21-Point AI Content QA Checklist (Before You Hit Publish)

An AI content QA checklist should test six things before a draft goes live: accuracy, readability, SEO, citability, brand and conversion. The 21 checks below cover all six. Accuracy comes first, because AI drafts can state wrong facts with confidence, and a wrong fact on your site can be repeated by AI engines that cite you. If a draft fails an accuracy check, fix it before you look at anything else.

This checklist is based on the QA gate we built into AgenticSEO. You can use it by hand, with no tool at all.

TL;DR

• Check 21 points in six groups: accuracy, readability, SEO, citability, brand and conversion.
• Start with accuracy. Every product claim, number and quote must match a source or your approved facts.
• Aim for a reading grade of about 7 to 9, with short paragraphs and a clear answer in each section.
• Give every article one clear call to action.

How to use this checklist

Go through the groups in order. Each check is a yes or no. Use this rule:

The mechanical checks (reading grade, em dashes, alt text, links) are easy to automate. The judgment checks (intent, accuracy, voice) need an editor, human or AI, with a clear list of approved facts.

Group 1: Accuracy (4 checks)

1. Every product claim matches your approved facts

Keep one list of approved product facts: features, plans, prices, limits and integrations. Every claim about your product in the draft must be on that list. If it is not, cut it or confirm it and add it to the list.

2. Every statistic has a named source

Each number should name its source in the text, like "Ahrefs found..." or "a Seer Interactive case showed...". If you cannot find the source, delete the number. Never let an AI tool invent a statistic.

3. Competitor facts are current and fair

Prices and features of other tools change. Check them on the vendor's site, note the month you checked, and add "check the vendor site for current prices". Give rivals real strengths, not only weaknesses.

4. No made-up quotes, customers or results

AI drafts sometimes add a quote from "a marketing manager" or a customer result. If you do not have the real quote or the real result with permission, remove it.

Group 2: Readability (4 checks)

5. Reading grade is about 7 to 9

Use a readability tool to check the grade. Short sentences and common words make content easier to read and easier to quote. The AgenticSEO gate uses grade 7 by default.

6. No em dashes or filler phrases

AI drafts often overuse em dashes and stock phrases like "it is important to note that" or "in the ever-changing landscape of". Replace dashes with commas, colons or full stops. Keep a banned phrase list and search for each item.

7. Paragraphs are short

Aim for 2 to 4 sentences per paragraph. Long blocks of text get skipped on phones.

8. Headings tell the story on their own

Read only the H2 and H3 headings. They should make sense as an outline. Question headings work well, because they match how people ask search engines and AI tools.

Group 3: SEO (4 checks)

9. The keyword is in the right places

The main keyword (or a close variant) should appear in the title, the first paragraph, at least one heading, and the meta description. Do not repeat it beyond that. The GEO-bench paper (KDD 2024) found that keyword stuffing lowered visibility in generated answers.

10. The draft matches search intent

Search the keyword and look at the top results. If they are step-by-step guides and your draft is an opinion piece, you have the wrong format. Fix the format before you polish the words.

11. Every image has alt text

Alt text should say what the image shows, in plain words. It helps screen reader users and search engines.

12. Links work and point to real pages

Check every link. Look for placeholder links like "#", "TODO" or "example.com". Link to 2 to 4 related pages on your own site, and to the sources you cite.

Group 4: Citability (3 checks)

These checks make it easier for AI engines to quote your page. The GEO-bench paper found that adding statistics, quotes and sources raised visibility by up to 40% in tests.

13. The first paragraph answers the question

The opening 2 to 3 sentences should answer the title question directly. No warm-up, no story first. This is the passage most likely to be quoted.

14. There is a TL;DR, table or list

Give skimmers and AI engines a compact summary: a TL;DR, a comparison table or a numbered list. Tables are especially good for facts like prices and features.

15. Each section stands alone

Each H2 section should make sense if someone reads only that section. Avoid "as we said above". Repeat the key noun instead of using "it" or "this" at the start of a section.

Group 5: Brand (3 checks)

16. The voice matches your brand

Read the draft aloud. Does it sound like your team? Check it against your voice notes: formal or casual, short or detailed, how you name your product.

17. Your own product is labeled when you compare

In any list or comparison that includes your product, mark it "(our product)". Do not rank it first unless your stated criteria clearly put it first, and explain why.

18. No claims you cannot back up

No "best in the market", "guaranteed rankings" or "trusted by thousands" unless you can prove it. For AI search, never promise citations. Nobody can guarantee what an AI engine will say.

Group 6: Conversion (3 checks)

19. There is one clear call to action

Tell the reader the next step: start a trial, see pricing, read the docs. One or two CTAs in the body is enough. More looks like an ad.

20. The CTA fits the reader's stage

A reader of "what is X" is early. A reader of "X vs Y pricing" is close to buying. Match the CTA to the stage: a guide or free plan for early readers, pricing or a trial for late ones.

21. The draft has a minimum useful length

There is no magic word count, but a draft that is too short often skips steps or examples. Set a minimum for each content type and flag drafts below it.

The full checklist (copy this)

Accuracy

• 1. Product claims match approved facts
• 2. Every statistic has a named source
• 3. Competitor facts are current and fair
• 4. No made-up quotes, customers or results

Readability

• 5. Reading grade about 7 to 9
• 6. No em dashes or banned phrases
• 7. Short paragraphs
• 8. Headings work as an outline

SEO

• 9. Keyword in title, first paragraph, a heading, meta description
• 10. Format matches search intent
• 11. Alt text on every image
• 12. No broken or placeholder links

Citability

• 13. First paragraph answers the question
• 14. TL;DR, table or list included
• 15. Each section stands alone

Brand

• 16. Voice matches the brand
• 17. Own product labeled in comparisons
• 18. No claims you cannot back up

Conversion

• 19. One clear CTA
• 20. CTA fits the reader's stage
• 21. Meets the minimum length

How the AgenticSEO QA gate automates this

AgenticSEO (our product) runs a QA gate on every draft before it can be published. It has two parts.

Code checks: reading grade (default 7), em dashes, banned phrases, keyword placement, TL;DR, images, alt text, CTA, placeholder links and minimum words.

AI editor review: intent, voice and accuracy against your approved product facts. It scores 8 areas out of 40, and the default pass mark is 32. Claims that are not in your approved facts fail.

If a draft fails, the writer rewrites it, up to 3 times by default. After that, it is marked "Needs human" so you can step in. Only drafts that pass can be published. You can also send a draft to a reviewer through a review link, with no account needed. Lessons from past QA failures go into every agent prompt, so the same mistake is less likely to come back.

The AI editor is included in the plan, so there is no separate AI bill. See the QA gate docs for settings, or compare plans.

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