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name: marketing-ai-search-optimization description: Operational AI search engine optimization (AEO/GEO/LLMO) for ranking in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and other LLM-powered search platforms with technical setup, content strategies, and measurement frameworks.

AI SEARCH OPTIMIZATION — OPERATIONAL SKILL

This skill contains actionable, production-ready systems for optimizing content visibility in AI-powered search engines including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, SearchGPT, and Google AI Overviews.

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2025 Market Reality

The Shift is Happening Now

Metric	Value	Source
ChatGPT Weekly Active Users	800 million (June 2025)	Doubled from 400M in Feb 2025
Google Market Share	Below 90%	First time since 2015
Zero-Click Searches	40%+	Searches ending without website click

Why This Changes Everything

• Being cited in AI responses often matters more than page-one Google rankings
• Most ChatGPT citations come from URLs ranking beyond position 21+ on Google
• Domain-level authority matters more than specific page rankings for AI visibility
• You can win AI citations even if you're not ranking on page 1 of Google

Critical Technical Issue (Check Now)

In an audit of 50 enterprise SaaS websites, 68% were inadvertently blocking at least one major AI crawler. Run curl -I https://yoursite.com/robots.txt and verify GPTBot, ClaudeBot, and PerplexityBot are not blocked.

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Use this skill when the user asks for:

• AI crawler optimization (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot)
• AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) strategies
• GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) tactics
• LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization)
• Citation optimization for LLM platforms
• Content structuring for AI retrieval
• AI search measurement and tracking
• Platform-specific ranking strategies
• robots.txt and technical AI SEO setup
• Prompt-optimized content creation

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Quick Reference

Task	Resource/Template	Location	When to Use
Technical Setup
AI Crawler Config	robots.txt Guide	resources/ai-crawler-technical-setup.md	Configure crawler access (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, etc.)
Site Structure	AI-Friendly Architecture	resources/ai-crawler-technical-setup.md	Optimize site architecture for LLM crawlers
Tracking Setup	Analytics Config	templates/tracking/ai-search-analytics-setup.md	Monitor AI search referrals and citations
Content Strategy
Citation Optimization	Citation Strategy	resources/citation-optimization-strategies.md	Increase citation rates across AI platforms
Answer-Focused Content	Content Patterns	resources/content-structure-patterns.md	Write content optimized for LLM summarization
Entity Optimization	Entity SEO Guide	resources/entity-semantic-optimization.md	Enhance semantic understanding and entity recognition
Prompt Engineering	Query Optimization	resources/prompt-query-optimization.md	Match content to natural language queries
Platform-Specific
ChatGPT Optimization	ChatGPT Strategy	resources/platform-chatgpt.md	Rank in ChatGPT search (2.62 avg citations)
Perplexity Optimization	Perplexity Strategy	resources/platform-perplexity.md	Rank in Perplexity (6.61 avg citations)
Claude Optimization	Claude Strategy	resources/platform-claude.md	Optimize for Claude AI search
Gemini Optimization	Gemini Strategy	resources/platform-gemini.md	Rank in Gemini (6.1 avg citations)
Google AI Overviews	SGE/AIO Strategy	resources/platform-google-ai-overviews.md	Appear in Google AI snapshots
Templates
Content Audit	AI Search Audit	templates/audits/ai-search-content-audit.md	Audit existing content for AI optimization
Content Brief	AI-Optimized Brief	templates/content/ai-search-content-brief.md	Create AI-friendly content briefs
Schema Markup	AI Schema Templates	templates/technical/ai-search-schema-templates.md	Implement AI-optimized structured data
Testing Protocol	AI Search Testing	templates/testing/ai-search-testing-protocol.md	Validate content across AI platforms

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Decision Trees (Quick Use)

### AI Citation Rate Low
Check crawler access → Verify robots.txt allows GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot
Content too complex → Simplify structure, add clear headers, use direct answers
No structured data → Add FAQ, HowTo, Article schema markup
Missing entity signals → Strengthen topic authority, add entity-rich content

### High Impressions, Low Citations
Content lacks authority → Add data, research, expert quotes, original insights
Answer not direct → Rewrite with immediate value in first paragraph
Schema incomplete → Validate and enhance structured data
Factual accuracy issues → Fact-check, add sources, update stale data

### Platform-Specific Ranking Issues
ChatGPT not citing → Focus on LinkedIn, G2, Gartner-style content
Perplexity ignoring → Add video content, enhance PeerSpot-style reviews
Gemini missing → Optimize for Medium, Reddit, community platforms
Google AIO absent → Strengthen EEAT signals, add author bios

### Technical Issues
Crawlers blocked → Check robots.txt, security settings, JavaScript dependencies
JavaScript-heavy site → Add server-side rendering or static fallbacks
Dynamic content → Ensure critical content loads without JS
Slow response times → Optimize server performance for crawler requests

### Content Freshness
Stale citations → Update with 2024-2025 data, add recent examples
Old publication dates → Refresh content, update timestamps
Outdated facts → Verify against current sources, correct inaccuracies

For detailed decision trees, see individual platform strategy files in resources/.

