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SEO for AI Search Results
When someone asks ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI "What's the best [your category] near me?" — will AI recommend your business? Here's exactly what your website needs so the answer is yes.
What Your Site Needs
The Files & Pages That Get You Recommended by AI
These aren't complicated technical projects. They're simple files and pages you add to your website so AI assistants can find you, understand what you do, and confidently recommend you to potential customers.
llms.txt — Your AI Table of Contents
A simple text file that acts like a table of contents — it lists every important page on your site with a link and short description.
Step 02llms-full.txt — The Full Story for AI
A longer file that answers every question AI might get asked about your business.
Step 03/ai-fact-sheet — Your Business Facts Page
A dedicated page on your website that lays out the plain facts about your business for AI to read.
Step 04Tell AI What You DON'T Do
If you don't tell AI what you're not, it will guess — and often guess wrong.
Step 05Structured Data — Your Business Info in a Format AI Trusts
Hidden code on your website that gives AI verified facts about your business in a format it can instantly read.
Step 06Make Sure AI Can Actually Visit Your Website
Many websites accidentally block AI from reading them. Check yours.
Step 07Keep Your Info the Same Everywhere
AI checks multiple sources. If your info doesn't match across them, AI won't trust you enough to recommend you.
Step 08Test It — Ask AI About Your Business
The easiest way to check if this is working: ask ChatGPT about your business and see what it says.
This Is Not Traditional SEO
Why AI Search Is a Completely Different Game
Traditional SEO helps you show up in Google's list of links. AI SEO helps you get recommended when someone asks an AI assistant "Who should I hire for [your service]?" or "What's the best [your product]?" — these are different systems that need different things from your website.
What AI Needs From Your Website (That Regular SEO Doesn't Cover)
- llms.txt — A simple text file that gives AI a quick summary of your business
- llms-full.txt — A detailed file with everything AI needs to answer questions about you
- /ai-fact-sheet — A facts-only page with no marketing fluff, just what you do and what you charge
- Negative constraints — Clear statements about what you DON'T do (so AI doesn't make things up)
- AI bot access — Making sure AI assistants are actually allowed to read your website
- Consistent info — The same facts everywhere AI looks (your site, Google, directories, etc.)
Step 01
llms.txt — Your AI Table of Contents
Think of llms.txt like a table of contents for AI. When ChatGPT or Perplexity visits your site, they read this file first to see what pages you have and what each one is about. It lists every important page on your site — organized by category — with a link and a one-line description. This helps AI quickly find the right page instead of guessing or crawling your whole site randomly.
How to Do This
- Create a simple text file called llms.txt (your web developer can do this in 5 minutes)
- Start with your business name and a one-sentence tagline
- Group your pages into categories (services, pricing, industries, resources, etc.)
- For each page, write the page name as a link, then a colon, then what that page is about
- Include every important page — services, pricing, about, contact, industry pages, comparisons
- Upload it to your website so it shows up at yoursite.com/llms.txt
- Update it whenever you add or remove pages from your site
Related Guides
How to Create an llms.txt File
Full walkthrough on what to include, how to format it, and examples you can copy.
Add llms.txt to WordPress
Where to upload it and how to make sure it's served correctly.
Add llms.txt to Wix
How to host a plain text file on Wix (it's not obvious).
Add llms.txt to Squarespace
Options for serving an llms.txt file from a Squarespace site.
Step 02
llms-full.txt — The Full Story for AI
If llms.txt is your table of contents, llms-full.txt is the full conversation over coffee. This file answers the detailed questions people ask AI about businesses like yours — "How much does it cost?" "What's included?" "How does it compare to the competition?" When someone asks ChatGPT to compare you to a competitor or explain your pricing, this is where it should find the answer instead of making one up.
How to Do This
- Create another text file called llms-full.txt and upload it to your website
- Start with a company overview — who you are, what you do, who you help
- Write out how your service or product works, step by step
- List every feature or service with a real description, not just a name
- Include all your pricing — every tier, add-on, and what each costs
- Add comparisons to competitors (what makes you different, with specifics)
- Write answers to the questions customers ask you most often
- Include real examples of who uses your product and how
- This one can be long — AI can handle it. Be thorough.
- Update it whenever your pricing, features, or services change
Step 03
/ai-fact-sheet — Your Business Facts Page
Your marketing pages are designed to persuade humans — they use emotional language, testimonials, and calls to action. AI doesn't need any of that. An AI fact sheet is a page on your site that just states the facts: what you sell, what it costs, who it's for, and what it does NOT do. Think of it like the nutrition label on food packaging — just the facts, clearly labeled, no fluff.
