AI search engines answer customer questions directly, citing sources they trust
Traditional Google rankings don’t guarantee AI visibility
Structure your content with clear headings and direct answers
Check your robots.txt file to make sure AI crawlers can access your website
Build credibility through E-E-A-T signals, statistics with sources, and mentions from trusted third parties
When someone asks ChatGPT for recommendations in your industry, does your business get mentioned?
More and more people now use AI-powered platforms to find information instead of scrolling through traditional search results. ChatGPT alone has over 400 million weekly users.
AI referrals to websites increased by 357% year-over-year in 2025.
If your website isn’t properly optimised for these AI search engines, you’re invisible to a growing segment of potential customers. The good news is that you don’t need a complete website overhaul.
Specific, practical changes can improve your visibility in AI-generated answers.
This guide explains what those changes are, why they work, and how to implement them yourself.
Table of Contents
What Are AI Search Engines and Why Do They Matter?
AI search engines are platforms that use artificial intelligence to answer questions directly rather than showing a list of website links.
The main platforms include ChatGPT (from OpenAI), Perplexity AI, Google AI Overviews, and Bing Copilot.
When you ask ChatGPT a question, it searches the web, pulls information from various sources, and gives you a direct answer with citations. This differs completely from typing a query into Google and clicking through to different websites.
The business case is clear. Visitors arriving from AI search convert 4.4 times better than those from traditional organic search.
These are often people ready to take action, not just browsing. If AI platforms recommend your competitors instead of you, those high-quality leads go elsewhere.
The shift is happening faster than many businesses realise. More than 71% of Americans have already used AI for online searches, and UK adoption follows a similar pattern.
Your potential customers are changing how they find businesses like yours.
How AI Search Works Differently from Traditional SEO
Understanding the difference between traditional SEO and AI search optimisation helps explain why specific tactics are needed.
From Links to Direct Answers
A traditional Google search shows you a list of links.
You click on one, visit the website, and find your answer. Google ranks websites based on hundreds of factors. With SEO, your job has been to climb those rankings.
AI search works differently.
When you ask Perplexity or ChatGPT a question, they don’t show you a list of websites. They read multiple sources, combine the information, and write you a direct answer.
They cite sources, but many users never click through because they already have what they need.
Being cited as a source becomes more valuable than simply ranking. If ChatGPT mentions your business when answering a relevant question, that’s visibility you cannot achieve through traditional SEO alone.
What AI Platforms Look For
AI platforms want content they can understand, trust, and quote. They look for clear, factual information backed by evidence.
They favour sources that demonstrate genuine expertise rather than generic marketing language.
Think of AI platforms as researchers writing a report.
They need quotable facts with clear attribution, not vague claims. If your website reads like a sales brochure, AI platforms have nothing useful to extract. They’ll quote your competitors instead.
Key Tactics to Optimise for AI Search
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the practice of adjusting your content so AI platforms can find, understand, and cite it. Research from Princeton University shows that specific GEO tactics can boost visibility by up to 40% in AI-generated responses.
Structure Your Content for Extraction
AI systems parse your content by breaking it into segments.
They analyse how ideas connect and look for clear answers to specific questions. Google’s AI uses a technique called “query fan-out,” breaking complex questions into multiple sub-queries and searching for answers to each.
Start each section with a direct answer before expanding with details.
Use clear H2/H3 headings that match the questions people actually ask. Break complex topics into focused paragraphs, each addressing one main point. Content structured this way is significantly more likely to be cited.
FAQ sections perform particularly well because they match how users phrase questions to AI platforms. Keep answers concise but complete. Each question-answer pair becomes a potential citation opportunity.
Add Credibility Signals
AI platforms favour content that includes specific data and evidence. Pages with original statistics earn far more AI citations than those making vague claims.
Include relevant numbers wherever possible. Instead of saying “many businesses benefit from AI optimisation,” say “businesses implementing GEO strategies report measurable increases in AI citations within three to six months.”
Cite your sources.
AI platforms can verify claims against other sources, so accuracy is important (as it should be).
Display your credentials clearly.
Your professional qualifications, years of experience, industry memberships, and certifications all help AI platforms assess your authority. E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) matters as much for AI visibility as it does for traditional SEO.
Adding expert quotations can really help. Research shows that including quotes from recognised authorities can boost AI visibility by up to 40% in certain topic areas.
Implement Schema Markup
Schema markup is code that helps search engines and AI systems understand your content.
It labels your content clearly, telling AI platforms that this is an FAQ, this is an article by this author, or this is a local business offering these services.
Think of schema as translating your content into a language machines understand perfectly. Without it, AI platforms must guess what your content means. With it, there’s no ambiguity.
