What AI Sees When It Looks at Your Website (And What’s Probably Missing)

Your website might look great. Modern design, nice photos, clear branding. But AI doesn’t care how pretty it is.

Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and other AI tools don’t “see” your website the way humans do. They parse it. They look for structure, clarity, and specific signals that tell them what your business is, what you offer, and whether you’re trustworthy enough to recommend.

Many small business websites pass the human eye test but fail the AI test completely. This checklist helps you figure out which category yours falls into. Work through it honestly. By the end, you’ll know exactly where you stand and what needs to change.

Part 1: Technical Readiness (6 Items)

These are the foundational requirements. If your site fails here, AI tools may not be able to access or process your content at all.

1. Does your site load in under 3 seconds?
Test your homepage at Google’s PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev). Anything under 50 is a problem.
Why it matters to AI: Slow sites are deprioritized and less likely to be used as AI sources.
2. Is your site mobile-friendly?
Open your site on your phone and check usability.
Why it matters to AI: Google evaluates the mobile version first.
3. Does your URL start with HTTPS?
Check for a padlock icon.
Why it matters to AI: Insecure sites are penalized and avoided by AI tools.
4. Does your site have a clear navigation menu?
Ensure all major pages are reachable.
Why it matters to AI: Crawlers rely on navigation to index your pages.
5. Does every page have a unique title tag?
Each page needs a descriptive title.
Why it matters to AI: Title tags signal page meaning and relevance.
6. Do your pages use proper heading structure?
Check for one H1 per page, then H2s and H3s.
Why it matters to AI: Headings provide the content outline AI depends on.

Technical Readiness Score: ___ / 6

Part 2: Content Clarity (6 Items)

Even if your site is technically sound, AI needs clear content to understand your business.

7. Can a stranger tell what you do within 5 seconds?
“Clear beats clever.”
Why it matters to AI: AI needs explicit descriptions of your services.
8. Is your service area explicitly stated?
List actual cities or regions.
Why it matters to AI: Without geographic clarity, AI cannot recommend you for local searches.
9. Does each major service have its own page?
One page per service, not a single “Services” page.
Why it matters to AI: Dedicated pages are far more indexable and citable.
10. Do your service pages explain the service in detail?
At least 300 words, covering process, expectations, etc.
Why it matters to AI: Thin content doesn’t demonstrate authority.
11. Do you have an FAQ section or page?
Use real customer questions.
Why it matters to AI: FAQ Q&A format matches AI’s answer structure.
12. Is your contact information complete and visible?
Phone, email, address, hours, contact form.
Why it matters to AI: Missing contact details reduce trust signals.

Content Clarity Score: ___ / 6

Part 3: Schema and content labeling (4 Items)

Schema markup is the machine-readable layer that tells AI what your content represents.

13. Does your site have Organization or LocalBusiness schema?
Why it matters: This tells AI exactly who you are and where you operate.
14. Do your FAQ sections have FAQ schema?
Why it matters: Without FAQPage schema, AI cannot reliably extract your answers.
15. Do your service pages have Service schema?
Why it matters: Service schema makes you a direct match for service-based queries.
16. If you sell products, do you have Product schema?
Why it matters: Product schema feeds AI precise details for comparison and recommendations.

Schema Score: ___ / 4

Part 4: Trust and Expertise Signals (4 Items)

AI tools prefer trustworthy, credentialed sources.

17. Does your site display customer reviews or testimonials?
Why it matters: Reviews provide external validation AI uses to assess trust.
18. Does your About page establish expertise?
Why it matters: Concrete credentials increase perceived authority.
19. Are trust badges and certifications displayed?
Why it matters: Trust badges are explicit legitimacy signals to AI.
20. Is there author or business attribution on content?
Why it matters: Attribution supports E-E-A-T evaluation.

Trust Signals Score: ___ / 4

Calculating Your Total Score

Add your four section scores:

Technical Readiness: ___ / 6

Content Clarity: ___ / 6

Schema: ___ / 4

Trust Signals: ___ / 4

TOTAL: ___ / 20

Score	What It Means
16-20	Strong foundation. Basics covered. Focus on expanding content and tightening weak spots.
10-15	Mixed results. AI can partially understand you but may prefer better-optimized competitors.
0-9	Not AI-ready. Structural issues prevent visibility. A rebuild is more realistic than patching.

What to Do With Your Results

If Technical Readiness is your weakest section:
Avoid adding content or schema until the foundation is fixed.
If Content Clarity is your weakest section:
Improve service pages, clarity, detail, and FAQs.
If Schema is your weakest section:
Expect technical work. Many DIY platforms don’t support proper schema.
If Trust Signals is your weakest section:
Easy fixes: add testimonials, credentials, reviews, and badges.

Example: How This Plays Out in Real Life

Consider a local electrician with a Wix site that “looks fine.” Running the checklist:

Technical: 3/6
Content: 1/6
Schema: 0/4
Trust: 1.5/4
Total: 5.5/20

This site is invisible to AI search despite looking acceptable to customers. Thin content, no schema, poor headings, and unclear services prevent AI from recognizing or recommending the business.

A complete rebuild with proper structure, schema, and deep service content is the only realistic way to become AI-visible.

The Honest Assessment

This checklist highlights a truth: most small business websites were never built for AI search. They were built for appearance, not machine readability.

A beautiful but unreadable-by-AI site is like a store with great interior design but no sign outside. People who find it love it; people who don’t know it exists never enter.

Your score shows where you stand. What you do next determines whether AI will ever recommend your business.

If you want a deeper evaluation, a readiness review identifies exactly how your site performs in AI search and gives you a prioritized roadmap of changes.

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