How to Rank Any Website In an AI Search Engine?

SEO is changing, not fading. Google continues to rule search; however, as AI-powered platforms like Perplexity, DeepSeek, and SearchGPT gain traction, their hold is increasing with the changing trends. Also, Google is coming up with new options to make the web search simpler.

The shift from Google to any other AI platform is not easy. The consistent growth of AI search indicates that people look forward to adopting changes, but without leaving Google. They want a quicker, transactional, and communicative tool for web search with fast responses. Another fact is that SEO activities are also evolving in response to the changes introduced by search engines. Instead of using the traditional methods, SEO experts are relying more on SEO ranking tools.

One of the facts is that most of the AI search platforms are using the LLM model, but the interfaces are different. Each search platform operates and interprets data differently.
Are you confused about optimizing the website to rank higher on search platforms? Are you confused about choosing an SEO ranking tool or the most advanced SEO audit tool for a website? Don’t worry; in this post, we will discuss how to rank a website on AI search platforms.

What is AI Search Optimization?

AI search optimization is the process of making your content visible in AI-powered search environments. This includes large language models (LLMs), generative AI tools, and chat-based search engines.

Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on ranking in Google’s SERPs, AI optimization ensures that your content appears in AI-generated responses. For instance, Google’s AI Overviews already appear in more than 84% of search queries, according to BrightEdge. That means users often see AI summaries before clicking any organic result.

It doesn’t stop with Google. People are increasingly searching on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. In fact, over 100 million people use ChatGPT every week, making LLM optimization impossible to ignore. That’s why experts now refer to it as LLM optimization, answer engine optimization, or generative engine optimization.

Brands like Surfer have already cracked this. Their tools often appear as the top recommendation when users search for related queries on AI platforms. The higher visibility does not depend on any tool; rather, the intent and context of the query are more important.
As generative AI reshapes the search results, there is a need to optimize content as per the LLM models. You need to consider that generative AI tools have the capacity to create snippets from the best-suited information available on the web.

Reasons to Opt for the AI Search Platforms

AI search platforms are changing how people discover information. Instead of solely depending on Google, people use search platforms to get conversational answers. Here’s why shifting focus to AI-driven search matters:

• Rising Adoption- More than 60% of U.S. adults rely on the results of LLM-based searches such as ChatGPT (Pew Research, 2024). The adoption of search platforms is going to increase as people become familiar with search platforms.
• Faster, smarter results – Unlike traditional search, AI platforms don’t just list sources. They summarize, compare, and explain—giving users context-rich answers instantly.
• Higher trust factor- Studies show that people are more likely to trust AI-curated summaries because they cut out the noise and highlight consistent information from multiple sources.
• Brand visibility opportunities- If your brand appears in AI responses, you gain authority. AI platforms tend to favor brands mentioned frequently across trusted sources, giving consistent players a competitive edge.
• Changing search landscape- With Google’s AI Overviews appearing in 8 out of 10 queries and LLMs like Perplexity gaining traction, businesses that ignore AI search risk losing organic visibility.

Now that we are aware that in the new era of digitization, search platforms will be more prevalent, let’s explore the options of LLM-based search platforms available in the market.

What are the Most Popular AI Search Platforms?

Various AI tools are emerging in the market that allow you to search the web. The search results are provided in conversational form. Some of the famous search platforms that are actively used now include

• ChatGPT: 80.1%
• Google Gemini (AI Overviews + AI Mode): 5.6%
• Perplexity AI: 1.5%

AI Overviews

Other than the above-mentioned AI-driven search platforms, AI overviews have become an integral part of the searches. In more than 90% of Google queries, AI summaries provide overviews of quick searches. (Semruch 2026). These summaries are making the SEO work even tougher. Let’s understand the way with the help of an example. Let’s say you search for the “Free SEO Audit Tool.” -The query will provide an AI-generated summary by searching multiple resources available on the web. Also, clickable citations will be provided along with the results.

Here are the twists and changes in the SEO. Till now, the focus has been to get the top ranking, as Google's first-page ranking was the only criterion. But now the new search platforms will provide the summary by matching the queries. Therefore, while doing SEO, the focus is to match the intent of the search queries. Many SEO tools are built using AI to help improve the website's visibility.

Best Practices to Improve AI Search Ranking

A challenge many businesses and brands face today is the changes in the content selection by the search engines. AI platforms rank the content differently, which changes the search engine optimization (SEO) processes.

To build a solid SEO strategy as per the AI searches, limited factual data is available. However, there are still some key points to consider:

Develop an AI-Friendly Website

AI platforms rely on technical SEO to understand, crawl, and rank your site. If your pages aren’t accessible or optimized, LLM searches will not access them. A higher searchability is required to develop an AI-friendly website.

Key steps to optimize for AI search:

• Check your robots.txt, avoid noindex on key pages, and use sitemaps and structured data.
• Use responsive design, fast-loading pages, and avoid intrusive pop-ups.
• Compress images, use caching, and adopt a CDN for faster delivery.
• Switch to HTTPS with SSL to build trust and avoid browser warnings.
• Use schema markup (e.g., product, organization, FAQ) so AI easily understands your content.

Build Brand Mentions and Backlinks

It is important to note that the AI search platforms consider the brand mentions across the web. For example, if you search for a query and the AI search comes across a brand name on several websites, then it will add to the credibility of the website. Backlinks from credible sites remain a strong authority booster, helping both Google rankings and AI citations.

Key Strengths for Brand Visibility:

• Earn mentions in industry blogs, podcasts, and communities
• Share case studies, guest posts, and press releases for more exposure.
• Collect reviews on platforms like G2, Trustpilot, or Capterra.
• Secure backlinks from high-authority, crawlable domains.

Improve SERP Rankings with Smarter Keywords

As per the SEMrush guidelines, more than 50% of AI Overviews are taken from the top 10 websites of the search engines. Therefore, keyword strategy still matters. Also, the secondary and long-tail keywords have become more prominent in searches. People's queries are displayed in the AI-enabled search results.

Key Points to boost SERP visibility for AI:

• Target long-tail and natural queries (e.g., “best free SEO audit tools”).
• Use semantically related topics to match intent.
• Optimize existing queries.
• Backlinking with High DA sites boosts visibility

The Bottom Line: Rank Higher in AI Results with SEO Ranking Tool

AI search has reformed the SEO rules, but the basic rules remain the same. An SEO ranking tool will help you optimize the website in terms of content generation and optimize the website as per the SEO requirements. Most of the LLM models understand the same language, with the addition of citation results. In the end, all that matters is the trust and credibility of your business on a larger scale on the web. To get a higher ranking on search platforms, keep on checking the performance of the website with an SEO ranking tool like RankyFy and lead the next era of search.