SEO, AEO and Website Community
Questions, answers and discussion about SEO, AI search, schema, website security, accessibility and your audit results. John reads the threads and replies. Sign in to post or reply.
Welcome to the AI Web Page SEO community: read this first
Hello and welcome. I am John Carlsson, and I built AI Web Page SEO. This is the place to ask about SEO, AI search (AEO and GEO), schema, website security, acces…
Pinned · SEO TipsWelcome — share what's working
This is the place for tactical SEO wins, quick fixes, and stuff that actually moved the needle for your sites. Brief is fine. Specific is better. Drop a line ab…
Pinned · Technical SEOWelcome — technical fixes that paid off
Crawl issues, indexing weirdness, performance fixes, schema migrations, hreflang headaches. Post the problem, post the fix, help the next person searching for i…
Pinned · AEOWelcome — AEO is the new SEO
AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude) are increasingly the front door to information. Different rules apply. Drop wins, frustrations, schema patterns…
Pinned · GeneralWelcome — say hi
New here? Tell us a bit about your site, your industry, and what brought you to AIWebPageSEO. No sales pitches, just introductions.
AEOAI search (AEO and GEO): ask your questions here
This is the thread for questions about AI search. Google says there is nothing special you need to do to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond normal SEO: th…
SEO TipsSEO basics: ask anything, no question is too simple
This is the thread for questions about SEO basics. Most SEO problems on small sites come down to a few basics: pages Google can crawl, a clear title and descrip…
SEO TipsRankings and traffic: dropped, stuck or not converting?
This is the thread for questions about rankings and traffic. Before changing anything after a drop, check three things: the date it started, whether it matches …
Technical SEOSEO and site audits: questions about your audit results
This is the thread for questions about SEO and site audits. An audit is only useful if every finding is checked against the actual rule. Many tools flag things …
Technical SEOIndexing and crawling: pages not showing in Google?
This is the thread for questions about indexing and crawling. The URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console is the most reliable way to see whether a page is…
Technical SEOSchema and structured data: questions and markup checks
This is the thread for questions about schema and structured data. Google stopped showing FAQ rich results on 7 May 2026, and HowTo rich results went in 2023. S…
Technical SEOWebsite speed and testing: Core Web Vitals, page size and QA
This is the thread for questions about website speed and testing. Google PageSpeed Insights shows two things: a lab test and real-user data from Chrome users. T…
SEO TipsBacklinks: tracking, quality and bad links
This is the thread for questions about backlinks. There is no magic number of backlinks. A few links from relevant, respected sites count for far more than many…
Technical SEOWebsite security: headers, CSP, DMARC and hacked sites
This is the thread for questions about website security. Our Security Audit scoring was built to mirror Mozilla HTTP Observatory, then extended with DNS, SPF, D…
SEO TipsGoogle spam policies: did an update hit your site?
This is the thread for questions about Google spam policies. Google lists every spam policy on one page, and a ranking drop after a spam update is not the same …
Technical SEOWebsite accessibility: WCAG, UK law and audits
This is the thread for questions about website accessibility. Automated tools can test many WCAG criteria but not all of them, and some free scanners report fal…
GeneralLocal SEO, Google Ads and Google account problems
This is the thread for questions about local SEO, Google Ads and Google accounts. For local businesses, a complete Google Business Profile and a page for each s…
Technical SEOFAQ rich results are gone for every site (7 May 2026): has your CTR changed?
Google stopped showing FAQ rich results in Search on 7 May 2026, for all sites, and removed the documentation on 15 June 2026. Source: FAQPage markup is still v…
AEOGoogle says it does not use llms.txt: are you keeping yours?
On 15 June 2026 Google clarified that llms.txt files are not used by Google Search. Source: Some other AI tools may still read the file. I build an LLMs.txt Aud…
SEO TipsSeptember 2026 spam update: what did you see?
Google's September 2026 spam update started on 24 September and the rollout was complete on 8 October, according to the Google Search Status Dashboard: My write…
SEO TipsNew spam policy: back button hijacking (April 2026)
On 13 April 2026 Google added "back button hijacking" to its spam policies, under malicious practices. Source: If your site, a plugin or an advertising script c…
AEOSearch Console now reports generative AI performance: what are you seeing?
Google added Search generative AI performance reports to Search Console in June 2026, and a setting to include or exclude your site from Search generative AI fe…
Technical SEOOWASP Top 10 2025: which one catches small sites out most?
OWASP's current list is the OWASP Top 10 2025. Source: My summary of all ten, with one practical line each: From what you see on real sites, which category caus…
Technical SEODMARC: the pct tag is removed in RFC 9989 (May 2026)
The updated DMARC standard, RFC 9989 (May 2026), removes the pct tag that many guides still use to phase in p=reject. Newer receivers may ignore it. Source: My …
GeneralAsk John: questions about your audit report
Ran one of our audits and not sure what a finding means, or whether it matters? Ask here. Please include: 1. Which audit you ran. 2. The exact finding (copy and…
GeneralWhich audit should I build next?
