LLM SEO: how to optimize for large language models

What makes LLM SEO different from SEO

Classic SEO aims to rank a page in a list of results. LLM SEO aims to be part of the answer a model writes. The foundations overlap: crawlable pages, helpful content and authority. But a model does not just rank pages. It reads passages, combines them and decides which brands to name. That rewards content that is easy to extract and facts that agree across many sources.

The four pillars

1. 1Access: AI search crawlers can reach your pages, and the content is in the HTML.
2. 2Clarity: each page answers a clear question, with direct openings, headings, lists and tables.
3. 3Consistency: your name, description, prices and facts match everywhere they appear.
4. 4Corroboration: trusted third parties describe you the same way, through reviews, articles and lists.

Technical checklist

• Allow AI search crawlers such as OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, Claude-SearchBot, Googlebot and Bingbot.
• Render main content on the server.
• Keep sitemaps clean and current.
• Use canonical links and avoid duplicate pages.
• Add structured data: Organization, Product, Article, FAQPage.
• Publish llms.txt as a map of your best pages.

Content checklist

• One question per page or section.
• A 40 to 60 word answer at the top.
• Specific facts and numbers with sources.
• Comparison tables for versus and alternatives questions.
• Author, expertise and last updated date.
• FAQ sections covering follow up questions.

Off site checklist

• Complete, current profiles on review sites and directories.
• Coverage in the lists and guides AI cites for your category.
• Helpful participation in communities where buyers ask for advice.
• Consistent descriptions across all of them.

How to measure LLM SEO

Track a fixed set of buyer questions across the main AI engines. Measure the share of answers that name you, your position, share of voice, sentiment and citations. Connect analytics to see visits from AI assistants.