How To Show Up In AI Search Results
The first thing to know is that there is no magic formula to showing up in AI results. But there are tips for how to make your content attractive to AI crawlers.
We all know about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), but you may have started hearing the term Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) in the last twelve months. It’s basically the practice of how you can help your content appear in responses by AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Google AI and more.
The second thing you need to know about optimising your content for GEO is that these things are nothing new. The tips I’m about to give you have been true for SEO for years and are true for good content across the board.
4 ways to make your website AI-friendly
Write clearly and directly
Like customers and search engines, AI wants to know what your website is about quickly. For example:
Descriptive headings that answer real questions
Explain concepts in clear, plain language (not industry jargon)
Break big topics into small sections
Use bullet points and lists
Make sure crawlers can access your website
This is a bit more technical, but easy enough to check and update in the backend of your website.
Check that your website host doesn’t block legitimate crawlers
Check if your robots.txt file has Disallow: / after bot names
Test your live HTTP status codes (you’re looking for 200 OK)
Try to limit how much content sits behind a customer login
Publish trustworthy content
As a business, it should go without saying that you should publish trustworthy content. AI answers try to draw on credible sources (we can debate how true this is another time) so try to present yourself with authority. The ideal outcome is that your website becomes the source others reference. For example:
Include research or data in your content
Cite reliable sources that you have used to create your content
Present your own insights and unique perspectives
Have a clear website structure
This is essential if you want customers to understand your business, find content and act. It’s also important for AI crawlers because it helps them understand how your pages relate to each other.
Use descriptive titles and urls (e.g. no acronyms)
Link related pages, products and articles to each other
Use metadata for page descriptions
Use descriptive internal link text e.g., “Explore our website design services”, never ‘Click here’
Showing up in AI search results is all about creating good quality content that is trustworthy. It also happens to be good for SEO and your business. This is why it’s important not to let the excitement around new technologies distract you from the fundamentals of understanding your customers, producing genuinely useful content and maintaining a strong online presence.
If you want to pinpoint where your website needs work, check out our website audit service.
Best of luck!