In the largely Google-dominated world of online search, there are some new kids on the block that are causing quite a stir.  We’re of course talking about AI-powered search tools like Perplexity, Claude, and ChatGPT.  While Google is still king of the castle (they still account for the vast majority of the overall search market), generative AI (GAI) tools are gaining ground at an impressive rate.  For example, Perplexity has been downloaded more than 2 million times and answers upwards of 230 million queries a month.  A recent survey by Higher Visibility also found that 71.5% of respondents had used AI tools to search the internet, with 14% claiming daily use.  Why are these tools becoming so popular with users? There are a few reasons why.  First, apps like Perplexity and ChatGPT use LLMs (large language models) to understand natural language and generate concise summaries for user queries.  Thus, users can ask conversational-style questions and receive detailed, easy-to-read answers. Next, these tools are largely ad-free at the moment, providing a sharp, decluttered search experience (for now, as there are plans to include ads in the near future).  Since these platforms now have dedicated user bases, marketers have begun trying to improve their brands’ visibility on them.  Enter GSO (Generative Search Optimization), a new digital marketing methodology.  In this guide, we’ll clue you in on the GSO techniques that actually yield results, so stay tuned! 

How GAI Tools Differ from Google 

First, let’s explore how AI-powered platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity differ from traditional search engines like Google.  Search engines are constantly crawling the internet to find web pages to store in their indexes. From there, they rank web pages based on complicated search algorithms.  Whenever a user conducts a search, they see a combination of paid ads, SERP (search engine results page) features like the People Also Ask section, and ranked organic search results: As of May 2024, Google began incorporating some generative AI into its search engine via AI Overviews (which recently received a Gemini 2.0 update and are becoming more prevalent).  These are AI-generated summaries that break down user queries and provide several online sources for further reading: AI Overviews are Google’s attempt to compete with GAI tools like Perplexity.  Speaking of Perplexity, it’s not a traditional search engine, meaning it does not actively crawl the internet and index web pages.  Instead, it relies on its training data and real-time web access to respond to user queries. GAI tools also use APIs to access online information and data, such as Google’s Search API. Perplexity then provides a summary based on multiple sources to provide useful information to searchers.  Here’s an example of a query on Perplexity: Here, the online sources are listed at the top of the page alongside the option to view related images. These are the sources that Perplexity used to generate its definition of CNC machines. 

What Types of Content Get Cited Most in AI Results?

Next, let’s figure out which types of content are best for getting cited in AI tools.  While GAI search is still in its infancy, enough research and experimentation has been done to make the following conclusions:

• • GAI tools prefer articles written by industry experts, so author bios are incredibly important. Also, link out to trusted TLDs (top-level domains) in your content, like .gov, .edu, and .org websites. 

• Content that ranks well and has high domain authority and topical authority is more likely to appear in AI search results. This means traditional SEO is still effective and integral for GSO (generative search optimization). 

• • Including a public API for your website will increase the chances that an AI tool will cite your content. 

• Structured data is incredibly important because it provides LLMs with precise context about your content. If you aren’t already, you should use schema markup on your website. 

• Authoritative sources like peer-reviewed papers, detailed case studies, official documentation, and whitepapers are favorites of AI tools. Not only are these types of content great for GSO, but they’re also effective for generating backlinks and boosting your brand’s credibility. 

Also, if you want to improve your online visibility on AI tools, you should transition to Q&A style content over longform posts.  This is because AI tools hunt down answers to questions in content, as most queries they deal with are question-based.  So, if your content contains clear answers to common industry questions, you’ll greatly increase your chances of getting cited in AI summaries. 

How to Structure Your Content for AI Summary Tools 

Now that you know what AI is looking for, it’s time to learn how to add these GSO factors to your content.  The good news? Most if not all of these tips are also highly beneficial for traditional SEO, so you’ll still be optimizing your content to rank well on engines like Google and Bing.  The only thing is you’ll have the added benefit of appearing in lots of AI Overviews and responses from tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT. 

Important note: As of March 2025, Anthropic’s AI assistant Claude can now access the internet, so these optimization techniques now apply to it, too (prior to March, Claude couldn’t pull information from the web and relied on its training data instead).

Going by what we’ve established in the previous section, it’s clear that AI tools want to see:

High-ranking content that’s written by industry experts and links out to trusted sources

The more popular your content is on traditional search engines, the more likely AI tools are to cite it.  Here’s what ChatGPT has to say when asked about it: This means you should work on traditional SEO to strengthen your backlink profile (for better domain authority) and content quality (to build topical authority). These two factors will improve your ability to rank, boosting your visibility on traditional search engines and AI tools.  Technical SEO is also incredibly important, as things like crawling errors can cause crucial content to not appear in Google’s index, meaning neither Google nor AI tools will be able to find it.

Want peace of mind knowing your technical SEO is in order? One of our in-depth SEO audits is what you need!

Author credibility is another GSO factor that you shouldn’t forget about (and it’s beneficial for traditional SEO, too).  The best way to do this is to attribute every piece you write to an expert member of your team. Somewhere on the page, include an author bio that showcases their photo and lists their experience and credentials.  You can use our bios as inspiration: As you can see, including this bio lets search engines, our readers, and AI tools know that our content is written and overseen by trusted experts who live and breathe SEO (and regularly speak at industry conferences).  Don’t forget to do the same with your content! 

Content that answers common questions in individual sections 

This factor deals with how you structure your content.  Whenever you’re creating informational content centered on a keyword that poses a question (like ‘what is SEO’), you should answer the question in the first 2 lines of your content.  DO NOT bury the answer in the body of the content.  Placing the answer front and center makes it very easy for search engine crawlers and AI tools to find it, in turn making them more likely to quote it and use your site as a citation.  Not only that, but you should only answer one question per section.  In other words, you need to stick to one question per subheading. Once again, this makes it easier for crawlers and bots to quickly find answers to common user questions.  Structuring your content in this way will make you more likely to appear in AI Overviews and summaries from AI tools like Perplexity, Claude, and ChatGPT. 

Should You Create Content Specifically for AI Tools?

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room.  Since GSO is a thing now, should you start creating content specifically to appeal to AI tools? Our answer is the same as the answer to a highly similar question: should you create content for search engines or your users? Regardless of whether you’re trying to rank higher on Google or appear in more AI summaries, you should always create content for your users first.  Why? Because if you don’t, it’ll become incredibly obvious that you’re trying to cater to algorithms instead of real human beings.  Therefore, our recommendation is to create outstanding content that your audience wants to consume, and then tweak a few factors to appeal to Google and AI tools.  For example, your initial goals should be to:

1. Speak your audience’s language
2. Add original insights 
3. Share relevant first-hand experiences 
4. Entertain and engage with creative visuals (infographics, videos, images, etc.) 
5. Educate and inform 

Once these goals are complete, then you can do things like:

1. Structure your content to answer one question at a time 
2. Add structured data to make your content easier to understand for AI tools 
3. Develop a public API for your website 
4. Include detailed author bios (linking to their LinkedIn profile or personal website also helps) 

Also, don’t forget traditional SEO, as improving it will also improve GSO. 

Final Takeaways: SEO for GAI Tools 

In summary, GAI search tools are rapidly rising in popularity, causing the need for marketers to optimize their content for them. Many GSO factors align with traditional SEO, so things like high-quality content, technical SEO, and backlinks are still incredibly important.  Beyond that, it’s crucial to not forget that your main goal is to create great content for your audience, so don’t get too carried away with GAI optimizations.  Do you need help improving your online visibility for search engines and GAI tools? HOTH X, our fully managed service, will take the entire process off your hands, so don’t wait to get in touch!