The way people search online is changing at lightning speed. Search engines are moving towards AI-driven interfaces such as Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity. Instead of lists of links, these systems answer questions directly, often based on content they themselves interpret and summarise.
Therefore, it is no longer enough to just "rank high" in Google. You want your content to be recognised, understood and used as a resource by these smart AI models. This calls for a new approach to SEO: technical AI SEO.
Disclaimer: This page is specifically about technical AI SEO: the technical conditions and optimisations required to be properly read and used by AI systems such as ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google SGE. So the focus here is explicitly on the technical side From AI SEO.
Instead, are you looking for a more general explanation of AI SEO and the broader goal of being mentioned in AI results? Then read our separate page on AI SEO.
What is technical AI SEO?
Technical AI SEO is all about optimising your website for findability in AI-driven search environments. Think of systems like Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity or other LLMs (Large Language Models). These AIs provide instant answers to queries, often zonder classic search results. Want to be listed in them? Then your site must be technically readable for AI: clearly structured, fast, reliable and rich in structured data. Whereas traditional SEO focuses on rankings in Google, technical AI SEO ensures your content is coming along In AI answers.
Why is technical AI SEO different?
AI tools like ChatGPT or Google's AI Overviews work differently from a traditional search engine. They do not read search results; they build answers from content they understand and trust. In doing so, they look not only at keywords, but also at context, clarity and structure. Technical AI SEO thus requires more than good keywords: you need to make sure your content is logically structured, well-marked with structured data, and easily interpretable by a language model.
What are the technical requirements for AI SEO?
To stand out in AI results, your site needs to be clear, structured and technically reliable. Structured data is indispensable here, think schema.org markup for products, articles, authors and organisations. In addition, your content should be logically structured, with clear headings and semantic HTML. AI models scan text at paragraph or block level, so make sure you have well-defined pieces of information. Also important: a fast load time, mobile-friendly design, and clean, uncluttered code. The easier a language model can read your content, the more likely you are to be chosen as a resource.
Hereonder a list of the main technical requirements for ranking in LLMs
Use of canonicals and noindex where appropriate Help AI models choose the right version of a page.
Clear heading structure (H1-H6) Provide a logical hierarchy that supports content onder.
Semantic HTML Use elements such as , , , and To structure your content meaningfully.
Dividing content into blocks Write in clear paragraphs or sections that can be understood independently (AI reads by "chunk").
Visible authors and sources Demonstrate expertise, reliability and traceability (E-E-A-T).
Fast-loading pages Optimise for Core Web Vitals; AI prefers to select fast, accessible sites.
Mobile-friendly design Responsive websites are prioritised in many AI indexes and models.
Clean, readable code Avoid unnecessary scripts, inline styling and messy formatting that can confuse AI.
Consistent internal link structure Reinforce the context of your content with logical internal links between relevant pages.
How does an LLM select your site as a source?
LLMs do not show search results, they formulate answers. They use content they understand and trust. They pay attention to structure, clarity, reliability and acknowledgement of sources. Pages with clear paragraphs, good structured data and consistent style stand a better chance of being used. Also important: are you recognisable online as a brand, author or organisation? AI models link content to entities. Do you clearly show who you are and what you stand for? Then you increase the chances of your content ending up in the AI response.
Summary: What AI models look out for
Item
Why important
Semantic HTML
Helps LLMs understand structure
Crawl permission
Zonder access, no inclusion in AI
Canonicals
Prevents duplicate confusion
Internal links
Show links between pages
Alt texts
For AIs with image recognition
Open Graph
Context for AI as well as social platforms
E-E-A-T signals
Strengthening trust through technology
FAQs / Q&A
Directly usable in AI answers
Hereonder we elaborate on the key technical points for Technical AI SEO:
1. Semantic HTML
Use , , , and for a logical structure.
Provide clear headings (H1, H2, H3).
Clean code makes it easier for crawlers like GPTBot or Google's AI crawlers.
3. Allow crawling via robots.txt and meta tags
Want to be visible in LLMs? Then enable AI bots:
User-agent: GPTBot Allow: / No noindex or nofollow on valuable pages. Robots.txt should be AI-friendly.
5. Speed and performance
LLMs love fast sites. Not a direct ranking factor, but indirectly important:
Better crawlable
Lower bounce rates
Higher usability
Use tools like PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse or GTmetrix.
7. Canonicals & unique content
Use to avoid duplicates. AI models prefer original and clear content.
