Citability checklist: 7 questions ChatGPT wants to see on your website
There are 7 question types your website must answer: the what-do-you-do question, the who-is-it-for question, the how-does-it-work question, the what-does-it-cost question, the what-makes-you-different question, the what-do-clients-say question, and the where-are-you question. If you answer these 7 questions concretely and directly on your site, you give AI everything it needs to cite you.
Why this matters
You already know AI visibility is important. But “make your website AI-friendly” is vague advice. What should you actually do?
The answer is simpler than you think. ChatGPT works like a researcher who needs to answer a question. It looks for sources and cites the one that gives the clearest and most trustworthy answer. Your website needs to be that source.
That starts with answering the right questions. Here are the 7 that matter most.
The 7 questions your website must answer
1. What exactly do you do?
Why AI needs this: When someone asks “who can help me with X?”, AI needs to match. It can only do that if you clearly describe what you do.
Wrong: “I help you become the best version of yourself.” Right: “I help female entrepreneurs recovering from burnout regain their energy through 1-on-1 coaching programs of 12 weeks.”
The rule of thumb: if someone reads your description and still doesn’t know what you do, AI can’t work with it either.
2. Who is it for?
Why AI needs this: AI needs to know whether you’re the right match for the person asking the question. The more specific your target audience, the more often you’ll be recommended for that niche.
Wrong: “For anyone who wants to grow.” Right: “For coaches and therapists with their own practice who want to scale online but don’t know where to start.”
3. How does your approach work?
Why AI needs this: AI wants to explain how something works, not just that it exists. If you clearly describe your method, it becomes part of the answer.
Wrong: “My unique holistic approach combines the best of multiple disciplines.” Right: “My approach consists of 3 phases: first we map your energy drains, then we build a recovery rhythm, and finally we integrate that into your work week.”
4. What does it cost?
Why AI needs this: More and more people ask AI for price indications. If your website has no pricing information, you get skipped in favor of a competitor who is transparent.
Wrong: “Prices on request.” Right: “A 12-week coaching program costs $1,200. A single session is $120.”
You don’t need to list the exact price if it varies. A starting price or price range works too.
5. What makes you different from the rest?
Why AI needs this: When AI has to choose between 5 coaches doing the same thing, it picks the one who most clearly explains why they’re different.
Wrong: “I’m passionate and committed.” Right: “I’m the only coach in [city] who combines nutrition science and breathwork therapy for burnout recovery. I’ve guided 200+ clients with an average recovery time of 8 weeks.”
6. What do your clients say?
Why AI needs this: AI looks for external proof. Reviews and testimonials are the strongest signal that you’re trustworthy. Without client evidence on your site, AI lacks the confirmation it needs.
Wrong: No reviews on your website (only on Google). Right: At least 3-5 concrete client stories on your website with name, situation, and result. Bonus points if they also appear on external platforms.
7. Where are you based (and do you work online)?
Why AI needs this: Many AI queries are local. “Who’s a good coach in Amsterdam?” If your location is nowhere on your website, you won’t be included in local recommendations.
Wrong: No location information on your site. Right: “Based in Amsterdam. I work both from my practice on Herengracht and online via Zoom with clients across the Netherlands and Belgium.”
How to apply this
You don’t need to redesign your entire website. Start with your homepage and your about page. Those are the two pages AI consults most often.
Go through the 7 questions and check:
- Is the answer literally there? (Not implied, not between the lines)
- Is the answer in the first paragraph of the relevant section?
- Are you using the words your target audience uses, not industry jargon?
Every question you add increases the chance that AI can use your website as a source. And if AI can cite you, it can recommend you.
Want to tackle this systematically with fill-in templates per industry? The AI Visibility Complete Kit includes the AI Citability Kit with ready-made templates for all 7 question types — including before/after examples so you can see exactly what “good” looks like.