An AEO content audit reviews your existing pages to find which ones are most likely to be cited in AI answers and which need improvement. The audit looks at things like whether your pages answer questions directly, whether they use structured data, and whether stats are current. Start with our list of quick wins to fix the most impactful issues first.
The 6-Phase AEO Audit Process
An effective AEO audit is a loop, not a one-time exercise. Move through each phase systematically and repeat quarterly as AI search features and competitor content evolve.
6-Phase AEO Content Audit Process
Step through the audit phases or hit Play for an automated walkthrough.
Score Your Pages
Apply this 10-point rubric to any page. Run each target page through the checklist and record the score in your audit spreadsheet. Pages scoring below 5 are the highest-priority improvements.
AEO Page Scoring Rubric
Prioritisation Matrix
Once you have scored all pages, plot them on a two-axis matrix: traffic volume (Y axis) vs. AEO score (X axis). The top-left quadrant (high traffic, low AEO score) is your quick-win priority zone.
Audit Prioritisation Matrix
Hover a quadrant to see which pages belong there and the recommended action.
Measuring Audit Results
Track these metrics before and after implementing audit recommendations:
Featured Snippet Rate
Google Search Console: Appearance filter for Featured Snippet. Track the number of queries where your page holds a snippet.
AI Overview Citation Rate
Manual spot-checks for priority queries. Tools like BrightEdge and SE Ranking offer automated AI Overview tracking.
Organic CTR by Intent
GSC: Filter by page, sort by clicks. Segment informational URLs vs. transactional and compare CTR trend before/after optimisation.
Branded Search Volume
Google Trends + GSC branded query filtering. Rising branded search after AI citation campaigns indicates awareness-to-brand funnel working.