Is there a checklist for making my website findable by AI platforms?
Yes! Your website might be invisible to ChatGPT and other AI tools while your competitors show up in their results.
This simple checklist shows you exactly what to do. We’ve organised it into three easy parts: getting your brand mentioned, writing content that AI likes, and setting the technical stuff correctly.
AI Web Optimization Checklist
AI Website Optimization Checklist 2025
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Brand Mention
Create Helpful Industry Guides
AI prefers brands mentioned in authoritative content
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What to do: Make comprehensive guides with your brand name prominent to get shared across the web. Why it matters: AI prefers brands mentioned in authoritative content and will reference well-researched guides in responses.
Present in Communities/Forums
AI crawls these platforms heavily for real opinions
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What to do: Be active and helpful across multiple platforms like Reddit, industry forums, and professional communities. Why it matters: AI crawls these platforms heavily for real opinions and discussions, giving your brand authentic mentions.
Get Featured in “Best Of” Lists
These lists are primary sources for AI
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What to do: It’s not easy to be featured – you might send 1000 pitches and get rejected 95% of the time. We recommend forming a freelance team who works specifically on this tactic. Why it matters: “Best of” and comparison lists are primary sources for AI when recommending products or services.
Create Your Own Data Research
Data gets widely cited and shared
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What to do: Research what kind of industry data is needed. Create surveys for your customers, then make data reports from the results. Why it matters: Original data gets widely cited and shared, establishing your brand as a credible source that AI will reference.
Launch Campaigns with Hashtags
Campaigns create mention clusters
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What to do: Create shareable industry initiatives with memorable hashtags that encourage participation and discussion. Why it matters: Campaigns create mention clusters that AI can identify as significant brand activities, increasing your visibility in relevant searches.
Host Industry Events/Webinars
Event coverage mentions organizers
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What to do: Position yourself as a thought leader by hosting industry events, webinars, or virtual conferences. Why it matters: Event coverage naturally mentions organizers, creating authoritative brand mentions that AI recognizes as leadership signals.
Comment on Industry News
Breaking news commentary gets shared
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What to do: You can either agree or disagree with industry developments. The goal is to get attention from other experts and generate discussion around your brand. Why it matters: Breaking news commentary gets shared widely, creating fresh brand mentions that AI picks up in current discussions.
Content Optimisation
Create Comparison Content
AI tools love content that compares different options
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What to do: Write “A vs B” guides instead of just describing your product. Find out what comparisons people search for in your industry. Why it matters: AI tools love content that compares different options because users often ask “which is better” questions.
Focus on Specific Topics
Being an expert in specific areas matters more than being general
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What to do: Target specific subtopics rather than broad industry terms. Write content that matches what people in your niche actually search for. Why it matters: When people search for specific things, being an expert in that area matters more than being general.
Answer Questions Directly
AI tools can quote specific facts and details
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What to do: Include exact numbers, measurements, and facts instead of vague statements. Structure content to directly answer common questions. Why it matters: AI tools can quote specific facts and details when they give answers to users, making your content more likely to be cited.
Keep Content Fresh and Updated
AI tools prefer newer information over old content
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What to do: Update your guides and articles regularly to keep them current and useful. Add “last updated” dates to show freshness. Why it matters: AI tools prefer newer information over old, outdated content when providing recommendations to users.
Technical Optimisation
Load Content Without Special Code
AI tools can’t run complex code to display content
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What to do: Show your main content directly in HTML. Don’t hide important information behind fancy website features. Use simple website building methods. Why it matters: AI tools can download website files but can’t run complex code, so they miss content that needs code to display.
Make Your Website Load Fast
AI tools prefer fast websites for referencing
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What to do: Make your website load in under 0.2 seconds. Use content delivery networks. Remove things that slow down your website. Optimize images and fix loading issues. Why it matters: AI tools prefer fast websites when choosing which sites to reference in their answers.
Allow AI Tools to Visit
AI bots need permission to access your content
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What to do: Allow these AI bots in your website settings: GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended. Use proper file format and text encoding. Why it matters: AI bots need permission to look at your website content, or they can’t include you in their responses.
Ensure Search Engine Access
Fix accessibility issues for AI tools
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What to do: Fix broken links and website errors. Create a sitemap of your pages. Use Google tools to check for problems. Make sure your website is secure. Why it matters: If AI tools can’t access your pages, they won’t mention you in their answers.
Add Content Description Labels
Help AI systems understand your content
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What to do: Add review labels, rating labels, customer testimonial labels. Use different types of labels to help AI understand your content better. Why it matters: Special code labels help AI systems understand what your content is about, making it more likely to be referenced accurately.
Connect Pages Properly
Help AI understand content relationships
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What to do: Link related pages to each other. Use clear, simple website addresses. Create easy-to-follow navigation. Why it matters: Clear website structure helps AI tools understand how your content relates to each other, improving context for references.
Organize Webpage Structure
Use proper heading hierarchy and formatting
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What to do: Use proper heading sizes (big titles, smaller subtitles, etc.). Use tables and lists to organize information. Don’t skip heading levels. Why it matters: AI systems like well-organized content that follows clear patterns, making it easier to extract and cite information.
Avoid Duplicate Content
Prevent confusion about which content to reference
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What to do: Mark which version of duplicate content is the main one. Use special tags for content in different languages. Why it matters: Having the same content in multiple places confuses AI systems about which version to use when providing references.
Optimize for Mobile Devices
Ensure mobile compatibility for AI tools
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What to do: Make sure your website adjusts to different screen sizes. Test how it works on phones. Ensure fast loading on mobile. Why it matters: AI tools check if websites work well on mobile devices, and mobile-friendly sites get priority in AI recommendations.
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