Best SEO Checklist
ONE FOCUSED ACTION

Allow OAI-SearchBot access in robots.txt.

ChatGPT search optimization

1 checklist items

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    Why this matters

    OAI-SearchBot crawling access is essential for ChatGPT to retrieve and cite your pages in real-time searches.

    A STARTING-POINT EXAMPLE

    Hypothetical standard operating procedure

    Adapt this example to your site, access, tools, and change process. It is our suggested procedure, informed by the sources below.

    1. Review current robots.txt for OpenAI crawler rules.
    2. Add or confirm 'User-agent: OAI-SearchBot Allow: /' entry.
    3. Check CDN and firewall settings to ensure OAI-SearchBot is not blocked.
    4. Use AI crawler audit tools to verify accessibility.
    5. Wait 24 hours and re-test with OAI-SearchBot user-agent requests.

    Watch for

    Blocking OAI-SearchBot leads to exclusion from ChatGPT search citations, limiting AI visibility.

    Definition of done

    robots.txt includes User-agent: OAI-SearchBot Allow: /, verified via crawl diagnostics and AI crawler tests.

    Sources & attribution

    1. ChatGPT Optimization Guide: How to Get Cited by OpenAI's AI ↗

    Original checklist wording and example SOP by Best SEO Checklist, using source-grounded AI assistance. Editorial contact: Ted Kubaitis, @tedkubaitis on Teams. Check current source guidance before implementation.