Practical Tactics for AI Visibility

Structure for Machine Reading. AI systems parse content differently than traditional search crawlers.

They’re looking for clear, hierarchical information that directly answers questions. This means:

Lead with conclusions, then provide supporting detailUse descriptive headers that work as standalone answersInclude definitions and first-principles explanationsStructure data in easily extractable formats (tables, lists, schemas)

Become the Canonical Source. LLMs are trained on and prefer authoritative sources. You can’t fake this, but you can build it:

Publish original research, data, and analysisCreate comprehensive guides that become category-definingBuild tools and calculators that generate unique, citable outputsMaintain historical data that others will reference

Optimize for Question-Answer Patterns. Unlike traditional SEO targeting keywords, LLM optimization means understanding question formulations:

Create content that explicitly answers “how,” “why,” “what is,” “when should”Include multiple phrasings of the same questionProvide comparative analyses (“X vs Y”, “alternatives to Z”)Address edge cases and exceptions that simple answers miss

Fresh Signals Matter More. LLMs with search capabilities prioritize recency for time-sensitive queries:

Regularly update cornerstone content with new informationPublish timely takes on industry developmentsMaintain changelog and update timestampsCreate content that explicitly addresses current events in your domain

Build for Citation Worthiness. When Perplexity or ChatGPT cites sources, they’re evaluating trustworthiness:

Include author credentials and publication datesLink to primary sources and research papersProvide methodology for any claims or dataUse precise, verifiable language rather than marketing speak

The Unique Value Play LLMs synthesize across sources, so generic content gets absorbed and anonymized. To maintain visibility:

Offer proprietary data no one else hasProvide unique access (interviews, behind-the-scenes, exclusive research)Create interactive tools that require visiting your siteBuild community knowledge that can’t be scraped

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