SEO for ChatGPT, Perplexity and Other AI Assistants

More and more people now ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude or Copilot questions they used to type into Google. So business owners ask me: “Is SEO for AI assistants a totally different thing? Do I need to start over?”

The short answer is no, you don’t start over. But there are a few new pieces you should understand. In this lesson, I will explain how AI assistants find web pages, which crawlers (the bots that visit your site) they use, the difference between being mentioned and being cited, and what you can do this week to improve your chances. By the end, you will be able to check whether these assistants can even reach your site, which is the first thing to fix.

This lesson builds on the previous one about AI Overviews and AI Mode, which covered Google’s own AI features. Here we look at the other assistants.

How do AI assistants answer questions?

An AI assistant can answer from two places. Let me explain both, because the difference matters a lot for your business.

1. From what it learned during training. The model behind the assistant was trained on a huge amount of text. It “remembers” patterns from that text, a bit like a person who read a lot of books years ago. This knowledge has a cutoff date and can be out of date.
2. From a live web search. For many questions, especially about products, prices, news or local businesses, the assistant searches the web right now, reads a few pages and writes an answer based on them. This is where links and citations come from.

The second route is the one you can influence most quickly. If an assistant searches the web and your page is the clearest, most trustworthy answer it can reach, there is a real chance it will use it.

One prompt, many searches

Like Google’s AI Mode, assistants often break a question into several smaller searches. Ask “What’s the best project management tool for a five-person design team?” and the assistant may look up reviews, pricing pages, comparison articles and forum threads separately. I explain this process in my post on how ChatGPT turns one prompt into many web searches.

For you, that means the pages that win are not always the biggest ones. A clear pricing page, an honest comparison page or a helpful guide on one sub-question can each earn a place.

Which AI crawlers visit your website?

A crawler is a program that visits web pages and reads them. You met Googlebot in the lesson on how search engines work. AI companies have their own crawlers, and the key point is this: each company uses different crawlers for different jobs. Some collect content for training. Others fetch pages so they can show them in search answers.

Here are the main ones from OpenAI and Perplexity, based on their own documentation.

Crawler	Company	What it is for	If you block it
OAI-SearchBot	OpenAI	Finds sites to show in ChatGPT search results	OpenAI says your site won’t be shown in ChatGPT search answers (it may still appear as a plain navigational link)
GPTBot	OpenAI	Collects content that may be used to train OpenAI’s models	Signals your content should not be used for training; it doesn’t remove you from ChatGPT search
ChatGPT-User	OpenAI	Visits a page when a user’s request in ChatGPT needs it	OpenAI says robots.txt rules may not apply, because the visit is triggered by a user
PerplexityBot	Perplexity	Finds and links websites in Perplexity’s search results; not used for training	Your site is less likely to be surfaced in Perplexity answers
Perplexity-User	Perplexity	Fetches a page when a user asks a question	Perplexity says it generally ignores robots.txt, because a user triggered it

Both OpenAI and Perplexity say that each setting is independent. So you can, for example, allow OAI-SearchBot so you can appear in ChatGPT search while blocking GPTBot so your content isn’t used for training. Both also say robots.txt changes can take about 24 hours to take effect.

Other companies, such as Anthropic (Claude) and Microsoft (Copilot, which works with Bing), have their own bots and systems too. I keep an up-to-date list in my guide to AI crawlers and whether to block or allow them.

Why this matters more than any “AI trick”

Many sites block AI bots without knowing it. A security plugin, a firewall setting or an old robots.txt line can quietly turn them away. If the search crawler can’t read your pages, nothing else in this lesson will help. That is why the hands-on section below starts with this check. If robots.txt is new to you, go back to the lesson on controlling what search engines crawl.

Mentions vs citations: what are you actually aiming for?

On Google, you aim for a ranking position. In an AI assistant, there is usually one written answer. Your brand either appears in it or it doesn’t. So we talk about two outcomes instead:

• A mention is when the assistant names your brand in the answer. For example: “For small bakeries, popular choices include Brand A and Brand B.”
• A citation is when the assistant links to your page as a source for what it said.

Both are valuable. A mention builds awareness and trust. A citation can send a real visitor. And they don’t always come together. An assistant might mention your brand because many review sites talk about you, while citing a third-party article rather than your own website.

That is a key lesson. What other websites say about you shapes AI answers as much as your own website does. Reviews, comparison articles, “best of” lists, forum threads and news coverage all feed into how assistants describe a brand. This is why the lessons on off-page SEO beyond links and digital PR matter even more now. I go into the evidence in my article on how to rank your website on ChatGPT.

What helps your pages get used by AI assistants?

