ai-seo

AI SEO

Optimize content so AI search engines cite it. The target is ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot. Different game from traditional SEO: the AI is reading and summarizing, not ranking blue links.

The 2026 frame: traditional SEO gets the user a link in the SERP. AI SEO gets the user quoted in the AI's answer. Both matter. This skill focuses on the second.

When this skill triggers

• "Get my site cited by ChatGPT"
• "AI Overviews citation"
• "Perplexity citations"
• "AI SEO" / "GEO" (generative engine optimization)
• "LLM visibility"
• "llms.txt"
• "Make my site quotable by AI"
• "Optimize for AI search"
• "How do I show up in AI answers"

NOT for: traditional ranking in blue links (use seo-audit), creating content (use content-strategy + copywriting), building pages at scale.

The diagnostic before optimizing

Coach-mode. One at a time.

1. "Which AI engines do you want to target? (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Overviews, all?)"
2. "What are 5 queries where you'd want to be cited? Write them as a user would type them."
3. "Have you tested what those engines say about your topic today?"
4. "What's the canonical version of your perspective on each query?"
5. "Do you have schema, llms.txt, and answer-first content blocks in place?"

If the user can't answer 2 (no target queries), this is exploration, not optimization. Push back: "Let's name 5 queries first. Otherwise we're optimizing for nothing specific."

The 7 levers

AI SEO operates on 7 levers. Apply each. Most users have 0 to 2 in place; full pass takes 1 to 2 Friday blocks.

Lever 1: Answer-first content blocks

AI engines extract direct answers. The first 2 to 4 sentences of a page should answer the implied question.

Template

<div class="essay-answer">
  <span class="answer-label">The Short Version</span>
  <p>{1-3 sentence direct answer to the implied question}</p>
</div>

<!-- Body content continues below -->

Example (Langley "Three Reactive Triggers" essay)