AI search optimization

    How to rank in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity

    AI search optimization, also called generative engine optimization, is the work of making your pages easy for answer engines to crawl, parse and quote. The mechanics are simple, answer engines cite pages that are crawlable, well structured, factually consistent and direct. This page is the playbook Aurabotai scores your site against, and it is the same checklist every audit returns as prioritized fixes.

    Run an AI search auditSee pricing

    The playbook on this page is free to read. Running the AI search audit on your own site is a paid feature, included with Pro at $39 a month and Agency at $129 a month.

    Engine by engine

    Each answer engine reads the web a little differently. These are the specific requirements per engine.

    ChatGPT

    GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User

    ChatGPT Search pulls live pages through Bing style indexes and its own crawlers, then quotes the passage that answers the prompt most directly.

    • Allow GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot and ChatGPT-User in robots.txt
    • Put a two sentence answer directly under every question style heading
    • Publish an llms.txt that maps your key pages and pricing
    • Keep pricing, plan names and claims consistent across every page so the model repeats one version of the facts

    Perplexity

    PerplexityBot, Perplexity-User

    Perplexity runs a live search for each query, reads the top results and cites the sources it quoted, so freshness and clean extractable structure win.

    • Allow PerplexityBot and Perplexity-User, and keep a current lastmod in your sitemap
    • Use short paragraphs, lists and comparison tables that lift cleanly into a citation
    • Add FAQPage and Product schema so facts and prices are machine readable
    • Update key pages regularly, Perplexity favors recently changed sources

    Google Gemini and AI Overviews

    Googlebot, Google-Extended

    Gemini and AI Overviews are built on the Google index, so classic technical SEO still decides whether you are eligible, and structure decides whether you are quoted.

    • Allow Google-Extended so your content can be used in AI answers
    • Ship server rendered HTML, not client only content, so the crawler sees full text
    • Cover the whole question set for a topic on one page with clear headings
    • Use Organization, WebSite, Product, Article and FAQPage schema for entity clarity

    Claude

    ClaudeBot, Claude-Web, Claude-SearchBot, anthropic-ai

    Claude web search fetches pages at answer time and prefers documents that read like reference material with plain language and no clutter.

    • Allow ClaudeBot, Claude-Web, Claude-SearchBot and anthropic-ai
    • Lead with the answer, then support it, never bury the conclusion
    • Name entities explicitly instead of using pronouns, so passages stand alone
    • Keep an llms.txt and an llms-full.txt so the model can read a clean version of your site

    The AI visibility checklist

    Work through these eight items and you cover almost everything answer engines need. Aurabotai checks all of them on a live crawl and tells you which ones your site fails.

    1. 01Allow every AI crawler you want citations from in robots.txt, and block only private routes
    2. 02Serve server rendered HTML with a unique title, description, canonical and Open Graph tags on every public page
    3. 03Add JSON-LD for Organization, WebSite, Product or SoftwareApplication, Article and FAQPage
    4. 04Answer one clear question per section, in two sentences, before adding detail
    5. 05Publish llms.txt and llms-full.txt at your domain root
    6. 06Keep an accurate sitemap.xml with lastmod on every entry
    7. 07State facts, prices and dates in plain text, not inside images or scripts
    8. 08Earn mentions on sites the models already trust, since AI answers follow citation patterns

    AI search questions, answered

    Direct answers, written so people and answer engines can quote them.

    What is AI search optimization?

    AI search optimization is the practice of structuring a site so answer engines like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity can crawl it, understand it and cite it in generated answers. It combines classic technical SEO with clear direct answers, structured data and an llms.txt file.

    How do I get my website mentioned by ChatGPT?

    Allow GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot and ChatGPT-User in robots.txt, publish server rendered pages that answer specific questions in the first two sentences, add FAQPage and Organization schema, and keep your facts consistent sitewide. Then check the result with an AI search audit.

    Does llms.txt help with AI rankings?

    llms.txt gives models a clean map of your most important pages and facts, which reduces the chance they quote an outdated or irrelevant page. It is not a ranking factor on its own, so pair it with crawlable HTML, schema and direct answers.

    Which tool checks AI search visibility?

    Aurabotai audits any URL for AI search readiness across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity, scores each signal and returns the exact fixes in priority order. Pro is $39 a month for unlimited audits and Agency is $129 a month for client work.

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