AI search checklist for local businesses
Updated · 2 min read
Use this checklist to make your business easier for AI assistants to find, understand and recommend. Most items take less than an hour, and none need a developer if you have access to your website.
Access: can AI read your site?
- robots.txt allows AI answer crawlers, including OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User, PerplexityBot and Claude-SearchBot. Check with the free AI crawler checker.
- Hosting, CDN and security settings don't block AI bots. Some providers offer one-click AI-bot blocking. Make sure it's a choice you made on purpose.
- Key content is in the page itself, not only inside images, PDFs or pop-ups. If you can't select the text with your mouse, AI may not read it either.
Clarity: is it obvious what you do?
- Your homepage headline names your service and location, for example “Emergency electrician in Bristol”.
- Each main service has its own page, with the area you serve.
- Hours, contact details and (if possible) typical prices are on the site in plain text.
Structure: can machines understand it?
- LocalBusiness structured data (or a specific type such as Dentist or Plumber) with name, address, phone, hours and area served.
- An FAQ page answering real customer questions, ideally marked up with FAQPage structured data.
- An llms.txt file (optional). It's an emerging proposal for a plain-text summary of your site for AI tools. Adoption is still early, but it's cheap to add.
Reputation: does the rest of the web agree?
- Google Business Profile and Bing Places are complete and verified, with the right category, photos and hours.
- Your name, address and phone number are identical everywhere: website, maps and directories.
- Recent reviews mention your services and location. Ask happy customers to say what you did and where.
Then measure it
Once you've worked through the list, run a free Eudoxia check to see whether AI assistants recommend you, who they recommend instead, and what to fix next. Re-check monthly: AI answers change over time.