Growth
How to optimize your website for AI search
People now ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI mode which barbershop, salon or shop to try. These tools name businesses whose sites are easy to read and easy to trust. Here is what to do, and what the website builder in the NextUp app already does for you.
What AI search looks for
AI assistants answer from pages they can read, then name the businesses behind the clearest answers. Nobody can promise a ranking, but a site that is open to the crawlers, plain in its wording and backed by real reviews gives them the most to work with.
This is sometimes called answer engine optimization. It builds on ordinary search optimization: titles, descriptions, speed and a phone-friendly page still matter.
1. Let the crawlers in
Your site’s robots.txt file tells crawlers where they may go. Make sure it does not block the AI crawlers: OAI-SearchBot and ChatGPT-User (ChatGPT), PerplexityBot, Claude-SearchBot and Google-Extended.
Add a sitemap so every page is found, and publish an llms.txt file, a short plain-text index of your pages written for AI assistants.
Tell search engines when a page changes. Bing, DuckDuckGo and the AI search built on them accept instant notice through IndexNow.
2. Write plain answers
Put the answer first, in a short paragraph under a heading that states the question: “What are your hours?”, “How much is a fade?”, “Do you take walk-ins?”
Spell out the facts in text, not only in images: services with prices, hours, the neighborhood you serve, your phone number and what to bring. A price list saved as a picture cannot be read.
Use short paragraphs, lists and an FAQ. Keep important details out of carousels, pop-ups and tabs that need a click.
3. Mark the page up for machines
Structured data (JSON-LD from schema.org) states the same facts in a form a program can read: your business type, address, hours, services and prices, reviews, team members and FAQ.
Add a plain-text overview page for AI assistants too: who you are, who you serve, what you charge and how to reach you.
4. Build trust off your site
AI tools lean on what other sites say about you. Claim your Google Business Profile and Bing Places listing, keep your name, address and phone number identical everywhere, and ask happy customers for reviews.
Reviews and mentions on trusted sites count. A listing on a local directory or an industry roundup helps more than another page on your own site.
5. Test it and watch the traffic
Ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google’s AI mode the question a customer would ask, such as “best barbershop near me with walk-ins”, and see who is named. Repeat monthly and write down the result.
Watch where visitors come from. AI assistants show up as referrers such as chatgpt.com and perplexity.ai. Add “AI assistant” to your “How did you find us?” question.
The free AI visibility check looks at the basics for you.
What the NextUp website builder does automatically
The website builder in the NextUp app handles the technical half without any settings:
- robots.txt that names the AI search and answer crawlers and allows them.
- A sitemap and an llms.txt built from your published pages, with a summary line.
- A markdown copy of every page at its address plus .md, for AI assistants.
- Structured data for your business, hours, address, services and prices, team, FAQ, breadcrumbs and review ratings, written from your account.
- Quick answers on the page, from your real hours and prices, so the plain answer is in the text.
- IndexNow notice to search engines each time you publish.
- Spanish pages with language tags, when you turn on translation.
Because the site reads your services, prices, hours and live line, it stays current without you editing text. You still do the human half: ask for reviews and claim your listings.
Questions
How do I get my business to show up in ChatGPT?
Allow the AI crawlers in robots.txt, state your services, prices and hours in plain text, add structured data, and earn reviews and listings on other sites. ChatGPT draws on what the web says about a business, and nobody can guarantee a mention.
What is llms.txt?
A plain-text file at the root of a site that lists its main pages with a short description, written for AI assistants. It is a convention, not a guarantee that any assistant reads it.
Does the NextUp website builder set this up automatically?
Yes. It publishes robots.txt that allows AI crawlers, a sitemap, llms.txt, markdown copies of pages and structured data from your account, and tells search engines when you publish.