3.3 The 15 Web Standards Every Website Should Meet — Whether You Sell Stuff or Not

When someone asks an AI assistant for help, the assistant looks for clear, specific facts.

Who you are, what you do, where you work and what it costs.

The clearer those facts are, the easier it is for an answer engine to understand your business and for the people it sends your way to decide what to do next.

So with my clients, I look at their website the way a first-time visitor would.

Maybe a friend sent a link, Google brought up the business, Or an AI assistant mentioned it.

However a visitor finds you, that visitor arrives with the same basic questions.

Can you help me? Can I trust you?

What's this going to cost?

And if it all goes sideways, is there an actual human I can speak to? Your website needs to answer those questions.

When you publish a website, you're making promises.

Every price, photo, testimonial, and button tells a visitor what to expect.

And clear information helps Answer Engines understand your business and helps the people they send you decide what to do next.

That's why this belongs on AEO Decoded.

So I brought a list.

Of course I have.

15 website standards in three groups.

The first seven web best practices are for every website.

The next four web best practices are for websites that take payments or sell things.

And the last four web best practices depend on your business, the kind of work you do, and what you publish.

No need to tackle all 15 before your tea goes cold.

By the end, you'll have clear action items and a printable checklist.