July 24, 2025

How to Rank your Website on Ai

How To get Rank On Ai

If you want your website to rank on AI, you first have to ensure it is visible to AI chatbots. This is essential because for an AI to feature your site in its output, it must first be able to crawl, read, and understand your content. Below are the steps to get started.

How to list your Website on ChatGPT

ChatGPT, powered by OpenAI, often pulls real-time information through Bing. Getting your site recognized here is crucial for accurate summaries and insights from the model.

1 Engage ChatGPT with Your Site Content

This is less about a formal “listing” and more about training the AI. Think of it as familiarizing ChatGPT with your brand’s voice and expertise.

  • Process: Open ChatGPT and start asking it detailed questions about your products, services, and blog posts. For example, “What is [Your Product Name]?” or “Summarize the key points of my blog post on [Topic] (provide URL).”
  • Why it Matters: Regular interaction helps the model “learn” your site’s tone, topics, and nuances. The more it interacts with your content, the better it can generate accurate summaries and suggestions related to your domain. This also helps with the AI’s understanding of your E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).
  • Technical Prerequisites: Just a ChatGPT account and access to your website’s content.
  • Troubleshooting: Consistency is key. Don’t just do it once; make this a regular practice as you publish new content.

2. Verify Your Domain in Builder Profile (for Custom GPTs)

If you’re building custom GPTs or want a deeper level of domain association, this step is for you.

  • Process:
  1. Open ChatGPT.
  2. Click your profile icon (usually in the bottom-left corner).
  3. Go to Settings & Beta.
  4. Navigate to Builder Profile.
  5. Under the “Website” section, click Verify new domain.
  6. Enter your domain (e.g., yourdomain.com, without “www”).
  7. ChatGPT will provide a TXT record. Copy this entire string.
  8. Log in to your domain registrar’s DNS management panel (e.g., GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap).
  9. Add a new TXT record to your domain’s DNS settings.
  • Host/Name: Usually @ or leave blank for the root domain.
  • Value/Text: Paste the TXT record string you copied from ChatGPT.
  • TTL (Time To Live): Set to the lowest possible value (e.g., 300 seconds or 5 minutes) to speed up propagation.
  1. Save the DNS record.
  2. Return to ChatGPT and click Verify once you’ve saved the DNS record.
  • Why it Matters: This directly tells OpenAI that you own the domain, enhancing the trust signals for their models when referencing your content.
  • Technical Prerequisites: Access to your domain registrar’s DNS settings.
  • Expected Wait Times: DNS propagation can take a few minutes to several hours, sometimes up to 24-48 hours, though typically faster with a low TTL.
  • Troubleshooting:
  • DNS TTL Delays: If it’s not verifying immediately, wait a few hours. Use a DNS checker tool (like dnschecker.org) to confirm your TXT record has propagated globally.
  • Incorrect TXT Value: Double-check you copied the entire TXT string correctly.
  • Incorrect Host: Ensure you’re setting the host correctly for your root domain.

3. Claim Your Business on Bing Places

Since ChatGPT’s real-time data often comes from Bing, having an accurate and verified Bing Places listing is paramount.

  • Process:
  1. Sign in at bingplaces.com with a Microsoft account. If you don’t have one, it’s free to create.
  2. Search for your business. If it’s not found, click “Add New Business.”
  3. Fill out all business details completely and accurately (name, address, phone, website, hours, categories, photos).
  4. Choose a verification method: phone call, email, or postcard. Phone/email are fastest.
  5. Complete the verification process based on your chosen method.
  • Why it Matters: This ensures up-to-date, accurate information about your business is fed directly into Bing’s search index, which in turn influences ChatGPT’s data sources. It’s like giving Bing (and by extension, ChatGPT) a verified business card for your brand.
  • Technical Prerequisites: A Microsoft account and accurate business information.
  • Expected Wait Times: Phone/email verification is usually instant or within minutes. Postcard verification can take 1-2 weeks.
  • Troubleshooting:
  • Inconsistent NAP: Ensure your Name, Address, and Phone (NAP) are consistent across all online listings (Google Business Profile, Yelp, etc.).
  • Verification Delays: If postcard verification is slow, double-check the address entered. For phone/email, ensure the contact details are correct.

