Visible in ChatGPT and Google AI Mode: how to keep your website found

Your customers search differently than two years ago. Instead of scanning ten blue links, they ask ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI Mode: "Which agency in Zug builds Webflow websites for SMEs?" The AI gives a ready-made answer and names a few companies. The question for your business is whether you are one of them.

What has changed

AI search systems read websites, summarise them and cite the sources they consider trustworthy and relevant. Many users never click any further. Classic SEO still matters, because AI systems draw heavily on pages that rank well. But optimising only for Google rankings is no longer enough.

Seven measures that work

1. Don't lock out AI crawlers. Check your robots.txt. Many websites block bots such as GPTBot or Google-Extended, often unknowingly through a template. If you want to be found, at least allow the search crawlers of ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude.
2. Clear answers to real questions. Write sections the way customers ask: "What does a website for an SME cost?" followed by a direct, concrete answer.
3. Concrete facts instead of buzzwords. Prices, locations, scope, references. AI systems prefer to quote "from CHF 2,900, live in 2 to 3 weeks" over "tailor-made solutions in Swiss quality".
4. Structured data. With schema markup (LocalBusiness, Service, FAQ), machines understand who you are, where you are and what you offer.
5. Mentions beyond your website. Google Business Profile, industry directories, reviews and expert articles. AI systems weigh what others say about you.
6. Fresh content. A blog that has been silent for a year looks outdated to machines too. One post a month on your customers' questions is enough.
7. Clean technology. Fast load times, clear headings, one H1 per page and readable text that doesn't depend on JavaScript to load.

How to check where you stand

Ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Mode yourself, the way a customer would: about your service and your region. Note who gets named and which sources are linked. Repeat the test every three months to see whether your measures are working.

Bottom line

Visibility in AI answers isn't magic. It rests on the same foundations as good SEO: clear content, real facts and a technically clean website. If you want to know how your website performs today, we are happy to check it as part of our website design or website care services.