Fact-checking checklist for SEO leads
The scale checklist we use before a fact-checking programme goes live, adapted for SEO leads.
This is the scale checklist for fact-checking, written for SEO leads. It is deliberately short: twelve checks, one owner each, and the evidence to keep. If a check has no evidence, it is not done.
Run the twelve checks before you call the fact-checking programme live. Stop on any red flag in access, schema or accuracy; those three failures make the rest of the work invisible to AI engines.
The checklist
| # | Check | Evidence to keep | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prompt set frozen | CSV with 50 rows | SEO |
| 2 | Baseline captured | Screenshots + URLs | Content |
| 3 | Top gaps ranked | Revenue-weighted list | Marketing |
| 4 | Owner named | One name, one backup | Lead |
| 5 | Crawler access | Logs show GPTBot | Web |
| 6 | Sitemap submitted | 200 + index status | Web |
| 7 | Schema validated | Validator output | Web |
| 8 | llms.txt live | 200 at /llms.txt | Web |
| 9 | Two pages published | Live URLs | Content |
| 10 | Accuracy review | No factual errors | Editor |
| 11 | Alerts configured | One threshold | Marketing ops |
| 12 | 14-day re-check | Before/after table | SEO |
How to score it
Score each check green, amber or red. Green means the evidence exists and someone else can open it. Amber means it exists but is stale. Red means it does not exist. Ship only when there are no reds in access, schema or accuracy.
What to do with a red flag
- Access red: stop. Nothing else matters until the crawler can fetch the page.
- Schema red: fix before publishing; broken markup is worse than none.
- Accuracy red: hold the page. A wrong claim in an AI answer is expensive to unwind.
- Owner red: escalate. An unowned checklist is a wish list.
Frequently asked questions
How often should we run the scale checklist?
Who signs it off?
Can it be automated?
Methodology and sources
- Citekit product and pricing data, 9 November 2026.
- Vendor pricing pages and product documentation, checked November 2026. Verify current pricing with each vendor before purchase.
- Public documentation for schema.org, llms.txt and the AI engines named on this page.
How Citekit compares
Citekit is measured against Profound, Scrunch AI, Otterly.AI and nine other tools in the category. The table is the short version; every comparison has a full, sourced page.
| Tool | Entry price | Engines | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profound | from $499/mo | 4 | Enterprise teams with a dedicated analyst |
| Scrunch AI | from $250/mo | 5 | Mid-market content teams |
| Otterly.AI | from $29/mo | 4 | Small teams testing AI visibility |
Full comparisons: Profound · Scrunch AI · Otterly.AI · all 12 competitors
Citekit Research. “Fact-checking checklist for SEO leads: scale edition (2026).” Citekit, updated 26 December 2025. https://citekit.apps.antelligen.com/checklists/fact-checking-checklist-seo-leads-scale