> Primary references
Check the platform guidance and the limits.
These are platform requirements, not measured TomHow results. Google eligibility does not guarantee inclusion. OpenAI documents search access separately from training access. Check the current guidance before changing crawler controls or buying an optimisation claim.
> Simple map
What each term means without the noise.
SEO helps search engines find, understand, and rank pages. AEO helps answer engines extract direct answers. GEO helps generative engines understand and mention the brand. LLM setup makes pages clearer for language models. AI search setup ties all of that to measurement.
- SEO: crawl, index, rank, click
- AEO: answer the question clearly
- GEO: earn mention and citation inside generated answers
- LLM setup: make the page easy to summarise
- AI search setup: track prompts, citations, and competitors
> Step 1
Make the site technically reachable.
Start with the boring checks. If important pages are blocked, missing from the sitemap, slow, broken on mobile, or hidden behind scripts, the rest of the work sits on bad ground.
- Clean robots.txt
- Readable sitemap
- Important pages indexable
- Mobile pages usable
- Important content visible as text
> Step 2
Make every important page explain one job.
A strong page has one purpose. It tells the buyer what the service is, who it is for, what problem it solves, what proof exists, and what to do next.
- One main topic per page
- Clear H1 and title
- Short plain introduction
- Specific service detail
- Strong next step
> Step 3
Add answer blocks for AEO.
Answer the reader question directly, then explain the conditions, example and limits. Question headings are useful when they match the topic. Google does not require special AI formatting or a fixed chunk size. A short paragraph should earn its length by helping the reader, rather than imitate an extraction formula.
- Plain question headings
- Direct first sentence answers
- Short explanatory paragraphs
- FAQ where useful
- Definitions for buyer terms
> Step 4
Build entity clarity for GEO and LLMs.
Generative engines need to know who the business is and why it belongs in the answer. Repeat the same name, service category, founder or company identity, location, audience, and offer across trusted pages.
- Consistent business name
- Consistent service labels
- About page with real operator detail
- SameAs links where relevant
- Third-party profiles using the same wording
> Step 5
Use schema that matches the visible page.
Use relevant structured data for visible facts and applicable search features. Google requires no special schema for AI Overviews or AI Mode. Do not invent reviews, authorship, locations or services. Markup validation is separate from indexing and citation measurement.
- Organization facts when relevant
- Person details with accurate authorship
- Service facts matching the offer
- Article details matching the content
- Visible breadcrumb relationships
> Step 6
Treat llms.txt as optional documentation.
Google says it ignores llms.txt for Search visibility and rankings. Other services may choose to read it, but adoption should not be assumed. Maintain it only if a public-page summary is useful; prioritise the pages and normal internal links first. An avoid list does not control crawler access or protect private material.
- Optional public business summary
- Working links to useful public pages
- No private data in the file
- Separate robots and indexing controls
- No promised ranking or citation effect
> Step 7
Create the first prompt set.
AI search measurement starts with buyer prompts. These are the questions a buyer might ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, or Google before shortlisting a provider.
- Shortlist prompts
- Comparison prompts
- Problem prompts
- Audit prompts
- Pricing and report prompts
> Step 8
Measure the basics before claiming progress.
A good setup has a before-and-after loop. Record GA4, Search Console, indexed pages, prompt checks, competitor mentions, citations, and what changed on the site.
- GA4 sessions
- Search Console clicks and impressions
- Indexed key pages
- AI citation checks
- Shipped work log
> Good setup
What a clean setup looks like.
A clean setup is easy to inspect. The site has crawlable pages, clear service explanations, answer blocks, schema, llms.txt, internal links, external corroboration, and a measurement loop.
- Search engines can crawl and index the important pages
- Buyers can understand the offer quickly
- Answer engines can extract direct answers
- LLMs can summarise the entity without guessing
- Prompt and search data are checked monthly
> Reality check
What this does not guarantee.
No setup guarantees rankings, traffic, leads, AI Overviews, or ChatGPT citations. The point is to remove weak foundations and create better evidence for search systems to use.
- No guaranteed rankings
- No guaranteed AI citations
- No instant traffic promise
- No fake visibility score
- No one-file fix