For WordPress users, plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math make adding schema straightforward without touching code. Key schema types to implement include FAQ schema for question-answer content, Article schema with author information, and LocalBusiness schema for service-area businesses.
Schema connects your content to what search engines call the knowledge graph.
This is the database of entities (people, places, businesses, concepts) and their relationships. Proper schema helps AI platforms understand exactly what your business is and what you offer.
Allow AI Crawlers to Access Your Website
This might sound a bit obvious.
Before optimising your content, check whether AI platforms can actually read your website. Many businesses accidentally block AI crawlers without realising it.
Your robots.txt file tells search engines and AI systems which parts of your website they can access. If your file blocks the wrong crawlers, AI platforms will be turned away, and simply skip your content entirely.
The main AI crawlers to consider include:
- GPTBot
- ChatGPT-User (OpenAI)
- ClaudeBot (Anthropic)
- PerplexityBot
- Google-Extended
Each company uses these bots to read websites and build the knowledge that powers their AI responses.
Check Your Current Settings
Ask your web developer or hosting provider to review your robots.txt file. They can check whether AI crawlers are allowed or blocked. If blocked, adding permission typically takes just a few minutes.
If you manage your own WordPress website, you can view your robots.txt by adding /robots.txt to your domain (for example, yourwebsite.co.uk/robots.txt).
Look for lines that mention the crawler names above and check whether they say “Allow” or “Disallow.”
Some businesses deliberately block AI crawlers because they’re concerned about their content being used for AI training. That’s a valid choice.
But if you want AI platforms to recommend your business, they need access to your content. You cannot have it both ways.
DIY vs Professional WordPress Maintenance: Which Is Right for Your Business?
Check Your Cloudflare Settings
If your website uses Cloudflare CDN for security or performance, its bot protection features may block AI crawlers by default.
Cloudflare’s “Bot Fight Mode” and similar security settings can prevent legitimate AI bots from accessing your content, even if your robots.txt allows them.
Log into your Cloudflare dashboard and check the Security settings.
Look for options related to bot management and review whether AI crawlers are being challenged or blocked. Cloudflare now offers specific controls for AI bots, letting you allow crawlers like GPTBot and ClaudeBot while still blocking malicious traffic.
If you’re not sure whether Cloudflare is blocking AI crawlers, check your Cloudflare analytics for blocked requests. You may see legitimate AI bot traffic being stopped. Your web developer or hosting provider can help adjust these settings to allow the AI crawlers you want while maintaining security.
Many small business owners don’t realise their Cloudflare settings are blocking AI visibility. It’s worth checking, especially if your robots.txt looks correct but AI platforms still aren’t citing your content.
Build Authority Through External Sources
AI platforms trust the consensus of what others say about you more than what you say about yourself.
Third-party mentions and citations carry significant weight in how AI systems assess your authority. Building this external validation takes time, but it’s one of the most effective ways to improve your AI visibility.
Why Third-Party Mentions Matter
Your Google reviews, industry directory listings, local press coverage, and mentions in trusted publications all contribute to how AI platforms perceive your business. When multiple independent sources confirm your expertise, AI platforms have more confidence recommending you.
This is sometimes called entity SEO because it helps AI systems understand your business as a distinct entity with verifiable attributes. AI platforms cross-reference information about your business across the web. If your company name, services, and expertise appear consistently across multiple trusted sources, you become a more reliable entity in their systems.
Digital PR and Brand Mentions
Digital PR helps build these authority signals. Being quoted in industry publications, featured in local news, or mentioned in relevant online discussions all strengthen your AI visibility.
Customer testimonials on third-party review sites matter too. The more places your business appears with consistent information, the stronger your authority signals become.
Brand mentions don’t need to be links.
Unlike traditional SEO where backlinks primarily drive rankings, AI platforms can recognise and value mentions of your business name across the web.
If an industry blog mentions your company as a trusted provider, that signal counts even without a hyperlink. Consistent information about your business across multiple sources helps AI systems understand who you are and what you offer.
Build Topical Authority on Your Website
External mentions aren’t the only way to build authority, your own website content matters too.
If your website covers your subject area comprehensively with accurate, helpful content, AI platforms are more likely to view you as a trusted source on that topic.
One thin page on a subject won’t compete with a competitor who has twenty detailed articles covering every angle.
Creating content clusters around your core topics demonstrates depth of knowledge. Answer the questions your customers ask. Cover the related subtopics.
Link your content together logically. This ‘topical authority’ signals to AI platforms that you genuinely understand your field.
What to Do Next
Start with an audit of your current AI visibility.
