What Is AI Search Optimization (And Why Should You Care)?

AI search happens when someone asks a tool like ChatGPT, Bing AI, or Perplexity a question and instead of showing a list of websites, the AI gives a direct answer.

Sometimes, those answers include links to websites. But many times, AI just gives the info and doesn’t tell users where it came from.

And AI chatbot use is growing fast. Millions of people are already using chatbots to search for everything from travel tips to product recommendations, and that number keeps climbing. Even Google is shifting focus to AI.

That’s why it’s so important to make sure your site is set up to be included in those answers.

This is where AI search optimization comes in. Also called AI SEO, AISO, or just AIO for short, it’s similar to regular SEO. But instead of focusing on Google rankings, you’re helping your content show up in AI-generated results.

6 Simple Ways to Improve AISO and Help AI Notice Your Website

Here are six things you can do today to make your site more AI-friendly – no complicated coding required.

1. Make Sure Your Site Can Be Read

AI tools scan (or “crawl”) websites to understand what they’re about. Most websites allow this by default, but it’s good to double-check.

You can view your site’s robot instructions at: yourwebsiteurl.com/robots.txt

You should see something like:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Allow: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
Sitemap: yourwebsiteurl.com/sitemap_index.xml

What you don’t want to see is this:

User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /

That line tells AI bots like ChatGPT not to access your site. If you see anything like that, contact your tech person or website support team to update it.

You want to make sure good bots like GPTBot, ChatGPT-User, OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, Bingbot and ClaudeBot are allowed.

2. Use Clear Headings and Sections

AI loves structure. It helps make it clear the purpose of each part of your site, and what content is most important. So this means:

• Make sure your posts and pages have a clear title (this is your H1).
• Add proper headings – use H2 headings for major sections and H3s for details underneath.
• Use bullet points or numbered lists where helpful.
• Include an author for blog posts (and make sure that you have a bio and social links).

These are very basic content structure tips, which if you’ve already been implementing SEO best practices your site should already be in good shape for AISO.

3. Answer Real Questions

Create content that directly answers the kinds of questions your readers or customers might ask.

For example:

“How much does [your product/service] cost?”

“What should I look for in a [category]?”

“Why does [this topic] matter?”

Even a simple FAQ section on a post or a general FAQ page for your website can make an impactful difference.

4. Mention Your Brand Clearly

AI tools look for trusted sources. Use your business name consistently on your website and social channels. Reviews, testimonials, and third-party mentions also help build credibility.

5. Keep Things Fresh

Update your content regularly – AI tools tend to favor newer content. Even a small update every few months can keep your site relevant.

6. Test It Out

Try asking ChatGPT or another AI tool questions your readers or customers might ask.

Do you see your website mentioned or quoted? If not, use that insight to adjust your content to answer more directly.

Important Reminder: Visibility ≠ Traffic

AI might summarize your content without linking to you. That means people might see your expertise without ever clicking your site.

Don’t panic, that’s still valuable! It builds awareness and trust. But if your goal is more clicks or sales, make sure your website gives people a reason to stick around once they land there.

What Should You Do First?

Feeling a little overwhelmed? Take a deep breath and then start here:

• Add or update your FAQ page
• Use clear headers to organize each page
• Ask ChatGPT a few common customer questions then see if you show up

Small changes like these can go a long way for AISO!

Want to Learn More?

If you’re curious about the more advanced side of this – like how to measure your AI visibility or go deeper into strategy – contact us and ask about our AISO Program. We’re working on AISO strategy with clients every day, and we’re eager to help!