Search visibility resources: checklists & glossary

Quick checklists

Website visibility checklist

• [ ] Site verified in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools
• [ ] XML sitemap submitted
• [ ] Important pages indexed
• [ ] One page per main service
• [ ] Unique title and meta description on every page
• [ ] One H1 per page
• [ ] Fast and usable on a phone
• [ ] Call, WhatsApp and form tracked as conversions

Google Business Profile checklist

• [ ] Verified, owned by the business
• [ ] Real business name (no keywords)
• [ ] Most specific primary category
• [ ] Services, hours and special hours complete
• [ ] Real photos added regularly
• [ ] Review link shared with customers
• [ ] Every review answered
• [ ] Website link tagged for tracking

AEO checklist

• [ ] Real customer questions collected
• [ ] Each question assigned to one page
• [ ] Question headings where natural
• [ ] Direct answers in the first sentences
• [ ] Lists, steps and tables where they fit
• [ ] FAQ content matches visible page content

GEO checklist

• [ ] Master record of business facts written
• [ ] Website, profiles and directories match it
• [ ] Organization schema with sameAs links
• [ ] About page states core facts plainly
• [ ] Specific, citable content published
• [ ] AI answers checked on a schedule

Glossary

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) — Structuring content so search features and assistants can use it as a direct answer. See AEO.

Anchor text — The clickable text of a link; tells users and search engines what the target page is about.

Canonical tag — An HTML tag indicating the preferred version of a page when similar versions exist.

Citation — An online mention of a business's name, address and phone number.

Core Web Vitals — Google's metrics for loading, interactivity and visual stability, measured from real users.

Crawling — Search engines discovering pages by following links and reading sitemaps.

Doorway page — A page created to rank for similar searches that funnels users to essentially the same content; treated as spam.

Entity — A uniquely identifiable thing, such as a business, person or place, that search engines and AI systems recognise.

Featured snippet — A quoted answer from a web page shown prominently in search results.

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) — Improving how AI systems understand, describe and cite a brand. See GEO.

Google Business Profile — Google's free business listing that appears in Search and Maps. See Google Business Profile.

Indexing — Search engines storing and organising pages so they can appear in results.

Internal link — A link from one page to another on the same website.

Local pack — The map and short list of businesses shown for local searches.

Meta description — A short page summary that may appear in search results.

NAP — Name, Address, Phone: core business details that should be consistent everywhere.

Noindex — A directive telling search engines not to include a page in results.

Organic results — Unpaid search listings.

People also ask — A search feature showing related questions with expandable answers.

Schema markup / structured data — Code that describes page content to search engines in a standard vocabulary.

Search Console — Google's free tool showing how your site performs in search and any indexing issues.

Search intent — The goal behind a search: to learn, compare, act or navigate. See search intent.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) — Improving a website so it ranks better in organic search. See SEO.

Title tag — The HTML title of a page, often shown as the clickable headline in search results.

Topical authority — The trust a site earns by covering a subject comprehensively. See topic clusters.