If you want your site to show up in ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google's AI results, you need more than old-school SEO. Here's what you actually need to do, explained in plain English—no technical background required.
What's a framework?
A framework is basically the foundation and toolkit your website runs on.
Why it matters:
AI search engines (like ChatGPT and Perplexity) need to read your site like a book, not just look at the cover. Some frameworks let you write the whole story, others only let you decorate the cover.
⚠️ Limited Options
Webflow, Framer, Squarespace, Wix
Good for: Quick launches, portfolios, simple sites
🚀 Full Control Options
Next.js, Gatsby, Custom Development
Good for: Long-term growth, serious businesses
🎯 Decision Framework
Choose builders (Webflow/Framer) if:
Choose custom framework (Next.js) if:
What is schema?
Schema is a special code ("structured data") you add to your pages to tell search engines exactly what's on the page: who you are, what you sell, reviews, FAQs, product details, etc.
Why it matters:
Google, ChatGPT, and others use schema to "see" your business. No schema = you're invisible or misunderstood.
📋 Example: Local Business Schema
Copy this template and customize for your business:
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "LocalBusiness",
"name": "Happy Teeth Dental",
"description": "Family dental practice in downtown",
"url": "https://happyteeth.com",
"telephone": "+1-555-123-4567",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "123 Main St",
"addressLocality": "City",
"addressRegion": "State",
"postalCode": "12345"
},
"openingHours": "Mo-Fr 9:00-17:00"
}
</script>🛠️ What to do:
What are meta tags?
Meta tags are hidden notes in your website code that describe each page—like a headline and summary.
Why it matters:
Search engines and AI use this info to decide what your page is about—and how to display it. No tags or bad tags? You're either ignored, or your info looks messy.
📝 Copy-Paste Meta Tags Template
<!-- Basic Meta Tags --> <title>Your Page Title | Your Brand Name</title> <meta name="description" content="Compelling 150-160 character description that makes people want to click"> <meta name="keywords" content="primary keyword, secondary keyword, related terms"> <!-- Open Graph (Facebook, LinkedIn) --> <meta property="og:title" content="Your Page Title"> <meta property="og:description" content="Same description as above"> <meta property="og:image" content="https://yoursite.com/social-image.jpg"> <meta property="og:url" content="https://yoursite.com/current-page"> <meta property="og:type" content="website"> <!-- Twitter Card --> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Your Page Title"> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Same description as above"> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://yoursite.com/social-image.jpg">
🔍 Quick Check Method
Right-click your page → "View Page Source" → Ctrl/Cmd+F and search for:
<title>meta name="description"property="og:title"Pro tip: Use OpenGraph.xyz to preview how your page looks when shared.
What is a sitemap?
A sitemap is a file that lists all the pages on your site you want search engines to find.
What is robots.txt?
A file that tells search engines which pages not to look at (like admin or test pages).
Why it matters:
Without these, search engines may miss important pages—or waste time on stuff you don't want seen.
🗺️ Sample robots.txt
Place this at yoursite.com/robots.txt:
User-agent: * Allow: / # Block admin areas Disallow: /admin/ Disallow: /wp-admin/ Disallow: /login/ Disallow: /private/ # Allow important files Allow: /sitemap.xml Allow: /*.css Allow: /*.js Sitemap: https://yoursite.com/sitemap.xml
📋 Sitemap Checklist
🔧 Quick Setup Tools
For any website:
For developers:
next-sitemapyoursite.com/robots.txtWhat does "crawlable" mean?
Crawling is how search engines and AI read your site. If something blocks them (a login, a script, or a missing link), they'll skip you.
🕷️ Google Search Console Setup (Free)
🚫 Common Crawl Blockers
✅ Quick Fixes
🔍 Manual Crawl Test
Try this simple test:
If you can't easily navigate your site, neither can bots.
What does this mean?
See if you show up in AI search engines when people ask about your business, industry, or services.
Why it matters:
If you don't show up, you're missing traffic and credibility. Time to fix your fundamentals.
🤖 Copy These Queries to Test Your Visibility
Test on ChatGPT:
Test on Perplexity:
📊 What to Look For
✅ Good signs:
⚠️ Warning signs:
❌ Red flags:
Why speed matters:
Fast sites get crawled (and ranked) more often. Slow or messy sites get skipped by both humans and AI.
⚡ Speed Test Tools (Copy these URLs)
https://pagespeed.web.dev/https://gtmetrix.com/https://tools.pingdom.com/Target: Load time under 3 seconds, Core Web Vitals in green
🚀 Quick Wins
🎯 Target Metrics
Why monitor?
SEO and AEO aren't set-and-forget. As AI search evolves, so do best practices.
📊 Monthly Monitoring Checklist
📈 Analytics to Track:
🔧 Tools to Use:
Even if you're not technical, these 8 steps will help you get found in the new era of AI search.
Start with these 3 priorities:
💡 Want a step-by-step guide or website template optimized for AI search?
DM me or comment "AEO" for a free download with checklists, code snippets, and implementation guides.