How To Get Indexed On AI Platforms Like ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, And Perplexity

Understanding How AI-Powered Indexing Works

In a recent survey, 42% of respondents stated that Google search is losing its utility, while 52% said that they use chatbots and other alternatives to search for information. So, how is a search index made? Google focuses heavily on keywords and link building to index and rank your website. While AI values these factors too, it also relies significantly on Natural Language Processing (NLP) to identify intent and context and get you indexed. The answers you get when you ask AI a question derive from the data it has indexed. Therefore, SEO AI optimization appears to be your savior when it comes to navigating this hazy landscape. And there is good reason why AI search engines are so popular, as they offer specific answers in a conversational tone and can detect the intent behind your queries.

Therefore, content creators and SEOs understand that they should target more conversational, long-tail key phrases instead of shorter keywords. As we'll discuss later, you should also optimize your content by adding similar keywords to your main one so you build context. AI website optimization helps search engines discover your content's intent and contextual similarity more easily.

In This Guide, You Will Find...

• How Do AI Crawlers Work?
• Going From SEO To GEO
• Getting Indexed On The Most Popular AI Search Engines
• 7 Tips To Improve Your Website And Get Indexed
• Helpful Tools To Optimize Your Website

How Do AI Crawlers Work?

If you want to know how to optimize search results, you have to first understand how AI crawlers discover, read, and index your SEO content. However, they don't solely rely on keyword mapping to index webpages. Most search engines rely on Machine Learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing to analyze your content, its semantic meaning, and its contextual relevance to people's queries. They don't limit themselves to keywords but to the real meaning of your content. That's why AI search optimization can save you and put you on AI's map. Let's see how different search engines work. Perplexity has its very own bot that crawls only relevant and trustworthy sources. On the other hand, ChatGPT relies on Bing's API, meaning that Bing visibility can help you get indexed on the tool.

Based on the content AI search engines analyze, they train and update LLMs so they provide personalized content in a conversational tone. That's why these tools have become so popular, even more than Google.

Going From SEO To GEO

When we talk about Search Engine Optimization, we usually refer to satisfying certain on-page SEO factors and investing in effective link building. If Google favors domain authority and backlinks, AI-powered search engines prefer to focus on content quality, user experience, and authority. For example, AI Overviews have completely changed the way people receive information. They don't need to click on links and search manually to discover what they need. AI delivers exactly what they desire. Isn't this reason enough to care about generative engine optimization? One of the top benefits is increased discoverability. If your content answers questions directly, AI-powered tools will feature it more often. As a result, your engagement improves.

Additionally, while SEO strategies are still effective, they are not enough. You can't rely only on Google's organic traffic. You should also optimize to fit AI's requirements. If you already have high-quality content, it's a matter of hours of extra work to ensure it aligns with generative AI's language processing model.

Getting Indexed On The Most Popular AI Search Engines

1. ChatGPT

ChatGPT is the most popular AI-powered search engine, receiving 400 million users weekly. What makes the tool unique is its ability to discuss with people in a conversational and friendly tone. Not only that, but it provides detailed responses based on the prompts it receives. That's one main reason why you should study a prompt engineering guide and become a master of the game. Also, ChatGPT allows users to generate images and code, which other tools still struggle with. While OpenAI, its parent company, doesn't have a direct way of indexing your website for their search engine, stay updated on the latest announcements. In the future, site owners may be able to submit their content manually into the tool.

2. Gemini

Gemini is Google's AI chatbot that enjoys 274 million monthly users. Trained by Google's large language models, Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA) and PaLM 2, it combines traditional search algorithms (keyword mapping, backlinks, etc.) and reasoning to deliver accurate results. To get indexed on Gemini, you have to keep investing in SEO practices and link building strategies. Answer-oriented content will also help you tremendously. So, add more FAQ sections to your articles and create more guides. And finally, don't forget to strengthen your backlink profile, as it's a crucial ranking factor for Google.

