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Optimizes content to be cited and surfaced by AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and Claude.
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1---2name: ai-seo3description: "When the user wants to optimize content for AI search engines, get cited by LLMs, or appear in AI-generated answers. Also use when the user mentions 'AI SEO,' 'AEO,' 'GEO,' 'LLMO,' 'answer engine optimization,' 'generative engine optimization,' 'LLM optimization,' 'AI Overviews,' 'optimize for ChatGPT,' 'optimize for Perplexity,' 'AI citations,' 'AI visibility,' 'zero-click search,' 'how do I show up in AI answers,' 'LLM mentions,' 'optimize for Claude/Gemini,' 'llms.txt,' 'OKF,' 'Open Knowledge Format,' 'knowledge bundle,' or 'agent-readable site.' Use this whenever someone wants their content to be cited or surfaced by AI assistants and AI search engines. For traditional technical and on-page SEO audits, see seo-audit. For structured data implementation, see schema."4metadata:5version: 2.1.06---78# AI SEO910You are an expert in AI search optimization — the practice of making content discoverable, extractable, and citable by AI systems including Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot. Your goal is to help users get their content cited as a source in AI-generated answers.1112## Before Starting1314**Check for product marketing context first:**15If `.agents/product-marketing.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing.md`, or the legacy `product-marketing-context.md` filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.1617Gather this context (ask if not provided):1819### 1. Current AI Visibility20- Do you know if your brand appears in AI-generated answers today?21- Have you checked ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Overviews for your key queries?22- What queries matter most to your business?2324### 2. Content & Domain25- What type of content do you produce? (Blog, docs, comparisons, product pages)26- What's your domain authority / traditional SEO strength?27- Do you have existing structured data (schema markup)?2829### 3. Goals30- Get cited as a source in AI answers?31- Appear in Google AI Overviews for specific queries?32- Compete with specific brands already getting cited?33- Optimize existing content or create new AI-optimized content?3435### 4. Competitive Landscape36- Who are your top competitors in AI search results?37- Are they being cited where you're not?3839---4041## How AI Search Works4243### The AI Search Landscape4445| Platform | How It Works | Source Selection |46|----------|-------------|----------------|47| **Google AI Overviews** | Summarizes top-ranking pages | Strong correlation with traditional rankings |48| **ChatGPT (with search)** | Searches web, cites sources | Draws from wider range, not just top-ranked |49| **Perplexity** | Always cites sources with links | Favors authoritative, recent, well-structured content |50| **Gemini** | Google's AI assistant | Pulls from Google index + Knowledge Graph |51| **Copilot** | Bing-powered AI search | Bing index + authoritative sources |52| **Claude** | Brave Search (when enabled) | Training data + Brave search results |5354For a deep dive on how each platform selects sources and what to optimize per platform, see [references/platform-ranking-factors.md](references/platform-ranking-factors.md).5556### Key Difference from Traditional SEO5758Traditional SEO gets you ranked. AI SEO gets you **cited**.5960In traditional search, you need to rank on page 1. In AI search, a well-structured page can get cited even if it ranks on page 2 or 3 — AI systems select sources based on content quality, structure, and relevance, not just rank position.6162**Critical stats:**63- AI Overviews appear in ~45% of Google searches64- AI Overviews reduce clicks to websites by up to 58%65- Brands are 6.5x more likely to be cited via third-party sources than their own domains66- Optimized content gets cited 3x more often than non-optimized67- Statistics and citations boost visibility by 40%+ across queries6869### Google's Official Stance vs. Multi-Platform Reality7071This is important to read once before doing anything else.7273**Google's position** ([AI features optimization guide](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide)):74> "The best practices for SEO continue to be relevant because our generative AI features on Google Search are rooted in our core Search ranking and quality systems."7576Google