Is Your Website Ready for AI? A Simple Readiness Checklist

You don’t need a technical audit to get a feel for whether your website is ready for the AI era. Run through these ten questions and count your “yes” answers.

The 10-question readiness check

• Actions are clear. Can a first-time visitor tell, in seconds, the main things they can do (book, buy, enquire)?
• Enquiries are captured. If someone wants to get in touch at 10pm, does your site reliably capture that?
• Bookings are online. Can a customer book or request an appointment without phoning?
• Information is current. Are your hours, prices, services and contact details up to date and easy to find?
• Products are described in customer language. Do your listings match how people actually ask?
• Common questions are answered on the site. Hours, location, returns, delivery: findable?
• Your site works on mobile. Does it load and work cleanly on a phone?
• There’s a single source of truth. Is your key info in one reliable place, not scattered?
• You can capture a lead without a human present. Does business get caught after hours, automatically?
• You’re set up to allow (or block) AI actions deliberately. Have you decided what an AI assistant should and shouldn’t do on your site?

How did you score?

• 8 to 10 yes: You’re in great shape: a few targeted connections would put you ahead of many businesses in your area.
• 5 to 7 yes: Solid foundation, real gaps. The opportunity is to turn static information into actions AI can use.
• 0 to 4 yes: Lots of upside, and you don’t have to fix it all by hand or rebuild anything.

The most important question is the last one

Notice that #10 is different. Most businesses have never decided what AI should be allowed to do on their website, so the answer gets made for them, badly, by default. Being AI-ready isn’t only about tidy information; it’s about deliberately opening the doors you want open and keeping the rest closed.

What to do next

Wherever you landed, the path forward is the same: start with a clear assessment, fix the highest-value gaps first (usually enquiries or bookings), and add connections as you grow. You don’t need to become technical, and you don’t need a new website.

Free self-check: Can AI find your business? (PDF). Ten questions, ten minutes, a pen. No email needed.