Listing Your Website on Google Gemini: The Knowledge Graph Connection

Google Gemini, Google’s advanced AI model, draws heavily from Google’s vast index and the Knowledge Graph. Getting your site recognized here means optimizing for Google’s ecosystem.

1. Verify Ownership in Google Search Console

This is fundamental for any Google visibility strategy. If you haven’t done this, stop reading and go do it now!

  • Process:
  1. Go to Google Search Console (search.google.com/search-console).
  2. Click Add property.
  3. Choose the Domain method (recommended) for full site verification.
  4. Enter your domain name (e.g., yourdomain.com).
  5. Follow the instructions to add a DNS TXT record to your domain registrar’s settings, similar to the ChatGPT domain verification process.
  6. Alternatively, you can choose the URL-prefix method and verify via HTML file upload, HTML tag, Google Analytics, or Google Tag Manager. The Domain property method is generally preferred for comprehensive coverage.
  • Why it Matters: This confirms to Google that you own the site, granting you access to crucial performance data and enabling other Google services to recognize your domain. It’s the first step to telling Google’s AI, “Hey, this content is mine, and it’s important!”
  • Technical Prerequisites: Access to your domain registrar’s DNS settings or server file-upload rights.
  • Expected Wait Times: DNS propagation can take minutes to hours. Other methods are often instant.
  • Troubleshooting:
  • Incorrect Verification Method: Ensure you follow the exact instructions for your chosen method.

HTML Tag Placement: If using the HTML tag, make sure it’s in the <head> section of your homepage.

2. Submit Your XML Sitemap

A sitemap is like a treasure map for search engines and AI models, guiding them to all your important pages.

  • Process:
  1. In Google Search Console, from the sidebar, go to Sitemaps.
  2. In the “Add a new sitemap” field, enter your sitemap URL (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml).
  3. Click Submit.
  • Why it Matters: An XML sitemap helps Google discover all pages on your site faster and more efficiently, especially new or updated content, ensuring it gets indexed for Gemini’s consumption.
  • Technical Prerequisites: A generated XML sitemap. Most CMS platforms (WordPress, Shopify) generate one automatically.
  • Expected Wait Times: Google will usually process the sitemap within minutes, but crawling and indexing of individual pages can take longer.
  • Troubleshooting:
  • Sitemap Errors: Search Console will report any errors in your sitemap. Fix broken URLs or formatting issues.
  • Accessibility: Ensure your sitemap is publicly accessible (not blocked by robots.txt).

3. Build Your Knowledge Graph Presence

Google’s Knowledge Graph is a vast network of real-world entities and their relationships. Being a part of it significantly boosts your authority and visibility to Gemini.

  • Process:
  1. Create or Update a Wikipedia Page: If your brand meets Wikipedia’s notability guidelines, a well-cited Wikipedia page is a powerful signal. Ensure it’s neutral, factual, and links to authoritative sources.
  2. Claim the Corresponding Wikidata Item: Wikidata is the structured data backbone for Wikipedia. Claiming and enriching your entity’s Wikidata item helps Google link your brand across various services and improve its understanding of your identity.
  3. Create a Google Business Profile: For local businesses, a verified and optimized Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) feeds directly into the Knowledge Graph and appears prominently in local search and Maps.
  • Why it Matters: A strong Knowledge Graph presence means Google’s AI understands “who” you are, “what” you do, and “how” you relate to other entities, leading to richer, more accurate AI Overviews and entity-based search results. It’s about building a digital identity that AI can readily consume.
  • Technical Prerequisites: Notability for Wikipedia, and the ability to manage your Google Business Profile.
  • Troubleshooting:
  • Wikipedia Notability: Don’t force a Wikipedia page if your brand isn’t notable; it will be deleted. Focus on other strategies if this doesn’t apply.
  • Inconsistent Information: Ensure all your online mentions (NAP, website, brand name) are consistent across all platforms.