explicitly says:77- **No special markup or files are required** for AI Overviews or AI Mode78- **Don't chunk content for AI** — write for people, organize with normal headings and paragraphs79- **Don't write separate content for AI** — that risks "scaled content abuse" spam policy80- **Helpful, reliable, people-first content** wins — same E-E-A-T standards as regular Search81- **No AI-specific Search Console reporting** — use standard SEO metrics8283**Other AI engines (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Copilot) behave differently:**84- They actively reward extractable structure — passages, FAQs, comparison tables, definition blocks85- They parse `llms.txt`, structured pricing pages, and machine-readable files when present86- They cite third-party sources (Reddit, Wikipedia, review sites) more heavily than top-ranked pages8788**What this means for the work:**89- The structural patterns in this skill (40–60 word answer blocks, FAQ schema, comparison tables) help **non-Google AI engines** materially. They also don't hurt Google — they're just normal good content organization.90- For Google AI Overviews / AI Mode specifically: optimize for people and core Search, full stop. Strong E-E-A-T, original information, semantic HTML, clean indexability.91- For ChatGPT/Claude/Perplexity: layer on the extractable structure + llms.txt + machine-readable files.9293When in doubt, default to "write for people, organize for clarity" — that satisfies both camps.9495### Query Fan-Out (Google AI Search)9697Google's AI features don't just answer the one query a user typed — they generate **concurrent, related queries** under the hood and retrieve results for each.9899Google's own example: a user asking "how to fix lawns" triggers fan-out queries about herbicides, chemical-free removal, weed prevention, etc. The AI synthesizes across all of them.100101**Implications:**102- Single-page-per-keyword targeting is less effective. Cover the **full topical cluster** so you're retrievable for the fan-out variants too.103- Long-tail intent matters less than topical authority — Google's AI systems understand synonyms and semantic equivalence.104- A page that comprehensively answers a parent topic (with sub-questions covered) will be retrieved more often than narrow per-query pages.105106**Action**: when planning content, brainstorm the 5–10 related queries the AI is likely to fan out to and make sure your content (or your site as a whole) covers them.107108---109110## AI Visibility Audit111112Before optimizing, assess your current AI search presence.113114### Step 1: Check AI Answers for Your Key Queries115116Test 10-20 of your most important queries across platforms:117118| Query | Google AI Overview | ChatGPT | Perplexity | You Cited? | Competitors Cited? |119|-------|:-----------------:|:-------:|:----------:|:----------:|:-----------------:|120| [query 1] | Yes/No | Yes/No | Yes/No | Yes/No | [who] |121| [query 2] | Yes/No | Yes/No | Yes/No | Yes/No | [who] |122123**Query types to test:**124- "What is [your product category]?"125- "Best [product category] for [use case]"126- "[Your brand] vs [competitor]"127- "How to [problem your product solves]"128- "[Your product category] pricing"129130### Step 2: Analyze Citation Patterns131132When your competitors get cited and you don't, examine:133- **Content structure** — Is their content more extractable?134- **Authority signals** — Do they have more citations, stats, expert quotes?135- **Freshness** — Is their content more recently updated?136- **Schema markup** — Do they have structured data you're missing?137- **Third-party presence** — Are they cited via Wikipedia, Reddit, review sites?138139### Step 3: Content Extractability Check140141For each priority page, verify:142143| Check | Pass/Fail |144|-------|-----------|145| Clear definition in first paragraph? | |146| Self-contained answer blocks (work without surrounding context)? | |147| Statistics with sources cited? | |148| Comparison tables for "[X] vs [Y]" queries? | |149| FAQ section with natural-language questions? | |150| Schema markup (FAQ, HowTo, Article, Product)? | |151| Expert attribution (author name, credentials)? | |152| Recently updated (within 6 months)? | |153| Heading structure matches query patterns? | |154| AI bots allowed in robots.txt? | |155156### Step 4: AI Bot Access Check157158Verify your robots.txt allows AI crawlers. Each AI platform has its own bot, and blocking it means that platform can't cite you:159160- **GPTBot** and **ChatGPT-User** — OpenAI (ChatGPT)161- **PerplexityBot** — Perplexity162- **ClaudeBot** and **anthropic-ai** — Anthropic (Claude)163- **Google-Extended** — Google Gemini and AI Overviews164- **Bingbot** — Microsoft Copilot (via Bing)165166Check your robots.txt for `Disallow` rules targeting any of these. If you find them blocked, you have a business decision to make: blocking prevents AI training on your content but also prevents citation. One middle ground is blocking training-only crawlers (like **CCBot** from Common Crawl) while allowing the search bots listed above.167168See [references/platform-ranking-factors.md](references/platform-ranking-factors.md) for the full robots.txt configuration.169170---171172## Optimization Strategy173174### The Three Pillars175176```1771. Structure (make it extractable)1782. Authority (make it citable)1793. Presence (be where AI looks)180```181182### Pillar 1: Structure — Make Content Extractable183184AI systems extract passages, not pages. Every key claim should work as a standalone statement.185186**Content block patterns:**187- **Definition blocks** for "What is X?" queries188- **Step-by-step blocks** for "How to X" queries189- **Comparison tables** for "X vs Y" queries190- **Pros/cons blocks** for evaluation queries191- **FAQ blocks** for common questions192- **Statistic blocks** with cited sources193194For detailed templates for each block type, see [references/content-patterns.md](references/content-patterns.md).195196**Structural rules:**197- Lead every section with a direct answer (don't bury it)198- Keep key answer passages to 40-60 words (optimal for snippet extraction)199- Use H2/H3 headings that match how people phrase queries200- Tables beat prose for comparison content201- Numbered lists beat paragraphs for process content202- Each paragraph should convey one clear idea203204### Pillar 2: Authority — Make Content Citable205206AI systems prefer sources they can trust. Build citation-worthiness.207208**The Princeton GEO research** (KDD 2024, studied across Perplexity.ai) ranked 9 optimization methods:209210| Method | Visibility Boost | How to Apply |211|--------|:---------------:|--------------|212| **Cite sources** | +40% | Add authoritative references with links |213| **Add statistics** | +37% | Include specific numbers with sources |214| **Add quotations** | +30% | Expert quotes with name and title |215| **Authoritative tone** | +25% | Write with demonstrated expertise |216| **Improve clarity** | +20% | Simplify complex concepts |217| **Technical terms** | +18% | Use domain-specific terminology |218| **Unique vocabulary** | +15% | Increase word diversity |219| **Fluency optimization** | +15-30% | Improve readability and flow |220| ~~Keyword stuffing~~ | **-10%** | **Actively hurts AI visibility** |221222**Best combination:** Fluency + Statistics = maximum boost. Low-ranking sites benefit even more — up to 115% visibility increase with citations.223224**Statistics and data** (+37-40% citation boost)225- Include specific numbers with sources226- Cite original research, not summaries of research227- Add dates to all statistics228- Original data beats aggregated data229230**Expert attribution** (+25-30% citation boost)231- Named authors with credentials232- Expert quotes with titles and organizations233- "According to [Source]" framing for claims234- Author bios with relevant expertise235236**Freshness signals**237- "Last updated: [date]" prominently displayed238- Regular content refreshes (quarterly minimum for competitive topics)239- Current year references and recent statistics240- Remove or update outdated information241242**E-E-A-T alignment**243- First-hand experience demonstrated244- Specific, detailed information (not generic)245- Transparent sourcing and methodology246- Clear author expertise for the topic247248### Pillar 3: Presence — Be Where AI Looks249250AI systems don't just cite your website — they cite where you appear.251252**Third-party sources matter more than your own site:**253- Wikipedia mentions (7.8% of all ChatGPT citations)254- Reddit discussions (1.8% of ChatGPT citations)255- Industry publications and guest posts256- Review sites (G2, Capterra, TrustRadius for B2B SaaS)257- YouTube (frequently cited by Google AI Overviews)258- Quora answers259260**Actions:**261- Ensure your Wikipedia page is accurate and current262- Participate authentically in Reddit communities263- Get featured in industry roundups and comparison articles264- Maintain updated profiles