What is AI SEO? 7 steps to show up in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
Your customers now search in AI assistants, not just Google. Here is what to do on your website so your brand gets cited as a source in those answers.
When a potential customer searches for "agencies that build corporate websites in Istanbul", they no longer see just ten blue links. Google's AI summary at the top, ChatGPT's answer or Perplexity's cited response helps them make a decision before they click on a single site.
AI SEO (sometimes called GEO, Generative Engine Optimization) is the work of making sure your brand is described correctly in those answers and cited as a source. It does not replace classic SEO; it is a new layer on top of it.
How is it different from classic SEO?
In classic SEO the goal is to rank high on a results page. In AI SEO the goal is for the AI to be able to read, understand and trust your site when it answers a question. Being cited matters more than ranking.
The good news: most of what AI tools like is what a good website should already have.
1. Let AI crawlers into your site
First, make sure the door is open. If your site's robots.txt blocks crawlers such as GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot or Google-Extended, your content cannot make it into those tools' answers at all. Many off-the-shelf themes and security plugins block these crawlers by default, so it is worth checking once.
2. Answer the question directly on every page
AI tools quote clear answers, not long introductions. If a service page opens with "Who we are" and only gets to the point in the third paragraph, its chances of being cited are low.
A practical rule: the first two sentences of a page should answer the question of the person landing on it. Who it is for, what it does, how it works.
3. Write your FAQ with real questions
Collect the questions customers ask you most often by phone, email and in meetings, and add them to your site. "How long does it take?", "How is pricing set?", "Do you offer support afterwards?" are exactly the questions people also ask AI assistants.
Adding them with FAQPage structured data lets machines understand the question-and-answer relationship with certainty.
4. Describe who you are with structured data
Structured data (schema.org) labels your content in a language machines can read: your business name, address, phone, services, and the publication date of your articles.
We recommend adding at least these three:
- Organization / LocalBusiness: your business details
- Service: the services you offer
- FAQPage and BlogPosting: your Q&As and articles
5. Use the same details everywhere
AI tools recognise a brand by combining information from different sources. If your website shows one address, your Google Business Profile another, and LinkedIn a different company name, the model cannot be sure who you are.
Keep your business name, address, phone number and service descriptions identical across every platform.
6. Add an llms.txt file
llms.txt is a Markdown file in your site's root folder that gives AI tools a short answer to "what is this site about, and which pages matter?". Google's Lighthouse now checks whether this file follows the recommended format.
To be honest: it is not yet clear how much AI services actually use llms.txt. But adding one takes minutes, and it gathers a summary of your site in a single place.
7. Publish content that shows your expertise
AI tools trust sources that publish deep, consistent content on a topic. Case studies of your work, guides about your industry and answers to your customers' questions gradually turn your site into a reference on that subject.
Where to start?
For most sites, the first four items on this list are an afternoon's work: a robots.txt check, simpler page introductions, an FAQ section and basic structured data. The impact shows up not only in AI tools but in classic Google results too.
If you are not sure where to start on your own site, we can take a look together.