AI SEO Guide: How to Get Cited in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

More and more buyers skip the list of blue links and ask an AI assistant instead: "Which SEO agency should I hire?", "What's the best CRM for a small business?", "Where should I stay in Pokhara?" The brands named in those answers win attention before a website visit ever happens.

This guide explains how AI search works, how it differs from traditional SEO, and the practical steps we use to help clients get cited by ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot and Claude.

What is AI SEO (GEO and AEO)?

AI SEO is the practice of making your brand, content and expertise easy for AI systems to find, understand, trust and cite. You'll also see it called:

• Generative engine optimization (GEO): optimising for AI tools that generate answers, such as ChatGPT and Gemini.
• Answer engine optimization (AEO): optimising content to be selected as the direct answer to a question, in AI Overviews, featured snippets and voice assistants.

The goal is the same: when someone asks an AI a question in your category, your brand is part of the answer, ideally with a link.

How AI assistants choose which sources to cite

When AI assistants answer questions about current products, services or businesses, they usually search the web in real time and summarise what they find. Google AI Overviews draw on Google's search index; Copilot uses Bing; ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude run their own web searches. Across platforms, the sources that get cited tend to share five traits:

1. Accessible: the page can be crawled, loads fast and presents its content in clean HTML.
2. Clear: it answers the question directly, in self-contained passages that can be quoted accurately.
3. Authoritative: it shows expertise and is published by a trusted, well-known entity.
4. Corroborated: other reputable sites, reviews and publications say similar things about the brand.
5. Fresh: the information is current and regularly updated.

AI SEO vs traditional SEO

The two work together. Pages that rank well in Google are more likely to be used in AI Overviews, and the authority you build for SEO also helps AI assistants trust you. That's why we treat AI SEO as an extension of SEO, not a replacement.

8 steps to get cited in AI answers

1. Let AI crawlers in

Check your robots.txt and firewall rules aren't blocking the crawlers AI platforms use to read the web, such as OAI-SearchBot and GPTBot (OpenAI), PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot (Anthropic) and Bingbot, which powers Copilot. Google AI Overviews rely on normal Googlebot crawling.

2. Write answer-first content

Start key pages and sections with a direct, one- or two-sentence answer, then expand. Use question-style headings, short paragraphs, lists and tables. Each section should make sense on its own if quoted.

3. Add structured data

Schema markup such as Organization, Service, Product, FAQPage and Article helps machines understand exactly what your pages are about and who is behind them. Every page on this website uses it, which is a good example to follow.

4. Strengthen your entity signals

Describe your brand consistently everywhere: your website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, directories and industry sites. Use the same name, description, services and contact details, and link your profiles with sameAs schema.

5. Earn third-party mentions

AI assistants trust what others say about you. Digital PR, expert quotes in the media, industry "best of" lists, podcasts and genuine reviews on Google and other review platforms all build the corroboration that leads to recommendations. Our link building and PR outreach team focuses on exactly these placements.

6. Publish original data and expertise

Original research, statistics, case studies and expert commentary give AI models something unique to cite. Generic content that repeats what everyone else says is rarely quoted.

7. Keep content fresh

Update key pages regularly with current information, dates and examples. Out-of-date pages are less likely to be trusted for questions about today.

8. Track your AI visibility

Create a list of 20 to 50 prompts your buyers actually ask, and test them monthly across AI platforms. Record whether your brand is mentioned, cited or recommended, and how competitors appear. In Google Analytics 4, watch referral traffic from sources such as chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai, gemini.google.com and copilot.microsoft.com.

AI SEO rewards the same thing great marketing always has: being genuinely useful, clearly explained and widely trusted.

What about llms.txt?

llms.txt is a proposed standard: a simple text file at the root of your website that summarises your most important pages for AI tools. Support varies between platforms and it isn't a ranking factor in Google, but it's quick to create and does no harm. You can see ours at /llms.txt.

Common AI SEO mistakes

• Blocking AI crawlers by accident through overly strict robots.txt or bot-protection settings.
• Hiding key information in images or scripts that crawlers can't read.
• Inconsistent brand information across your site and profiles.
• Chasing tricks such as hidden prompts or keyword-stuffed pages, which can damage trust.
• Not measuring: without prompt tracking, you can't tell what's working.

Next steps

Start with an honest benchmark: ask AI assistants the questions your customers ask, and see who gets recommended. Then work through the eight steps above, beginning with crawler access and answer-first content on your most important pages.

Written by the Technology Spot Team

Our SEO and digital marketing specialists have helped businesses in Nepal and worldwide grow online since 2017.