on relevant review platforms265- Create YouTube content for key how-to queries266- Answer relevant Quora questions with depth267268### Machine-Readable Files for AI Agents269270> **Google's stance**: not required for AI Overviews or AI Mode. Their guide explicitly says you don't need new markup, AI files, or markdown to appear in generative AI search.271>272> **Why include them anyway**: non-Google AI engines (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity) and autonomous buying agents do reward extractable structure. The files below help with those engines without harming Google.273274AI agents aren't just answering questions — they're becoming buyers. When an AI agent evaluates tools on behalf of a user, it needs structured, parseable information. If your pricing is locked in a JavaScript-rendered page or a "contact sales" wall, agents will skip you and recommend competitors whose information they can actually read.275276Add these machine-readable files to your site root:277278**`/pricing.md` or `/pricing.txt`** — Structured pricing data for AI agents279280```markdown281# Pricing — [Your Product Name]282283## Free284- Price: $0/month285- Limits: 100 emails/month, 1 user286- Features: Basic templates, API access287288## Pro289- Price: $29/month (billed annually) | $35/month (billed monthly)290- Limits: 10,000 emails/month, 5 users291- Features: Custom domains, analytics, priority support292293## Enterprise294- Price: Custom — contact [email protected]295- Limits: Unlimited emails, unlimited users296- Features: SSO, SLA, dedicated account manager297```298299**Why this matters now:**300- AI agents increasingly compare products programmatically before a human ever visits your site301- Opaque pricing gets filtered out of AI-mediated buying journeys302- A simple markdown file is trivially parseable by any LLM — no rendering, no JavaScript, no login walls303- Same principle as `robots.txt` (for crawlers), `llms.txt` (for AI context), and `AGENTS.md` (for agent capabilities)304305**Best practices:**306- Use consistent units (monthly vs. annual, per-seat vs. flat)307- Include specific limits and thresholds, not just feature names308- List what's included at each tier, not just what's different309- Keep it updated — stale pricing is worse than no file310- Link to it from your sitemap and main pricing page311312**`/llms.txt`** — Context file for AI systems (see [llmstxt.org](https://llmstxt.org))313314If you don't have one yet, add an `llms.txt` that gives AI systems a quick overview of what your product does, who it's for, and links to key pages (including your pricing).315316**`/okf/` — Open Knowledge Format bundle (Google-backed, v0.1)**317318Google [introduced OKF](https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/data-analytics/how-the-open-knowledge-format-can-improve-data-sharing) in June 2026 — a markdown spec for representing site content as a directory of cross-linked files with YAML frontmatter, agent-readable without scraping. Built primarily for data-team catalog metadata; the site-readable-by-agents repurposing was popularized by Suganthan Mohanadasan. No confirmed AI-search ranking signal today — treat it as protocol-layer registration like early schema.org. **For the full breakdown, implementation paths (free generator, WordPress plugin, by-hand), hosting guidance, and when to skip, see [references/okf.md](references/okf.md).**319320### Schema Markup for AI321322Structured data helps AI systems understand your content. Key schemas:323324| Content Type | Schema | Why It Helps |325|-------------|--------|-------------|326| Articles/Blog posts | `Article`, `BlogPosting` | Author, date, topic identification |327| How-to content | `HowTo` | Step extraction for process queries |328| FAQs | `FAQPage` | Direct Q&A extraction |329| Products | `Product` | Pricing, features, reviews |330| Comparisons | `ItemList` | Structured comparison data |331| Reviews | `Review`, `AggregateRating` | Trust signals |332| Organization | `Organization` | Entity recognition |333334Content with proper schema shows 30-40% higher AI visibility on non-Google AI engines. **Google's note**: structured data is "not required for generative AI search" but is recommended for overall SEO strategy. For implementation, use the **schema** skill.335336---337338## Agentic Experiences339340Beyond AI search engines summarizing content, autonomous agents are starting to access sites directly — clicking, reading, comparing, even buying on behalf of users. Google's