4. Implement Schema.org Structured Data

Schema markup is critical for AI. It provides explicit, machine-readable definitions for your content, helping AI understand the context and specifics.

  • Process:
  1. Identify key pages: Your homepage, product pages, service pages, blog posts.
  2. Choose relevant Schema types:
  • Organization: For your brand’s overall information (logo, name, contact).
  • WebSite: For your entire website.
  • LocalBusiness: If you have a physical location.
  • Product, Service, Article, FAQPage, HowTo: For specific content types.
  1. Generate JSON-LD markup: Use Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper or a Schema generator tool.
  2. Add the JSON-LD script: Embed the generated JSON-LD code within the <head> or <body> section of your HTML.
  3. Test your markup: Use Google’s Rich Results Test tool (search.google.com/test/rich-results) to validate your schema and see if it’s eligible for rich snippets.
  • Why it Matters: Structured data directly tells Gemini’s AI Overviews what each piece of content is and means. This helps AI extract precise answers, surface rich details, and improve contextual understanding, leading to more prominent AI-generated search features.
  • Technical Prerequisites: Basic understanding of HTML and JSON-LD, or a CMS plugin for schema.
  • Troubleshooting:
  • Invalid Markup: Always test your schema. Invalid markup won’t be used.
  • Missing Fields: Ensure all required properties for a given schema type are filled out accurately.
  • Markup Mismatch: Don’t mark up content as one type (e.g., a Product) if it’s actually another (e.g., an Article).

Listing Your Website on xAI’s Grok: Optimizing for Live Search

xAI’s Grok is known for its real-time capabilities, leveraging “Live Search” to pull current information. Your goal here is to ensure your site is easily crawlable and semantically clear for its LLM.

1. Ensure Crawlability for Live Search

Grok needs full access to your content to provide real-time responses.

  • Process:
  1. Review your robots.txt file: Ensure that you are not blocking essential paths (/) or critical content directories that Grok’s Live Search needs to retrieve. A common mistake is accidentally blocking CSS, JavaScript, or images that help render the page fully.
  2. Check for noindex tags: Make sure important pages don’t have noindex meta tags in their HTML <head> if you want them to be discoverable.
  3. Avoid excessive nofollow attributes: While nofollow is important for link equity, excessive use on internal links can hinder crawl paths for AI.
  • Why it Matters: If Grok can’t crawl your pages, it can’t cite them. Simple as that. Full access means it can pull the freshest information.
  • Technical Prerequisites: Access to your server’s robots.txt file and your website’s HTML source.
  • Troubleshooting:
  • Accidental Blocks: Use a robots.txt tester (like Google Search Console’s) to ensure you’re not inadvertently blocking content.
  • Server Issues: Ensure your server response times are good and there are no frequent server errors that could hinder crawling.

2. Use Semantic HTML

Semantic HTML helps AI understand the structure and meaning of your content.

  • Process:
  1. Clear Headings: Use <h1> for your main page title, <h2> for major sections, <h3> for sub-sections, and so on. This creates a logical hierarchy.
  2. Lists: Use <ul> (unordered lists) for bullet points and <ol> (ordered lists) for numbered steps.
  3. Meaningful Tags: Employ tags like <article>, <section>, <nav>, <aside>, and <footer> appropriately. These tags provide context beyond just visual presentation.
  4. Strong/Emphasis: Use <strong> for important text (not just for bolding) and <em> for emphasis.
  • Why it Matters: Semantic HTML allows Grok’s underlying LLMs to parse and extract accurate answers from Live Search results more easily. It helps the AI understand the relationship between pieces of information. It’s like giving Grok a well-organized table of contents for your page.
  • Technical Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of HTML.
  • Troubleshooting:
  • Div Soup: Avoid using <div> tags for everything. Replace them with more semantic tags where appropriate.
  • Skipping Headings: Don’t jump from <h1> directly to <h3>; maintain a logical heading structure.

3. Provide an llms.txt File (Emerging Standard)

This is an interesting, newer concept designed to explicitly guide Large Language Models (LLMs).

