Orkkid · Free resource · 2026
The Solar AEO / GEO Checklist
Everything a solar installer needs to get cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews, starting from zero. Work top to bottom. Each phase builds on the last.
How to use this
Tick items as you go. Your progress lives in this tab only, so print to PDF (or use the button at the bottom) when you want a copy you can keep. Tags: SEO helps Google rankings, GEO helps AI citations, Both does both.
1
Fix the entity first AI models recommend businesses they can identify without ambiguity. If your name, address and services differ across the web, you lose before you start.
Week 1
Lock one legal-style business name and use it everywhereBoth
Same spelling, same suffix (Pty Ltd, LLC or none) on your site, Google Business Profile, socials, directories and invoices.
Choose a domain that matches the brand nameBoth
Skip keyword domains like cheapsolarbrisbane.com. AI engines treat those as spam signals.
Write a one-paragraph entity statementGEO
Who you are, what you install, where you serve, accreditations, year founded. This exact paragraph goes in your About page, GBP description, LinkedIn and every directory.
List your accreditations and license numbers publiclyBoth
Installer accreditation (e.g. NABCEP in the US, MCS in the UK, CEC in Australia), electrical license, insurance. AI answers lean on trust signals.
Set up Google Business Profile with the primary category "Solar energy company"Both
Add secondary categories only if you do them: Solar energy equipment supplier, Electrician, Battery store.
Create matching profiles on Bing Places, Apple Business Connect and LinkedInGEO
ChatGPT pulls heavily from Bing. Ignoring it is the most common solar-company mistake.
Register on the directories AI actually readsGEO
Wikipedia-linked and review-rich sources: SolarQuotes, ProductReview, Yelp, EnergySage (US), Trustpilot, your national installer directory. Identical NAP on each.
2
Make the site machine-readable A site AI crawlers cannot read cannot be cited. Do this before writing a single blog post.
Week 1–2
Allow AI crawlers in robots.txtGEO
GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, Bingbot. Check your host or CDN isn't blocking them at the firewall level.
Publish an llms.txt fileGEO
Plain markdown at /llms.txt: what you do, service areas, links to your key pages, contact details.
Serve content as real HTML, not client-side rendered JSBoth
Most AI crawlers do not execute JavaScript. View source: if your text isn't there, they can't see it.
Add Organization / LocalBusiness schema with sameAs linksBoth
Point sameAs to every profile from Phase 1. This is how engines connect the dots between your properties.
Add Service, FAQPage and Review schema to the right pagesBoth
Validate in Google's Rich Results Test. Broken schema is worse than no schema.
Pass Core Web Vitals on mobileSEO
LCP under 2.5s, CLS under 0.1, INP under 200ms. Solar sites die on giant uncompressed hero images.
Use one clean H1, logical H2/H3 hierarchy, and descriptive URLsBoth
/solar-panels-gold-coast beats /services/page-3.
Add a visible "last updated" date on every content pageGEO
Solar pricing and rebates change yearly. Freshness signals decide which page gets cited.
Submit XML sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster ToolsBoth
Bing indexing is the direct feed into ChatGPT search.
3
Build the core pages Every page answers one question in the first two sentences, then earns the rest of the scroll.
Week 2–4
One page per service: residential, commercial, battery storage, off-grid, EV chargers, maintenanceBoth
Only the ones you actually sell. Thin pages for services you don't offer hurt trust.
One page per service area with genuinely local contentBoth
Local roof types, network operator rules, feed-in tariffs, real jobs you've done there. Swapping the suburb name is not local content.
Open every page with a direct 40–60 word answerGEO
"An 8kW system in Phoenix costs $X to $Y installed after incentives, and pays back in Z years." That block is what gets lifted into AI answers.
Publish real prices or price rangesGEO
Vague "contact us for a quote" pages never get cited for cost queries, which are the highest-intent solar searches.
Name the brands you install and whyBoth
Panels, inverters, batteries. "Best solar installer for Enphase near me" is a real query.
Add a 6–10 question FAQ to each service and location pageBoth
Pull questions from your sales calls, not from a keyword tool. Mark up with FAQPage schema.
Write the About page as a proof pageGEO
Founder names, team photos, accreditations, install count, warranty terms, years in business. AI engines rank "who" signals above marketing copy.