I build every audit on this site myself, and I would rather build what you actually need. Tell me: 1. What you check by hand today that takes too long. 2. Which…
GeneralFeature requests and ideas
Ideas for the site, the audits, the reports or this community go here. One idea per reply makes it easier to discuss. If someone has already posted your idea, r…
Bug reportsFound a false positive in one of our tools? Post it here
I publish the false positives I find in other companies' audit tools here: It is only fair that ours are held to the same standard. If one of our audits reports…
Tool discussionsWhy does my login rate limit fail with X-Forwarded-For?
My login endpoint is meant to block an IP after 10 failed attempts in 15 minutes. It works when I test normally, but a friend showed me he could keep going fore…
Technical SEOMy like and dislike counter always shows 0
I've got a simple thumbs up / thumbs down vote on my homepage. Votes are definitely saving, as I can see the rows in the database, but the counter on the page a…
Technical SEOMariaDB syntax error on UPDATE SET read = 1
I'm adding a "mark as read" button to my admin contact messages page. The query is: UPDATE contact_messages SET read = 1 WHERE id = ? MariaDB throws a syntax er…
Technical SEOAny logged-in user can read my contact form messages
I just realised my /api/contact/messages route, which lists every message from my contact form, only checks that the user is logged in. So any customer with an …
Technical SEOShould production code ever load files from a dev folder?
While tidying my server I found several live files requiring a helper from my site-dev folder instead of the live site folder. Everything works, and the two cop…
Tool discussionsAudit says my 404 login page lacks brute-force protection
I ran an active rate-limit test against my site and it flagged /seo-auth/login as possibly lacking brute-force protection. But that address doesn't exist on my …
Tool discussionsMy canonical tag disappeared from the page source
A crawler says one of my pages has no canonical tag, but I can see the link rel="canonical" line in the HTML file. It's right there in the head. The browser's d…
Tool discussionsWhy does my meta tag checker show & instead of &?
My page title is "Free SEO Tools & Schema Generator". When I run a meta tag checker it shows the title as "Free SEO Tools & Schema Generator". Google shows …
Tool discussionsIs it safe to display another site's meta tags on my page?
I'm building a small tool that fetches a URL and shows all its meta tags in a table. It inserts each tag's content into the table with innerHTML. A friend said …
Tool discussionsnginx add_header in a location dropped my security headers
I added a location block for .js and .css files with add_header Cache-Control "no-cache". Caching works as expected now, but a security scan says my scripts are…
Tool discussionsrobots.txt: my new Sitemap line got glued onto the old one
I added two new sitemaps to robots.txt with echo "Sitemap: ..." >> robots.txt. Now the file shows: Sitemap: on one line, with the second new sitemap on the next…
Tool discussionsSearch Console says Couldn't fetch for a sitemap that loads fine
I submitted two new sitemaps in Google Search Console and both show "Couldn't fetch" with 0 discovered URLs. But both load fine in my browser and are valid XML.…
Generalbeing transparent AI , how bad is scam-detector.com
Scam-Detector.com is a flawed but technically legitimate algorithmic tool, not a malicious scam. It operates as an official contributor to the Federal Trade Com…
AEOReply to Nikita Vlasyuk
Appreciate the kind words, I think, and this is a genuinely good question — Let me give you my honest opinion. Right now, the most actionable AEO audit is the S…
Generalapi call through dev to live hmmm
api call through dev to live hmmm
Billingsend me a test ai to email and community
send me a test ai to email and community
Bug reportslets test the help to community
test hub to community
Tool discussionsAEO Strategy — Getting Cited by AI Engines
Answer Engine Optimisation is becoming as important as traditional SEO. Share what is working for your sites — what pages are being cited, what schema you've ad…
SEO TipsTitle tag and meta description — what's your formula?
Everyone has a slightly different approach. What patterns are you using for titles right now — primary keyword first, brand last? Pipe vs dash? Share examples t…
Technical SEOHow are you handling soft 404s on dynamic pages?
Out-of-stock product pages, expired job listings, paginated archives that drop content — what's your strategy? noindex, redirect, leave alone, or something else…
AEOWhich schema types get cited most by AI?
Article, FAQPage, HowTo, Product — anyone tracking what schema your AI-cited content is using? Pattern spotting time.
GeneralBest SEO tool you've paid for (besides this one)?
Always interested in what people use alongside ours. Ahrefs, Semrush, Screaming Frog, something niche? What does it do that nothing else does?
Tool discussionsLLMs.txt Generator — AI Crawl Visibility
Discuss llms.txt configuration, share your generated files, and talk about how to improve your site's visibility to AI crawlers like ChatGPT and Perplexity.
Tool discussionsGSC AEO Audit — Search Console & AI Visibility
Discuss using Google Search Console data alongside the AEO audit. Share how GSC insights have helped improve your AI search visibility.
Tool discussionsLocal SEO Checker — Google Maps & 3-Pack Rankings
Share local SEO audit results, discuss Google Maps 3-pack ranking strategies, and help others improve their local business visibility.
