Get found in search and AI
Why does SEO still matter in the age of AI search?
SEO still matters because AI search tools find web pages through search indexes and search crawlers. Google says a page must be indexed in Google Search to appear as a link in AI Overviews or AI Mode. Microsoft Copilot sends its web searches to Bing. OpenAI, Perplexity and Anthropic each run their own search crawler. Good SEO doesn't guarantee your page will be cited, but it helps make sure these tools can find it.
Do AI assistants really use search engines?
When they search the web, yes. Here is what each company says in its own documentation:
- Google: to be shown as a link in AI Overviews or AI Mode, "a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet." There are "no additional technical requirements" (Google Search Central).
- Microsoft Copilot: "Copilot generates a short query based on your prompt and sends it to Bing" (Microsoft Support).
- ChatGPT: "Sites that are opted out of OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers" (OpenAI). ChatGPT search also "sometimes partners with other search providers" (OpenAI Help Center).
- Perplexity: "To ensure your site appears in search results, we recommend allowing PerplexityBot" (Perplexity).
- Claude: blocking Claude-SearchBot "may reduce your site's visibility and accuracy in user search results" (Anthropic).
Each company names its own crawler or search service, so it pays to let all of them in, not only Google.
Do AI assistants search for every question?
No. OpenAI says ChatGPT "may search the web automatically when your question would benefit from current information" (OpenAI Help Center). Anthropic says Claude "answers directly without searching when the request draws on stable knowledge" (Anthropic). Google says AI Overviews "often don't trigger" (Google Search Central).
Local questions are one place search does come in. OpenAI says ChatGPT "can also use location information to find local results, including restaurants, news, and weather."
Will search engines and AI tools always show my page?
No one promises that. Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode may issue "multiple related searches across subtopics and data sources" for one answer, and that "indexing and serving isn't guaranteed" (Google Search Central). OpenAI says: "Placement is not guaranteed" (OpenAI Help Center). What you can do is make your pages easy to crawl and useful to read. Google's advice is to focus on "helpful, reliable, people-first content."
What can I do this week?
You don't need special AI files. Google says you "don't need to create new machine readable files, AI text files, or markup," and there's "no special schema.org structured data that you need to add." Do the basics well:
- Let search and AI crawlers in. Check that your robots.txt doesn't block Googlebot, Bingbot, OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot or Claude-SearchBot. Google also says crawling should be allowed "by any CDN or hosting infrastructure," so check any firewall or CDN, such as Cloudflare, too. Blocking training crawlers is a separate choice: OpenAI says its GPTBot (training) and OAI-SearchBot (search) settings are independent (OpenAI), and Anthropic lists ClaudeBot (training) separately from Claude-SearchBot.
- Write clear page titles and descriptions. Give each page a title that says what it is and where you are, like "[Service] in [Town] | [Business name]", plus a one- or two-sentence description.
- Put the answer first. Start each page with a short, direct answer to the question a customer would ask, then add the details. Google recommends "making sure that important content is available in textual form."
- Claim your business listings. Set up a Google Business Profile and Bing Places for Business, and keep your hours, phone and address matching your website. Google lists "checking that your Merchant Center and Business Profile information is up-to-date" among its SEO basics for AI features.
- Verify your site with both search engines. Add your site to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. Google suggests Search Console "to discover and diagnose potential technical issues quickly," and counts AI Overviews and AI Mode traffic in its Performance report. Bing's URL Inspection tool "shows crawling issues, index status, SEO errors and markup info."
- Ask happy customers for real reviews. Ask for honest reviews on your Google and Bing listings, and reply to them. Never buy or write fake ones.
If you use WordPress, our guide on setting up a Google-friendly homepage in WordPress walks through titles and descriptions step by step. If you use the Website Builder, you can set titles and descriptions in its SEO settings. For more, see our Get Found in Search and AI articles.
Where can I get help?
If you aren't sure whether your site is blocking a crawler, or you'd like help checking your robots.txt, open a support ticket. That's the best way to reach us. Our support hours are 8 AM to 5 PM Pacific, 7 days a week, and replies usually come within about an hour.