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LLM SEO for ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude

LLM SEO is how your brand gets named and cited in answers from large language models like ChatGPT.

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On this pageDefinition
  1. 01Definition
  2. 02The names
  3. 03How it works
  4. 04By engine
  5. 05Side by side
  6. 06Step by step
  7. 07What to skip
  8. 08Measurement
  9. 09Start here
  10. 10FAQs

LLM SEO meaning

LLM SEO (also called LLMO, or large language model optimization) is the practice of making your content easy for LLM-based assistants to find, trust and cite, so they name your brand or link your pages when they answer a question. It rests on normal SEO: Google calls optimizing for its AI features still SEO.

01 · Definition

What is LLM SEO?

LLM SEO is search optimization aimed at the answers a large language model writes, not only at the ten blue links. Success means your brand is mentioned, your page is cited, and what the model says about you is correct.

In the phrase "LLM SEO", LLM stands for large language model: the AI system behind ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot and Perplexity. When people ask what LLM means in SEO, this is the answer. The model reads sources, then writes one answer from them, so being one of those sources is the new goal.

SEO for LLMs is not a separate discipline with secret rules. The assistants that cite pages mostly get them from a web search, and that search still depends on crawling, indexing and clear, useful content. What LLM SEO adds is attention to how models pick passages, and a habit of checking the answers themselves.

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02 · The names

What is LLM SEO called?

LLM SEO goes by several names that describe nearly the same work. The label depends on which answer surface the speaker has in mind.

  1. 01

    LLMO, large language model optimization

    The closest synonym. "LLM optimization" is used the same way, though the phrase also means making models run faster, so check the context.

  2. 02

    GEO, generative engine optimization

    The most common name for getting cited in generative AI answers. See generative engine optimization and how it compares in GEO vs SEO.

  3. 03

    AEO, answer engine optimization

    An older term from featured snippets and voice search, now applied to AI answers too. See answer engine optimization.

  4. 04

    AI SEO

    Often means something different: using AI tools to do SEO work, such as audits or writing. That is what the AISEO SEO Agent does.

Google treats all of these as SEO when the target is its own search, so the name matters less than the method.

03 · How it works

How LLMs find and cite sources.

LLMs draw on two sources of knowledge: what they learned in training, and what they fetch from the live web when they answer. Only the second produces links you can click, so LLM SEO mostly targets live retrieval.

  1. 01

    Training data

    A model learns from a large body of text before release, and that knowledge has a cutoff. Crawlers for training are separate from search crawlers: OpenAI says GPTBot crawls content that may be used for training, OAI-SearchBot surfaces sites in ChatGPT search, and each can be allowed or blocked on its own (OpenAI).

    AI mentions

    1yourbrand
    2
    3
  2. 02

    Live retrieval

    When an assistant searches the web, it grounds its answer in the pages it retrieves and links them. ChatGPT search launched on October 31, 2024 with source links (OpenAI), and Claude added web search with direct citations on March 20, 2025 (Anthropic).

    Cited sources

    yourbrand.com/pricing
  3. 03

    Query fan-out

    One question becomes many searches. Google describes fan-out as a set of concurrent, related queries generated by the model, and says its AI features use retrieval-augmented generation to ground answers in indexed content (Google Search Central).

    Query fan-out

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04 · By engine

Do LLMs cite the pages that rank on Google?

Mostly not. Ahrefs found that only 12% of URLs cited by AI assistants rank in Google's top 10 for the same prompt, and the share varies a lot by engine (Ahrefs, August 2025). Ranking helps, but it does not guarantee a citation.

Perplexity
How it gets sourcesAnswers with linked sources; Deep Research runs dozens of searches and reads hundreds of sources (Perplexity)
Cited URLs in Google's top 1028.6% (Ahrefs)
Copilot
How it gets sourcesCopilot Search in Bing links whole sentences to sources (Microsoft Bing)
Cited URLs in Google's top 108.6% (Ahrefs)
Gemini
How it gets sourcesGoogle's assistant; cites web sources in its answers
Cited URLs in Google's top 108.2% (Ahrefs)
ChatGPT
How it gets sourcesChatGPT search since October 31, 2024; deep research reads hundreds of sources (OpenAI)
Cited URLs in Google's top 108.0% (Ahrefs)
Google AI Overviews
How it gets sourcesRetrieval and fan-out over Google's index
Cited URLs in Google's top 1037.9% (Ahrefs, March 2026)

05 · Side by side

LLM SEO vs traditional SEO.

Traditional SEO wins a ranked link; LLM SEO wins a mention or citation inside a model's answer. The foundations are shared, but the audience, the unit of success and the metrics change.

Goal
Traditional SEOA high position on a results page
LLM SEOA brand mention or citation in the answer
First reader
Traditional SEOA person scanning titles
LLM SEOA model that retrieves passages and summarizes them
Knowledge source
Traditional SEOThe live index only
LLM SEOTraining data plus live retrieval
Queries
Traditional SEOOne query, one results page
LLM SEOMany fan-out queries per question
Surfaces
Traditional SEOGoogle and Bing results
LLM SEOChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Copilot, AI Overviews
Clicks
Traditional SEOThe main outcome
LLM SEOFewer: people clicked a source inside a Google AI summary on 1% of visits (Pew Research)
Metrics
Traditional SEORankings, clicks, CTR
LLM SEOMentions, citations, share of answers, AI impressions

06 · Step by step

How to do LLM SEO.

To rank in LLMs, let their search crawlers in, publish facts worth quoting, cover the questions around your topic, and earn real mentions elsewhere. These steps follow Google's guidance (Google, May 2025; Google, July 2026) and the verified crawler docs above.

