For years, search engine optimisation (SEO) has been about ranking on Google.
But in 2025, things look very different.
People are no longer relying on Google search alone. Millions of people are asking questions directly to AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude.
Instead of typing a query into Google, they are typing it into a chatbot and expecting a direct, well-structured answer.
This change is reshaping how websites need to be optimized; and if you want your content to be cited, recommended, or included in AI-generated responses, you need to think differently.
This new world is often referred to as Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
Here I will explain, in detail, how I have been able to optimize websites for ChatGPT and other AI platforms – designed for business owners, marketers, and SEO professionals who want to stay ahead of the curve.
What does it mean to optimise for ChatGPT?
Optimizing for ChatGPT does not mean replacing SEO.
Instead, it means expanding your strategy so that your content can be read, understood, and reused by AI models.
Traditional SEO focuses on ranking in the search engine results pages (SERPs), but optimizing for ChatGPT focuses on getting your content structured in a way that AI can easily extract and present.
There are two main approaches:
- Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) – This is about formatting your content so it can be directly used to answer user questions. AI tools prefer concise, structured answers that are easy to lift and present.
- Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) – This is about building authority and depth so that ChatGPT and other AI tools trust your content enough to cite it.
Both are important.
Without structure, you will not be pulled into AI responses.
Without authority, your content may be overlooked in favor of competitors.
So how does ChatGPT rank websites?
ChatGPT does not use a ranking system like traditional search engines. It doesn’t crawl websites or assign PageRank.
Instead, it selects and cites content based on internal training data and, when applicable, live web browsing sources like Bing.
Let’s break it down.
1. Patterns discovered from Neil Patel’s analysis
Neil Patel and his team analyzed the responses of ChatGPT to over 100 queries. They identified six key factors strongly correlated with recommendations:
- Brand mentions – More references around the web increase the chance of recommendation.
- Reviews – Higher volumes and ratings of reviews (e.g., Trustpilot, Amazon) matter.
- Relevancy – Matching keywords between the question and your content improves visibility.
- Age – Older, established brands tend to be preferred.
- Recommendations – Sites featuring lists like “best for X” (often affiliate sites) heavily influence suggestions.
- Authority – Strong domain authority and social presence signal trust.
2. Live Web Input: Credibility, Recency, and Keywords
When ChatGPT uses its “search the web” feature, it considers:
- Multiple, precise keywords – The tool transforms user prompts into focused statements (e.g. “fix leaky faucet detailed guide”) to pull relevant sources.
- Search intent – It infers query intent, appending terms like “tutorial,” or “guide” to refine source selection.
- Recency – For topics needing timely info, ChatGPT favours content published recently… even days ago.
- Credibility & Trustworthiness – It leans on reputable outlets and official sources, echoing Google’s E-E-A-T framework. Author expertise, transparency, and sound methodology are evaluated.
3. Citation Patterns & Source Preference
Recent data on ChatGPT’s citation habits reveal:
- Wikipedia dominates — 7.8% of overall citations and nearly 48% of top-10 citations, reflecting its authoritative status.
- Other frequently cited sources include Reddit, Forbes, BusinessInsider, and G2.
- Top-level domains: .com accounts for over 80% of citations, followed by .org at around 11%.Profound
This highlights that ChatGPT prefers encyclopedic, well-established, and high-authority sources.
Step 1: Structure your content for AI readability
The way you present your content matters more than ever. Large paragraphs of text are difficult for AI to parse and for users to read on mobile.
Instead, break everything down into smaller chunks.
Best practices for page structure:
- Use clear headings (H1, H2 and H3) that match real questions people ask
- Keep paragraphs short, ideally no more than 2 to 3 sentences
- Include bullet points and numbered steps to make lists easier to scan
- Write in a conversational style that mirrors the way people ask questions
Example
Instead of writing:
To optimize your website for ChatGPT, you need to structure your content, use schema markup, and improve authority so AI can understand and cite your work.
Write:
How can you optimize your website for ChatGPT?
- Structure your content clearly
- Use schema markup like FAQ or HowTo
- Build authority with credible sources
This small change makes your content more useful to both readers and AI engines.
Step 2: Write in a Q&A format
AI tools love content that directly answers questions.
Think about how people use ChatGPT – they type a question in natural language.
If your content mirrors this, you have a much higher chance of being included.
Practical tips:
- Create FAQ sections that cover real user queries.