  • Process:
  1. Create a file named llms.txt (all lowercase).
  2. Place this file in the root directory of your website (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt).
  3. Format: Use Markdown within the llms.txt file to list your most important pages and sections. You can prioritize specific URLs or even content categories.
  • Example:
    Markdown
    # Important Pages for LLM Indexing

    ## Products
    – /products/main-product-page.html
    – /products/category-a.html

    ## Services
    – /services/our-main-service.html

    ## Blog Articles (High Priority)
    – /blog/ai-seo-guide.html
    – /blog/latest-industry-trends.html

    ## Contact Information
    – /contact/

  • Why it Matters: While not universally adopted by all LLMs yet, an llms.txt file serves as a direct directive to LLMs, guiding them in prioritizing what to index and cite from your site. It explicitly tells AI which parts of your content are most valuable for its knowledge base.
  • Technical Prerequisites: Server file-upload rights to place the file in your root directory.
  • Expected Wait Times: This is a developing standard, so adoption and indexing times will vary between AI models. Consider it a proactive measure.
  • Troubleshooting:
  • Incorrect Location: Ensure the file is exactly at yourdomain.com/llms.txt.
  • Improper Formatting: Stick to simple Markdown for clarity. Avoid complex structures.

Listing Your Website on Perplexity AI: The Curated Index

how to get rank on perplexity

Perplexity AI positions itself as an “answer engine,” focusing on providing comprehensive answers with cited sources. Getting listed here means optimizing for accurate, citable snippets.

1. Upgrade to Perplexity Pro & Use Perplexity Pages

Perplexity Pro offers direct submission options, which is a significant advantage.

  • Process:
  1. Sign up for or upgrade to Perplexity Pro.
  2. In your Pro dashboard, navigate to the Pages section.
  3. Enter your URL (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/).
  4. Click Submit to index your site directly within Perplexity’s AI search ecosystem.
  • Why it Matters: This is the most direct way to get your content into Perplexity’s curated index, increasing the likelihood of your site being cited as an authoritative source in its answers.
  • Technical Prerequisites: A Perplexity Pro subscription.
  • Expected Wait Times: Indexing usually begins quickly after submission, but the time it takes for your pages to appear in answers can vary.

2. Optimize Content for AI Snippets

Perplexity thrives on pulling concise, authoritative answers. Structure your content with this in mind.

  • Process:
  1. Conversational but Structured Format: Write naturally, as if you’re answering common questions.
  2. Clear Headings (H2/H3): Use headings as questions (e.g., “What are the benefits of AI SEO?”) or clear topic markers.
  3. Bullet Points & Numbered Lists: Break down complex information into digestible lists. This is highly favored by AI for direct answers.
  4. FAQ Schema: Implement FAQPage schema markup for your frequently asked questions. This explicitly tells AI the question-answer pairs on your page.
  5. Concise Summaries: Start paragraphs or sections with a clear, concise summary sentence that answers the core question before diving into details.
  • Why it Matters: This optimization helps Perplexity’s AI models easily identify and extract concise, authoritative answers directly from your content, increasing your chances of being featured as a cited source. It’s all about making it easy for the AI to understand and quote you.
  • Technical Prerequisites: Content creation/editing skills, and optionally, ability to implement Schema.

3. Monitor and Refine

Your job isn’t done once your site is submitted. Regular monitoring helps you improve.

  • Process:
  1. Search within Perplexity AI for topics related to your site’s content.
  2. Note how Perplexity’s responses cite sources. Is your site appearing? Is it being cited accurately?
  3. Based on what the AI surfaces (or doesn’t surface), update and refine your content to better match query intent and provide clearer answers.
  • Why it Matters: This feedback loop helps you continuously optimize your content for AI platforms, ensuring it remains relevant and gets cited effectively.
  • Technical Prerequisites: Regular access to Perplexity AI.

4. Maintain High-Quality, Up-to-Date Content

Perplexity, like other AI models, prioritizes quality and freshness.

