Your First Website Audit #

Start analyzing your website immediately with GEOAudit's streamlined audit process. This comprehensive guide walks you through every step of creating your first audit, from choosing analysis modes to understanding what happens behind the scenes.

Step 1: Navigate to Audit Creation #

Starting Your Analysis #

• Go to geoaud.it/new or click New Website from the dashboard
• The page displays your current plan limits and remaining audit quota
• No registration required to begin your first analysis

Understanding Your Limits #

Free Analysis:

• 1 audit per day without registration
• Full feature access for initial analysis
• Complete AI visibility scoring and recommendations

Premium Trial Benefits:

• Unlimited audits during 14-day trial
• Advanced brand monitoring capabilities
• Progress tracking and historical comparisons
• PDF report generation and export

Step 2: Choose Your Analysis Mode #

Understanding analysis modes helps you get the most relevant insights for your specific needs and goals.

Optimization Mode (Recommended for Most Websites) #

Best For:

• Websites looking to improve AI discoverability
• Content-driven businesses and blogs
• E-commerce sites wanting better visibility
• Organizations building thought leadership

Analysis Focus:

• Robots.txt Optimization: Proper crawler permissions and sitemap references
• Structured Data Review: Schema markup implementation and JSON-LD validation
• LLMs.txt Analysis: AI system instructions and guidance protocols
• Smart Links Assessment: Internal linking strategy and external authority signals
• E-A-T Evaluation: Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness indicators

Key Benefits:

• Comprehensive analysis focused on improving AI visibility
• Actionable recommendations for technical optimization
• Content quality assessment for AI understanding
• Authority building guidance for long-term success

Defense Mode (Advanced Security Focus) #

Best For:

• Content publishers concerned about unauthorized AI training
• Websites with proprietary information or sensitive content
• Legal and medical practices with confidential information
• Organizations prioritizing content protection

Analysis Focus:

• Content Protection Analysis: Strategies to prevent unauthorized AI scraping
• Bot Access Control: Advanced crawler management and filtering
• Data Usage Monitoring: Tracking and preventing unauthorized content usage
• Security Assessment: Privacy-focused technical analysis
• Usage Guidelines: Legal frameworks for content licensing

Key Benefits:

• Security-focused analysis with content protection strategies
• Advanced bot detection and access control recommendations
• Legal compliance guidance for content usage
• Privacy-first technical optimization

Important Note: Defense mode is designed for websites with specific content protection needs. Most websites benefit more from Optimization mode's comprehensive analysis.

Step 3: Enter Your Website URL #

URL Requirements and Best Practices #

Supported Formats:

• https://yourwebsite.com (preferred)
• http://yourwebsite.com (automatically upgraded to HTTPS if available)
• yourwebsite.com (system automatically adds https://)

Pro Tips for Best Results:

• Start with your homepage for comprehensive site-wide analysis
• Use your primary domain (avoid subdomains for initial analysis)
• Ensure website accessibility - check that your site loads properly
• Analyze high-value pages like key product or service pages for specific optimization

Common URL Issues and Solutions #

URL Not Accessible:

• Verify website is live and accessible
• Check for maintenance mode or temporary downtime
• Ensure proper SSL certificate installation
• Remove any password protection or IP restrictions

Redirects and Canonical Issues:

• Use the final destination URL after redirects
• Avoid shortened URLs or marketing tracking URLs
• Enter the canonical version of your homepage

Step 4: Monitor Analysis Progress #

Real-Time Progress Updates #

The analysis typically takes 60-90 seconds and provides real-time updates showing the current analysis stage:

Technical Infrastructure Phase (15-25 seconds):

• Fetching website data and initial accessibility check
• Loading speed assessment and Core Web Vitals measurement
• Mobile responsiveness and cross-device compatibility testing
• HTTPS implementation and security headers analysis

AI Visibility Analysis Phase (30-45 seconds):

• Analyzing Robots.txt configuration and crawler permissions
• Evaluating structured data implementation and schema markup
• Checking LLMs.txt implementation and AI system guidance
• Assessing smart links strategy and authority signals
• Calculating E-A-T indicators and trustworthiness signals

Content Quality Assessment Phase (15-20 seconds):

• Information density and comprehensiveness evaluation
• Natural language processing compatibility assessment
• Authority signals and credibility marker identification
• Final AI visibility score calculation and report generation

What to Expect During Analysis #

Normal Processing Times:

• Fast websites (under 3 seconds load time): 60-75 seconds total analysis
• Average websites (3-6 seconds load time): 75-90 seconds total analysis
• Slower websites (over 6 seconds): 90-120 seconds, may include performance warnings

If Analysis Takes Longer:

• Large websites with complex structures may require additional time
• High traffic periods may cause slight delays
• Network connectivity issues can extend processing time
• The system will automatically retry if temporary issues occur

What Happens During Analysis #

Understanding the comprehensive analysis process helps you appreciate the depth of insights you'll receive.