How to Do This
- Create a new page on your website at yoursite.com/ai-fact-sheet
- Use clear headings like: About Us, What We Offer, Pricing, Who We Help
- State facts directly — "We do X" and "We do NOT do Y"
- Include what your product is NOT (this prevents AI from making wrong assumptions)
- List what tools or platforms you work with
- Mention your target customers and what industries you serve
- Write like you're filling out a form, not writing an ad
- Add a "Last Updated" date so AI knows the info is current
- Link to this page from your llms.txt file
Step 04
Tell AI What You DON'T Do
AI makes things up. It's called "hallucination" and it happens all the time. If you're a marketing agency, AI might tell someone you also build websites — even if you don't. If you sell software, AI might say you offer consulting. The fix is simple: explicitly write down what you DON'T do. These "negative constraints" act like guardrails that keep AI from sending you the wrong customers or making promises you can't keep.
How to Do This
- Think about what people wrongly assume about businesses like yours
- Write clear statements: "We do NOT offer...", "We are NOT a...", "We don't provide..."
- Put these statements on your ai-fact-sheet page and in your llms-full.txt file
- If people confuse your type of business with a similar one, spell out the difference
- If competitors offer something you don't, say so clearly
- Update these whenever you notice AI getting something wrong about you
What Negative Constraints Look Like
Here's how a marketing agency might write their negative constraints:
## What We Do NOT Offer
- We do NOT build websites or do web development
- We are NOT a social media management company
- We do NOT offer SEO services or Google Ads management
- We are NOT a branding or graphic design agency
- We do NOT provide video production services
- We do NOT work with businesses under $1M in revenue
## Common Misconceptions
- We are NOT a full-service agency — we specialize
only in email marketing and automation
- We do NOT offer month-to-month contracts
- We do NOT guarantee specific revenue numbersStep 05
Structured Data — Your Business Info in a Format AI Trusts
Your website has invisible code that search engines and AI read behind the scenes. It's like a digital business card embedded in your site that says "here are the verified facts" — your name, address, what you sell, your prices, and your reviews. AI trusts this information more than your marketing copy because it's in a standardized format. You can't see it by looking at your website — it's hidden in the page's source code (the HTML). Your web developer can add or change it in under an hour.
How to Do This
- Ask your web developer to add "Organization" or "LocalBusiness" structured data to your homepage (your name, address, phone, website, and description)
- If you have an FAQ section, ask them to add "FAQ" structured data so AI can pull answers directly
- For each service or product, add structured data with the name, description, and price
- If you have reviews or ratings, add structured data for those too
- Make sure the info in your structured data matches everything else (your llms.txt, fact sheet, etc.)
- Your developer can test it works at: search.google.com/test/rich-results
Where Is Structured Data? How Do You Change It?
Structured data lives inside your website's HTML code — usually in the <head> section of your homepage. Here's where to find it on each platform, followed by what the code actually looks like:
WHERE TO FIND IT:
→ WordPress: Plugins like "Yoast SEO" or "Rank Math"
add it automatically. Go to the plugin settings
to edit your business name, address, phone, etc.
Or: Appearance → Theme Editor → header.php
→ Squarespace: Settings → Business Information.
Squarespace generates basic structured data from
what you enter there (name, address, hours).
→ Wix: Wix adds basic structured data automatically
from your business info in Dashboard → Settings.
For custom structured data, use Wix SEO settings
per page → Advanced SEO → Add Schema Markup.
→ Custom site: Your developer adds a <script> tag
in the <head> of your HTML. They can edit it
directly in the code.
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
WHAT THE CODE LOOKS LIKE:
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "LocalBusiness",
"name": "Smith's Plumbing Co.",
"description": "Emergency and scheduled plumbing
services for homes in Austin, TX",
"address": {
"streetAddress": "123 Main St",
"addressLocality": "Austin",
"addressRegion": "TX",
"postalCode": "78701"
},
"telephone": "(512) 555-0123",
"priceRange": "$$",
"openingHours": "Mo-Fr 07:00-18:00",
"areaServed": "Austin, TX metro area",
"url": "https://smithsplumbing.com"
}
</script>
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
WHAT EACH LINE TELLS AI:
"name" → Your exact business name
"description" → What you do in one sentence
"address" → Your physical location
"telephone" → How to call you
"priceRange" → Your price level ($, $$, $$$)
"openingHours" → When you're open
"areaServed" → Where you serve customers
"url" → Your website address
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
HOW TO CHECK IF YOU ALREADY HAVE IT:
1. Go to your website homepage
2. Right-click → "View Page Source"
3. Press Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on Mac)
4. Search for "schema.org"
5. If you see results, you already have it!
6. If not, ask your developer to add it.Step 06
Make Sure AI Can Actually Visit Your Website
Your website has a file called robots.txt that acts like a bouncer at a club — it tells different bots who's allowed in and who's not. The problem? Many websites accidentally block the AI bots (like ChatGPT's bot or Perplexity's bot) without realizing it. If AI can't read your site, it can't recommend you. It's like having a great store but keeping the door locked.
