ARTICLE
Building an AI-Visible Website
A step-by-step guide to making your website visible to AI search engines. From robots.txt to llms.txt to content structure.
Apr 16, 20264 min read
AI visibility is the new SEO
In 2026, an increasing share of search happens through AI — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Overviews. These systems don't show ten blue links. They generate answers and cite sources. If your website isn't structured for AI consumption, you're invisible to a growing segment of searchers.
The good news: making a site AI-visible mostly means doing good SEO better. The additional AI-specific steps are straightforward and take a few hours.
Step 1: Allow AI crawlers in robots.txt
AI search engines use web crawlers to index your content. If your robots.txt blocks them, they can't include you.
Allow these crawlers (they cite your content in search answers):
- GPTBot, ChatGPT-User (OpenAI)
- ClaudeBot, Claude-SearchBot (Anthropic)
- PerplexityBot
- Applebot-Extended (Apple Intelligence)
Block these crawlers (they scrape for model training, not search):
- CCBot (Common Crawl — model training)
- Google-Extended (Gemini training)
Keep reading
llms.txt and the Future of AI Discoverability
What the llms.txt specification is, why it matters for AI search, and how to create one for your website or your clients' websites.
Preparing Your Clients for GEO
Generative Engine Optimization is the next frontier for agencies. How to prepare your clients for AI-powered search before competitors catch up.
How AI Search Engines Find and Rank Websites
What ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude look for when deciding which websites to cite. Practical steps to improve your AI search visibility.
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