Guide · AI SEO
AI SEO: search optimization when customers ask AI instead of Google
AI SEO is search engine optimization for AI assistants: the work of getting your business named when ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Mode answer your customers' questions. The term is also used for doing SEO with AI tools, but the part that moves revenue is the first: becoming part of the AI's answer. It builds on classic SEO, but the goal is different – not a position in a list of links, but a name in an answer.
In short
- Two meanings: SEO for AI answers (this guide) and SEO done with AI tools.
- The classic work – technical, content, links – is still the foundation.
- New: mentions on the sites the AI cites, and pages that answer a question directly.
- New goal: the share of AI answers that name you, not only rankings and clicks.
Updated · AIvisible
What changes with AI?
In a Google search, the customer gets a list and chooses. When the customer asks an AI, the AI chooses: it reads a number of pages and writes an answer with a few recommendations. That has three consequences for SEO:
- There are fewer places. An AI answer usually names 3–5 businesses; the rest are invisible.
- Other sites' mentions weigh heavily. The AI often recommends from comparisons, reviews and guides on other sites, not only your own page.
- You can't see it in Analytics. The customer who got an answer without you never visited your site.
What still works
- A site that is fast and can be read without JavaScript.
- Pages that match what customers search for.
- Links and mentions from trusted sites in your industry.
- Structured data (schema.org) that says who you are and what you sell.
The AIs search the web before they answer, and they often find the same pages that do well in Google. If your SEO foundation is weak, that's where to start.
See how often AI names you
A free AI check for everyone. We open the full measurement one company at a time.
What's new in AI SEO
| Classic SEO | AI SEO |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Prompts: whole questions like “Which … is best for …?” |
| Position 1–10 | Named or not named, and in what place |
| Clicks from Google | Share of AI answers against your competitors (share of voice) |
| Links to your site | Mentions on the pages the AI cites |
| Meta text for the results page | A clear answer in the first paragraph that the AI can quote |
How to get started
Measure where you stand
Ask 25–50 prompts from your most important topics in ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Mode, and see who gets named.
Find the sources
Note the sites the AI links to when it names your competitors. That's your outreach list.
Write the answers
Create or fix the pages that should answer the prompts where you're missing, with the answer first and concrete facts.
Measure again
Ask the same prompts again after a few weeks and see whether your share moves.
AIvisible does the four steps for you: the prompts come from your searches and are asked with live web search, and the action plan lists sites and pages in the order that wins the most recommendations. Tracking from €9 a month; the full action plan €35 a month.
Questions and answers
Is AI SEO the same as GEO?
In practice, yes. GEO (generative engine optimization), AEO (answer engine optimization) and LLM SEO are other names for optimizing for AI answers.
Does AI SEO replace normal SEO?
No. The AIs use the web as their source, so pages that do well in Google are often used in AI answers. AI SEO adds a layer on top: mentions on the right sites, and pages that answer directly.
Can AI write SEO content?
Yes, as drafts. But content that repeats what everyone else says gives the AI no reason to name you. What helps is your own facts: prices, range, delivery, experience and data that aren't anywhere else.
What does AI SEO cost?
Tracking with AIvisible costs from €9 a month and the full action plan €35 a month, with no lock-in. The work itself – pages and outreach – you can do yourselves or get help with.