3. Perplexity

If you visit Perplexity, you'll notice that its interface is very similar to ChatGPT. Perplexity focuses heavily on providing conversational, verified answers by citing trustworthy and credible sources. The tool uses various LLMs, including Claude and ChatGPT. To appear on its AI-powered site search, you have to focus on creating quality content that answers common questions. Additionally, PerplexityBot highly values fast and mobile-optimized websites, as these features prove that your site is accessible to all. And since it values content authority, a link building plan is also essential to increase your domain's credibility.

4. Grok

Grok was designed by xAI in February 2025. It uses two unique mechanisms: Grok WebSearch and Grok DeepSearch. The first works very similarly to traditional Google search, as Grok scours the internet in real time to find the best results possible while using semantic understanding. While WebSearch handles simple queries, DeepSearch is tasked with more complex projects that often require multiple steps to solve. For example, before answering a query, the bot may need to search the historical context of certain events or research people's reactions to product launches.

5. Claude

What makes Claude unique is its ability to understand difficult and nuanced questions and handle long conversations. It values quality content and provides detailed answers. It is mainly used for text-based queries, but it can also generate code, infographics, and charts. Claude uses three bots to crawl and index your content: ClaudeBot, Claude-User, and Claude-SearchBot. However, none of these execute JavaScript, meaning your content should be visible in raw HTML. Fresh and accessible content are the two most important values for this tool.

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7 Tips To Improve Your Website And Get Indexed

1. Improve Your Website's Crawlability

AI Search Engine Optimization starts by ensuring your website is easily accessible by AI crawlers. Similar to traditional search engine crawlers, AI bots visit your website, read your content, and decide whether they'll index it or not. For starters, ensure your robots.txt files are configured properly to direct crawlers to the right pages while blocking out irrelevant ones. Let's say an AI crawler tries to crawl your page but is blocked by the robots.txt file; it will receive a soft 404 error. When that keeps happening on your page, the crawling pace decreases, hurting your ranking. Additionally, robots.txt files allow you to crawl only the pages you want, keeping AI bots from getting overwhelmed.

It's best if you create a well-structured XML sitemap so crawlers can easily index your content. Ask your Search Engine Optimization specialist to identify and fix broken links and long redirect chains that make loading slower.

2. Produce High-Quality Content

Great content is a priority for most online marketing strategies and a must for AI optimization. AI-powered search engines are trained to analyze and prioritize content based on relevancy and intent. What does this mean for you? It means that you should know what your audience needs and provide them with the right answers. An SEO competitor analysis will help you identify the words and phrases people use to search for information. FAQs are your key to success. Your answers should be concise and direct to increase your appearances on AI overviews and in snippets. Plus, ensure your content is updated because AI tools value freshness and promote content that is up to date.

To boost your credibility and get indexed easily, you should also invest in link building. Both internal and external links help increase your authority and present you as a trustworthy figure. If this process is too demanding for your company, you can outsource backlink building to expert agencies, like eLearning Industry, that collaborate with high DA domains.

3. Use Schema Markup

Structured data, especially schema markup, provides AI crawlers with extra information as to what your website is all about. However, it's not something you must add to all your content. Identify articles and pages that already get good traffic or that you want to boost. One good example of markup is FAQs, as they increase your chances of getting featured in AI search engines' results. Once you know which content you want to enrich with schema markup, use a tool like Google's Structured Data Markup Helper to generate special codes for each page. Add it to your website and use your chosen tool once again to check whether it's working properly.

Other popular schema markup types are events, reviews, embedded non-text objects, and offers. A while after inserting schema markup, you may check website rankings to see how it impacted your position as a whole and individual articles. But how do schemas work? Well, let's say someone asks a common question regarding B2B content marketing strategies. If you've created an FAQ section answering this question concisely, you are likely to be picked up by AI search engines.

4. Improve Website Structure

A user-friendly and easy-to-navigate website isn't only great for your users but also for AI-powered site search. AI crawlers can browse your website, understand its structure, and identify the context around your content. If your website lacks clarity, start by creating a logical structure with categories and subcategories. Next, ask your link building expert to advise you on the best internal links to add on every page in order to guide crawlers and users to the locations you want. It's best to avoid complex drop-down menus that take users more than a few clicks to get to where they want. Ideally, you want people to get to their destination within 2–3 clicks.