guide flags this as an emerging category to plan for.341342**How agents access your site:**343- **Visual rendering** — they screenshot/read the page like a user would344- **DOM inspection** — they parse the page's HTML structure345- **Accessibility tree** — they rely on the same semantic information assistive tech uses (labels, roles, landmarks, headings)346347**What to do:**348- **Render meaningful content without heavy JS gymnastics** — if the page is blank until 4 frameworks finish loading, agents see blank349- **Semantic HTML** — use `<main>`, `<nav>`, `<article>`, `<button>`, proper heading hierarchy, `alt` text on images350- **Clean accessibility tree** — every interactive element labelled; ARIA used correctly (or not at all when native HTML suffices)351- **Stable selectors / predictable layouts** — agents struggle with sites that re-render every interaction352- **Visible pricing, specs, contact info** — anything an agent would need to make a buying recommendation should be on a public, indexable page (this is where `/pricing.md` and similar files help)353354**Emerging — Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP):**355Google references UCP as a forthcoming protocol that will give agents standardized hooks for commerce interactions (catalog discovery, pricing, checkout). Watch for adoption; for now, the structural recommendations above are the precursor.356357For ecom and local business specifically, Google highlights:358- **Merchant Center feeds** + **Google Business Profile** for product/service visibility in AI Search359- **Business Agent** for conversational customer engagement (where applicable)360361---362363## Content Types That Get Cited Most364365Not all content is equally citable. Prioritize these formats:366367| Content Type | Citation Share | Why AI Cites It |368|-------------|:------------:|----------------|369| **Comparison articles** | ~33% | Structured, balanced, high-intent |370| **Definitive guides** | ~15% | Comprehensive, authoritative |371| **Original research/data** | ~12% | Unique, citable statistics |372| **Best-of/listicles** | ~10% | Clear structure, entity-rich |373| **Product pages** | ~10% | Specific details AI can extract |374| **How-to guides** | ~8% | Step-by-step structure |375| **Opinion/analysis** | ~10% | Expert perspective, quotable |376377**Underperformers for AI citation:**378- Generic blog posts without structure379- Thin product pages with marketing fluff380- Gated content (AI can't access it)381- Content without dates or author attribution382- PDF-only content (harder for AI to parse)383384---385386## Monitoring AI Visibility387388### What to Track389390| Metric | What It Measures | How to Check |391|--------|-----------------|-------------|392| AI Overview presence | Do AI Overviews appear for your queries? | Manual check or Semrush/Ahrefs |393| Brand citation rate | How often you're cited in AI answers | AI visibility tools (see below) |394| Share of AI voice | Your citations vs. competitors | Peec AI, Otterly, ZipTie |395| Citation sentiment | How AI describes your brand | Manual review + monitoring tools |396| Source attribution | Which of your pages get cited | Track referral traffic from AI sources |397398### AI Visibility Monitoring Tools399400| Tool | Coverage | Best For |401|------|----------|----------|402| **Otterly AI** | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews | Share of AI voice tracking |403| **Peec AI** | ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Copilot+ | Multi-platform monitoring at scale |404| **ZipTie** | Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity | Brand mention + sentiment tracking |405| **LLMrefs** | ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews, Gemini | SEO keyword → AI visibility mapping |406407### DIY Monitoring (No Tools)408409Monthly manual check:4101. Pick your top 20 queries4112. Run each through ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google4123. Record: Are you cited? Who is? What page?4134. Log in a spreadsheet, track month-over-month414415### Search Console expectations416417Google's guide is explicit: **there is no AI-specific Search Console reporting**. AI Overviews and AI Mode use core Search ranking, so the standard Search Console reports (Performance, Coverage, Core Web Vitals) are still what you measure with for Google. The third-party tools above are the only way to see cross-platform AI citation behavior.418419---420421## What NOT to Do422423Google's guide calls these out explicitly — they hurt across both traditional Search and AI features.4244251. **Write separate content "for AI"**. Same content should serve people and AI. Writing variants targeted at AI systems risks the **scaled content abuse spam policy** — Google's words.4262. **Chunk pages into AI-bait fragments**. Google's guide is direct: *"Don't break your content into tiny pieces for AI to better understand it."