Posted on Jun 03, 2025 In Brighton AI

How to Optimise Your Website for AI Search Engines

by brightonai

How to Optimise Your Website for AI Search Engines

Get Discovered by ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Bing Copilot & Other AI Systems

AI Search Is the New Front Page of the Internet

Forget blue links and 10-result SERPs—AI-powered search engines now answer questions directly, summarise websites, and often cite only a few trusted sources. That means if your website isn’t designed with AI discoverability in mind, you’re not just missing SEO opportunities—you may be missing entire audiences.

At Brighton AI, we help websites become visible in the age of artificial intelligence. This guide shows you how to optimise your website specifically for AI search platforms, including:

  • Google Gemini (SGE)

  • OpenAI ChatGPT with Browsing

  • Perplexity.ai

  • Bing Copilot

  • Claude.ai

  • Grok (X AI)

🧠 How Is AI Search Different from Traditional Search?

Feature Traditional SEO (Google/Bing) AI Search Engines (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.)
Results List of pages (10+) Summarised answers with 0–5 citations
Ranking factors Keywords, backlinks, speed Meaning, structure, trustworthiness
User action Click to learn Read full answer instantly
Page visibility Indexed = visible Summarised = trusted and understood

🛠️ Key Strategies to Optimise for AI Search

✅ 1. Create Answer-Based Content

AI assistants favour pages that clearly answer questions.

  • Use headers like “What is…”, “How does…”, or “Why should…”

  • Answer immediately after the header in simple language

  • Add depth with context, examples, and lists

  • Use bullet points to summarise key takeaways

✅ 2. Implement Proper Schema Markup

Schema tells AI systems what your content is.

Recommended types:

  • FAQ

  • HowTo

  • Article

  • LocalBusiness

  • Service

  • Product

Use JSON-LD format and validate it with Google’s Rich Results Testing Tool.

✅ 3. Be a Trusted Entity

AI models favour sites that feel credible.

To build trust:

  • Use author bios with credentials

  • Include a contact page, privacy policy, and company address

  • Link to and from reputable sources

  • Avoid affiliate-heavy or ad-filled layouts

✅ 4. Make Your Site Crawlable and Mobile-Friendly

AI models often rely on web crawling. If your site can’t be accessed easily, it won’t be featured.

  • Remove pop-ups and interstitials blocking content

  • Ensure mobile-first, responsive layout

  • Submit a sitemap to Google and Bing

  • Check robots.txt for accidental blocks

✅ 5. Use Entity-Based Optimisation

AI understands concepts, not just keywords. Use entities such as:

  • Company names

  • Service areas

  • Client types

  • Locations

  • Industry terms

Use these consistently in headings, alt tags, and schema.

✅ 6. Structure Your Content Semantically

Use clean, semantic HTML:

  • One <h1> per page

  • Nested <h2>, <h3> for subtopics

  • Clear <p>, <ul>, <section> usage

Avoid copy-pasting from Word or Google Docs without cleaning code.

🔍 AI Optimisation FAQs (In-Depth)

❓ How do I know if my site is optimised for AI search?

Check:

  • Are your pages using structured data?

  • Do your headings match actual user questions?

  • Are you cited in Perplexity or Gemini summaries?

  • Have you tested ChatGPT with browsing to see if your content is pulled?

If you answer “no” to any of these, your site likely isn’t AI-optimised.

❓ What’s the difference between schema and metadata?

  • Schema: Structured markup that defines what your content is (e.g., FAQ, product, service).

  • Metadata: Info like page title, meta description, and social tags that influence display in SERPs and AI UIs.

Both are essential.

❓ Should I create separate content for AI platforms?

No—but you should optimise existing content to be AI-accessible. That means:

  • Using clean structure

  • Adding schema

  • Refining answer quality

  • Improving clarity and scannability

The best pages serve both Google and ChatGPT equally well.

❓ Can AI optimisation replace traditional SEO?

No—but it adds another layer. AI assistants pull content from high-ranking sites, but also from:

  • Structured answers

  • High-trust domains

  • Long-form resources
    So, the overlap is huge, but AI-readiness is more strict about structure and clarity.

❓ How can Brighton AI help me?

We provide:

  • Full AI visibility audits

  • Schema implementation

  • Content structuring and rewrites

  • SEO + AI hybrid strategies

  • Testing across Gemini, ChatGPT, and Perplexity

  • Local Brighton-based business optimisation

📩 Get Your AI-Readiness Report →

✅ Final Tip: AI Isn’t a Threat—It’s an Opportunity

Websites that invest in structured data, clear content, and authoritative trust signals will be surfaced by AI tools across platforms—even without top Google rankings.

Start now and get ahead while others are still catching up.

🔍 Let’s Test Your AI Visibility

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