Explainer
What is an LLM SEO checker — and do you need one?
An LLM SEO checker (also called an AI visibility checker or GEO audit tool) tests whether your website has the right signals for large language models — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews — to cite and recommend your business. It checks AI-specific signals that traditional SEO tools don't measure: AI crawler access, entity clarity, answer-ready content, and llms.txt compliance. Most businesses need one if buyers in their category are using AI to find services. Try the free Visus LLM SEO checker.
What an LLM SEO checker actually tests
LLM SEO — also called GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) — is about making your business discoverable and citable by AI answer engines. An LLM SEO checker evaluates the signals that determine citation likelihood:
- AI crawler access — can GPTBot, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot, and Bingbot reach your pages? Many sites accidentally block AI crawlers.
- Entity clarity — is your business name, type, and location stated clearly enough for AI to identify who you are?
- Schema markup — do you have LocalBusiness, FAQPage, or Organization schema? These tell AI systems what type of entity you are.
- Answer-ready content — can your page's key facts be quoted directly in an AI answer?
- Third-party corroboration — do reviews, directories, and external mentions verify your claims?
- llms.txt compliance — do you have the AI crawler instruction file?
A good LLM SEO checker scores each of these signals and returns a prioritised list of what to fix first — not a generic audit, but a ranked list based on what has the most impact on citation likelihood.
How it's different from traditional SEO tools
Traditional SEO tools (Semrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog) are excellent at what they do: keyword rankings, backlink analysis, technical crawl health. But they don't check LLM SEO signals:
- Semrush doesn't check whether GPTBot is blocked in your robots.txt
- Ahrefs doesn't check your llms.txt
- Screaming Frog doesn't score your entity clarity or answer-ready content
- None of them check FAQPage or Speakable schema — the schema types that matter most for AI citations
An LLM SEO checker fills this gap. It doesn't replace your traditional SEO tool — it complements it.
What a score of 58 means
In our benchmark of 60 UK businesses, the average AI visibility score was 58 out of 100. Scores below 40 indicate AI systems struggle to identify the business. Scores above 80 are where citation likelihood becomes strong — Fozias restaurant reached 80 and became the #1 Perplexity result in their category.
Do you actually need one?
If your buyers use AI tools to find services like yours, yes. Here's how to know:
- Local service businesses (plumbers, electricians, cleaners, solicitors, accountants, restaurants) — high priority. Buyers increasingly ask ChatGPT "best [trade] near me" before searching Google.
- Professional services (agencies, consultants, coaches) — high priority. Buyers use AI to shortlist providers before contacting any of them.
- E-commerce only businesses — lower priority. AI answers for product queries are less developed. Traditional SEO still dominates.
- Businesses with no web presence — fix the basics first. No LLM SEO tool will help if you have no crawlable website.
If you're unsure whether AI search matters in your category, do the manual check: go to ChatGPT and ask "best [your service] in [your location]". If a competitor appears, AI search is already driving buyers in your market.
Free vs paid LLM SEO checkers
The LLM SEO checker market is new. Options range from:
- Free on-page checkers (like the Visus free LLM SEO tool) — check the fundamentals: crawler access, entity clarity, schema, answer-ready content. Returns a score and your top gaps. No credit card required.
- Fix Pack (£19 one-off) — full prioritised fix queue with copy-paste content. Schema markup, business description, FAQ blocks ready to paste into your site.
- Visibility Monitor (£29/month) — monthly question tests that show whether AI tools are actually recommending you, and how it changes month to month.
- Enterprise tools (Otterly, Peec, Profound) — $200–$500/month, built for large marketing teams tracking many brands across many AI platforms.
For most UK small businesses and agencies, the free check + Fix Pack covers everything you need to get started. The Visibility Monitor becomes valuable once you've applied fixes and want to track whether they're working.
How to use an LLM SEO checker effectively
- Run the audit — get your score and gap list
- Fix the highest-impact gaps first — AI crawler access and entity clarity are typically fastest with highest payoff
- Re-audit after 4 weeks — check whether your score has improved and new gaps have emerged
- Add monitoring — once your on-page signals are strong, track whether AI tools are actually recommending you in buyer queries
Try the free LLM SEO checker
Score out of 100. Top 3 gaps. Under 60 seconds, no credit card required.
Run free LLM SEO check