Start with entity clarity
An assistant can only cite a source it can identify. That means your site should state plainly who you are, what you do, who you serve, and what you've achieved. In copy a machine can parse, and in structured data that says the same thing.
Consistency matters as much as presence. When your business name, description, and focus match across your site, your directory listings, and your social profiles, you're easier to resolve as a single entity.
Write things that can't be synthesized
Summarized common knowledge is exactly what these systems generate for free, so publishing more of it earns nothing. What earns citations is material only you have: firsthand results, your actual process, an original comparison, real pricing structures, or a clearly reasoned opinion.
Shape pages like answers
- Lead with a direct answer, then explain. Keep the intro short before you get there.
- Define terms in plain language, once, near where they first appear.
- Use headings that match how people phrase the question.
- Add FAQ coverage for the follow-up questions a buyer actually asks.
- Keep the answer in text. Anything trapped in an image can't be cited.
Get corroborated elsewhere
Mentions on sites that aren't yours are how a claim stops being self-reported. Guest contributions, podcast appearances, industry directories, and client-side case studies all help a model connect your name to a subject with more confidence than your own homepage can.
How to measure it
- Ask the assistants your buyers use the questions your buyers ask, and log whether you appear.
- Watch branded search volume, which tends to rise when AI mentions increase.
- Track impressions and non-brand entrances in Search Console, since the underlying signals overlap heavily with classic SEO.
- Treat any vendor promising guaranteed AI placement as a red flag.