Search no longer ends with ten blue links. Google shows AI-generated overviews above many results and offers a conversational AI Mode, while ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot answer questions directly and cite the pages they drew from. For many questions, the searcher gets an answer without clicking anything.
That raises a fair question for anyone who depends on search traffic: what should you do differently? The short answer is less than the hype suggests, but some things do matter more now. This guide separates the two.
What stays the same
AI search tools don't invent a new web; they read the existing one. Google's documentation on its AI features says there are no special requirements for appearing in AI Overviews or AI Mode. A page needs to be indexed and eligible to show a snippet in normal search. The other AI tools also rely on crawling and search indexes to find their sources.
So the fundamentals still decide whether you're in the running:
- Technical health: pages that can be crawled, rendered and indexed. Our technical SEO checklist covers this in detail.
- Helpful content that answers real questions better than the alternatives.
- Reputation: links, mentions and reviews from sources others trust.
If a site struggles in traditional search, AI search is unlikely to rescue it.
What changes
Being cited matters alongside being ranked
In an AI answer, a handful of sources get cited and the rest get nothing. Your goal for informational queries shifts from "rank on page one" toward "be one of the sources the answer is built from". That means you need content clear and specific enough to be quoted.
Your brand is described, not just listed
When someone asks an assistant "what's the best tool for X?", the answer names brands and says something about each. What the AI says is shaped by what the web says about you, including review sites, comparison articles, forums and news coverage, not only by your own pages.
Clicks are harder to earn, and more valuable
When the answer is on the results page, simple factual queries send fewer clicks. The visitors who do click through from an AI answer have often already been told why your page is relevant, so expect fewer visits from some queries but better ones.
Seven practical steps
1. Let the right crawlers in
Check your robots.txt. AI providers publish the names of their crawlers. For example, OpenAI uses OAI-SearchBot for ChatGPT search and GPTBot for model training, and Perplexity uses PerplexityBot. Blocking a search crawler keeps you out of that product's answers. Blocking a training crawler is a separate decision about whether your content is used to train models. Google's Google-Extended token controls use of your content for Gemini models; Google says it doesn't affect inclusion or ranking in Google Search.
2. Serve your content in the HTML
Google renders JavaScript, but many other crawlers read only the HTML they download. If your main content only appears after scripts run, some AI tools may see an empty page. Server-side rendering or static generation removes that risk.
3. Write answer-first and be specific
Structure pages so each section opens with a direct answer, then supports it with detail. Use clear headings phrased like the questions people ask. Prefer specifics such as numbers with sources, named steps and concrete examples over vague generalities; specific statements are easier to quote and harder to replace with someone else's paraphrase.
4. Make it obvious who you are
AI systems need to connect your pages, your brand and the things you're known for. Help them:
- Use your brand name consistently everywhere.
- Keep a clear About page explaining what you do, for whom, and who is behind it.
- Add
Organizationstructured data with your logo and links to your official profiles. - Show real authors with real credentials on expert content.
5. Earn mentions where your buyers research
Because AI answers draw on third-party sources, being discussed on trusted sites matters more than ever. Encourage reviews on the platforms your customers use, get included in honest comparison articles, contribute expertise to publications and take part in genuine community discussions. This is also simply good marketing.
6. Use AI in your own workflow, carefully
AI tools are useful for research, briefs, outlines and first drafts. Google's guidance is that it rewards helpful content however it is produced, but mass-producing low-value pages to game rankings counts as scaled content abuse under its spam policies. Use AI to work faster, then add the facts, experience and judgment that make a page worth citing. Our guide to optimizing content with AI walks through a practical process.
7. Measure your visibility in AI answers
Pick a set of questions your buyers actually ask, such as "best X for Y" or "how do I solve Z", and check regularly whether AI assistants mention you, what they say and which sources they cite. Answers vary from one run to the next and from one user to the next, so look at trends over time, not single results. In your analytics, keep an eye on referral traffic from AI tools such as chatgpt.com and perplexity.ai.
How GrowSEB helps
- SEB Pulse tracks how often ChatGPT mentions your brand. It asks an OpenAI model five questions a buyer in your market might ask, then reports:
- the share of answers that mention your brand
- the tone of those mentions
- an excerpt from each answer
- SEB Sentinel audits the technical side of this list:
- crawlability and robots.txt
- indexing problems
- whether pages carry structured data
- an optional crawl that renders JavaScript the way a browser does
- SEB Scribe drafts articles with AI and SEB Compose scores them against your target keyword, so you can draft quickly and then improve the content with evidence.
- SEB Brain is an AI assistant for SEO questions. It knows which project you're working on, and it saves your conversations.
All GrowSEB tools need a free account. Sign up and run SEB Pulse to see how AI answers describe your brand today.