Get found on Google and in AI answers

Lesson 1

How AI search picks its sources

ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews all find pages, choose a few they trust, write an answer and cite some of them. Your job is to be findable, choosable and quotable.

• Google says there are no special requirements for AI Overviews: the same SEO basics apply.
• A page must be indexed and able to show a snippet before Google can use it as a source.
• There is no position 1 in an AI answer. You measure mentions and citations instead.

Lesson 2

Make sure machines can reach your pages

If a crawler can't open a page, no AI will quote it. Most visibility problems start with a blocked or empty page.

• Check robots.txt for leftover rules that block everything or the wrong bot.
• Serve the main content in the HTML, so it is there before JavaScript runs.
• Keep a clean sitemap with only the pages you want found.

Try it: Robots.txt & Sitemap Checker

Lesson 3

Know which AI crawler does what

Each AI company runs separate bots for search and for training. Blocking one does not block the other, so decide on each one deliberately.

• OAI-SearchBot puts you in ChatGPT search; GPTBot collects training data.
• Claude-SearchBot and PerplexityBot index for search; ClaudeBot is for training.
• Google-Extended controls Gemini training and does not affect Google Search.

Lesson 4

Write answers, not teasers

Answer engines build replies from short passages. Put the answer first and make every section make sense on its own.

• Open each section with a direct answer of one or two sentences.
• Phrase headings as the questions your customers ask.
• Use tables for comparisons and numbered steps for processes.

Try it: SERP Snippet Preview

Lesson 5

Give AI a reason to cite you

Research on generative engines found that adding sources, quotations and statistics made content noticeably more visible, while keyword stuffing barely helped.

• Link every important claim to where it comes from.
• Use real numbers from your own data, and say where they come from.
• Quote named experts, with their permission.

Lesson 6

Be one clear brand everywhere

AI assistants build a picture of your business from everything they find about you. Consistent details make it easier to recommend you with confidence.

• Use the same name, description and contact details on every profile.
• Add Organization structured data with links to your official profiles.
• Ask happy customers for reviews on the platforms they trust.

Try it: Schema Markup Generator

Lesson 7

Publish what others can't

Pages that get cited have information you can't find elsewhere, presented clearly.

• Publish your own data with a short note on how you collected it.
• Write honest comparison pages that say who each option suits.
• Update time-sensitive pages when the facts change, not only the date.

Lesson 8

Measure what AI says about you

Pick a fixed set of questions your customers ask and check the answers regularly. Trends over weeks matter more than any single answer.

• Track how often you're mentioned and how often your pages are cited.
• Compare your share of voice with your competitors'.
• Fix wrong or outdated facts on the page they come from.