The 30-Point Black Hat GEO Vulnerability Checklist

## Assess Your Risk

Use this checklist to evaluate your website's vulnerability to black hat GEO tactics. Score yourself honestly — each "No" is a potential vulnerability.

## Technical Defenses (10 Points)

1. ☐ robots.txt configured for AI crawlers (GPTBot, Google-Extended, etc.)
2. ☐ llms.txt implemented with accurate site description
3. ☐ Structured data validated — no errors in Schema.org markup
4. ☐ Sitemap up-to-date and submitted to search engines
5. ☐ HTTPS enabled with valid SSL certificate
6. ☐ Server logs monitored for AI bot crawl patterns
7. ☐ Content Security Policy headers configured
8. ☐ Canonical URLs properly set on all pages
9. ☐ Meta tags accurate — no misleading titles or descriptions
10. ☐ Page speed optimized — AI crawlers have timeout limits

## Content Defenses (10 Points)

1. ☐ Author bios verified — all authors are real people with verifiable credentials
2. ☐ Content freshness — key pages updated within last 90 days
3. ☐ Factual accuracy — all statistics sourced and dated
4. ☐ Original research — at least some content includes proprietary data
5. ☐ Clear timestamps — publish and update dates visible on all content
6. ☐ No orphan pages — all content linked from internal navigation
7. ☐ FAQ schema on relevant pages
8. ☐ Direct answers in opening paragraphs
9. ☐ Unique value — content not duplicated from other sources
10. ☐ Depth over quantity — comprehensive guides rather than thin articles

## Brand Defenses (10 Points)

1. ☐ Brand monitoring active across AI platforms (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini)
2. ☐ Google Alerts configured for brand + negative keywords
3. ☐ Review monitoring across major platforms
4. ☐ Social media presence — active and consistent brand messaging
5. ☐ Third-party mentions — tracked and documented
6. ☐ Crisis response plan — documented procedure for AI misinformation
7. ☐ Legal preparation — IP/defamation attorney identified
8. ☐ Baseline established — current AI brand perception documented
9. ☐ Competitor monitoring — tracking competitor GEO tactics
10. ☐ Team trained — marketing team understands black hat GEO risks

## Scoring

• 25 -30: Excellent defense posture
• 18 -24: Good foundation, address gaps
• 10 -17: Significant vulnerabilities — prioritize improvements
• 0 -9: Critical risk — immediate action needed

Part of our Defense toolkit series.