More and more people get answers from AI instead of a list of links. Google shows AI Overviews at the top of many searches and offers a conversational AI Mode. ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity search the web and cite sources. You’ll hear this called GEO (generative engine optimisation), AEO (answer engine optimisation) or LLM SEO.
There’s a lot of hype and plenty of paid “AI SEO” tricks being sold. In this guide I’ll stick to what the platforms themselves say, what independent research shows, and the practical steps I’m taking on WebTechHelp.
The short version
- AI search still runs on the web index. Google says pages need to be indexed and eligible for a snippet to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and that no special optimisation is required.
- Good SEO is still the foundation. Crawlable, fast, well-structured, genuinely helpful pages are what AI tools pick up and cite.
- Clicks are harder to win. A Pew Research Center study found people clicked a result on about 8% of Google searches with an AI summary, versus about 15% without one.
- So the goal shifts: be the source AI cites, and give people a reason to click through.
How each AI search platform finds content
| Platform | Where answers come from | What you control |
|---|---|---|
| Google AI Overviews and AI Mode | Google’s search index | Normal indexing; snippet controls (nosnippet, max-snippet, noindex) |
| ChatGPT search | OpenAI’s OAI-SearchBot crawler plus search partners | Allow OAI-SearchBot in robots.txt |
| Microsoft Copilot | Bing’s index | Bing Webmaster Tools, IndexNow, meta directives |
| Perplexity and others | Their own crawlers and search indexes | robots.txt for their crawlers |
What Google says about AI Overviews and AI Mode
Google’s Search Central page on AI features is refreshingly direct:
- There are no additional requirements and no special optimisation needed to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode.
- To be shown as a supporting link, a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown with a snippet.
- You don’t need new machine-readable files, AI text files or special schema markup.
- Traffic from AI features is included in Search Console’s Performance report under the Web search type.
Google’s recommended practices are the same as normal SEO:
- allow crawling in robots.txt and through your CDN or hosting firewall
- make content easy to find with internal links
- provide a good page experience
- keep important content in text, not only in images or video
- support text with good images and videos
- make sure structured data matches what’s visible on the page
- keep your Google Business Profile and Merchant Center information up to date
What OpenAI says about ChatGPT search
OpenAI publishes the crawlers it uses:
- OAI-SearchBot finds pages for ChatGPT’s search features. OpenAI says sites that block it won’t be shown in ChatGPT search answers.
- GPTBot collects content that may be used to train OpenAI’s models.
- ChatGPT-User visits pages when a user asks ChatGPT to look something up.
These are independent. If you want to appear in ChatGPT search but don’t want your content used for training, you can allow one and block the other:
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot
Allow: /
User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /Check that your security plugin or hosting firewall isn’t blocking these bots by accident.
What Bing says about Copilot
Microsoft updated its Bing Webmaster Guidelines in early 2026 to cover generative engine optimisation directly. Its advice for being used to ground AI answers includes:
- state facts directly and clearly
- keep names of people, products and places consistent
- focus each URL on one topic
- put the key information near the top of the page
Bing also warns against keyword stuffing, content written purely to trigger AI citations, prompt injection, and large volumes of content generated without editorial review. To get new pages into Bing quickly, set up Bing Webmaster Tools and use IndexNow (many SEO plugins support it).
10 practical steps to improve your AI search visibility
1. Get the technical basics right
Your pages must be crawlable and indexed. Check Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools for indexing problems, and make sure robots.txt and firewalls allow the search crawlers you want. My technical SEO audit checklist covers this.
2. Answer the question early
AI tools look for clear, direct answers. Start each page with a short, accurate answer to the main question, then go deeper. Use question-style headings that match how people actually ask.
3. One topic per page
Bing specifically recommends focusing each URL on a single topic. A focused page is easier for both search engines and AI systems to understand and quote.
4. Use clear structure
Use logical H2 and H3 headings, short paragraphs, lists for steps and tables for comparisons. Structure makes it easier to extract accurate answers. My on-page SEO checklist covers headings and formatting.
5. Show experience and expertise
Google’s helpful content guidance asks whether content shows first-hand experience and expertise. Add author names and bios, explain how you know what you’re saying, include your own examples, data and screenshots, and cite reliable sources.
6. Add information AI can’t summarise away
If a summary fully answers the question, fewer people will click. Give people a reason to visit: original data, tools, templates, detailed walkthroughs, comparisons, opinions based on experience, and up-to-date specifics.
7. Be consistent across the web
AI tools pull information about your business from your website, Google Business Profile, directories, reviews and other sites. Whitespark’s 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors survey found that three of the top five factors for AI search visibility were citation factors, meaning mentions of your business elsewhere. Keep your name, address, services and descriptions consistent everywhere. See my local SEO guide.
8. Earn mentions and links
Being referenced by respected sites in your field helps both traditional rankings and AI citations. My link building guide covers safe ways to earn them.
9. Keep content fresh
Update important pages when facts change and show the “last updated” date. AI answers often favour current information on fast-changing topics.
10. Measure what you can
- Google Search Console includes AI Overviews and AI Mode traffic in its Performance report (it isn’t shown separately).
- Google Analytics 4 can show referral visits from AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Copilot and Perplexity in its traffic source reports. See my GA4 tutorial.
- Ask the AI tools yourself. Regularly search your main topics in ChatGPT, Copilot and Google’s AI Mode, and note whether you’re cited.
- Paid tools from SEO platforms now track brand mentions in AI answers if you need more data.
What about llms.txt?
You may hear about adding an llms.txt file to help AI tools understand your site. Google says no special AI text files are needed for its AI features. It’s harmless to add one, but I wouldn’t expect it to change your visibility in Google, and I’d spend the time on content instead.
What to avoid
- “AI SEO” schemes that promise guaranteed citations.
- Hidden text or instructions aimed at AI models. Bing treats prompt injection as abuse.
- Mass-produced AI content. Google’s spam policies cover scaled content created mainly to manipulate rankings, and Bing may exclude unsupervised content from its index.
- Blocking the crawlers you want traffic from. Some security plugins block AI crawlers by default.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to do anything special to appear in Google AI Overviews? No, according to Google. Your page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet. Good, helpful content and normal SEO practices are what matter.
Will AI search kill my website traffic? It may reduce clicks for simple questions. Sites that offer depth, experience, tools and trust are better placed, and people who do click from AI answers tend to be more engaged, according to Google.
Should I block AI crawlers? It depends on your goals. Blocking OAI-SearchBot removes you from ChatGPT search answers. Blocking GPTBot only opts you out of OpenAI model training. Google-Extended controls use of your content for some Google AI training and grounding, but doesn’t affect Google Search.
Is GEO different from SEO? Mostly it’s SEO applied to AI answers. The fundamentals (crawlable, helpful, well-structured, trusted content) are the same.
Related guides on WebTechHelp
Sources
- Google Search Central: AI features and your website
- Google Search Central: Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content
- OpenAI: Overview of OpenAI crawlers
- Search Engine Journal: Bing adds GEO to official guidelines, expands AI abuse definitions
- Pew Research Center: Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears
- Whitespark: Local Search Ranking Factors 2026