- Use long-tail question keywords like “How do I optimise my blog for ChatGPT?” instead of just “ChatGPT SEO.”
- Answer the question directly in the first sentence, then expand with detail below.
This style is known as Answer Engine Optimization. It aligns perfectly with how generative AI pulls information.
Step 3: Add Schema Markup
Schema markup is structured data that helps machines understand what your content means, not just what it says.
Search engines like Google have relied on it for years to power rich snippets.
Now, AI tools like ChatGPT are tapping into the same signals to provide more accurate answers.
Here’s why schema is so valuable:
Improves machine readability
ChatGPT and other AI tools aren’t just scraping keywords. They’re interpreting relationships between entities. Schema provides explicit context.
For example, marking up an “author” property clarifies who wrote the article, which helps the model determine credibility.
Increases visibility in AI-generated answers
When content is structured with schema, AI models can extract precise chunks of information more easily. An FAQ block in JSON-LD signals that your page contains verified Q&A content.
This makes it more likely your answer will be lifted into a chatbot response.
Boosts authority and trust signals
Structured data like Article schema (with author, publication date, and publisher info) or Product schema (with reviews and ratings) adds layers of credibility.
ChatGPT and other AI models often weigh these trust factors when choosing sources to surface.
Enhances user experience indirectly
Schema enables rich results like featured snippets, product carousels, and how-to cards in Google search.
These formats are also highly digestible for conversational AI, meaning your structured content is more likely to be re-used in natural language responses.
Types of schema to prioritise for AI optimisation:
- FAQ schema – Perfect for clear question-and-answer blocks that can slot directly into chatbot responses.
- HowTo schema – Useful for step-by-step guides, giving AI models structured instructions they can easily present to users.
- Article schema – Essential for blogs and news, highlighting metadata that boosts authoritativeness.
Product schema – Crucial for ecommerce, signaling price, availability, reviews, and descriptions. - Review schema – Adds social proof by highlighting genuine customer ratings and testimonials, strengthening trustworthiness in both search and AI outputs.
Example:
An FAQ section wrapped in JSON-LD markup doesn’t just look good to Google.
It explicitly tells AI: “Here are the most important questions and authoritative answers on this page.”
That directness reduces ambiguity and raises the chances of being included in a ChatGPT-generated response.
Step 4: Focus on depth and authority
ChatGPT and other AI models are designed to prioritise sources that look authoritative, well-documented, and trustworthy.
In practice, this means the content you publish has to go beyond surface-level information.
It needs to demonstrate expertise, back up claims with evidence, and signal to both search engines and AI systems that it can be relied on.
This is where Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) comes into play. GEO is about aligning your content with the way AI models evaluate and surface information.
The goal isn’t just to rank in Google anymore, but to position your site as the kind of credible, data-driven source that AI models confidently cite in responses.
How to build authority effectively:
Write long-form, well-researched content
Thin content with 500 words of fluff no longer cuts it. AI models are trained on massive datasets and are better at distinguishing between generic filler and genuinely valuable insights.
A detailed 2,000+ word article, with stats, examples, and original commentary, signals depth and expertise.
For example, HubSpot’s reports or SEMrush’s industry studies often get cited in AI answers because they provide substance.
Cite credible external sources
Linking out to studies, academic papers, government reports, or recognized institutions strengthens your trustworthiness.
When you cite an OECD report or Pew Research data, you’re not just supporting your point, you’re showing both Google and ChatGPT that you’re aligned with authoritative knowledge sources.
Earn backlinks from reputable sites
AI models pick up on the same authority signals that search engines use. If respected industry sites, news outlets, or organizations are linking to your content, it reinforces the perception that your work is trustworthy.
These backlinks act as votes of confidence that AI may interpret when deciding which sources to surface.
Build topical clusters
Instead of publishing one-off articles, group content into clusters around specific themes.
For example, a site writing about digital marketing could have entire clusters on SEO, paid media, and analytics.
This demonstrates topical authority, which AI systems weigh heavily when deciding which sources to cite.
By focusing on depth and authority, you’re not just building better SEO; you’re positioning your site as a “safe choice” for AI to include in its responses.
Step 5: Improve technical SEO for AI crawlers
ChatGPT itself isn’t a search engine crawler. It doesn’t go out and “fetch” your website directly.
Instead, it learns from large datasets, many of which are informed by search engines like Bing, and others.
