GuideWhat is AI search?
AI search is the shift from typing a query and scanning a page of links to asking an assistant a question and getting a direct answer that names a few specific sources or businesses. Instead of ten blue links, ChatGPT, Google's Gemini and AI Overviews, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot read across the web — some live, some from training — and synthesize a single response, often recommending one or two options by name. That changes the game: visibility is no longer about ranking tenth on a results page, it is about being one of the handful of sources the model trusts enough to cite or recommend. The signals that earn that are different from classic SEO — crawler access, clear entity data, structured markup and plain, answer-ready content — which is exactly what an AI-visibility check measures.
FAQ
How is AI search different from regular Google search?Traditional search returns a ranked list of links and leaves the choosing to you; AI search returns a synthesized answer and often makes the choice for you, naming one or two options. That compresses a page of results into a short recommendation, so the question shifts from 'can someone find me if they scroll' to 'am I one of the few sources the model trusts enough to name' — a much higher bar that rewards clarity, consistency and verifiable trust over raw keyword ranking.
Does AI search replace SEO?It extends it rather than replacing it. Many of the foundations overlap — a crawlable site, a clear entity, genuine authority — but AI search adds its own signals, like letting AI crawlers in, publishing answer-ready content a model can quote, and keeping your name, address and profiles consistent so an assistant can resolve you to one trustworthy entity. Businesses that treat it as a new layer on top of good SEO, not a separate game, tend to do best.
How do I find out where I stand?Run a free Cited scan — it checks the AI-search readiness signals on your website (crawler access, llms.txt, structured data and answer-ready content) and lists the fixes to make first.
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Most businesses score under 40/100 and have no idea. Find your score in 15 seconds, then fix it.
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