--- title: Helping AI search tools understand your website description: Learn what GEO and AEO mean and how to help AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity find and quote your B12 website, with ready-to-use AI Agent prompts. --- [Skip to content](https://support.b12.io/en/getting-your-website-found-by-ai-search-tools#main-content) ![b12 logo](https://support.b12.io/hubfs/b12%20logo.svg) - [Help Center](https://support.b12.io/) - [B12 Website](https://www.b12.io/) - [AI Website Prompts](https://www.b12.io/ai-website-prompt-gallery) - [Resources](https://www.b12.io/resource-center/) - [Pricing](https://www.b12.io/pricing/) - [Log in](https://b12.io/dashboard/) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Help Center](https://support.b12.io/) - [B12 Website](https://www.b12.io/) - [AI Website Prompts](https://www.b12.io/ai-website-prompt-gallery) - [Resources](https://www.b12.io/resource-center/) - [Pricing](https://www.b12.io/pricing/) - [Log in](https://b12.io/dashboard/) - [Start for free](https://b12.io/signup/) [Start for free](https://b12.io/signup/) How can we help? - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [B12 Help Center](https://support.b12.io/en?hsLang=en) 2. [Publishing & growing](https://support.b12.io/en/publishing-growing?hsLang=en) 3. [Growth & Marketing](https://support.b12.io/en/publishing-growing?hsLang=en#growth-marketing) # Helping AI search tools understand your website ## How to make your website easier for AI tools to understand and mention. | ![ronnel](https://support.b12.io/hs-fs/hubfs/Ronnel%20DG.png?width=60&height=60&name=Ronnel%20DG.png) Written by: Ronnel DG Last updated: 27 Oct., 2026 | | --- | GEO (generative engine optimization) and AEO (answer engine optimization) mean making your website easy for AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, and Google's AI answers to understand and mention. Where SEO (search engine optimization) aims for a high spot in a list of links, GEO and AEO aim for your business to be named in the answer itself. ### What GEO and AEO mean AI tools can answer a question in a few sentences instead of a list of links. To write that answer, they may draw on pages from across the web, and the answer can name a business and link to its website. The two terms put the weight on slightly different things: - **GEO:** being understood and mentioned by AI tools that write answers. - **AEO:** having content that's easy to pull out as a direct answer to a question. In practice, the two mean nearly the same thing, and the steps below cover both. For example, if someone asks "What does a home inspection in Austin cost?", an AI tool may be more likely to quote a site that states a clear price range than one that says "Contact us for details." ### How GEO and AEO relate to SEO GEO and AEO don't replace SEO. They build on it. Some AI tools draw on the same search results Google and Bing show, so a site that does well in search may have a head start. The table below shows how they differ. | | SEO | GEO and AEO | | --- | --- | --- | | **Where people search** | Google, Bing | AI tools | | **What they get** | A list of links | One written answer, sometimes with sources | | **What you aim for** | A high spot in the list | Being named or linked in the answer | | **What can help** | Keywords, page titles, links from other sites | Clear facts, direct answers, structured data | If you haven't worked on your site's SEO yet, start with [Improving your website's Search Engine Optimization (SEO)](https://support.b12.io/en/v3/seo-best-practices?hsLang=en). Most of that article helps with AI search too. ### Making your content easy to quote AI tools can only quote what they can find. Plain facts about your business and short, direct answers to your customers' questions are good places to start. Start by making sure your key business details appear as text on your site, not only inside images. Send this prompt to the AI Agent: ``` Check that my website clearly states my business name, what I offer, the area I serve, my hours, and how to contact me. Add any missing details as text on the homepage and contact page. Use these details: [your services], [your service area], [your hours]. ``` **Caution:** Check the details the AI Agent adds. If you leave out your hours or service area, it may fill them in with a guess. Next, add a section that answers common questions in one or two sentences each. AI tools sometimes quote these answers directly. ``` Add a frequently asked questions section to my [page name] page. Answer these questions in one or two plain sentences each: [question 1], [question 2], [question 3]. ``` **Tip:** Use the exact questions your customers ask you by phone or email. Real wording is closer to what people type into AI tools than questions you invent. Changes made by the AI Agent show in your preview right away. Click `Publish` when you're happy with them, so the update is on your live site for AI tools to pick up over time. ### Adding structured data **Structured data** (also called **schema**) is