*Thisarticle is based on a YouTube video by Sophie Hundertmark, an expert in the use of artificial intelligence with a focus on chatbots and strategic AI applications in companies and public institutions. Sophie is a researcher and lecturer at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and is doing her doctorate in Conversational AI at the University of Fribourg. The blog text was created using a custom GPT model that was trained on Sophie’s video content, language style and expertise. The result is well-founded, up-to-date articles based on Sophie Hundertmark‘s own expertise.
You can find the link to the video at the end of this article.
Good content alone is not enough to gain visibility in AI systems such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. Your website’s technical infrastructure determines whether Large Language Models (LLMs) can even read and understand your content.
That’s why you shouldn’t treat technical optimization as a minor issue. Even if your website is managed by another department or an outside agency, it’s worth tackling this issue together.
Make sure AI bots are allowed to crawl your website
A common mistake is accidentally blocking AI crawlers. That happens more often than you might think.
Anyone who specifically optimizes their content for ChatGPT or other AI systems should first check whether the relevant bots are even allowed to access the website. If these are blocked in the robots.txt file or elsewhere, even the best content cannot be processed.
So here’s what you should do: Check regularly which bots have access to your website and whether any adjustments are needed.
Structured data makes it easier to understand
LLMs benefit from clearly structured information. The better content is structured, the easier it is to categorize and process.
Among other things, the following are particularly helpful:
- FAQ Sections
- How-to Guides
- structured lists
- clearly organized content
Structured data can also help make content more machine-readable.
Show who’s behind your content
Trust is playing an increasingly important role for both search engines and AI systems.
Therefore, please provide the following information as transparently as possible:
- Who created the content.
- What expertise the author brings to the table.
- Whether experts were involved in the preparation.
This information helps strengthen the credibility of your content.
Make sure you have a clean semantic structure
It’s not just people who benefit from a clear site structure. AI models, too, are based on a logically structured information hierarchy.
These include, among others:
- a unique H1 heading
- Well-structured H2 and H3 headings
- logically structured sections
- clear connections between the topics
A clear semantic structure makes it easier for LLMs to interpret and categorize content correctly.
Internal links provide context
Internal links have always been an important part of traditional search engine optimization. They are also becoming increasingly important for AI SEO.
Internal links create a thematic network that highlights the connections between individual pieces of content. So-called “pillar pages”—that is, central overview pages that link to more in-depth content—are particularly helpful.
This enables both users and AI systems to better understand and categorize topics.
Work closely with your web team
Technical optimization is rarely a task that can be carried out by the marketing department alone.
That’s why it’s worth working with the web team or your agency to review the most important technical fundamentals. First, prioritize the most important issues, and then expand the optimizations step by step.
The technical fundamentals remain indispensable
Even as AI SEO continues to evolve, certain technical factors remain just as important. These include, among others:
- Fast loading times (Page Speed)
- mobile optimization
- clean page structure
- good crawlability
- Logical internal links
These fundamentals not only ensure a better user experience, but also form the basis that allows AI systems to capture and understand your content in the first place.
Conclusion
Anyone who wants their content to be visible in AI systems shouldn’t rely solely on high-quality content. The technical optimization of the website is just as crucial, if not more so.
Only when LLMs can crawl, understand, and contextualize your content will you have laid the groundwork to benefit from AI SEO in the long term.
Any further questions?
Do you have any questions? I am happy to support you, act as a sparring partner and answer your questions. I am always happy to receive your messages, preferably by WhatsApp message or e-mail.
