How to Run a GEO Content Audit

You have blog posts. You have product pages. You have a resource section you built last year. But here's the question nobody asks enough: does any of it actually show up when AI answers questions about your category?

Most content was created for Google. Written for keywords, optimized for search rankings, structured for click-through rates. That content may or may not work for AI visibility. Often, it doesn't.

A GEO content audit tells you which of your existing content assets help your AI visibility, which are invisible to AI, and which could be improved to earn mentions and citations. It's the foundation of any serious AI visibility strategy.

Why a content audit matters for GEO

You already have content. The question is whether that content is doing anything for you in AI responses.

Most content wasn't built for AI. It was built for Google's ten blue links. The format, depth, and structure that works for Google rankings doesn't always work for AI recommendations.

You probably have hidden assets. Content that performs poorly in Google Search might actually be well-suited for AI citations with minor improvements. An FAQ page, a detailed comparison, or a technical guide might just need restructuring.

Resources are limited. You can't rewrite everything. An audit tells you where to invest your limited time for maximum AI visibility improvement.

Before you start: gather your baseline data

You need two things before auditing:

1. Your content inventory. A list of every significant content page on your site. Blog posts, guides, product pages, landing pages, comparison pages, FAQ pages. If you have a CMS, export a page list. If not, use your sitemap.

2. Your AI visibility data. Which relevant queries about your category are you currently visible for? Which ones are you missing? You can gather this manually by testing queries on ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Grok, and Claude. Start with a free GEO audit to check your pages' readiness for AI crawlers, then use Mentionable to track your visibility automatically across all five platforms.

Having both pieces lets you connect the dots: "We have content about X, but AI doesn't mention us for X-related queries. Why?"

Step 1: Map your content to relevant queries

Create a spreadsheet with two columns. On the left, list your key relevant queries (the ones your ideal customers ask AI). On the right, note which content on your site addresses each query.

You're looking for three things:

Covered queries. You have content that directly addresses this query. Good, but "having content" doesn't mean it's working. You'll evaluate quality in the next step.

Partially covered queries. You have content that touches on this topic but doesn't address it head-on. These are your improvement opportunities.

Uncovered queries. Important queries with no content at all. These are your creation priorities.

This mapping alone is valuable. Most businesses discover they have significant blind spots, queries they should be winning that they have zero content for.

Step 2: Score each content piece

For every content piece you mapped, evaluate it on five criteria. Use a simple 1-3 scale for each.

Directness (Does it answer the query?)

• 3: Answers the query explicitly and clearly
• 2: Addresses the topic but doesn't directly answer the likely question
• 1: Tangentially related at best

AI needs direct answers. Content that dances around a topic without clearly addressing it won't get cited.

Depth (Is it comprehensive enough?)

• 3: Thorough coverage with details, examples, and nuance
• 2: Covers the basics but lacks depth
• 1: Surface-level or thin content

AI citations favor comprehensive sources. A 300-word overview won't beat a 2,000-word guide with specific examples and data.

Structure (Can AI extract information easily?)

• 3: Well-organized with clear headings, lists, tables, FAQ sections
• 2: Somewhat structured but could be clearer
• 1: Wall of text or confusing organization

Structure matters because AI needs to pull specific information from your content. Clear headings, lists, and formatted sections make extraction easier.

Freshness (Is it current?)

• 3: Updated within the last 6 months, all information current
• 2: 6-12 months old, mostly accurate
• 1: Over a year old or contains outdated information

AI platforms, especially Perplexity and Gemini, factor recency into source selection. Outdated content with wrong pricing, dead links, or old statistics hurts your credibility.

Authority signals (Does the web validate this content?)

• 3: Has quality backlinks, is referenced by other sites, supports a strong overall domain authority
• 2: Some external validation but limited
• 1: No external signals, essentially just sitting there

AI trusts content that other credible sources reference. A blog post with zero backlinks and no external mentions is harder for AI to justify citing.

Step 3: Identify patterns and priorities

Add up the scores for each content piece. Then sort into four categories:

Stars (12-15 points). Your best content for AI visibility. Protect and maintain these. Keep them fresh and updated.

Fixable (8-11 points). Content with potential that needs specific improvements. These are your highest-ROI optimization targets because the foundation is already there.

Rebuilds (5-7 points). Content that exists but needs significant work. Decide whether to rebuild from scratch or redirect energy elsewhere.

Gaps (no content). Queries you should be winning but have no content for. These need new content.

Your priority order: Fix the fixable content first (highest ROI), then fill the gaps, then decide on rebuilds.

Step 4: Build your optimization plan

For each "Fixable" content piece, create a specific action list:

Low directness score? Rewrite the introduction and key sections to directly answer the target query. Add a clear, explicit answer near the top.

Low depth score? Expand the content. Add examples, data, case studies, expert perspective. Don't pad with filler. Add genuine substance.

Low structure score? Restructure with clear H2/H3 headings that mirror what users ask. Add FAQ sections. Convert paragraphs to lists where appropriate. Add comparison tables.

Low freshness score? Update all statistics, pricing, and claims. Add a visible "Last updated" date. Remove references to things that no longer exist.

Low authority score? This is harder to fix quickly. Build backlinks by guest posting, creating shareable data, and getting mentioned in industry publications. This is a longer-term effort.

For gap queries, create a content brief for each piece you need to build. Specify the target query, the content format, the depth required, and the key points to cover.

Step 5: Execute and measure

Start with your fixable content. Pick the 3-5 pieces that target your highest-value queries and improve them first.

After improving each piece:

• Wait 2-4 weeks for search engines and AI platforms to re-index
• Re-test the target queries on each AI platform
• Note any changes in visibility

Then move to gap-filling. Create new content for your uncovered queries, following the scoring criteria from the start: direct, deep, structured, fresh, and backed by authority.

Common mistakes during a GEO content audit

Auditing only blog posts. Product pages, landing pages, FAQ pages, and documentation all contribute to AI visibility. Include everything.

Judging by Google rankings alone. A page that ranks 15th on Google might be highly cited by Perplexity. A page that ranks 1st might never appear in AI responses. AI visibility and Google rankings are related but not identical.

Trying to fix everything at once. Prioritize ruthlessly. Three well-optimized pages are better than twenty pages with superficial tweaks.

Ignoring the competition. Your content doesn't exist in isolation. If competitors have better content on the same query, AI will cite them. Check what competitors have and aim to be genuinely better.

Not re-auditing. Do this audit quarterly, not once. AI responses change, competitors publish new content, and your own content ages. Regular audits keep your strategy current.

A practical audit template

For each content piece, record:

This template keeps your audit organized and actionable. Without it, audits become vague exercises that don't lead to specific improvements.

Your next moves

Start by listing your top 15 high-value queries. Map your existing content to those queries. Score each piece.

You'll likely discover that you have fewer "Stars" than expected and more gaps than you realized. That's normal and that's the point.

Use Mentionable to automate the AI visibility baseline. It tracks which platforms mention you for which queries, giving you the data you need to score and prioritize your content accurately.

Then start optimizing, one piece at a time, starting with the highest-value fixable content. Track the impact. Adjust. Repeat.

A thorough content audit done once per quarter is worth more than months of creating new content without direction.