9. XML sitemaps & internal links
Make sure you have an up-to-date XML sitemap and submit it in Google Search Console. Strong internal link structure helps AI understand the coherence of your site. Add an HTML sitemap on large websites.
10. Making entities clear
Use consistent names for brands, people, locations, products. Example: "Onder is a SEO agency specialising in AI applications." This is how you help the AI understand who you are and where you are about.
2. E-E-A-T onder supports via technology
Reinforce your reliability with technical signals:
Author profiles with bio and expertise
Structured data for Person
External source references
4. Open graph & Twitter cards
These tags are read by AI for context. For example:
6. Alt texts & captions
Give images an alt text as well as a descriptive caption. AIs like GPT-4o can take visual inputs, give them context.
Why this works: The alt text describes what the image shows, for crawlers and screen readers. The caption provides additional context - who, what, when - and helps AI models such as GPT-4o better understand the content as well as interpret it correctly.
8. Public accessibility
Make sure AI bots can reach your content:
No login
No paywall
No JavaScript-only rendering
Avoid pop-ups or cookie walls
11. FAQs & Q&A structure
AI models use question-and-answer format in answers. Use or lists of clear questions and FAQ structured data.
For whom is this important?
B2B organisations
For B2B companies, online visibility often revolves around specific search terms, long-tail content and projecting authority within a niche. In AI-driven search environments, reliability, structure and clarity are rewarded. A technically well-built website increases the chances of your expertise being included in AI answers.
Why technical AI SEO is important for B2B:
You want to be recognised as an expert within your field in AI interfaces.
LLMs prefer structured content with clear source citations.
Thought leadership enters AI summaries faster if the onder underlying page is technically sound.
You often offer complex services - clear context and structure are essential to be interpreted correctly by AI.
E-commerce
For online shops, visibility is hugely important at every stage of the customer journey, from orientation to purchase. AI platforms such as ChatGPT or Perplexity are increasingly providing direct product recommendations. If your product pages are technically well set up, you increase your chances of appearing as a reference, recommendation or response source. Why technical AI SEO is important for e-commerce:
Structured data increases the chances of your products being visible in AI summaries.
A correct technical setup prevents duplicate content and confusion in AI models.
Fast-loading and mobile-friendly pages are crawled and interpreted better.
FAQs and Q&A sections can be taken verbatim in AI answers.
Well-described images with alt-texts and captions help with multimodal AI output.
Conclusion Technical AI SEO is no longer a nice-to-have. It is a must for any organisation that wants to remain findable in a world where AI increasingly determines search results. Whether you want to generate leads, build thought leadership or sell products: zonder a solid technical foundation simply won't get you in the picture (anymore).
How does Onder help Technical AI SEO?
At Onder, we combine deep SEO expertise with smart deployment of AI technology. We build and use customised GPTs trained on technical SEO tasks: from generating structured data and hreflang tags to checking HTML structure and crawlability. We also make sure your content is built AI-friendly, so that it is better recognised and displayed in AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google SGE. Whether it's technical audits, implementation or AI-assisted content creation: we make sure your website is technically ready for the future of search.
Wondering what we can do for you? Then contact us without obligation.
1. What is the difference between technical SEO and AI SEO? Technical SEO focuses on the technical structure of your website (such as crawlability, indexation and structured data), while AI SEO focuses on how your content is read, interpreted and rendered in AI systems such as ChatGPT or Google SGE. In practice, they increasingly overlap.
2. How do I know if my site is suitable for AI platforms like ChatGPT or Perplexity? A good starting point is checking whether your website is accessible to AI bots like GPTBot. In addition, your content should be clearly structured, load quickly and include structured data. We can help with this through an AI SEO audit.
3. What exactly is a technical SEO GPT? A technical SEO GPT is an AI assistant that helps with technical optimisations on your website. Think about automatically generating meta tags, structured data, robots.txt files and giving recommendations for page speed, URL structure and indexation.
4. Is it safe to deploy AI like GPT for SEO tasks? Yes, if applied properly. GPTs do not perform automatic actions on your site, but provide output and suggestions that you manage. With a customised GPT, you work efficiently while maintaining control.
5. Can a GPT really take over technical SEO tasks? A GPT can speed up, structure and control many tasks - such as writing code snippets, structuring data and analysing crawl problems. It does not replace a SEO specialist, but is a powerful assistant.
6. How can Onder help me with AI SEO? We build and deploy custom GPTs tailored to your industry and SEO goals. From technical audits to content creation, we combine smart tools with human expertise to increase your visibility in AI platforms.
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