AI search optimization
Classical SEO optimizes to be clicked. This optimizes to be quoted — often with no click at all.
That changes what a good page looks like.
What gets cited
- Self-contained passages. A retrieved chunk arrives without the surrounding page. Each section
must make sense alone, with its subject named rather than pronominalized.
- Direct answers near the question. Bury the answer under three paragraphs of context and the
passage retrieved will be the context.
- Specific, checkable facts — numbers, dates, named methods, stated conditions. Vague claims are
neither retrievable nor quotable.
- Attributable expertise. Named authors, stated credentials, dated content, and cited sources.
Anonymous undated content is weakly weighted.
- Structure that survives extraction — real headings, real lists, real tables. Layout implied by
styling disappears.
Practical moves
- Answer the question in the first sentence under each heading, then elaborate.
- Write headings as the questions people actually ask.
- Define your own terms on your own pages, so the model's definition traces to you.
- Keep facts consistent across your site. Contradictions get resolved against you.
- Maintain the boring canonical pages — pricing, comparisons, specifications, FAQ. These are heavily
retrieved and usually neglected.
Being represented accurately
Assistants assemble an answer about you from whatever is available, weighted toward third-party and
structured sources. Where those are thin or stale, the answer will be wrong.
Audit periodically: ask several assistants what your company does, who it is for, what it costs, and
how it compares. Note the errors and trace them to a source. The fix is almost always publishing or
correcting the source, not the assistant.
Measuring
Click-through will fall on informational queries even as influence rises. Track citation and mention
frequency, and downstream branded search and direct traffic, rather than judging this program on
organic sessions — that metric will say you are losing while you are winning.
Never
- Optimize for one assistant's current behavior. Retrieval and citation rules change without notice and without a changelog.
- Assume being crawlable means being citable. Models cite sources that answer a question cleanly, not sources that merely exist.
- Leave an inaccurate representation uncorrected because it is not on your site. The claim propagates whether or not you own the page it came from.
1---2name: ai-search-optimization3description: Optimizes for AI assistants and AI-generated answers — being retrievable, being cited, and being represented accurately when a model answers on your behalf. Use this when traffic is shifting from links to AI answers, when a brand is misrepresented or absent in AI responses, when planning content for retrieval rather than ranking, or when deciding how AI search changes an existing SEO program.4---56# AI search optimization78Classical SEO optimizes to be *clicked*. This optimizes to be *quoted* — often with no click at all.9That changes what a good page looks like.1011## What gets cited1213- **Self-contained passages.** A retrieved chunk arrives without the surrounding page. Each section14 must make sense alone, with its subject named rather than pronominalized.15- **Direct answers near the question.** Bury the answer under three paragraphs of context and the16 passage retrieved will be the context.17- **Specific, checkable facts** — numbers, dates, named methods, stated conditions. Vague claims are18 neither retrievable nor quotable.19- **Attributable expertise.** Named authors, stated credentials, dated content, and cited sources.20 Anonymous undated content is weakly weighted.21- **Structure that survives extraction** — real headings, real lists, real tables. Layout implied by22 styling disappears.2324## Practical moves2526- Answer the question in the first sentence under each heading, then elaborate.27- Write headings as the questions people actually ask.28- Define your own terms on your own pages, so the model's definition traces to you.29- Keep facts consistent across your site. Contradictions get resolved against you.30- Maintain the boring canonical pages — pricing, comparisons, specifications, FAQ. These are heavily31 retrieved and usually neglected.3233## Being represented accurately3435Assistants assemble an answer about you from whatever is available, weighted toward third-party and36structured sources. Where those are thin or stale, the answer will be wrong.3738Audit periodically: ask several assistants what your company does, who it is for, what it costs, and39how it compares. Note the errors and trace them to a source. The fix is almost always publishing or40correcting the source, not the assistant.4142## Measuring4344Click-through will fall on informational queries even as influence rises. Track citation and mention45frequency, and downstream branded search and direct traffic, rather than judging this program on46organic sessions — that metric will say you are losing while you are winning.4748## Never4950- Optimize for one assistant's current behavior. Retrieval and citation rules change without notice and without a changelog.51- Assume being crawlable means being citable. Models cite sources that answer a question cleanly, not sources that merely exist.52- Leave an inaccurate representation uncorrected because it is not on your site. The claim propagates whether or not you own the page it came from.
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