ChatGPT SEO tools: what to check, and the free tools that do it

What a ChatGPT SEO tool should tell you

ChatGPT answers many questions by searching the web first, with its own searches, then reading and citing pages. So four things decide whether it names you: whether it can read your site, what it searches for, which pages it cites for your customers' questions, and what it says about you.

A good ChatGPT SEO tool checks at least one of these. A tracker checks the answers themselves on a schedule. Checking by hand in the ChatGPT app is a sample of one: your chat history and location shape the answer, and the next run can differ. Tools ask the same way each time, so you can compare.

For example, a dentist in Leeds might ask ChatGPT "best dentist in Leeds" and see a list of practices. The next day, the same question might return a different list. A tool that runs the same question daily shows whether that dentist appears consistently or only once.

Check one: can ChatGPT read your site

ChatGPT search uses OpenAI's OAI-SearchBot crawler. If your robots.txt or your server blocks it, your pages cannot be cited. This is the first thing to check because nothing else matters if the crawler is turned away.

Vasukai's robots.txt checker tests your site against 18 AI crawlers, OAI-SearchBot included. It shows which ones are allowed and which are blocked, so you can fix the file or ask your web host to unblock them. You can find it at robots.txt checker.

The AI visibility audit scores a page out of 100 for how well AI can find, read and understand it, with the fixes in order. That helps you see whether the problem is access, structure, or content. Try it at AI visibility audit.

Check two: what ChatGPT searches for

Behind a customer's question ChatGPT runs several searches of its own, worded differently from the question. For example, a customer might ask "where to buy running shoes in Manchester" and ChatGPT might search for "best running shoe shops Manchester" and "running shoe stores near Manchester city centre."

The query fan-out tool shows those searches, the sites ChatGPT cites and the brands it names for your question. You can see it at query fan-out tool. Those searches are the terms your pages should answer plainly.

If your pages use different words than the ones ChatGPT searches for, you may not appear. The tool helps you align your content with the actual searches.

Check three: which pages ChatGPT cites

The AI citation gap tool opens the pages ChatGPT cites for your customers' questions and shows which ones name a competitor but not you. That reveals where you are missing from the conversation. You can find it at AI citation gap tool.

Those pages are where to pitch for a mention: roundups, directories, reviews and forums. For example, if a local news article lists the top five plumbers in your area and you are not on it, you could reach out and ask to be included.

Fixing these gaps often means contacting the site owner or adding your business to a directory. The tool shows you exactly which pages to target.

Check four: what ChatGPT says about you

The AI brand fact checker asks ChatGPT about your business and checks each claim against your own website. It shows you where ChatGPT gets things wrong, like outdated opening hours or an old address. You can use it at AI brand fact checker.

Wrong facts usually trace back to an outdated page or a directory listing. Fix the source and the answer follows. For example, if ChatGPT says you are closed on Saturdays but your website says you are open, updating the website may correct the answer over time.

This check is about accuracy. If ChatGPT describes your business incorrectly, customers may get the wrong idea. The tool helps you find and fix those errors.

When to move from checks to tracking

The free tools that ask ChatGPT allow 2 runs a day without an account and 25 a day after a free email sign-in, with no card. That is enough for spot checks, but not for seeing trends.

Once you have fixed the basics, what matters is whether ChatGPT names you week after week and who it names instead. That is tracking, not a check. For example, a bakery might want to know if it appears for "best birthday cakes in Dublin" every week, not just once.

Vasukai's free AI check shows today's answers across ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Mode; plans track up to nine assistants weekly or daily from $19 a month, with the fixes written for you. You can try the free check at free AI visibility checker and read more at ChatGPT SEO guide.

A sensible order: fix crawler access first, then the pages that fail to answer the customer's question, then the missing mentions on cited pages, then the wrong facts. Once those are in place, set up tracking to see if your changes are working.