Satelo / AI search

AI search visibility: how small sites get found and cited by AI assistants

More and more questions are answered by an AI assistant instead of a list of ten links. The good news for small sites: these assistants still need sources, and they cite them. The less good news: there is no special trick that makes an assistant pick you. Below is how AI search finds pages, what is under your control and what is not.

How AI search finds and picks sources

Assistants with web access (ChatGPT search, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Yandex's Alice) work in roughly the same way: they turn the question into one or more searches, retrieve pages from a search index or their own crawl, and write an answer that links to some of those pages. Two consequences follow. First, a page that is not crawled and indexed cannot be cited. Second, the assistant favors pages that answer a specific question clearly, and sites that other sources already mention.

Google: AI Overviews and AI Mode

Google's page on AI features and your website says there are no extra requirements for appearing in AI Overviews or AI Mode: the page has to be indexed and eligible to be shown in Search with a snippet, and the usual SEO best practices apply. No special markup, no separate file. That makes classic hygiene the foundation: crawlable pages, clear titles, real answers and no blocking of Googlebot. See how AI Overviews pick brands to mention.

ChatGPT, Perplexity and their crawlers

OpenAI documents separate crawlers for different jobs: OAI-SearchBot for showing sites in ChatGPT search results, GPTBot for collecting training data, and ChatGPT-User for pages fetched on a user's request. You can allow search while opting out of training, because they are controlled separately in robots.txt. Perplexity describes its PerplexityBot and Perplexity-User in the same way. Google lists Google-Extended among its crawlers: it controls whether content is used for Gemini models and does not affect inclusion in Google Search. Our guide how to get your website indexed by ChatGPT walks through the setup step by step.

What llms.txt is (and isn't)

llms.txt is a community proposal (llmstxt.org): a Markdown file at the root of a site that summarizes it and lists the key pages for language models. It is cheap to add and useful for AI agents and coding tools that read it. It is not a ranking factor: Google's documentation on AI features does not mention it, so treat it as optional. Details in our llms.txt guide.

What actually raises your chances

Be indexable everywhere. Google, Bing (which powers many assistants' web results) and, for Russian-speaking audiences, Yandex. Submit your sitemap and use IndexNow where supported.
Answer one question per page, early and plainly. A clear definition or step list near the top is easy to quote.
State facts about yourself consistently. The same name, description and product facts on your site, your profiles and in structured data help assistants understand who you are.
Get mentioned on other sites. Assistants lean on what independent sources say. Real mentions in your niche matter more than anything you write about yourself; this is where article exchange and partnerships help. Read how to get cited by ChatGPT and our guide on getting mentioned by AI assistants.
Don't block the crawlers you want traffic from. Check robots.txt and any firewall or CDN bot rules.

MCP: when AI agents use your site directly

Beyond answering questions, AI agents can now call tools through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). A site that exposes an MCP server can be used by an agent, not just quoted. Satelo has one: an agent can check a site's Quality Score, find partner sites and place articles. See Satelo for AI agents.

How to measure it

Referral visits from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and copilot.microsoft.com show up in your analytics as referrers. Google's AI features page also explains how AI Overviews and AI Mode appear in Search Console reports. For a rough check, ask the assistants the questions your customers ask and note who gets cited. Results vary from run to run, so look at trends over weeks, not single answers.

Satelo for AI agents (MCP)

