Let’s talk about the three places people are asking questions now:
- Gemini (inside Google’s AI search experiences)
- ChatGPT (with Search)
- Perplexity
The UI is different, but the underlying problem is the same:
AI can’t recommend what it can’t find, parse, and trust.
See Also: How To Get Found In AI Search?
What “appearing in AI search results” actually means?
It does not just mean “rank my page.”
It means your content is retrieved as supporting material, your brand is mentioned as an entity, and your page is cited or linked as a source.
Across the board: if you want to show up, you need to be a source.
The 4-part framework that works everywhere
1) Crawlability: Can the machines access you?
Start here. Always.
- Don’t block key pages in robots.txt
- Don’t block the resources needed to render content
2) Discoverability: Can the machines find the important URLs?
Sitemaps help search engines crawl efficiently and understand what you consider important.
3) Understandability: Do you make meaning obvious?
Structured data is the shortcut to clarity. It gives explicit clues about what your pages mean.
4) Trust: Do you look like a real entity worth citing?
This is where the game shifted.
You need consistent entity info (name, address, phone, leadership, brand story), reputable mentions off-site, and content that’s clearly helpful.
Platform specifics
Gemini (Google AI Overviews / AI Mode)
You don’t “submit” to Gemini. You win inclusion by being indexed, snippet-eligible, and useful to summarize.
Google’s AI features may use a query fan-out approach, multiple related searches, to assemble answers. So build topic clusters that cover related sub-questions.
Also: don’t ignore images. Use descriptive, helpful alt text (not keyword stuffing).
ChatGPT (with Search)
ChatGPT Search retrieves information from the web and includes citations to sources. Your job is to become a source worth citing.
- Publish pages that are easy to cite (clear answers, clear structure)
- Win citations from other trusted sources (PR, mentions, partnerships)
- Maintain clean technical SEO so your pages are accessible to crawlers
Perplexity
Perplexity is the most literal “get cited or disappear” platform.
If you disallow its crawler via robots.txt, it won’t index full or partial text.
- Don’t block PerplexityBot if you want visibility
- Don’t block Perplexity IP ranges in your WAF by accident
- Publish citation assets (definitions, comparisons, numbered steps, stats)
Build a “Prompt Coverage Map” (simple but powerful)
Make a spreadsheet with 20–50 prompts your prospects actually ask.
Add columns for Gemini/Google, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. Track whether you appear and whether you’re cited.
That becomes your roadmap.
FAQs
Do I need different pages for Gemini vs ChatGPT vs Perplexity?
Not different pages, different formatting priorities. Your best AI search pages are factual, structured, specific, and quote-ready.
Will blocking Perplexity stop my site from showing there?
Blocking PerplexityBot via robots.txt will significantly reduce what Perplexity can index and cite from your site.
References
- AOK Marketing. “How To Get Found In AI Search.”
- Google Search Central. “AI features and your website.”
- Google Search Central. “Introduction to robots.txt”
- Google Search Central. “Learn about sitemaps“
- Google Search Central. “Organization structured data.”
- Google Search Central.” Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content”
- Google Search Central. “Google image SEO best practices
- OpenAI Help Center. “ChatGPT search.”
- OpenAI. ” ChatGPT generated links:
- Perplexity: How does Perplexity follow robots.txt?
- Perplexity: Perplexity Crawlers
- ARXIV.ORG” Generative Engine Optimization
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