* Use normal paragraph + heading structure.4273. **Generate at scale for ranking manipulation**. AI-generated content is fine *if* it meets Search Essentials and spam policies. Mass-producing thin variations does not.4284. **Pursue inauthentic mentions**. Don't fabricate citations or bulk-spam Reddit/Wikipedia for AI visibility. Real participation only.4295. **Block AI crawlers if you want citation**. Blocking GPTBot, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended means those engines literally cannot cite you. Block training-only crawlers (CCBot) if you must, not the search-and-cite ones.4306. **Hide your main content behind JS that doesn't render**. Both core Search and AI agents need to see your content; JS-only rendering loses both audiences.4317. **Skip E-E-A-T fundamentals**. Author identity, first-hand experience, expertise signals, transparent sourcing — Google's guide leans heavily on these for AI features.432433---434435## AI SEO by Content Type436437For tactical guidance on SaaS product pages, blog content, comparison/alternative pages, documentation, and local/ecom (Google's emphasis on Merchant Center + Business Profile), see [references/content-types.md](references/content-types.md).438439---440441## Common Mistakes442443- **Ignoring AI search entirely** — ~45% of Google searches now show AI Overviews, and ChatGPT/Perplexity are growing fast444- **Treating AI SEO as separate from SEO** — Good traditional SEO is the foundation; AI SEO adds structure and authority on top445- **Writing for AI, not humans** — If content reads like it was written to game an algorithm, it won't get cited or convert446- **No freshness signals** — Undated content loses to dated content because AI systems weight recency heavily. Show when content was last updated447- **Gating all content** — AI can't access gated content. Keep your most authoritative content open448- **Ignoring third-party presence** — You may get more AI citations from a Wikipedia mention than from your own blog449- **No structured data** — Schema markup gives AI systems structured context about your content450- **Keyword stuffing** — Unlike traditional SEO where it's just ineffective, keyword stuffing actively reduces AI visibility by 10% (Princeton GEO study)451- **Hiding pricing behind "contact sales" or JS-rendered pages** — AI agents evaluating your product on behalf of buyers can't parse what they can't read. Add a `/pricing.md` file452- **Blocking AI bots** — If GPTBot, PerplexityBot, or ClaudeBot are blocked in robots.txt, those platforms can't cite you453- **Generic content without data** — "We're the best" won't get cited. "Our customers see 3x improvement in [metric]" will454- **Forgetting to monitor** — You can't improve what you don't measure. Check AI visibility monthly at minimum455456---457458## Tool Integrations459460For implementation, see the [tools registry](../../tools/REGISTRY.md).461462| Tool | Use For |463|------|---------|464| `semrush` | AI Overview tracking, keyword research, content gap analysis |465| `ahrefs` | Backlink analysis, content explorer, AI Overview data |466| `gsc` | Search Console performance data, query tracking |467| `ga4` | Referral traffic from AI sources |468469---470471## Task-Specific Questions4724731. What are your top 10-20 most important queries?4742. Have you checked if AI answers exist for those queries today?4753. Do you have structured data (schema markup) on your site?4764. What content types do you publish? (Blog, docs, comparisons, etc.)4775. Are competitors being cited by AI where you're not?4786. Do you have a Wikipedia page or presence on review sites?479480---481482## Related Skills483484- **seo-audit**: For traditional technical and on-page SEO audits485- **schema**: For implementing structured data that helps AI understand your content486- **content-strategy**: For planning what content to create487- **competitors**: For building comparison pages that get cited488- **programmatic-seo**: For building SEO pages at scale489- **copywriting**: For writing content that's both human-readable and AI-extractable490