That means if your site isn’t technically optimized and easily indexable, you risk being left out of the data pool that feeds AI models.
Think of technical SEO as the foundation of visibility. Without it, even the best content can remain invisible to both search engines and the AI tools that lean on their data.
Key technical optimizations:
- Make sure your site loads fast, ideally under 2 seconds.
- Use clean HTML without unnecessary code.
- Ensure your robots.txt and sitemap allow crawling of key pages.
- Use HTTPS for secure connections.
- Make your site mobile-friendly since most queries happen on mobile.
These improvements not only help with traditional SEO but also make it easier for AI to parse your content accurately.
Step 6: Blend SEO, AEO, and GEO
The most effective websites don’t just optimize for search engines or AI in isolation.
They combine traditional SEO with Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to create content that is discoverable, readable, and authoritative.
The key is not just understanding each strategy, but actively blending them into one workflow.
Practical ways to blend SEO, AEO, and GEO:
Start with keyword research for both SEO and AI queries
Use traditional SEO tools to find high-value keywords and ChatGPT to uncover natural language questions your audience asks.
For example, combine a keyword like “apartment interior design tips” with ChatGPT-generated questions such as “How do I maximize space in a small apartment?”
This ensures your content targets both search engines and AI-driven queries.
Structure content for humans and machines
Break articles into clear sections with descriptive headings. Include FAQs and How-To steps where relevant. Use schema markup for articles, FAQs, and How-To guides.
This satisfies AEO requirements, while also keeping your SEO strong with headings, keyword placement, and internal links.
Integrate authoritative references throughout
Link to reputable sources such as studies, government data, or industry-leading blogs. Use these references inside your content where relevant questions are answered.
This supports GEO, while also improving trust signals that search engines and AI both recognise.
Create content clusters
Organize related articles into topic clusters around a central pillar page.
For example, a pillar page on “Home Interior Design” can link to supporting posts like “Best Lighting for Apartments” or “Storage Solutions for Small Spaces.”
This demonstrates topical depth, which improves SEO, makes it easier for AI to parse context, and signals authority for GEO.
Cross-check readability and AI readiness
After writing, use readability tools and AI assistants to ensure content is clear, concise, and structured.
AI-friendly content is easier to extract, summarize, or reference, and readable content also keeps human visitors engaged – this is the intersection of AEO and SEO.
Repurpose content strategically
Use long-form SEO content to create bite-sized AI-friendly answers. For example, take sections of a blog post to populate FAQ schema or How-To steps.
This reinforces all three strategies simultaneously: the SEO page exists for indexing, the AI-ready snippet is extractable, and citations or references maintain authority.
Step 7: Stay updated with AI and SEO trends
The world of AI and search is evolving quickly. According to industry reports, nearly 40 percent of users now resolve their queries directly within AI chat tools without clicking a website.
This means the importance of AEO and GEO will only increase.
Follow SEO publications, join communities like Reddit’s r/SEO, and regularly test how ChatGPT responds to queries in your industry.
If your competitors are appearing but you are not, that is a sign your content needs reworking.
Practical workflow for optimizing a page for AI & ChatGPT
To bring it all together, here is a simple workflow you can follow:
- Choose a target question, such as “How to optimize your website for ChatGPT.”
- Write a clear, direct answer in one or two sentences.
- Expand with supporting details, tips, and examples.
- Add FAQ schema to cover variations of the question.
- Link to credible sources that strengthen your authority.
- Make sure your site loads quickly and is mobile-friendly.
- Test how ChatGPT responds to the query after publishing.
Repeat this process for all major questions in your niche. Over time, you will build a library of content that AI can reference confidently.
