the reader could repeat |
| 7 | Last verified | A "Last verified: DD Month YYYY" line above any data |
| 8 | Methodology | A short note on how the facts were gathered |
| 9 | Limits | An honest note on what the page and company do not cover |
| 10 | FAQs | Four to six real questions, also emitted as FAQPage JSON-LD |
Checks 1 and 2: answer first, problem first
An AI app reading your page wants the answer fast. Put a self-contained answer at the top that would still make sense if quoted alone. Then open the body with the reader's situation. Bring your company in later, once, with a plain description.
Checks 3 and 4: facts you can check, sources you can click
The KDD 2024 GEO paper found that adding statistics and citations to sources improved visibility in its tests. The honest version of that advice is: include facts a reader could verify, and link where they came from.
- Good (fictional example): "Starter plan: Rs 4,999 per year, GST extra, as listed on our pricing page on 17 September 2026."
- Good: "Steps follow the GST portal's e-invoice user guide" with a link to the official page.
- Bad: "Loved by thousands" with no count, date or source.
- Bad: "Studies show" with no named study.
Checks 5 and 6: steps and a worked example
Numbered steps are easy for AI apps to lift into an answer and easy for readers to follow. Each step should start with a verb and do one thing.
A worked example turns advice into something concrete. Use real numbers from a real case, or clearly label a fictional one. Show the input, what you did and the result.
Checks 7, 8 and 9: dates, method and limits
Prices, features and rules change. A "Last verified" date tells a reader and an AI app how fresh the facts are. Put it just above any table or data block.
A methodology note can be two sentences: where the facts came from and how you checked them. A limits note says what the page does not cover, or where your product is not a good fit. Both build trust, and Google's guidance on helpful content asks similar questions about how content was produced and who it is for.
Check 10: real FAQs with markup
Pull FAQ questions from sales calls and support tickets, not from your imagination. Answer each in two to four sentences. Add FAQPage structured data that matches the visible text exactly. Google's structured data guidelines require markup to reflect what is on the page.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "FAQPage",
"mainEntity": [{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "Does offline billing work without any internet?",
"acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. Invoices are saved on the device and sync when you reconnect." }
}]
}Writing rules that go with the checklist
- Plain, simple English. Short sentences. Common words.
- Say who published the page early on.
- Stay on the page's topic. Extra material belongs on another page.
- Be neutral and accurate about competitors. Link their prices to their own pages with a date.
- Mark roadmap features as roadmap.
How we help
We draft pages to this formula and run the checks on each draft before you review it, flagging any fact we could not confirm from your fact sheet.
Frequently asked questions
Does every page need all ten checks?
Pages you want AI apps to cite should pass all ten. Simple pages like contact or login pages do not need them.
Is a 50 to 100 word answer too short?
It is meant to be a summary that works on its own. The rest of the page gives depth.
Will FAQ markup get me a rich result on Google?
Not necessarily. Google limits which sites get FAQ rich results. The markup still describes your content clearly, as long as it matches the visible page.
What if I have no statistics?
Use another checkable fact: a named list, a dated price with tax treatment, a per-unit table or a link to a primary source.
How often should I re-run the checklist?
Whenever you refresh the page. List and price pages go stale fastest, so review those most often.
Sources
Last verified: 17 September 2026. Facts on this page come from the public documents below. Brands such as Tallybook are fictional and used only as examples.