Even with the advent of AI tools, the need to get the basics right in terms of technical SEO doesn't change. Thus, a necessary step for being able to be found in the answers is the very accessibility of the site for both search engine crawlers and AI tools.
JavaScript still as an obstacle
Until recently, we were dealing with optimizing the non-JS version of the site primarily because of Bing and Seznam. And this topic will be equally important in the future. None of the non-Gemini AI tool crawlers can correctly handle content output by JavaScript.
This is a significant problem for sites built on JavaScript frameworks, which have significant difficulties without further optimization. Fortunately, this issue is solvable, although it often requires significant developer capacity.
Focus on making the main content of the page (without interactive elements) available directly in the underlying HTML code. For JS frameworks, server side rendering (SSR) can help a lot.
Only with such a fine-tuned website can you become a source of answers in Chat GPT, Perplexity, etc.
Watch out for blocks and robots.txt file
If you want to get into AI answers, you need to let both search engine crawlers and chatbots crawl your site.
Be careful about any leftover settings from the past when you might have blocked certain crawlers (for example, to reduce server load).
If you find that some crawlers are blocked in your robots.txt file, you’ve got a problem in the age of AI. Such rules should be removed if necessary.
Among the most interesting user agent entries you can find in robots.txt are the following identifiers:
Open AI - GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot and ChatGPT-User
Anthropic - anthropic-ai, ClaudeBot and claude-web
Perplexity - PerplexityBot and Perplexity-User
Google - Google-Extended
Interesting fact: GPTBot is the most blocked AI crawler (3.71% of the sites analyzed in the Ahrefs study had some form of blocking set in the robots.txt file).
Help crawlers get to your site sooner
This topic doesn't make much sense for a site with 5 subpages. But for medium and larger sites you can help crawlers with indexing.
The basic option is a sitemap.xml file, which should contain all the pages of the site that we want to get into the search results. Be sure not to generate URLs in this file that don't work. Don't generate URLs here that have temporary content or are not suitable for indexing (treated with meta robots or canonical).
Are you concerned about the speed of indexing for sites that frequently add new content? Both Seznam and Bing (and therefore Chat GPT) support the Index Now protocol. Where you can use the API to submit newly created URLs. In our experience, this method will ensure faster indexing even with traditional search engines. However, it makes sense to use this option for specific cases of large websites. For the others, the sitemap.xml file, which is linked to from the robots.txt file, is fully sufficient.
Michal Kašpar, CEO
Are you concerned about the speed of indexing for sites that frequently add new content? Both Seznam and Bing (and therefore Chat GPT) support the Index Now protocol. Where you can use the API to submit newly created URLs. In our experience, this method will ensure faster indexing even with traditional search engines. However, it makes sense to use this option for specific cases of large websites. For the others, the sitemap.xml file, which is linked to from the robots.txt file, is fully sufficient.
Web speed? Still needed, but primarily for users
Don't forget about page speed. If each page on a large site takes forever to respond, you won't please your users or crawlers. They have a certain amount of time (crawl budget) to crawl as many pages as possible.
Also, from a user perspective, Google defined Core Web Vitals standards some time ago. We recommend that you and your programmer focus on all of these metrics and fine-tune your website.
It's still about quality content
From a content perspective, nothing fundamentally changes in SEO. What works in traditional search engines also works in generative search engines.
The key remains quality, relevant and well-structured content that matches the user's intent.
In addition, it should appear credible and expert, for which we have long defined the principles of E-E-A-T from Google (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).
Demonstrate your expertise on the topic
Every search engine and AI tool needs content in its answers from verified and trusted sources that bring real value to the user.
Focus on comprehensive coverage of the topic. Build a series of thematically linked articles into content clusters so that you become a true specialist on the topic in the eyes of search engines.
Don't be afraid to cite internal and external experts and give their comments on the topic at hand.
Work with numbers. Give specific figures, refer to relevant studies to support your claims and back up the published information.
Structured data for content sites has long required information about the author of the article. Have this information on your site as well, including the inclusion of a medallion.
The list of sources used in the article can also help to substantiate the claims made.
Tip: Don't just research, add something extra
Do you want to become a source of answers? Then you probably won't be satisfied with just research. The approach where the copywriter goes through the top 5 search results and summarizes them into one text or takes the text itself from Chat GPT and adds nothing extra may not be enough in the future.
Such texts merely recycle statements that have already been written hundreds of times. AI tools don't need to learn assertions they already have from another source. It is adding your own knowledge, tips and bringing real value to the user that will be critical.
Focus on structuring the text
It's also important for search and AI chatbots whether the content is structured. What is important is clarity, proper formatting and logical hierarchy.
So for AI, let's use these formatting options:
clear hierarchy of headings (H1-H3)
point or numbered lists
tables and other structured elements
FAQ section below
The breakdown of the content itself is also important. Short, clearly focused paragraphs help the AI better understand the meaning of the text. Each paragraph should contain one main idea.
Terms such as "summary", "highlights" or "common mistakes" make the text easier to navigate.
Prioritize timeliness and relevance
Every search engine prefers up-to-date and relevant information. Content that responds to current trends, events or data is more likely to be used as a resource.
Regularly update key articles with new data, statistics, examples or recommendations. But be careful not to rewrite the whole article - just revise key passages that are out of date and, most importantly, always keep the URL.
In particular, add a visible last update date to articles outside the publication date. Don't forget to send this information to the structured data and any <lastmod> parameter in the sitemap file.
Keep updating your FAQ section
Direct answers to specific questions can also help with a comprehensive understanding of the content. The FAQ-style structure helps both search engines and users.
Whether you answer questions you get from search engines (see the "People Ask Questions" section of the search results for inspiration) or aggregate them from your customer support.
You can use a format where the question itself serves as a subheading, followed by the corresponding answer right below it.
We recommend to have questions thematically relevant to the content of the page -> not just 1 FAQ page for the whole site.
Don't forget to build your brand
A strong brand increases credibility not only with humans, but also with search engines and AI tools. Try to convince search engines that you are a true expert on your chosen topic.
You can do this on the website itself, building quality content in which you share personal experiences, case studies or know-how from practice.
Don't try to be an expert on everything, but focus primarily on your main topics.
Linkbuilding doesn't stop either. Outside of the website itself, you need to focus on getting links to your site. Every mention or share helps your brand grow.
Tip: Build authority for your authors too. Give quotes on professional topics and in external articles while mentioning their name and position in your company.
SEO consultants (or GEO consultants) will now be more interested in your brand strategy, how your PR team communicates or the visibility of your brand as a whole.
Summary
Generative AI and the advent of AI Overviews are undoubtedly changing the way people search for information - more and more users expect a quick, specific answer.
But that doesn't mean SEO is over. On the contrary - quality, well-structured content that answers real user queries is more important than ever.
KURICHENKO, Victoria. AI SEO Trends 2025: Key Takeaways for Content Creators. [online]. Self Made Millennials, 2025-04-21 [cited 2025-05-14]. Available from: https://selfmademillennials.com/ai-seo-trends/
Michal Kašpar, CEO
