From SEO to GEO: How to Get Your Website Indexed and Recommended by AI

In the AI-driven search era, optimizing only for Google’s algorithm or human readers is no longer enough. Suppose you want your website to be quoted or recommended by platforms like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity.ai, and You.com. In that case, you need to shift your mindset from traditional SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to GEO—Generative Engine Optimization.

This guide explains why making your website visible to AI, friendly to search engines, and more likely to appear in AI answers is more important than ever.

How AI Finds and Uses Web Content

AI systems don’t crawl the web in real time like Google does. Instead, they rely on:

• Pretrained data: For example, ChatGPT’s core training ends in 2023 (unless browsing is enabled)

• Integrated search engines: Platforms like Gemini, You.com, and Perplexity pull content already indexed by Google or Bing

Bottom line: If your website isn’t indexed by Google, AI won’t find it either.

Make Your Website AI-Friendly

Make Sure Pages Are Crawlable and Indexable

• Don’t use noindex or password blocks

• Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console

• Avoid JavaScript-only rendering (Wix handles this well)

Use Semi-Structured, Question-Based Content

• Example format:

  • Q: What is pet insurance?

  • A: Pet insurance helps cover veterinary costs for your pet.

• Use clear headings (<h2>), bullet points (<ul>), and paragraphs (<p>)

• Write concise, logical, keyword-rich content

Publish on AI-Visible Platforms

Besides your website, share or repurpose content on:

• Medium

• LinkedIn

• Google Business Profile

• Forums like Quora or Reddit

  
  

Boost Credibility and Authority

• Include author names, source links, and real data

• Keep formatting consistent and layout clear

• These details help AI identify your site as trustworthy

  
  

Track AI and Search Visibility

Tool	Purpose
Google Search Console	Check if your pages are indexed by Google
ChatGPT / Perplexity	See if your site content appears in answers
Ahrefs / SEMrush	Monitor ranking and SEO performance

What Is Semi-Structured Content?

• Structured: Data-driven, like product specs or stock info

• Unstructured: Free text, like diaries or fiction

• Semi-Structured: Content with headings, paragraphs, and metadata, like blogs and FAQs

AI-Friendly Semi-Structured Example:

Wix Blog is Naturally Semi-Structured

• Each post has an <h1> title, publish date, category, and body with <h2>, <h3>

• Schema.org supported

• Allows meta descriptions, alt text, and tags

  
  

FAQ is Even More Structured

• Uses expandable Q&A format

• Each entry has a defined question and answer

• Supports FAQ Page schema for rich results

Why AI Prefers This Format

• Clear questions and answers make content easier to parse

• Headings and lists improve topic understanding

• Strong structure increases the chance of being featured in AI responses

  
  

Practical Tips to Improve AI Visibility

Section	Best Practices
Blog	Use main titles and subheadings. Embed real questions into content
FAQ	Answer common search questions with clarity
SEO	Add meta titles and meta descriptions to every page
Language	Create separate FAQ versions for different languages

Final Thoughts

AI only recommends content it can access. Search engines can only index pages that are open and well-structured. If you want to stand out in the AI-powered search engine, you must evolve from SEO to GEO. But to do GEO well, you still need a strong SEO foundation. The two go hand in hand.