AI search optimization: be the business assistants can find and cite.
More people ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI who to hire. I check what those assistants can read on your site and what they say about you, fix what hides you, and build the pages that answer the questions your customers ask.
- Starts with
- Free 30-minute review
- Audit
- $395 flat
- Covers
- ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google
- Based in
- Los Angeles, California
(01)Who reads your site
Each assistant has its own crawler
| Assistant | Crawler | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT search | OAI-SearchBot | Finds pages to show and cite in ChatGPT search. Separate from GPTBot, which collects training data. Docs |
| Claude | Claude-SearchBot | Builds the index Claude searches. Separate from ClaudeBot (training) and Claude-User (pages a person asks for). Docs |
| Perplexity | PerplexityBot | Finds and links pages in Perplexity answers. Perplexity says it doesn’t crawl for training. Docs |
| Google AI Overviews and AI Mode | Googlebot | They’re part of Google Search, so ordinary Googlebot indexing is what counts. Blocking Google-Extended affects Gemini, not AI Overviews. Docs |
(02)What I check and fix
| Area | What it means |
|---|---|
| Crawler access | robots.txt, firewall and CDN rules for each assistant’s search crawler. Cloudflare has blocked AI crawlers by default for new domains since July 2025, so sites can be invisible to ChatGPT without anyone choosing that. |
| Readable without JavaScript | Whether your services, prices, locations and hours are in the HTML or only appear after scripts run. Many crawlers read the HTML and move on. |
| Structured data | Organization, LocalBusiness, Service, Product and FAQ markup that states who you are, where you work and what you sell, matching what the page says. |
| Pages that answer the question | Assistants quote pages that answer what people ask them: what something costs, who does it in Los Angeles, how two options compare. I find the questions you should answer and build those pages. |
| The same facts everywhere | Name, services, area and contact details consistent across your site, Google Business Profile and directories, so assistants don’t repeat an old address or a service you dropped. |
| What assistants say now | The prompts your customers would use, run in ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google, with what each says about you and who it recommends instead. |
| Measuring it | Visits from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and other assistants set up as their own channel in GA4 or PostHog, so you can see whether the work brings people in. |
(03)What you get
- 01What each AI assistant says about your business today, for the questions your customers ask
- 02Every crawler, firewall or rendering problem that hides you, with the exact fix
- 03A list of pages to write or rework, ranked by the questions they answer
- 04Tracking for visits from AI assistants, so results are measured, not guessed
(04)Proof
Built this way: Safe Streets Map.
My own product welcomes AI crawlers in robots.txt, publishes an llms.txt guide to its data, marks up every page with structured data, and answers the questions people search about California streets across more than 1,500 pages.
(05)Questions
What is AI search optimization?
Making sure AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews can read your site, understand what you offer, and cite you when someone asks a question you answer. Some people call it GEO, generative engine optimization. Most of it is technical: crawler access, readable HTML, structured data and pages that answer real questions.
Is it different from SEO?
It builds on it. Google’s AI Overviews come from Google’s normal index, and the other assistants search the web too, so a site that is technically sound for search is most of the way there. The extra work is crawler access for each assistant, facts that are easy to quote, and pages written around the questions people ask assistants.
Can you guarantee ChatGPT will recommend my business?
No, and nobody honestly can. Each assistant decides what to cite. What the work does is remove the reasons you are left out and give assistants clear, consistent facts to use, then measure what changes.
Does llms.txt matter?
It is cheap to add and harmless, but no major assistant has said it uses the file to rank or cite sites. Crawler access and good pages matter far more. My llms.txt guide explains what it does and doesn’t do.
Do you work with Los Angeles businesses?
Yes. I’m based in Los Angeles, California, and local questions like “who does this near me” are where assistants lean hardest on your site, your Google Business Profile and directories. I work with businesses across California and the U.S. too.
What does it cost?
The AI search check is part of the technical SEO audit ($395 flat). Building the pages and fixes afterwards is a fixed-scope project, or monthly work if you want the measuring and new pages to continue. It starts with a free 30-minute review.
Find out what AI assistants say about you.
A free 30-minute review: we ask ChatGPT and Google the questions your customers ask, and look at what your site lets them read.