How to Do This
- Visit yoursite.com/robots.txt in your browser — you'll see a plain text file
- Look for lines that say "Disallow" next to names like GPTBot, ClaudeBot, or PerplexityBot
- If those bots are blocked, ask your developer to remove those blocks (or do it yourself if you have access)
- Make sure your llms.txt, llms-full.txt, and ai-fact-sheet pages aren't blocked
- Some website platforms (WordPress plugins, Wix, etc.) block AI bots by default — check your settings
- If important info on your site only loads after clicking buttons or scrolling, bots might not see it
What Your robots.txt File Looks Like
Visit yoursite.com/robots.txt right now in your browser. You'll see something like the examples below. Here's how to read it:
❌ BAD — This blocks AI from reading your site:
# This tells each bot it is NOT allowed
# to read any page on your site.
# "Disallow: /" = block everything.
User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /
User-agent: ClaudeBot
Disallow: /
User-agent: PerplexityBot
Disallow: /
User-agent: Google-Extended
Disallow: /✅ GOOD — This lets AI read your site:
# This tells each bot it IS allowed
# to read your entire site.
# "Allow: /" = access everything.
User-agent: GPTBot
Allow: /
User-agent: ClaudeBot
Allow: /
User-agent: PerplexityBot
Allow: /
User-agent: Google-Extended
Allow: /Where Is Your robots.txt? How Do You Edit It?
Your robots.txt file is just a text file sitting on your website. Here's where to find and edit it on each platform:
HOW TO CHECK YOURS RIGHT NOW:
1. Open your browser
2. Type: yoursite.com/robots.txt
3. Hit Enter
4. You'll see the file contents (plain text)
5. Look for "GPTBot" or "ClaudeBot" — if you
see "Disallow: /" next to them, AI is blocked.
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
WHERE TO EDIT IT:
→ WordPress: Install "Yoast SEO" or "Rank Math"
plugin → go to Tools → File Editor → robots.txt.
Or: edit the file directly via your hosting
File Manager in the root folder (public_html).
→ Squarespace: Settings → SEO → scroll down to
"Robots.txt" section. You can add custom rules.
→ Wix: Dashboard → SEO Tools → Robots.txt Editor.
Wix gives you a text box to add custom rules.
→ Custom site / hosting: Find the file at
public_html/robots.txt (or www/robots.txt)
in your hosting File Manager. Edit directly.
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
WHAT TO ADD (copy and paste this):
User-agent: GPTBot
Allow: /
User-agent: ClaudeBot
Allow: /
User-agent: PerplexityBot
Allow: /
User-agent: Google-Extended
Allow: /Step 07
Keep Your Info the Same Everywhere
AI doesn't just read your website — it checks Google, Yelp, directories, and other sources too. If your website says you charge $99/month but your Google listing says $79/month, AI gets confused and loses confidence. It might not recommend you at all, or worse, it might give someone the wrong price. Every place your business appears online needs to say the exact same thing.
How to Do This
- Make a list of everywhere your business appears: website, Google Business, Yelp, industry directories, social profiles
- Check that your pricing, services, hours, phone number, and address are identical everywhere
- When you change anything (prices, services, hours), update ALL sources the same day
- Your llms.txt, llms-full.txt, and ai-fact-sheet should always match your live website
- Set a reminder every 3 months to check for mismatches
Step 08
Test It — Ask AI About Your Business
You don't need fancy tools to check if AI knows about your business. Just open ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google and ask the same questions your customers would ask. If AI doesn't mention you, gets your info wrong, or recommends a competitor instead — now you know exactly what to fix.
How to Do This
- Open ChatGPT and ask: "What is [your business name]?" — see if it knows you
- Ask: "What's the best [your category] in [your city]?" — see if you come up
- Try Perplexity too — it shows you where it got its information
- Search Google for your category — check if AI Overviews mention you
- Write down what's wrong: Are you missing entirely? Is the info outdated? Does it recommend a competitor?
- Fix the gaps: if AI doesn't know your pricing, add it to your llms-full.txt. If it confuses you with another type of business, add negative constraints
- Check again every month — AI updates its knowledge over time
Quick Start
Your AI Visibility Checklist
Add These to Your Site This Week
- Create and upload an llms.txt file (your AI cheat sheet)
- Create and upload an llms-full.txt file (the detailed version)
- Build an /ai-fact-sheet page with just the facts about your business
- Add "what we DON'T do" statements to your fact sheet
- Check that AI bots aren't blocked from reading your site
- Ask your developer to add structured data (the hidden business card code)
- Make sure your info matches across your website, Google Business, and directories
- Test by asking ChatGPT and Perplexity about your business — fix what's wrong