Boring, but important: the technology has to be right
Websites that are well optimised for search engines have a significant head start. After all, search engines also need machine-readable code.
People don’t notice if the hierarchy of headings is incorrect or if a text has the wrong content attribute. A machine needs this information to be able to process the content.
If a website is not easily readable by AI agents, the information can either not be captured at all or only partially. Websites that are difficult to read are unlikely to feature in the AI agents’ responses.
A. Technical Checklist
If you want to be found by AI agents, your website must be accessible to bots. Check whether AI agents are blocked via the robots.txt file*
Do not hide important information using JavaScript. Anything that only becomes visible after a click is potentially invisible.
The HTML code must be well structured; for example, it is important to use headings (H1, H2, H3) correctly.
Make use of formatting options such as lists and tables.
Don’t forget internal links: Links provide context for readers as well as AI systems and increase the time spent on the website.
Use metadata (e.g. alt texts, descriptions, ARIA labels, schema.org)
* You can either allow all AI crawlers or exclude bots that are searching for training data and only allow search crawlers.
Present content in such a way that AI agents can make sense of it
AI systems need clear, concise statements. Clarity takes precedence over style: AI systems treat text as a data set, not as a story.
B. Checklist Content
Let’s start with the answer: What are the visitors’ concerns when they come to your website? The most effective content is that which solves a specific problem, puts a topic into context, and shares personal experiences.
Short, concise sentences; no beating about the bush; consistent choice of words.
Practicality trumps beauty: be precise and to the point rather than complicated and elaborate.
Provide quotable content — AI bots need content they can highlight and quote.
Place important information in multiple locations.
Explaining abbreviations: Term + abbreviation in parentheses.
Use meaningful content formats: definitions, step-by-step guides, comparisons of pros and cons, “How does X work? How do I do Y?”, FAQs, comparison charts, different perspectives, etc.