Technical Infrastructure Review #

Performance Assessment:

• Page Loading Speed: Measures Time to First Byte, First Contentful Paint, and Largest Contentful Paint
• Core Web Vitals: Analyzes Cumulative Layout Shift, First Input Delay, and Interaction to Next Paint
• Mobile Experience: Tests responsive design, touch targets, and mobile usability
• Security Analysis: Checks HTTPS implementation, security headers, and SSL certificate validity

Accessibility Compliance:

• Basic accessibility standards checking (WCAG guidelines)
• Color contrast and readability assessment
• Alternative text and semantic structure evaluation
• Keyboard navigation and screen reader compatibility

AI Visibility Analysis #

Robots.txt Evaluation:

• Crawler permissions and blocked resources identification
• Sitemap references and discoverability assessment
• AI-specific crawler directives and guidance
• Crawl budget optimization recommendations

Structured Data Review:

• Schema markup implementation validation
• JSON-LD format correctness and completeness
• Rich snippets potential and optimization opportunities
• Content relationship mapping for AI understanding

LLMs.txt Analysis:

• AI system instruction files detection and evaluation
• Content usage guidelines and permissions assessment
• Training data preferences and restrictions analysis
• AI-specific content guidance implementation

Smart Links Assessment:

• Internal linking strategy evaluation and optimization opportunities
• External authority signals and citation quality assessment
• Contextual link relevance and AI understanding enhancement
• Link architecture analysis for content discoverability

E-A-T Evaluation:

• Expertise indicators and author credentials assessment
• Authority signals and industry recognition evaluation
• Trustworthiness markers and credibility factor analysis
• Content quality and depth assessment for AI systems

Content Quality Assessment #

Information Architecture:

• Content organization and hierarchy evaluation
• Topic coverage and comprehensiveness assessment
• Information density and value proposition analysis
• Content freshness and update frequency review

AI Compatibility:

• Natural language processing optimization assessment
• Content structure and readability for AI systems
• Context clarity and semantic understanding evaluation
• Citation-worthiness and reference quality analysis

After Analysis Completion #

Immediate Results Access #

Once analysis completes, you'll have immediate access to:

• Overall AI Visibility Score with percentile ranking
• Component-by-Component Breakdown with specific recommendations
• Priority Action Items ranked by impact and implementation difficulty
• Technical Issues Summary with quick fixes and long-term improvements

Next Steps Options #

For Immediate Optimization:

1. Understanding Your Audit Results - Learn to interpret scores and recommendations
2. Account Creation - Save results and unlock additional features during 14-day premium trial
3. Implementation Planning - Create optimization roadmap based on audit findings

For Ongoing Monitoring:

1. Brand Monitoring Setup - Track AI platform presence and competitor analysis
2. Progress Tracking - Monitor improvements with follow-up audits
3. Advanced Analytics - Access correlation analysis and competitive intelligence

Troubleshooting Common Issues #

Analysis Problems and Solutions #

Slow or Failed Analysis:

• Check website accessibility: Ensure your site loads properly in a regular browser
• Verify URL format: Use complete URLs with proper protocol (https://)
• Test connectivity: Confirm your website isn't temporarily down or restricted
• Retry analysis: Technical issues may resolve automatically on retry

Unexpected Results:

• Low initial scores are normal: Unoptimized websites typically score 20-40% initially
• Missing component data: May indicate implementation issues that the analysis has identified
• Zero scores in categories: Often means critical features are completely missing, not broken

Technical Issues:

• Browser compatibility: Use modern browsers with JavaScript enabled
• Ad blockers: Temporarily disable ad blockers if analysis doesn't start
• Network connectivity: Ensure stable internet connection during analysis
• Account limits: Check if daily analysis limits have been reached

Getting Help #

Immediate Support Options:

• Documentation: Comprehensive guides for common issues and optimization strategies
• Email Support: Technical assistance within 24 hours for registered users
• Community Resources: Best practices and troubleshooting from other users

Premium Support Benefits:

• Strategic Consultation: Personalized guidance for complex optimization challenges
• Implementation Assistance: Help with technical recommendations and best practices
• Regular Updates: Latest optimization strategies and AI system requirement changes

Ready to begin your optimization journey? Start your first audit now and discover your website's AI visibility potential.