  1. 1

    Decide which crawlers to allow

    Check robots.txt for each assistant's crawlers. OpenAI, for example, lets you allow OAI-SearchBot for ChatGPT search while blocking GPTBot for training (OpenAI). For Google, a page must be indexed and eligible for a snippet to be a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode (Google).

  2. 2

    Rank in the searches LLMs run

    Assistants cite what their search step finds, and that step often runs many fan-out queries. Copilot Search runs in Bing and AI Overviews draw on Google's index, so solid indexing and rankings in both engines give models more chances to find your page.

  3. 3

    Publish facts only you have

    Models already know the generic definition. Original data, prices, specs, test results and first-hand experience give them a reason to cite you. Google lists unique, non-commodity content first in its advice for AI search.

  4. 4

    Put the answer first

    Use plain headings that match real questions and answer each in the first sentence or two, then add proof and sources. A clear claim is easier for a model to lift and attribute than a long lead-in.

  5. 5

    Cover the questions around the topic

    Fan-out turns one prompt into many sub-queries. Answer the related questions on the pages you already have instead of making a thin page for each variant, which Google says can violate its scaled content abuse policy.

  6. 6

    Earn genuine mentions

    Assistants also cite reviews, forums, comparisons and press. Work with PR and community teams to be named where buyers talk. Google notes that seeking inauthentic mentions does not help.

  7. 7

    Keep markup and facts current

    Use structured data that matches the visible page, update stale numbers, and fix pages where models misstate your product.

07 · What to skip

LLM SEO shortcuts that do not work.

Skip tactics that promise a special file or format. Google's AI optimization guide addresses each of these (Google Search Central).

  • Treating llms.txt as required

    Google Search ignores llms.txt and says no new machine-readable files are needed. Read what the file is and who reads it in the llms.txt page.

  • Chunking pages for machines

    Google says splitting content into small chunks is not required; its systems understand pages with several topics.

  • Trusting claims of inside access

    Google states that no third-party tool has access to its internal ranking or AI systems. Tools observe answers; they do not control them.

08 · Measurement

How to measure LLM SEO.

Measure LLM SEO by tracking how often assistants mention and cite you for a fixed set of prompts, plus Google's own AI reports, and read the trend over weeks rather than a single check.

  • 01

    Build a prompt set

    List the questions buyers ask at each stage, from "what is" to "which is best for", and run them in each assistant on a schedule. AI search tracking explains how this works.

  • 02

    Record mentions, citations and accuracy

    For each answer, note whether your brand is named, which of your pages are cited, which competitors appear, and whether the facts about you are right.

  • 03

    Use Search Console for Google

    The Generative AI performance reports show impressions for AI Overviews, AI Mode and Discover by page, country, device and date, for all websites since August 31, 2026 (Google).

  • 04

    Expect movement

    AI Overviews change every 2.15 days on average, and consecutive versions share 54.5% of cited URLs (Ahrefs). Compare weekly trends, not snapshots.

09 · Start here

Get a baseline before you change anything.

A baseline shows which assistants already mention you, which pages they cite and where competitors win. The free GEO report from AISEO checks ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Grok, plus Google AI Overviews, for your site. Sign-in is required.

For ongoing tracking and tool comparisons, see the LLM SEO platform page. For plans, see pricing.

AI mentions

1yourbrand
2
3

10 · FAQs

LLM SEO questions.

What is LLM in SEO?

LLM means large language model, the AI behind ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity. In SEO, it refers to optimizing so these models mention and cite your brand in their answers.

Is SEO dead now with AI?

No. Google says its AI features rest on its core ranking systems, and a page must be indexed to be a supporting link. Clicks do shift: Pew found people clicked a result on 8% of visits with an AI summary against 15% without one (Pew Research). SEO is still the base, and LLM SEO builds on it.

Which LLM is best for SEO?

It depends on the task. Writing, research, audits and data work each suit different models and tools, so test a few on your own site and check their output against sources. No single model is best for every SEO job.

What is the name for LLM SEO?

It is also called LLMO (large language model optimization), GEO (generative engine optimization) or AEO (answer engine optimization). The terms overlap heavily; GEO vs SEO covers how they relate to classic SEO.

How is LLM SEO different from traditional SEO?

Traditional SEO aims for a ranked link. LLM SEO aims for a mention or citation inside an AI answer, which often comes from pages outside the top 10: only 12% of URLs cited by AI assistants rank there (Ahrefs).

Do I need llms.txt for LLM SEO?

No. Google Search ignores it, and it cannot replace indexable pages with clear content. See the llms.txt page for what the file does.

Related topics

Sources

  1. 01Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search · Google Search Central, July 10, 2026
  2. 02AI features and your website · Google Search Central, accessed September 28, 2026
  3. 03Top ways to ensure your content performs well in Google's AI experiences on Search · Google Search Central, May 21, 2025
  4. 04Generative AI performance reports in Search Console · Google Search Central, June 3, 2026
  5. 05Overview of OpenAI crawlers · OpenAI, accessed September 28, 2026
  6. 06Introducing ChatGPT search · OpenAI, October 31, 2024
  7. 07Introducing deep research · OpenAI, February 2, 2025
  8. 08Claude can now search the web · Anthropic, March 20, 2025
  9. 09Introducing Perplexity Deep Research · Perplexity, February 14, 2025
  10. 10Introducing Copilot Search in Bing · Microsoft Bing, April 2025
  11. 11AI search overlap with Google's top 10 · Ahrefs, August 11, 2025
  12. 12AI Overview citations and the top 10 · Ahrefs, March 2, 2026
  13. 13How often AI Overviews change · Ahrefs, accessed September 28, 2026
  14. 14Google users are less likely to click when an AI summary appears · Pew Research Center, July 22, 2025