hidden code that labels the facts on your page, such as "this is the business name" and "this is the phone number." Visitors don't see it, but search engines use it, and AI tools that draw on search results can benefit too. B12 doesn't add structured data to your site for you, so you need to ask the AI Agent for it. Send this prompt to the AI Agent: ``` Add LocalBusiness schema markup to my homepage with my business name, website address, phone number, address, and service area. ``` **Caution:** Check every value the AI Agent writes into your schema. It can fill a gap with a guess, such as a wrong web address or a price range you never gave it. Ask it to list the values it used, and correct any that are wrong. To check what was added, send *"Show me the schema values you added to my homepage"* in the chat. For businesses that publish articles or sell products, you can ask for the matching type instead, such as Article or Product schema. ### Adding an llms.txt file An **llms.txt** file is a short text file at your site's address (for example, **yourdomain.com/llms.txt**) that lists your main pages and what each one covers. It works like a table of contents written for AI tools. ``` Add an llms.txt file to my website's public folder. List my main pages with a one-line description of each, starting with a short summary of my business. ``` **Note:** This step is optional. AI tools don't all read llms.txt files, so treat it as a small extra rather than a way to get mentioned. Clear content and structured data are likely to matter more. You can open and edit the file later with `Code`. If you add or remove pages, ask the AI Agent to update the list. ### Checking if AI tools mention you There's no dashboard that shows AI mentions, but you can test it yourself. To check your results: 1. Click `Publish` so your latest changes are on your live site. 2. Write down three to five questions a new customer might ask, such as "Best dog groomer in Denver." 3. Open one or two AI tools, and ask each question. 4. Note whether your business is named or linked, and which sites appear instead. 5. Repeat the same questions every month to see what changes. You can also give an AI tool your live web address and ask what your business does. If the answer is wrong or vague, your site may need clearer facts. **Note:** Test with your live web address, not your staging link (the address ending in **-staging.b12sites.com**). Staging links are hidden from search engines and AI tools on purpose, so AI tools may not read the page, and it's unlikely to show up in their answers. To get a list of fixes, ask the AI Agent to review your site. If you've added the [seo-audit skill](https://support.b12.io/en/v3/using-skills-with-the-ai-agent?hsLang=en), the Agent can use it here. The skill focuses on Google, but many of its fixes can help AI tools too. ``` Review my website for how easily AI tools can understand and quote it. Give me a short list of fixes, most important first. ``` ### FAQs →Does B12 block AI tools from reading my site? ⇒No. Your published site is open to search engines and AI tools. B12 only blocks one internal folder that isn't part of your pages. If your domain uses Cloudflare, check its bot settings, since Cloudflare can block AI crawlers on its own. →Do I need to set up robots.txt or a sitemap? ⇒No. B12 creates both for your site when you publish. You don't need to add or edit them. →Do I need a custom domain? ⇒No. AI tools can read your published site on its b12sites.com address. A custom domain can look more trustworthy to customers, and it's what most people will remember and search for. →Can I pay to show up in AI tool answers? ⇒Not through B12. AI tools choose which sites to mention in their answers. Some AI tools may show ads, but those appear separately from the answer itself. →How long until AI tools pick up my changes? ⇒It varies, and it can take several weeks. Each AI tool updates on its own schedule, and none of them promise to mention a specific site. →Will these changes hurt my Google ranking? ⇒No. Clear facts, direct answers, and structured data are good SEO practice too, so they can help with Google as well. ### Next steps - [Improving your website's Search Engine Optimization (SEO)](https://support.b12.io/en/v3/seo-best-practices?hsLang=en) - [Using and creating AI Agent skills](https://support.b12.io/en/using-skills-with-the-ai-agent?hsLang=en) - [Getting started](https://support.b12.io/en/getting-started?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Introduction](https://support.b12.io/en/getting-started?hsLang=en#introduction) - [Detailed guides](https://support.b12.io/en/getting-started?hsLang=en#detailed-guides) - [Working with B12's AI Agent](https://support.b12.io/en/working-with-b12s-ai-agent?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Agent Skills](https://support.b12.io/en/working-with-b12s-ai-agent?hsLang=en#agent-skills) - [Built-in features](https://support.b12.io/en/built-in-features?hsLang=en#main-content) - 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