There is no secret tag that puts you in ChatGPT. But there are habits that make your pages easier to find, understand and trust. Here is how I would think about it.

On your own website

• Be reachable. Allow the search crawlers you want, keep pages fast and avoid hiding key text behind logins or heavy scripts.
• Answer clearly. Put the direct answer near the top of the page, then explain. An assistant that reads a page quickly should be able to pull out the main point.
• State your facts plainly. What you sell, where you serve, prices if you can share them, opening hours, and who is behind the business. Vague marketing language is hard to quote.
• Keep pages current. Old prices or discontinued products on your site can end up in AI answers.
• Show real expertise. Author names, credentials and original insight help, as covered in the lesson on E-E-A-T.

Around the web

• Earn honest reviews on the platforms your customers check. See the lesson on reviews and local citations.
• Get included in trusted comparison articles and industry roundups.
• Take part in communities where your customers ask questions, without spamming.
• Keep your profiles consistent, so your name, address and description match everywhere.

Each assistant has its own quirks. If one matters most to your audience, I have separate guides on getting mentioned in ChatGPT Search, Perplexity SEO and getting your brand mentioned by Claude.

Try it: test your site in three AI assistants

Here is a simple check you can do in under an hour. You don’t need any paid tools.

1. Open your robots.txt file by typing your domain followed by /robots.txt into a browser. Look for lines that mention OAI-SearchBot, GPTBot, PerplexityBot or a blanket Disallow: / under User-agent: *.
2. Decide your policy. If you want to appear in AI search answers, make sure the search crawlers (such as OAI-SearchBot and PerplexityBot) are not blocked. Training crawlers are a separate choice.
3. Ask your web host or developer whether a firewall or security plugin blocks AI bots. robots.txt is only one layer.
4. Write five real customer questions, such as “Who offers same-day boiler repair in [your city]?” or “What’s a good alternative to [competitor]?”
5. Ask each question in ChatGPT, Perplexity and one more assistant. Use search mode if there is an option.
6. Record the results in a simple sheet: was your brand mentioned, was your site cited, and which other sites were cited?
7. Look at the cited sites. Are they review sites, directories, forums or competitors’ guides? That list is your to-do list for pages to improve and places to be present.

Repeat the same questions once a month. AI answers change often, so trends over time tell you more than any single answer.

Question (example)	Assistant	Mentioned?	Cited?	Sites cited instead
Best family dentist in Springfield	ChatGPT	No	No	Two review sites, one local directory
Best family dentist in Springfield	Perplexity	Yes	Yes	Our “Meet the team” page plus a review site
How long does teeth whitening last?	ChatGPT	No	No	A health information site and a competitor’s blog

The table above is an invented example, just to show how to lay out your notes.

Questions beginners ask about SEO for AI assistants

If I block GPTBot, will I disappear from ChatGPT?

Not from ChatGPT search. OpenAI treats its crawlers separately. Blocking GPTBot signals that your content should not be used to train its models. Blocking OAI-SearchBot is what keeps your site out of ChatGPT search answers.

Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT or Perplexity?

There is no paid way to be placed inside the organic answer. Some AI tools are adding ads, but those are labeled ads, separate from the answer itself. Getting mentioned and cited in the answer still comes from being findable, relevant and well spoken of across the web.

Does my Google ranking help me in AI assistants?

Often it helps indirectly. The same things that make a page rank well, such as clear content, crawlable pages and a trusted brand, also make it easier for assistants to find and use. But assistants use their own crawlers and search systems, so a top Google ranking is no guarantee of a citation.

Why does the assistant say something wrong about my business?

It may be relying on old or unclear information from your site or from other sites. Make sure your own pages state the facts plainly, keep your business profiles up to date, and correct outdated listings. Over time, clearer information gives the assistant better material to work with.

How quickly do robots.txt changes take effect for AI crawlers?

OpenAI and Perplexity both say changes can take about 24 hours to be reflected. Google crawlers follow their own schedule. Give it a day or two before you check.

How AI assistants fit into your SEO work

In brief, AI assistants answer from their training and from live web searches. You influence the live part by letting their search crawlers reach your site, writing clear and factual pages, and building a good reputation on other websites. Mentions and citations are the new goals, and what others say about you matters as much as your own pages. Most of it is good SEO, applied with a wider view.

So is this a whole new discipline with a new name? In the next lesson, I look at GEO, AEO and LLMO, and whether you need a new strategy. And if you would like a hand checking how AI assistants see your brand, feel free to get in touch with us.

Sources for this lesson on SEO for AI assistants

1. Overview of OpenAI crawlers — OpenAI documentation
2. Perplexity crawlers — Perplexity documentation
3. AI features and your website — Google Search Central
4. Google’s common crawlers — Google Search Central