  • Process:
  1. Regularly update your content: Ensure information is current and accurate.
  2. Prioritize authority and clarity: Perplexity’s curated index favors clear, authoritative sources over exhaustive but confusing coverage.
  3. Fact-check thoroughly: AI models are designed to minimize factual errors, so providing accurate information is paramount.
  • Why it Matters: Fresh, high-quality, and authoritative content is more likely to be prioritized and cited by Perplexity’s AI, establishing your site as a trusted source.

Listing Your Website on Google Cloud’s Gemini API: AI-Powered Features for Your Site

This section is a bit different. Instead of getting listed by Gemini, this is about leveraging the Gemini API to integrate AI-powered features onto your website that can reference your own domain’s content. This is for the more technically inclined, looking to build AI-driven experiences.

1. Enable the Gemini API & Get an API Key

This is your access pass to Google’s AI capabilities.

  • Process:
  1. Go to Google Cloud Console (console.cloud.google.com) or Google AI Studio (aistudio.google.com).
  2. Enable the Generative Language API (this is what powers Gemini).
  3. Under Credentials, create a new API Key.
  • Why it Matters: This API key is how your website (or application) authenticates with Google’s Gemini models, allowing you to send requests and receive AI-generated responses.
  • Technical Prerequisites: A Google Cloud account or Google AI Studio account, and basic familiarity with API concepts.

2. Authorize Your Domain

To prevent unauthorized use and ensure security, you’ll need to specify which domains can use your API key.

  • Process:
  1. In your OAuth consent screen settings (Google Cloud Console) or API key restrictions (for an API key), add your website’s domain (e.g., yourdomain.com) to the Authorized domains list.
  • Why it Matters: This tells the Gemini API that requests originating from your specific domain are legitimate and should be accepted, especially for cross-origin requests.
  • Technical Prerequisites: Access to Google Cloud Console API settings.

3. Include Your API Key in Requests

When your website makes a call to the Gemini API, it needs to present your API key.

  • Process:
  1. When using the Gemini REST endpoints or client libraries (e.g., Python, Node.js), pass your API key either in the headers or as a parameter with your API requests.
  2. Example (conceptual, actual implementation varies by library/endpoint):
    JavaScript
    fetch(‘https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/models/gemini-pro:generateContent?key=YOUR_API_KEY’, {
        method: ‘POST’,
        body: JSON.stringify({
            // Your prompt and content here, potentially referencing your domain
        })
    });

  • Why it Matters: This is how the Gemini API identifies and authorizes your specific application to use its services for any content-generation features that reference your domain’s data.

Technical Prerequisites: Programming knowledge (e.g., JavaScript, Python, Node.js) to make API calls.

4. Support with llms.txt (for Internal AI Clients)

While primarily for external LLMs, you can use the llms.txt file to inform your own internal AI client how to prioritize content from your site when constructing context for Gemini-powered features you’re building.

  • Process: Same as for xAI’s Grok (create llms.txt in your root directory, list important pages).
  • Why it Matters: This isn’t for Gemini directly, but for any AI-powered features you develop on your site using the Gemini API. It ensures your internal AI knows which pages to prioritize when generating responses or summaries based on your site’s content.

Integrating Your Website with Humanize AI: Bridging the AI-Human Gap

Humanize AI tools focus on making AI-generated text sound more natural and human-like. While not a “listing” service in the traditional sense, integrating with such tools can enhance the quality of AI-generated content on your site or content you create.

1. Sign Up & Grab Your API Key

Your gateway to making AI text sound more natural.

  • Process:
  1. Create an account on a Humanize AI platform (e.g., humanizeai.pro, undetectable.ai).
  2. Locate and copy your unique API key from your user dashboard.
  • Why it Matters: This API key provides secure access to the Humanize AI service, allowing you to programmatically send AI-generated text for humanization.
  • Technical Prerequisites: An account with a Humanize AI service.

2. Call the Humanize AI API

This is where the magic happens – transforming robotic AI text into conversational prose.

  • Process:
  1. Send a POST request to the provided Humanize AI API endpoint.
  2. Include your API key in the request headers or body (as specified by their documentation).
  3. The text payload (the AI-generated text you want to humanize) will be part of the request body.
  4. The API will return the humanized version of your text.
  • Why it Matters: This allows you to programmatically apply a “human touch” to AI output, ensuring any AI-generated content on your site aligns with E-E-A-T principles of originality and natural tone. This is especially useful for drafting assistance.
  • Technical Prerequisites: Programming knowledge (e.g., Python, JavaScript) to make API calls.