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Navigation

Core Resources

• resources/ai-crawler-technical-setup.md - Technical configuration, robots.txt, crawlers
• resources/citation-optimization-strategies.md - Increase citation rates across platforms
• resources/content-structure-patterns.md - AI-friendly content formats
• resources/entity-semantic-optimization.md - Entity SEO and knowledge graphs
• resources/prompt-query-optimization.md - Match natural language queries
• resources/measurement-analytics.md - Track AI search performance

Platform-Specific Guides

• resources/platform-chatgpt.md - ChatGPT/SearchGPT optimization
• resources/platform-perplexity.md - Perplexity ranking strategies
• resources/platform-claude.md - Claude AI search optimization
• resources/platform-gemini.md - Google Gemini strategies
• resources/platform-google-ai-overviews.md - SGE/AIO optimization

Templates

Technical

• templates/technical/robots-txt-ai-crawlers.md
• templates/technical/ai-search-schema-templates.md
• templates/technical/server-side-rendering-guide.md

Content

• templates/content/ai-search-content-brief.md
• templates/content/answer-focused-article-template.md
• templates/content/entity-rich-content-template.md

Audits & Testing

• templates/audits/ai-search-content-audit.md
• templates/audits/crawler-access-audit.md
• templates/testing/ai-search-testing-protocol.md

Tracking

• templates/tracking/ai-search-analytics-setup.md
• templates/tracking/citation-tracking-dashboard.md

Related Skills

Marketing & SEO

• ../marketing-social-media/SKILL.md - Traditional social media and SEO (complement with AI search)
• ../product-management/SKILL.md - Product positioning for AI-first discovery

Content & AI

• ../ai-prompt-engineering/SKILL.md - Prompt engineering for content optimization
• ../ai-llm/SKILL.md - RAG systems and embeddings for content intelligence
• ../ai-agents/SKILL.md - Automated content monitoring and optimization agents

Technical Implementation

• ../software-frontend/SKILL.md - SSR implementation and technical optimization
• ../software-backend/SKILL.md - API endpoints for AI crawlers, dynamic content serving
• ../ops-devops-platform/SKILL.md - Infrastructure optimization for AI crawler performance

Data & Analytics

• ../ai-ml-data-science/SKILL.md - Citation prediction models, content scoring
• ../data-sql-optimization/SKILL.md - Analytics warehousing for AI search metrics

Key Differentiators

AI Search vs Traditional SEO:

• Traditional SEO: Optimize for Google crawlers, keywords, backlinks
• AI Search: Optimize for LLM retrieval, citations, answer quality

Citation vs Ranking:

• Citations (AI): Your content appears in LLM responses (6-10 sources per query)
• Rankings (Traditional): Your page appears in search result positions (#1-10)

Content Focus:

• Traditional: Long-form keyword optimization, link building
• AI Search: Direct answers, entity-rich, fact-checked, data-backed

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External Resources

See data/sources.json for 40+ official documentation sources across:

• AI platform documentation (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Perplexity)
• AEO/GEO research and case studies
• Technical SEO and schema standards
• Analytics and measurement tools
• Industry best practices (2024-2025)

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Getting Started

First-time setup (15 minutes):

1. Read resources/ai-crawler-technical-setup.md - Configure robots.txt
2. Use templates/audits/crawler-access-audit.md - Verify AI crawlers can access your site
3. Implement templates/tracking/ai-search-analytics-setup.md - Start tracking citations
4. Create your first AI-optimized content using templates/content/ai-search-content-brief.md

Quick wins (30 minutes):

1. Add FAQ schema to top 10 pages
2. Rewrite intro paragraphs with direct answers
3. Test content in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini
4. Add entity-rich content to key pages

Advanced optimization (ongoing):

1. Platform-specific strategies for each AI search engine
2. Citation rate optimization experiments
3. Entity graph building and semantic SEO
4. Automated testing and monitoring systems