Search for your business in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google (look for AI Overviews appearing above search results). Note whether you’re mentioned and how you’re described.
Check your robots.txt configuration to confirm AI crawlers can access your content.
Then review your website structure.
- Are your headings clear?
- Do you answer questions directly?
- Is your expertise visible?
You don’t need to tackle everything at once. Focus on your most important service pages first.
Add clear FAQ sections, include relevant statistics with sources, and display your credentials prominently. Small improvements compound over time.
If you’d prefer professional help, our AI search optimisation services help UK small businesses become more visible in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. We focus on practical improvements that fit your budget and explain everything in plain English.
The businesses optimising for AI search now will have an advantage as adoption grows. Your competitors may already be working on this. The question is whether you’ll get there first.
Frequently Asked Questions
AI search engine optimisation (often called GEO or Generative Engine Optimisation) is the practice of adjusting your website content so AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews can find, understand, and cite it. Unlike traditional SEO focused on ranking positions, GEO aims to get your content mentioned in AI-generated answers. The tactics include structuring content clearly, adding credibility signals like statistics and citations, and confirming AI crawlers can access your website.
Related: AI Search Optimisation vs Generative Engine Optimisation: Same Thing?
Yes. AI platforms often reference content that already performs well in traditional search results. Google’s AI Overviews draw from indexed web content. The recommended approach is an integrated strategy that strengthens your foundations for both. Good SEO practices like clear content structure, fast page speed, mobile responsiveness, and strong E-E-A-T signals benefit both traditional rankings and AI visibility. Think of AI optimisation as an addition to your SEO work, not a replacement.
Check your robots.txt file by adding /robots.txt to your website address. Look for references to AI crawler names like GPTBot, ClaudeBot, or PerplexityBot. If these are set to “Disallow,” AI platforms cannot read your content. You can also test directly by asking ChatGPT or Perplexity questions your website should answer. If they cite your competitors but not you, there may be a visibility issue. Your web developer can check and fix robots.txt settings in minutes.
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google uses this framework to assess content quality, and AI platforms apply similar principles when choosing which sources to cite. Demonstrating E-E-A-T means displaying your credentials, showing real experience through case studies, citing authoritative sources, and building trust through reviews and third-party mentions. Websites with strong E-E-A-T signals are more likely to be quoted in AI-generated answers because AI platforms need to cite sources they can trust.
Initial improvements can appear within six to eight weeks as AI platforms recrawl and re-index your content. More significant results typically develop over three to six months as you build authority and AI systems develop confidence in your content. Unlike traditional SEO where you track ranking positions, AI visibility is measured through brand mentions, citation frequency, and referral traffic from AI platforms. Tracking tools for AI visibility are still developing, but you can manually test by asking relevant questions in ChatGPT and Perplexity.
Schema markup is code that helps AI systems understand your content by labelling what it represents. FAQ schema tells AI platforms that your content contains questions and answers. Article schema identifies the author and publication date. LocalBusiness schema describes your business location and services. While not strictly required, schema removes ambiguity and makes it easier for AI to extract and cite your information accurately. WordPress plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math can add schema without you writing any code.
Prioritise the platforms your potential customers actually use. ChatGPT has the largest user base with over 400 million weekly users. Google AI Overviews appears in traditional Google searches, affecting most UK searchers. Perplexity AI is growing rapidly among users who want cited, research-style answers. Microsoft Copilot integrates across Windows and Office applications. The good news is that most optimisation tactics work across all platforms because they all value clear, authoritative, well-structured content.
Question-and-answer formats perform exceptionally well because they match how users phrase queries to AI platforms. Clear headings that state the topic, concise opening paragraphs that answer questions directly, and content broken into focused sections all help. Statistics with cited sources, expert quotations, and specific examples increase the likelihood of your content being selected and quoted. Avoid long walls of text. AI systems prefer content broken into digestible sections, ideally under 400 words per section with clear headings.
Not necessarily. Restructuring existing content often works better than starting fresh. Add clear FAQ sections to your service pages. Rewrite your opening paragraphs to answer the main question immediately. Include specific statistics where you currently use vague claims. Break long text into focused sections with descriptive headings. Add author information and credentials if missing. These adjustments can significantly improve AI visibility without creating everything from scratch.
For most businesses wanting AI visibility, allowing AI crawlers makes sense. If AI platforms cannot read your content, they cannot recommend you. Some businesses in sensitive industries or those concerned about AI training data may choose to block certain crawlers while allowing others. You can block training-focused crawlers like GPTBot while allowing search-focused crawlers like OAI-SearchBot if you want to appear in ChatGPT search results without contributing to training data. The key is making an informed decision rather than accidentally blocking access.