Free tools: AI crawler checker · llms.txt generator

Getting cited by AI assistants

ArticleHow to get cited by ChatGPTHow to get cited by ChatGPT and other AI assistants: let the right crawlers in, write answer-ready pages and earn mentions on sites the models already trust.ArticleHow to Get Your Website Into ChatGPT Search: OAI-SearchBot, Bing and MentionsHow to get your website indexed by ChatGPT: allow OAI-SearchBot, unblock OpenAI at your CDN, get into Bing, earn mentions and check server logs to confirm.GuideHow to get mentioned by ChatGPT, Perplexity and AI OverviewsHow AI assistants pick the sites they cite, and practical steps to become one of them: clear pages, llms.txt, structured data, third-party mentions and original data.ArticleHow to Rank in Perplexity When Your Site Is SmallHow to rank in Perplexity as a small site: allow PerplexityBot, answer in the first sentence, add sources and dates, earn mentions, and check your citations.ArticleHow to Get Your Site Mentioned by Google GeminiHow to rank in Google Gemini: what Google-Extended really controls, why Search indexing comes first, how to earn mentions, and how to check if Gemini cites you.ArticleHow to Rank in Microsoft Copilot: Start With the Bing IndexHow to rank in Microsoft Copilot: get indexed by Bing, set up Bing Webmaster Tools, ping IndexNow, fix meta tags that block citations, and track citations.ArticleGEO vs SEO vs AEO: What Actually Changes for a Small WebsiteGEO vs SEO vs AEO explained: where the terms came from, what Google and OpenAI officially say, what changes for a small site, and a 30-day plan to act on it.ArticleGenerative engine optimization: how to get cited in AI answersGenerative engine optimization (GEO) without hype: where the term comes from, what Google, OpenAI and Yandex say about AI answers, plus a page checklist.

Google AI Overviews and brand mentions

ArticleAI Overviews brand mentions: how to get your brand into Google’s AI answersHow AI Overviews brand mentions work, what Google officially says about appearing in AI features, and a practical plan to get your brand named and linked.

Crawlers, llms.txt and technical setup

Articlellms.txt: what it is and whether your site needs oneAn honest llms.txt guide: what the proposed standard is, a ready template, how it differs from robots.txt and what it can and cannot do for AI visibility today.ArticleHow to Block AI Crawlers in robots.txt and Still Show Up in AI SearchBlock AI crawlers in robots.txt the right way: which bots train models, which power AI search, and copy-paste rules checked against each vendor's docs.ArticleSchema Markup for AI Search: What Actually Helps and What's MythSchema markup for AI search, checked against Google's docs: no special markup is needed for AI Overviews, but a few schema types still help a blog. See which.ArticleHow to Track ChatGPT and AI Traffic in GA4How to check ChatGPT traffic in GA4: the built-in AI Assistant channel, a custom channel group for missed sources, Explorations, and why AI visits undercount.

AI tools for SEO work

ArticleMCP Servers for SEO: What Each One Gives Your AI AgentSEO MCP servers compared from their own docs: Search Console, Analytics, Ahrefs, Semrush, SE Ranking, DataForSEO, Screaming Frog and Satelo. Data, cost, setup.ArticleClaude Code for SEO: How to Set Up MCP Servers and Run Real SEO TasksHow to use Claude Code for SEO: connect Search Console and other MCP servers, run five real tasks with copy-paste prompts, and know where to check its work.

FAQ

Do I need special markup to appear in Google AI Overviews?

No. Google says there are no additional requirements: the page must be indexed and eligible to appear in Search with a snippet, and normal SEO best practices apply.

Which robots.txt user agents matter for ChatGPT?

OAI-SearchBot is used for ChatGPT search results, GPTBot for training data and ChatGPT-User for pages fetched on a user's request. They are controlled separately, so you can allow search and block training.

Does blocking Google-Extended remove my site from Google Search?

No. According to Google, Google-Extended only controls whether content is used for Gemini models; it does not affect inclusion or ranking in Google Search.

Does llms.txt help me rank in AI answers?

There is no evidence that it does. It is a community proposal that some AI tools and agents read. It is cheap to add, but treat it as optional.

How can a small site get cited by AI assistants?

Be crawlable and indexed, answer specific questions clearly near the top of the page, describe your brand consistently, and earn real mentions on other sites in your niche.

How do I know if AI assistants send me traffic?

Look for referrers such as chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and copilot.microsoft.com in your analytics, and check Search Console for Google. Spot-check answers for your key questions over several weeks.

Check your site's Quality Score

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