Tool discussionsDashboard — Tips & Questions
Share tips on getting the most from the AIPageSEO dashboard, discuss your scores, and ask questions about your overall SEO performance.
Tool discussionsSite Audit — Results & Fixes
Post your site audit results, ask for help interpreting findings, and share fixes that worked for you. What critical issues have you resolved?
Tool discussionsPageSpeed — Scores, Tips & Improvements
Share your PageSpeed scores, discuss what fixes made the biggest difference, and help others improve their performance.
Tool discussionsInternal Links — Strategy & Fixes
Discuss internal linking strategies, share how you fixed orphan pages, and talk about how internal links have improved your rankings.
Tool discussionsKeyword Analysis — Research & Strategy
Share keyword research wins, discuss how to find untapped opportunities, and help others build a solid keyword strategy.
Tool discussionsBacklink Checker — Building Authority
Discuss backlink building strategies, share what's worked for earning quality links, and help others grow their domain authority.
Tool discussionsRedirect Checker — Chains, Loops & Fixes
Share redirect chain issues you've found and how you fixed them. Discuss redirect best practices and migration strategies.
Tool discussionsReadability Checker — Content Improvements
Discuss readability scores, share how you've improved your content for both users and search engines.
Tool discussionsHreflang Checker — International SEO
Discuss hreflang implementation, common errors, and international SEO strategies. Share your fixes and tips here.
Tool discussionsCore Web Vitals — LCP, CLS, INP Fixes
Share your Core Web Vitals scores, what caused your issues, and what fixed them. LCP, CLS and INP all welcome here.
Tool discussionsCompetitor Analysis — Insights & Strategies
Share insights from competitor analysis. What are competitors doing that you've learned from? How have you used it to outrank them?
Tool discussionsRich Snippets Tester — Getting Rich Results
Discuss which rich result types you've achieved, what schema got them, and share tips for passing Google's rich result requirements.
Tool discussionsSchema Debugger — Errors & Validation
Share schema errors you've encountered and how you fixed them. Help others get their structured data passing validation.
Tool discussionsSocial Preview Tester — OG Tags & Cards
Share social preview results, discuss Open Graph and Twitter card optimisation, and help others get their previews looking great.
Tool discussionsHTML Checker — Markup Issues & Fixes
Discuss HTML errors found and how to fix them. Share what impact fixing markup issues has had on your SEO.
Tool discussionsCSS Checker — Performance & Best Practices
Discuss CSS performance issues, unused styles, render-blocking CSS, and how to keep your stylesheets lean and fast.
Tool discussionsJavaScript Checker — Errors & Optimisation
Share JavaScript errors found, discuss how to fix them, and talk about JS performance optimisation for better Core Web Vitals.
Tool discussionsJSON-LD Checker — Structured Data Validation
Discuss JSON-LD validation errors, share working schema examples, and help others get their structured data correct.
Tool discussionsMeta Analyser — Title Tags & Descriptions
Share tips for writing great title tags and meta descriptions. Discuss length, click-through rate optimisation, and what works.
Tool discussionsAccessibility Checker — WCAG Compliance
Discuss accessibility issues found, share how you fixed WCAG violations, and talk about why accessibility matters for SEO.
Tool discussionsImage Optimisation — Speed & Alt Text
Share image optimisation strategies, discuss formats (WebP, AVIF), compression tools, and how alt text improvements have helped rankings.
Tool discussionsScore History & Trends — Tracking Progress
Share your score trends over time. What actions caused the biggest improvements? Help others understand what to track and why.
Tool discussionsCLS Debugger — Layout Shift Fixes
Discuss Cumulative Layout Shift causes and fixes. Share what was causing your CLS and how you resolved it.
Tool discussionsAI Schema Generator — Tips & Output Examples
Share schema generated by the AI Schema Generator, discuss what prompts work best, and help others get accurate structured data.
Tool discussionsOG / Social Tag Generator — Best Practices
Discuss Open Graph and social meta tag generation. Share examples of well-optimised tags and what impact they've had on click-through rates.
Tool discussionsLearning Hub — Questions & Extra Resources
Ask questions about SEO concepts from the Learning Hub. Share additional resources and real-world examples to help the community learn.
Tool discussionsError Documentation — Fix Guide Discussion
Discuss specific errors from the documentation, share how you fixed them in your CMS, and help others resolve technical SEO issues.
Tool discussionsSchema Markup Generator — Help & Examples
Get help with schema markup, share your generated schemas, and discuss structured data best practices for AI search visibility.
Tool discussionsE-E-A-T Checker — Improving Your Score
Discuss E-E-A-T signals, share your results and improvements. What strategies have worked for boosting expertise, authority and trust signals?
Tool discussionsRobots.txt & Sitemap — Configuration Help
Get help configuring your robots.txt and XML sitemap. Share examples, discuss common mistakes, and help each other get crawling right.
Tool discussionsAI Ask (Claude) — Prompts & Use Cases
Share useful prompts and use cases for the AI Ask feature. What SEO questions have you got the most value from? Help others get more from AI-powered analysis.