Publish 5+ case studies with system size, cost, output and paybackBoth
Numbers get cited. Adjectives don't.
4
Own the solar questions AI engines cite the page that answers the question most completely and most plainly. Cover the full buying journey.
Month 2–3
Cost guide: "How much does solar cost in [region] in 2026"Both
Table by system size, updated every quarter, with the update date visible.
Rebate and incentive guide for your regionBoth
Federal, state and utility-level. Link to the official source for each. Set a calendar reminder to update when policy changes.
Payback and ROI calculator pageBoth
Interactive tools get linked to, and links are still the strongest citation signal.
Battery guide: is a battery worth it, which size, which brandBoth
Battery questions are growing faster than panel questions in every market.
Comparison pages: panel vs panel, inverter vs inverter, string vs microGEO
Honest comparisons including products you don't sell. AI engines reward balanced sources.
"Best solar installers in [city]" page that includes competitorsGEO
Counter-intuitive and it works. You become the source AI reads to answer that exact question.
Problem pages: inverter errors, low output, hail damage, warranty claimsBoth
Existing owners search these constantly. Cheap traffic, easy citations, maintenance leads.
Add an original statistic to every guideGEO
Average system size you installed last year, average payback across your jobs, most common inverter fault. Unique data is the single best citation magnet.
Cite your sources with outbound linksGEO
Government energy regulators, manufacturer datasheets, university studies. Pages that cite get cited.
5
Earn mentions off-site AI models learn who to trust from what other sites say about you. Your own site is only half the picture.
Month 2 onward
Get to 50+ Google reviews, then keep a steady weekly flowBoth
Ask at handover with a QR code. Reply to every review, including the bad ones.
Collect reviews on 2–3 third-party platforms, not just GoogleGEO
SolarQuotes, ProductReview, EnergySage, Trustpilot. AI engines cross-reference platforms before recommending.
Answer solar questions on Reddit and local Facebook groups under your real nameGEO
Reddit is one of the top-cited domains across ChatGPT, Perplexity and AI Overviews. Help first, never pitch.
Publish on YouTube: install walkthroughs, inverter setup, monitoring app tutorialsGEO
Gemini and AI Overviews cite video transcripts. Title videos as questions.
Get listed on manufacturer "find an installer" pagesBoth
Fronius, SMA, Enphase, Tesla, Sungrow. These are high-authority, entity-confirming links.
Pitch local media and industry publications with your original dataGEO
"Average payback for [city] households fell to X years" is a story. Your service page is not.
Join and get listed by local chambers, business associations and council supplier listsBoth
Boring links from trusted local entities. Exactly what local AI answers lean on.
Add founder profiles with author schema on all guidesGEO
A named accredited installer as author beats "Admin" every time.
6
Measure and repeat You cannot improve citations you don't track. Set this up once, check it monthly.
Monthly
Write your 20-prompt test listGEO
The exact questions a buyer in your area would ask an AI. Examples below.
Run the list monthly across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI ModeGEO
Log whether you're mentioned, which page is cited, and which competitors appear instead.
Segment AI referral traffic in GA4GEO
Filter by referrer: chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai, gemini.google.com, copilot.microsoft.com, claude.ai.
Check server logs for AI crawler hitsGEO
If GPTBot never visits, nothing else on this list matters.
Add "How did you hear about us?" with an AI option to every lead formGEO
Most AI-driven leads arrive as branded searches. Only the form tells you the truth.
Refresh cost and rebate pages every quarterBoth
Update the numbers, bump the date, resubmit in Search Console and Bing.
Review the gaps: which prompts cite competitors, and what does their page have that yours lacks?GEO
Usually it's a price, a table or a named person. Add it and re-test next month.
Starter test prompts
Swap in your city. Run them logged out, in a fresh session, once a month.
Who are the best solar installers in [city]?
How much does an 8kW solar system cost in [city] in 2026?
Is a home battery worth it in [state]?
Which solar installer near [suburb] has the best reviews?
What solar rebates are available in [state] right now?
Best installer for Enphase microinverters in [city]
Commercial solar installers in [city] for a 100kW system
My inverter shows [error code], who can fix it in [city]?
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