3. Embed the Humanizer Widget (If Available)

Some Humanize AI services offer embeddable widgets for real-time humanization on your site.

  • Process:
  1. Obtain the JavaScript snippet provided by the Humanize AI service.
  2. Place this snippet in your website’s HTML, typically within a custom HTML block in your CMS, or directly into the page where you want the widget to appear.
  3. This allows visitors to click a “Humanize” button to convert AI text in real time (e.g., for forms or comments).
  • Why it Matters: This provides an immediate, user-facing way to ensure that any AI-generated text displayed or submitted on your site adheres to a natural, human-like standard.
  • Technical Prerequisites: Ability to add custom JavaScript or HTML to your website.

4. Automate via Zapier or CMS Integrations

For a more hands-off approach, integrate humanization into your content workflow.

  • Process:
  1. Connect your blog’s RSS feed, a Google Sheet, or another content source to Zapier (or similar automation tools).
  2. Add a step in your Zapier workflow to call the Humanize AI API, sending new content for humanization.
  3. The humanized output can then be automatically pushed to your CMS, email marketing platform, or wherever needed.
  • Why it Matters: This allows for seamless, automated humanization of new posts or content, ensuring all your AI-assisted content maintains a consistent, human-like quality without manual intervention.
  • Technical Prerequisites: A Zapier (or similar) account and familiarity with setting up workflows.

Next-Level Optimization: Beyond the Basics

Getting your site recognized by AI is just the beginning. To truly shine, you need to go beyond the basic listings.

Structured Data Expansion

We touched on Schema, but there’s a world of possibilities. For instance, if you run events, Event schema is vital. For recipes, Recipe schema ensures AI can pull ingredients and instructions. The more specific and accurate your schema, the better AI understands.

Semantic HTML Best Practices

Beyond basic headings and lists, think about the logical flow of your content. Does each section build on the last? Is information presented clearly and concisely? AI favors content that is easy to parse for meaning, not just keywords.

Monitoring Tools to Verify Your Listings

  • Google Search Console: Essential for monitoring crawl errors, indexing status, and rich result eligibility.
  • Bing Webmaster Tools: Similar to GSC but for Bing. Important for ChatGPT’s underlying data.
  • Dedicated AI Platform Monitoring: Regularly search for your brand and keywords on ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Grok. See how your content is being cited (or if it’s being missed).
  • Content King / Screaming Frog: These tools can help you audit your site for technical SEO issues like robots.txt blocks, noindex tags, and schema implementation errors.

Troubleshooting Common Pitfalls: When Things Go Sideways

It’s normal for things not to work perfectly the first time. Here are some common snags and how to tackle them.

  • DNS TTL Delays: If your domain verification isn’t happening, it’s often a DNS Time To Live (TTL) issue. Changes can take time to propagate across the internet.
  • Fix: Wait it out, or if you can, lower the TTL for future changes. Use a tool like dnschecker.org to see if your new TXT record has gone live globally.
  • robots.txt Blocks: Accidentally blocking AI crawlers (or even legitimate search engine bots) in your robots.txt file is a silent killer.
  • Fix: Review your robots.txt carefully. If in doubt, start with a minimal robots.txt that allows all user agents to crawl. Use Google’s robots.txt tester in Search Console.
  • noindex Meta Tags: Just like robots.txt, a noindex tag in your page’s <head> will tell search engines and AI to ignore that page.
  • Fix: Check your page source code for <meta name=”robots” content=”noindex”>. Remove it if you want the page indexed.
  • Schema Markup Errors: Even a small typo can invalidate your schema.
  • Fix: Always use Google’s Rich Results Test tool. It will highlight specific errors and tell you what needs fixing.
  • Outdated Content: AI models prioritize fresh, accurate information. Stale content might be ignored.
  • Fix: Regularly review and update your content. Implement a content audit schedule.