25+ prompts to help optimise your website for AI search engines
| # | Prompt | Purpose | SEO-Focused Example Output |
| 1 | Generate 20 long-tail keyword ideas for [topic/niche] | Discover keywords that target search intent and AI queries | “How to improve [topic], Best strategies for [topic], Step-by-step guide for [topic]” |
| 2 | Create a list of frequently asked questions for [topic/niche] | Build FAQ schema and target featured snippets | “What is [topic] and how does it work? Why is [topic] important? How do I get started with [topic]?” |
| 3 | Suggest 10 blog post ideas optimized for both Google and AI | Plan content that ranks and is AI-friendly | “Beginner’s guide to [topic], 5 common mistakes in [topic], Advanced strategies for [topic]” |
| 4 | Rewrite this article section to make it concise and AI-friendly | Improve readability for humans and AI extraction | Condense a 300-word paragraph into 3–4 short, clear sentences |
| 5 | Generate meta titles and descriptions for [URL or topic] | Optimize SERP appearance and AI discoverability | Title: “[Topic] Tips and Best Practices” Description: “Learn how to optimize [topic] with actionable strategies and best practices” |
| 6 | Suggest structured headings (H1, H2, H3) for a long-form article | Improve content organization and AI parsing | H1: [Topic] Guide H2: Key Concepts H2: Common Challenges H3: Solutions and Tips |
| 7 | Convert this content into JSON-LD FAQ schema | Add structured data for AI answer engines | JSON-LD snippet for FAQ questions and answers |
| 8 | Convert this content into HowTo schema | Provide step-by-step structured instructions | JSON-LD HowTo snippet detailing steps to achieve [task] |
| 9 | Identify parts of this page to improve authority | Strengthen GEO signals for AI citation | Suggestions to add references, statistics, or author credibility |
| 10 | Suggest external sources or studies to increase credibility | Improve trustworthiness and AI likelihood to cite | Links to recognized reports, whitepapers, or industry research |
| 11 | Generate related topics for content clusters | Build topical authority | Cluster around [main topic] with supporting subtopics |
| 12 | Rewrite for readability on mobile and AI | Improve user experience and AI extraction | Shorter sentences, bullet points, simple phrasing |
| 13 | Suggest internal linking opportunities | Boost SEO and AI contextual understanding | Link from “Introduction to [topic]” to “Advanced [topic] Techniques” |
| 14 | Analyze article for multiple user intents | Optimize for both search and AI queries | Add sections for beginner, intermediate, and expert audiences |
| 15 | Generate social proof or review snippets | Add trust signals | “Rated 4.9/5 by users, recommended by industry professionals” |
| 16 | Suggest ways to improve structured data markup | Ensure AI can read content accurately | Add missing schema for products, articles, FAQs |
| 17 | Identify content gaps vs top-ranking pages | Find SEO and AI opportunities | Missing sections like “Common Challenges” or “Advanced Tips” |
| 18 | Suggest 10 conversational questions about [topic] | Target natural language queries for AI | “What is the easiest way to get started with [topic]? How do I avoid common mistakes in [topic]?” |
| 19 | Create a short summary for AI-generated answers | Enable AI to pull concise info | 2–3 sentence summary suitable for chatbot responses |
| 20 | Suggest headings optimized for search and AI | Improve extractability and readability | H1, H2, H3 structure with keyword-rich headings |
| 21 | Generate content for “Top Tools/Resources” | Add AI-friendly reference lists | List of tools, platforms, or resources related to [topic] |
| 22 | Create a content optimization checklist | Ensure articles meet AI and SEO standards | Checklist: headings, meta data, schema, readability |
| 23 | Suggest ways to improve authority signals | Increase GEO value for AI | Acquire backlinks, cite credible sources, showcase author expertise |
| 24 | Generate snippets for AI answer boxes | Provide ready-to-use content for chatbots | Short, clear answers to common [topic] questions |
| 25 | Suggest ways to optimize images, alt text, and media | Improve technical SEO and AI parsing | Alt text: “Step-by-step process for [task]” |
| 26 | Generate a 3-month AI-friendly content calendar | Plan ongoing content strategy | Week 1: Introduction to [topic], Week 2: Common Mistakes, Week 3: Advanced Tips |
| 27 | Rewrite content to emphasize expertise, credibility, trust | Increase likelihood of being cited by AI | Add author bio, references, case studies, and data points |
Final thoughts on AI optimisation
Optimizing for ChatGPT is no longer optional. Users are shifting from traditional search engines to conversational AI. If your website is not prepared, you risk losing visibility and traffic.
The good news is that the fundamentals are familiar.
Clear structure, strong authority, and technical SEO remain the foundation.
What has changed is how content is formatted and presented for AI tools. By focusing on short paragraphs, Q&A formats, schema markup, and depth, you can position your website as a go-to resource for both search engines and AI platforms.
The future of search is conversational.
If you adapt now, you will be ahead of competitors and ready for the next phase of digital discovery.And the best way to do this? Hire an SEO consultant to get your website featured in ChatGPT 😉