AI assistants cite websites they can crawl, understand quickly and see mentioned by other trustworthy sources. To appear in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews, let their crawlers in, write pages that answer questions directly, make it obvious who you are, and earn mentions on the sites these assistants already read.
Can AI assistants actually reach your site?
Before anything else, check that you are not blocking them. Many sites block AI crawlers by accident, often through a CDN setting. The answer-time crawlers matter most, because they fetch pages when someone asks a question:
| Assistant | Crawlers to allow |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT | OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User |
| Perplexity | PerplexityBot, Perplexity-User |
| Claude | Claude-SearchBot, Claude-User |
| Google AI Overviews and AI Mode | Googlebot (the normal search crawler) |
| Microsoft Copilot | Bingbot |
Several assistants also rely on Bing's index, so verify your site in Bing Webmaster Tools as well as Google Search Console.
What kind of content do AI assistants quote?
They quote short, self-contained passages that answer a question. Structure pages so those passages are easy to find:
- Use headings phrased as the questions people ask, such as "How long does a dental implant take?"
- Put a direct answer of 40 to 60 words right under each heading, then the detail.
- Open the page with two or three sentences that summarise the whole answer.
- Use lists and tables for steps, comparisons and specifications.
- Include specific facts, such as prices, durations and dates, and link to original sources.
How do AI assistants decide who you are?
They build a picture of your brand from consistent information across the web. On your own site, add Organization structured data with your name, logo and sameAs links to your official profiles, and show a named author and an updated date on articles. Off your site, make sure your business details match everywhere they appear.
Why do mentions on other sites matter so much?
When an assistant answers "what is the best tool for X", it leans on reviews, comparison articles, forums and directories. Being listed on review sites in your industry, appearing in "best of" articles and being recommended in community discussions are what get a brand named in AI answers. Your own pages are the evidence; other sites are the votes.
How do you measure AI visibility?
Write down 10 to 20 questions your customers ask, check what each assistant answers, and repeat monthly. Note whether your brand is mentioned, whether your site is cited, and which competitors appear instead. Spider can run these checks across ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini and tracks Google AI Overview citations for your keywords.
Quick checklist
- Allow the answer-time AI crawlers in robots.txt and in your CDN settings.
- Verify the site in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Rewrite key pages with question headings and direct answers.
- Add Organization structured data with sameAs links.
- Publish an llms.txt file.
- Earn mentions on review sites, comparison articles and communities.
Check this on your own site
Spider's free check tests this and about 100 other things on any page, and links each problem to a guide like this one.
