How to appear in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI

More and more people no longer search on Google: they ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude or Gemini directly. For these tools to cite your business, they first need to be able to read your site and trust what it says. Nobody can guarantee you a citation, but there are concrete levers, and I'll show you the ones I use on my own projects.

A shift that already shows in the numbers

On FindYourNeurotype, a personality test platform I built, Google Analytics 4 showed something striking: on that site, in August 2026, Bing plus the AI assistants that partly rely on Bing's index brought in about six times more traffic than Google.

It isn't a general rule: every site is different. But it shows that ignoring Bing and AI can mean missing out on a significant share of your visits.

1. Let the AI crawlers in

Each assistant has its own crawlers, and some sites block them without realising it. Your robots.txt file should allow them explicitly. Here is the list I use on ExploreYourDNA, a DNA analysis platform I built, along with a block on the SEO tool crawlers that only consume resources:

User-agent: GPTBot
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot
User-agent: ChatGPT-User
User-agent: PerplexityBot
User-agent: Perplexity-User
User-agent: ClaudeBot
User-agent: Claude-User
User-agent: Google-Extended
User-agent: Applebot-Extended
Allow: /

User-agent: AhrefsBot
User-agent: SemrushBot
User-agent: MJ12bot
Disallow: /

Sitemap: https://www.yoursite.com/sitemap.xml

Note: Google's AI in search draws on the regular Googlebot index. Being properly indexed by Google is still the foundation. If that isn't your case, start with why Google is not indexing your site.

2. A summary for language models: llms.txt

The llms.txt file is a plain-text file at the root of your site that sums up the essentials for language models: what you sell, your prices, your languages and your key links. On FuelYourDNA, which provides genetic nutrition reports, the llms.txt contains a summary, the key facts (one-time payment, reports from 24 euros, 6 languages) and links to the reports and the free tools.

3. Structured data: help machines understand who you are

Schema.org structured data (in JSON-LD format) describes your business in a language machines can read without guessing:

• Organization or LocalBusiness: name, address, phone, opening hours, social profiles.
• Service: each service you offer.
• FAQPage: your frequently asked questions and their answers.
• BreadcrumbList: where each page sits within the site.

4. Content that answers, and signals of trust

Assistants are looking for answers. A text that answers a question directly is more likely to be picked up than a vague promotional paragraph.

• Question and answer format: an FAQ section with short, precise answers.
• Consistent details everywhere: the same name, address and phone number on your site, your Google profile, your social media and directories.
• Reviews from real customers.
• Mentions on other sites: press, directories, associations, partners.

5. Bing Webmaster Tools and IndexNow

Since some assistants partly rely on Bing's index, it pays to look after it. Bing Webmaster Tools lets you import your site from Google Search Console in two clicks (I explain Search Console in this step-by-step guide).

Then there's IndexNow: as soon as you publish a page, a script notifies Bing. Instead of waiting for the crawler to come by, the page can be indexed within minutes. FindYourNeurotype uses it. Google doesn't take part in IndexNow: for Google, the sitemap and Search Console remain the way to go.

6. Don't block legitimate crawlers

A badly configured firewall or anti-abuse protection can slow down Bing, Google or AI crawlers as if they were attacks. Legitimate crawlers must be exempt from rate limiting. Otherwise your site gradually fades from the results and nobody understands why.

How to measure it

In GA4, visits coming from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and similar services show up as referral sources in the acquisition reports. Some of that traffic may arrive without a referrer and be counted as direct, so the real figure may be higher. In this article I explain how I analyse that data with AI, together with Search Console and Bing.

Want your site to be readable by AI engines? I review it as part of my SEO service.