#technical SEO
Cite Solutions briefs tagged technical SEO. Newest first.
Do AI Crawlers Actually Read llms.txt?
Across 500M+ AI bot visits, only 408 fetched llms.txt. Here is what AI crawlers really do with the file, and whether it is worth publishing.
Will Google's Core Update Hurt Your AI Citations?
Google's May 2026 core update finished rolling out this week. Here is why a ranking drop does not automatically cut your AI citations, and when it does.
How to Run a Canonical and Query-Parameter Audit That Keeps AI Systems on the Right URL
A lot of GEO teams fix prompts, proof blocks, and crawlability while messy URL variants still compete for the same answer. This guide shows how to run the canonical and parameter audit that clears that retrieval waste out.
How to Run an AI Crawler Log Audit for GPTBot, ClaudeBot, and PerplexityBot
Most GEO teams rely on crawl tests, screenshots, and prompt checks. Fewer inspect the server logs that prove whether AI crawlers are actually reaching the money pages that matter. This guide shows you how to run that audit.
Stop Optimizing URL Slugs for AI Citations
Otterly analyzed 1,028,959 URLs across six AI platforms. URL length and slug structure barely affected citations. Page type drove an 80% gap.
How to Run a GEO Contradiction Audit Before AI Systems Quote the Wrong Claim
A page can be technically crawlable, well linked, and still lose trust if different parts of the site make different claims. This guide shows you how to run a contradiction audit that finds claim conflicts before AI systems quote the wrong version.
How to Run a GEO Page-Collision Audit When AI Systems Cite the Wrong URL
A brand can stay visible in AI answers while the wrong internal page keeps getting cited. This guide shows you how to run a page-collision audit, diagnose the failure pattern, and make the right URL easiest to retrieve and reuse.
How to Run an HTML Parity Audit for AI Retrieval on JavaScript-Heavy Sites
A page can look perfect in the browser and still fail AI retrieval if the answer, proof, links, or schema only show up after hydration. This guide shows you how to run the HTML parity audit that catches the gap.
How to Build a GEO Change Log That Connects Page Releases, Proof Updates, and Prompt Outcomes
Most GEO teams can see that something moved. Fewer can prove which release, proof update, or page change caused the movement. This guide shows you how to build the change log that makes attribution, QA, and weekly review far more useful.
How to Run a GEO Citation-Loss Root Cause Analysis: Retrieval, Evidence, and Answer-Format Checks
A page that used to win citations can slip for very different reasons. This guide shows you how to diagnose whether the real problem is retrieval, weak evidence, answer-format mismatch, or a stronger substitute source before you waste a sprint on the wrong fix.
How to Build a GEO Release Checklist for Template Changes, Schema Parity, and Prompt QA
Most teams QA page releases for rendering and rankings. Fewer QA whether template, schema, and content changes quietly break AI retrieval. This guide shows you how to build the release checklist that catches those failures before and after launch.
How to Protect AI Retrieval During a Site Migration: Redirects, Canonicals, and Prompt QA
Most site migration checklists stop at rankings and broken links. This guide shows you how to preserve AI retrieval during a migration by protecting page purpose, redirect logic, canonical control, proof assets, and post-launch prompt QA.
How to Run an AEO Schema Audit That Aligns Entities, Answers, and Proof
Most schema work still stops at validation. This guide shows you how to audit schema for answer-engine performance by checking entity clarity, visible-answer parity, proof support, and page-type markup across the pages that drive AI visibility.
Google Just Defined a Second AEO. Here's What 'Agentic Engine Optimization' Means for Your Content.
Addy Osmani, Google Cloud AI's Director of Engineering, published a formal framework defining 'Agentic Engine Optimization' as distinct from Answer Engine Optimization. It covers five pillars, specific token budgets, and file-based discovery methods like llms.txt and AGENTS.md. Here is what B2B SaaS content teams should do about it.
How to Run a GEO Crawlability Audit That Improves AI Retrieval
A lot of teams keep publishing answer-engine content on top of weak technical foundations. This guide shows you how to audit crawlability, canonicals, internal links, sitemaps, and structured context so the right pages can actually be retrieved and reused by AI systems.
URL-Level Citation Tracking Is the Missing Layer in Most GEO Reporting
Domain-level citation counts are too coarse for serious GEO reporting. This guide shows operators exactly what to track at the URL level, why it makes recommendations defensible, and how to turn source intelligence into page-level fixes.
llms.txt: What It Is, What It Does, and Whether Your Site Actually Needs It
llms.txt is getting a lot of attention in GEO and AEO circles, but most of the commentary swings between hype and dismissal. Here's what the file actually does, what it cannot do, and when it is worth implementing.
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