How to Test Link Headers with curl
curl is the quickest way to see what headers your server sends to crawlers.
Run curl -I https://example.com and inspect the Link headers for rel="service-doc", rel="alternate", rel="sitemap", and correct content types.
Testing Link headers helps verify whether AI crawlers can discover machine-readable resources from HTTP responses. It is a simple but important AI discoverability check.
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Headers are invisible on the page but visible to clients and crawlers. curl shows them directly.
This is useful when validating llms.txt, Markdown alternatives, and sitemap discovery signals.
Practical Steps
- Run: curl -I https://example.com
- Look for Link: headers.
- Check rel values and type attributes.
- Open linked resources to confirm they return 200.
- Run TruboRank AI for a structured report.
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What does -I do?
It asks curl to fetch headers only.
Should every page return Link headers?
At minimum, important entry pages should expose key discovery resources.
What if headers are missing?
Add them in your server, app, CDN, or edge configuration.
Editorial methodology
TruboRankAI publishes practical guidance from observable website signals, reproducible checks, and cited primary or first-party references when platform behavior or measured claims can change. Crawler access, indexing, search visibility, mentions, citations, referral visits, and conversions are treated as separate signals. Readers should verify time-sensitive settings and policies against the linked official documentation.