Audit Your Content for Google’s AI Overview Inclusion Criteria
Before diving into technical checks, it’s crucial to audit your content according to Google’s AI overview eligibility signals. It helps ensure your site aligns with AI content optimisation for SERPs. Here are the key elements to audit in website content:
- User Search Relevance: Does your content provide direct, concise answers to user queries? Audit for clear explanations, actionable insights, and coverage of user intent.
- Keywords: Target long-tail keywords and specific conversational phrases, and use tools like “People Also Ask” while auditing your content. It helps Google’s AI better understand and feature your content.
- Factual Accuracy: Audit sources and claims for verifiability and avoid fluff. Google prefers high-confidence data and up-to-date information for inclusion in AI overviews.
- E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Audit your site for visible authorship, credentials, and trust signals like external citations or expert reviews. Google favours pages that follow E-E-A-T standards.
- Content Structure: Audit how content is organised. Use headers (H2, H3), bullet points, summaries, and clean formatting to support accessibility and AI parsing.
- Topical Depth & Coverage: Audit whether your content fully addresses the topic or question; partial answers may reduce eligibility.
By auditing your content according to the AI overview optimisation eligibility criteria, you can prevent your site from being overlooked in SERPs.
AI Overview Eligibility Audit: What to Check on Your Website
Unlike traditional audits, which focus on SEO metrics, AI SEO optimisation emphasises content quality, technical structure, and trust signals that impact AI selection. Now, you might be wondering, “How can I meet the eligibility criteria for AI auditing?” Here are the areas to audit for Google’s AI overview eligibility:
Crawlability
You need to check if your content is crawlable, as this ensures Google bots can easily find and scan your pages. Think of it as the initial exploration of a website, where the bot identifies pages and their content. Make sure your pages don’t have a hidden “noindex” tag (like a “Do Not Enter” sign for Google). Using Google Search Console and other tools can help you identify any crawl errors.
Indexability
Indexing is when your site pages are stored in a large database of webpages. For an AI overview auditing, your website must be indexable, which allows Google to display your pages in search results. Use Google’s URL Inspection Tool (in Google Search Control) to test individual pages. Check robots.txt to identify if any of your files are accidentally blocking Googlebot.
Schema Markup
Inspect your schema implementation and ensure it’s accurate and complete to support AI understanding. A proper schema helps AI systems better understand and potentially feature your content in AI summaries. Focus first on implementing the schema for your most important informational pages. Ensure your markup is error-free and triggers rich snippets in search results.
Structured Data
When auditing your website, systematically check if you’ve implemented structured data (FAQ, HowTo, Article schemas) using Google’s Rich Results Test. Verify your content uses proper semantic HTML tags (H1-H6 hierarchy, <article>) with clear heading structures. Ensure information appears in the first few paragraphs, as it improves your likelihood of being featured in AI overviews.
Backlinks
To be eligible for AI overviews, audit your backlinks and remove toxic links through Google’s Tool. Focus on earning quality links from authoritative sites through guest posts, expert collaborations, and valuable resources. Strong backlinks act as “votes of confidence”, increasing your content’s chances of being featured in AI overviews. Prioritise relevant, high-domain-authority links while maintaining a natural link profile.
Authority Check
To boost your AI eligibility, verify your content cites trustworthy sources like .gov or .edu sites and industry experts. Show author expertise with credentials, experience, or author bios. Google’s AI favours content backed by reliable references and clear authors. Always credit original research and update outdated citations for AI overview optimisation.
Page Performance & Mobile-Friendliness
Google’s AI prioritises fast, mobile-friendly sites. Optimise images and clean HTML/CSS to enhance website performance. Test your pages with Google PageSpeed Insights, and fix slow loading (aim for under 3 seconds). Ensure buttons/text are easy to tap on phones. A smooth mobile experience boosts your chances of appearing in AI Overviews.
Conclusion
Auditing your site for AI overview eligibility isn’t just about SEO; it’s about aligning with how Google’s AI evaluates content. Focus on technical checks that enhance content quality and authority signals for creating a seamless experience for both AI and users. Consistent monitoring and updates will keep your site ready for Google’s AI overview optimisation.
At Rankingeek Marketing Agency, we provide AI auditing services focused on crawlability, indexing, structured data, and content alignment. Our team performs in-depth technical SEO audits, schema implementation, and performance checks to ensure your site meets Google’s AI overview eligibility. We also optimise content to support AI SEO and AI content optimisation. Contact Us Today!
