What to change on your website for AI and how to check it

First identify the page that should answer the question

I look for one main URL for each important question. If a customer needs a particular service in their city, a general About page may not contain the necessary detail. I check the navigation, internal links and related pages. I propose a new page only when I cannot find a suitable existing one.

My page map records the question, the current page, the fact needed to make a decision and where a visitor can find it today. If the answer is spread across several pages or hidden in an image, I prepare clear text on the relevant URL. It still needs to help a person who actually visits the site.

I also assign an owner to each fact. The person responsible for operations confirms service availability, a specialist confirms qualifications and the website administrator checks technical settings. This helps avoid well written copy built on information that is no longer true.

Write an answer the business can substantiate

I start the page with a short explanation of the service: whom it is for, what it includes and where you deliver it. Then I add the conditions, the working process and answers to real questions. I choose the length according to what the customer needs. I leave out long introductions that merely repeat the heading.

To show experience, describe a specific working process or publish evidence you have permission to share. For specialist claims, I name the responsible person and give a relevant source. I use an updated date when someone has actually reviewed the content. Automatically changing the date without reviewing the information does not help a visitor judge whether it is current.

Before publication, I read the page as a customer: can I tell whether this service fits my situation, and do I know what to do next? I also check for an old address, a different business name or conflicting terms.

Check the content and the server response

I give the website administrator the specific URL and problem: for example, a crawler block, a redirect to an unrelated page or text missing from the loaded page. I also check the internal link a visitor uses to reach it. Before changing access rules, I save the original settings and a way to restore them.

In Google Search Console, I use URL Inspection and distinguish the stored indexed version from the live test. A live test shows the current fetch; a positive result does not guarantee indexing. It is also useful to open the fetched HTML and check whether it contains the new information. [1]

For ChatGPT search, I check OAI-SearchBot. OpenAI says its access settings and GPTBot’s training settings are independent. Checking robots.txt needs to be followed by checking actual access through the hosting service and any website protection. [2]

Align business details and structured data

I compare the visible name, address, contact details and offer with the structured data. If a website uses JSON-LD, it needs to describe what the page actually shows. Google explicitly prohibits marking up content that readers cannot see on the page. [3]

Then I check the business profile and relevant external pages cited by AI. For changes outside the business’s own website, I record who can make them and where I will verify publication. I do not add the business to arbitrary directories just to increase the link count.

Google does not require special schema or a new AI text file for AI Overviews or AI Mode. Adding llms.txt does not, by itself, demonstrate that recommendations will change. I prioritise fixes for which I can identify a specific problem and verify its removal. [4]

Hand over a change that can be checked and reversed

For each fix, I keep the original version, the new version, affected URLs and publication date. After the change, I reopen the live page and check its text, links and form. I verify a technical change with the appropriate tool. A developer saying it is done is not the result of that check.

1. Record the exact change

   For example, adding the service area to a service page and correcting an address in JSON-LD. “GEO optimisation completed” is too vague to assess later.

2. Verify publication

   Check the live URL and the content it actually loads. Save the evidence and any unresolved issues.

3. Plan a comparable repeat measurement

   Use the original questions and the same available conditions. Add new business questions separately so they do not replace the original set.

Assess the website change and the answer change separately

I can confirm a corrected fact on the website immediately after publication. I track whether it appears in search and AI answers later. Google says recrawling and processing changes can take varying amounts of time; requesting another crawl does not guarantee inclusion. [4]

In the next measurement, I check whether AI used the corrected fact, where it obtained it and whether it recommends the business for the right service. I also record other changes, such as the model, competitors or a new offer. One event following another does not prove causation. Specific answers and continued monitoring provide the evidence for further work.