KRONATRIX1. Access
Public pages need crawlable, indexable foundations, correct status codes and clear internal links.
AI search guide
AI Search Optimisation
AI search optimisation is the work of making a website easier to discover, understand, trust and use across traditional and AI-powered search experiences.
AI search optimisation in plain English
The goal is not to optimise for one chatbot. It is to build clear, crawlable, useful and evidence-rich public information that can support discovery across search engines and AI-assisted retrieval systems when relevant.
Different platforms use different indexes, crawlers, ranking systems and answer-generation methods. The practical strategy is therefore to strengthen the shared foundations first and then respect each platform's documented controls.
Last reviewed by KRONATRIX: 23 August 2026.
The seven-layer AI search framework
2. Understanding
Services, audiences, entities, ownership and relationships should be explicit rather than implied.
3. Intent
Each page should solve a real task: learn, compare, diagnose, select, buy, implement or troubleshoot.
4. Answers
Give useful conclusions early, then provide context, examples, limitations and next steps.
5. Evidence
Support important claims with original data, real examples, accountable authorship and reliable sources.
6. Authority structure
Connect related pages with descriptive internal links so the site builds one coherent topic system.
7. Measurement
Track indexing, search visibility, referrals, branded demand and qualified business actions.
How Google AI search works with websites
Google says established SEO best practices remain relevant for AI Overviews and AI Mode. The page needs normal Search eligibility; there is no special AI-only schema or secret file that guarantees inclusion.
Google's 2026 guidance also emphasises unique, non-commodity content. That increases the value of original research, real examples, first-hand evidence, useful media and answers that add something beyond a generic summary.
Google Search Central: optimising for generative AI features
Read the dedicated Google AI Overviews guide for the full eligibility checklist.
How ChatGPT search works with public websites
OpenAI says public websites can appear in ChatGPT search and recommends allowing OAI-SearchBot when publishers want their pages available for summaries and snippets.
OAI-SearchBot is a search crawler. OpenAI documents GPTBot separately for potential model-training crawling, so search visibility and training permissions should not be treated as the same control.
Allowing a crawler creates access; it does not guarantee that a page will be retrieved, cited or recommended.
Where SEO, AEO and GEO fit
AI SEO
The broad practical foundation: access, indexing, relevance, entity clarity, evidence, authority and measurement.
AEO
Answer Engine Optimisation emphasises direct, contextual and supportable answers to specific questions.
GEO
Generative Engine Optimisation emphasises source usefulness, evidence and retrieval across generative experiences.
These are overlapping lenses. A strong page can support all three without being rewritten three times.
What should a business optimise first?
1. Crawl and index problemsFix technical blockers before polishing advanced AI-search content.
2. Main business identityMake the entity, services, ownership and official relationships clear.
3. High-value search intentPrioritise the questions and decisions that matter to real customers.
4. Core authority pagesStrengthen the best pages instead of spreading authority across many thin URLs.
5. Original evidenceCreate research, examples, tools, case evidence or data that add something genuinely useful.
6. Internal linkingConnect definitions, comparisons, services, research and next steps.
7. MeasurementUse evidence from Search Console, analytics and qualified enquiries to decide what to improve next.
AI search optimisation mistakes
Chasing every platform separately
Start with shared web fundamentals before creating disconnected platform-specific tactics.
Publishing thin pages for every prompt
Near-duplicate content increases maintenance and may make indexing and authority more difficult.
Using unsupported “AI hacks”
Do not treat special files, schema types or content chunk sizes as guaranteed ranking mechanisms without official evidence.
Ignoring source credibility
Direct answers are more useful when the publisher, evidence and limitations are clear.
Confusing visibility with revenue
A citation or impression is not automatically a customer. The landing page and offer still have to convert the right visitor.
Not measuring changes
Without release dates and baseline data, it is difficult to learn which improvements actually helped.