To improve visibility in Google and ChatGPT search, build one strong search foundation: technically crawlable pages, clear information architecture, original expert content, accurate structured data, credible references and measurable user outcomes.
There is no separate shortcut that can compensate for a weak website. Google states that established SEO fundamentals continue to apply to its AI search experiences, while OpenAI says public websites can appear in ChatGPT search when its search crawler can access them.
SEO and AI-search optimization are one system
Traditional search and answer engines may present results differently, but they depend on many of the same underlying signals:
- Can the page be discovered and fetched?
- Is it allowed to be indexed or surfaced?
- Does it answer a clear question or buying need?
- Is the information understandable and internally consistent?
- Does the website show who produced the content?
- Is the page supported by evidence, references and relevant links?
- Can a visitor complete a useful next action?
Treat “GEO” or AI-search optimization as an extension of serious SEO and publishing—not a replacement for it.
1. Make important pages crawlable
Search systems need successful access to the page and the resources required to understand it.
Check:
- Important URLs return
200 OK - CSS, JavaScript, fonts and images are not unnecessarily blocked
robots.txtdoes not disallow commercial pages- Indexable pages do not contain
noindex - Internal links use normal HTML links
- Important content is available in rendered HTML
- The site does not require login, CAPTCHA or a browser challenge for public pages
For ChatGPT search, OpenAI recommends allowing OAI-SearchBot. For Perplexity discovery, the relevant crawler is PerplexityBot.
Crawler access provides eligibility, not guaranteed placement.
2. Use one canonical URL for each page
Duplicate hostnames, trailing-slash variants and copied landing pages can divide signals.
For each indexable page:
- Choose one HTTPS hostname
- Redirect alternate hostnames permanently
- Publish a self-referencing canonical
- Use the canonical URL in the sitemap
- Link internally to the same version
- Avoid placing redirected or canonicalized duplicates in the sitemap
Location pages should not all canonicalize to the homepage. If a location page is useful enough to index, it should contain substantial local value and use its own canonical. If it is only a template with a city name changed, consolidate it or mark it noindex until it can be rebuilt.
3. Map one search intent to one primary page
A website should have a deliberate page for each commercial decision it wants to win.
For a digital agency, examples may include:
- Web design services
- Custom web development
- Mobile app development
- AI automation
- AI surveillance systems
- SEO and AI-search optimization
- Digital marketing
- Website maintenance
Several pages should not compete for the same intent with slightly different keyword phrases. Create one authoritative service page and support it with related articles, FAQs and case studies.
4. Write content that helps a decision
Search engines already have access to enormous amounts of generic explanation. A useful page should add something a buyer can apply.
Strong content may include:
- A compatibility checklist
- Cost factors and scope boundaries
- A comparison with explicit decision criteria
- A pilot or implementation process
- Common failure modes
- Original diagrams or workflows
- A case study with verifiable scope
- Questions a buyer should ask a provider
Avoid publishing dozens of shallow AI-generated pages. Google’s guidance emphasizes accuracy, relevance and original value and warns that scaled low-value content may violate its spam policies.
5. Make answers easy to extract without making the page robotic
Answer engines benefit from clear structure, but people still need a coherent reading experience.
Use:
- A direct answer near the beginning
- Descriptive H2 and H3 headings
- Short paragraphs for important conclusions
- Lists for checks or steps
- Tables for meaningful comparisons
- Definitions where terminology may be unfamiliar
- Clear links to deeper supporting pages
Do not repeat the same keyword unnaturally. Use the language customers use, then explain the subject accurately.
6. Publish accurate structured data
Structured data helps machines understand the type and relationships of content. It does not create credibility that the visible page lacks.
Useful schema types can include:
OrganizationWebSiteServiceArticleorBlogPostingBreadcrumbListFAQPagewhen the same questions and answers are visible
Every claim in structured data should match visible, verifiable information. Do not invent review counts, ratings, prices, authors or locations.
7. Build a consistent business entity
Search and answer systems should be able to connect the company website with credible external profiles.
Keep these consistent:
- Legal and trading name
- Website domain
- Phone and email
- Address or honest service-area model
- Social profiles
- Founder or expert profiles
- Service descriptions
- Client and partner references
Use sameAs links in Organization schema only for real profiles controlled by or clearly representing the company.
8. Earn references to specific expertise
Authority is stronger when relevant websites link to the page that demonstrates expertise, not only to the homepage.
Legitimate opportunities include:
- Client case-study collaborations
- Technology and integration partner directories
- Local business associations
- Expert commentary for industry publications
- Original research or benchmarks
- Conference, webinar or podcast participation
- Useful technical resources other teams reference
Avoid paid spam links and automated guest-post networks. A small number of relevant, credible references can be more useful than a large volume of unrelated links.
9. Measure leads, not only traffic
Organic traffic is valuable when it contributes to a business result.
Track:
- Contact-form submissions
- Consultation bookings
- Phone and WhatsApp clicks
- First landing page and referrer
- Qualified-lead status
- Proposal and closed-project outcomes
- Conversion rate by landing page
OpenAI adds identifiable referral information to ChatGPT search links, allowing visits from ChatGPT to be analysed in tools such as Google Analytics. Other answer engines can be monitored through referral reports.
Some citations will not produce a click, so combine referral data with periodic manual citation checks for priority questions.
10. Use Search Console as an operating system
Review Search Console every week for:
- New non-brand queries
- Pages gaining impressions but not clicks
- Queries ranking between positions 8 and 30
- Crawled pages that are not indexed
- Canonical or sitemap problems
- Broken URLs and redirect patterns
- Mobile versus desktop performance
Use the evidence to update existing pages before creating another page on the same topic.
Does a website need llms.txt?
Google explicitly says special AI files or markup are not required for its AI search features. An llms.txt file may be used as an optional publisher convenience, but it is not a substitute for crawlable pages, a sitemap, internal links or helpful content.
Prioritize standards search systems already use: successful HTTP responses, robots directives, canonical URLs, semantic HTML, structured data and links.
A practical implementation order
- Fix 404, robots, canonical, sitemap and structured-data errors.
- Configure lead and source tracking.
- Map commercial search intent to primary pages.
- Improve the highest-value service pages.
- Consolidate or noindex thin location and industry templates.
- Publish expert clusters that support those services.
- Add real case studies and external authority.
- Review queries, indexing and conversions every month.
Official references
- Google: AI features and your website
- Google: guidance for generative AI content
- OpenAI: publisher and developer guidance
- Perplexity crawler documentation
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