Scope the review before checking boxes
Name the client, intended page, market and buyer question. Decide whether you are reviewing technical access, answer quality, observed citations or delivery work. A checklist completed without that scope is difficult for another person to interpret.
Follow the GEO audit guide to move from a question to evidence and a prioritized action.
Write evidence, not just a status
A checked item means someone reviewed it; it does not certify that the page passed. Put the actual finding in the evidence field, including the page URL, capture date or source that supports it.
For an illustrative canonical review, record “Canonical points to /old-page; confirm intended representative URL with the site owner” rather than a bare red or green score.
Keep missing checks visible
Static HTML, robots rules, live network access and AI answer observations are different evidence sources. Use the technical checker for supplied HTML and the crawler rule checker for the file you paste. Neither establishes a live provider visit.
Mark unavailable evidence as not checked. Do not turn a failed capture or an uncollected answer into a negative result.
Finish with an owner and acceptance evidence
Convert material findings into work the team can verify. Give an action an owner, priority and a precise expected result. A fix is complete when its acceptance evidence is available, not when the checklist is entirely green.
Carry the reviewed findings into the client report template, and keep the same-question follow-up separate from technical completion.