Make your useful answers accessible, specific and checkable. AI visibility is not unlocked by a special file, hidden instruction or schema trick.
Give the acronyms a practical job
SEO concerns discoverability in search. AEO, or answer engine optimisation, and GEO, or generative engine optimisation, are labels commonly used for work aimed at answer-led and generative search experiences. They are not three reasons to publish the same article with different keywords. For a B2B team, the job is simpler: help a suitable buyer understand a problem, compare options and decide what to do next.
Google's current Generative AI optimisation guide says established SEO remains relevant, no special AI schema is required and llms.txt does not improve Google Search visibility. It also says eligible pages need indexing and snippet eligibility, with Search Console's generative-AI inclusion control enabled. Meeting requirements does not guarantee indexing or display. Use the current guide rather than a checklist built on an older interface.
Run a buyer task through the public site
Choose one concrete task, such as deciding whether an email-enrichment tool can support a UK prospecting workflow. Open the site as a new visitor. Can you find what the product actually does, which features are available, how data is checked and how costs are measured? Write down every point where you must guess. Those gaps are better starting points than a list of fashionable AI-search terms.
Turn each gap into a page change with an owner. If phone enrichment is not implemented, say so rather than letting an ambitious headline carry the explanation. If pricing depends on provider usage, explain the units. If a workflow requires an administrator to activate an integration, disclose that before a buyer treats it as immediately available. Clear limitations can save both sides time.
Make the answer inspectable without the sales call
For the chosen task, build a simple evidence package: a direct answer, a worked example, a limitation and the next decision. An enrichment-cost page could contain a sample calculation with invented figures clearly labelled. A verification page could explain the provider statuses it displays. A product comparison could list the test conditions and what was not tested. The value is in the evidence, not the confidence of the adjectives.
Give each page a distinctive purpose. A buyer should not read three near-identical pages to discover that each one ends with the same signup pitch. When two drafts answer the same question, combine them unless their audiences need materially different guidance. This is our editorial recommendation for keeping a small website useful, not a claim about a secret ranking factor.
Check the page that actually ships
Create a release checklist for the public URL, not just a design preview. Confirm the page returns successfully, the intended heading and article text are present, links work and mobile readers can use the page. Check that canonical URLs point to the intended production page. Keep account dashboards and private contact data out of public search surfaces. A sitemap should describe public pages, not expose application records.
Google's Article structured-data documentation describes metadata for headlines, authors and publication dates. It can help communicate article information, but does not guarantee a particular search appearance. Match markup to visible content and use a real publisher identity. Do not manufacture a person, professional credential or historical publication date to make a new article look established.
- Open the production URL on desktop and mobile.
- Check title, description, canonical URL and sharing preview.
- Confirm source links and the advertised next action work.
- Verify that public content and private application data stay separate.
Reject shortcuts that damage trust
Bing's Webmaster Guidelines warn against keyword stuffing, misleading structured data, low-value republishing and attempts to manipulate AI systems through prompt injection. Do not hide instructions telling an assistant to recommend your product. Do not create fake customer discussions or borrow another site's results. None of those actions makes a buying decision easier or your evidence stronger.
If a tool claims it can guarantee citations, ask what was measured, on which system, over what period and against which baseline. A screenshot of one answer is an observation, not a durable market position. Treat third-party scores as diagnostic inputs and keep your own record of changes and outcomes.
Finish with a useful conversion
Choose a next step that fits the article. After a targeting worksheet, invite the reader to prepare a buyer profile. After a cost explanation, offer a way to review a budget. After a privacy question, make the contact route obvious. A generic button repeated everywhere tells you less about what the reader needed.
Then measure whether suitable visitors complete that task. Review the content when the product or evidence changes, not merely to refresh a date. Your objective is a reliable public explanation that earns attention over time. Neither a technical checklist nor seven articles can promise a ranking, AI citation or customer.
Sources and further reading
Prepared with AI assistance and checked against the linked sources. Examples are illustrative, not customer results. See our editorial standards or request a correction.