AI search optimisation vs classic SEO

WebAISEO: free AI-search check Prices WebAISEO Terms For AI agents

Published 11 November 2026 · by TrueTest

Most of what helps a page in AI answers is classic SEO done carefully: crawlable pages, clear titles, real content, structured data. A few things are new: AI crawlers with their own names, answers lifted from a single passage, and the absence of a ranked list of ten links.

See where my page stands See a full example first

Type your address into the box at the top of the WebAISEO page: the Readiness basics check reads one public page and its robots.txt, sitemap and llms.txt, takes a few seconds, needs no sign-up and is free. The paid audits are described on the WebAISEO page.

What is the same?

Pages must be reachable: no blocks in robots.txt, no accidental noindex, HTTPS, a sitemap.
Text must be in the HTML, with one clear topic per page.
Structured data and a canonical address help machines understand the page.
Trust: who you are, how to reach you, when the page was updated.

What is different?

Classic search	AI answers
Googlebot and Bingbot	also OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User, Claude-SearchBot, PerplexityBot (which ones)
A list of links; the user clicks	one written answer that may cite a few sources
Whole pages ranked	passages lifted: the answer under a question heading matters (headings)
Rendering JavaScript is common	many AI crawlers read the raw HTML only (JavaScript)
Rank tracking tools	citations are measured by asking the engines real questions over time

Where should a small business start?

Run the free check on the home page and the most important service or product page.
Fix every fail first: blocked search crawlers, noindex, no readable text, no structured data.
Rewrite two or three headings as the questions customers ask, with the answer in the first sentence.
Then measure: ask the assistants those questions every few weeks and note who they cite.

What should I be wary of?

Anyone promising a place in ChatGPT or Google's AI answers. Nobody outside those companies controls what they cite; an honest service can make a page easier to find, read and trust, and measure what happens.

More guides: llms.txt checker: does my site need one? · AI crawler robots.txt checker · Schema and structured data for AI search · Can AI crawlers read my JavaScript site? · Do noindex or nosnippet block AI answers? · AI readiness check as an MCP tool · Author, dates and trust signals · Sitemaps, HTTPS and speed for AI crawlers

Questions people ask

Do I need a separate AI-search strategy?

Usually not a separate one: fix the access and readability basics first, then write pages that answer real questions.

Does classic SEO still matter?

Yes. Several assistants draw on search engines' indexes, so a page that does well in search is usually a good start.

How long until changes show in AI answers?

It varies by engine and crawl; there is no fixed time. Measure over weeks, not days.

Is the check free?

Yes, for one page with no sign-up.