Additionally, ensure your URLs are clear and descriptive. Let's say that you want to create a URL for your 360 inbound marketing services. Instead of writing "www.example.com/marketing/page?id=9876," opt for "www.example.com/inbound-marketing/lead-generation."

5 Build Backlinks

You may be a little confused. Why should you still care about backlinks to get indexed? Do AI search engines care about them? Well, AI may not analyze backlinks, but it does pull its results from traditional search engines like Google. And as we all know, backlinks are a pivotal factor in Google's rankings. So, websites with a solid link building profile are more likely to be featured in AI search results. Google and Bing still value relevant backlinks, so you must continuously invest in generating trustworthy links. Remember that the more credible links you have, the more reliable your website and content are in the eyes of search engines and, therefore, AI models. If you're searching for answers on how to get your website on search engines, backlinks are still at the very top of the list.

Buying backlinks, however, isn't going to make your life easier. Most vendors sell low-quality and often completely useless links that may even decrease your ranking. And when choosing link building services, it's best to check the domain authority of the websites they work with and their topical relevance. For instance, if you are in the eLearning niche, you won't find any value in receiving a backlink to a fitness blog.

You can now leverage eLI's link building services, offering a strong network of DA 50+ websites, and boost website ranking and AI search engine appearances.

6. Optimize For Voice Search

Around 6 in 10 consumers use AI-powered assistants like Siri and Alexa to look up products and services. It's obvious why you need to improve your Artificial Intelligence SEO and get ahead of your competition in AI search results. The first thing you can do is write content the same way people speak: clearly, simply, and in a conversational tone. We know it's hard to write a long, 2000-word niche article without sounding formal at all. That's not what we're saying. Just try to simplify complex topics that people often search online. Moreover, do your research to identify competitor keywords that get others indexed on AI engines. It's best to focus on long-tail phrases and questions, since this is what more people use to do their research online.

AI tools often pull results from featured snippets, so ensure you optimize your content for them. FAQs and schema markup once again come to your rescue. Lastly, since most search queries come from mobile phones, optimize your website for mobile devices. A few genius ways to do this are by removing popups that inconvenience users and using larger font sizes for improved readability.

7. Submit Your Site To Indexes

Effective Search Engine Optimization starts by adding your website to major indexes. Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools are the two most crucial tools. If you have been in business for years, you've probably already submitted your website to these indexes. SaaS startups, though, may just be starting to figure things out. In this case, you should submit your sitemap and request indexing for specific pages. AI search engines often pull results from these indexes, so your website must be present.

Apart from search engines, communities are also great places to be present on. For example, Reddit and Quora often appear on the first result page. Not only that, but Quora's Q&A format is exactly what AI tools look for to provide concise replies to users. With Reddit, you can start by being active and raising your "karma." If your profile receives traction, a thread can appear at the top of the results.

Once you do all that, don't just expect to see an influx of traffic. Check your performance and make improvements as you see fit. If you see that one strategy is working, focus on it.

Helpful Tools To Optimize Your Website

• Google PageSpeed Insights

Provides you with a Core Web Vitals report and makes suggestions for optimal speed optimization and page improvements.

• Lighthouse

A tool that tests your accessibility, performance, and mobile-friendliness so you know which areas are problematic.

• Google Mobile-Friendly Test

Small text and faulty touch elements? This test shows all your website's red flags, pushing you to resolve them quickly.

• CompressOrDie

One reason websites load slowly is due to large image files. This tool compresses them to increase loading times while maintaining high quality.

• Cloudflare

A Content Delivery Network (CDN) that delivers your content quickly and improves loading speed.

Key Takeaway

We have long known that AI is one of the most pressing marketing industry trends. We now know how pivotal AI content optimization is to get indexed on AI-powered search engines and maximize your visibility. While tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Claude, and Gemini aren't identical, they do enforce similar indexing methods. Google's ranking factors may be considered less valuable right now, but we assure you that they are still important. AI tools take their results from Google, so when the latter considers your content credible, AI search engines do the same.

To make the job of AI crawlers easier, create high-quality content in a friendly and simple language, inserting internal and external links. Also, include schema markup wherever necessary and simplify your website's structure. Don't forget to optimize for voice search, as many people nowadays prefer to ask their AI voice assistants for information.