The key points
- There is no guaranteed inclusion on any AI platform.
- Pages that rank and are indexable are the usual starting point.
- A direct answer near the top is easier to quote.
- Specific, accurate facts beat generic marketing language.
What do AI answers tend to cite?
Pages that already answer the question clearly and sit on a site the system can read and trust. A page with a direct answer in its opening lines, supported by specific, accurate detail, is easier to quote than one full of general claims. It also helps to be consistent: the same facts about your business, services and process wherever they appear. Google states that AI Overviews have no additional requirements beyond the usual search fundamentals.
What does not help on its own?
A llms.txt file, FAQ markup, a high word count or an audit score. They are inexpensive hygiene, not proof that any platform reads, trusts or cites you. Publishing hundreds of near-identical pages is more likely to harm than help, because thin, repetitive pages give a reader nothing worth quoting.
- llms.txt is housekeeping, not a citation mechanism
- Markup helps machines only when it matches visible content
- Quantity of pages is not a strategy
- Internal scores are not platform metrics
How do you know whether it is working?
Look at what actually arrives: search impressions for question-style queries, referrals from AI assistants in your analytics and enquiries that mention where the person found you. Check periodically what assistants say when asked the questions your buyers ask. Results vary by platform and over time, so treat the picture as directional.
What to do, in order
Allow access
Check that robots rules and your firewall allow the crawlers you want.
Serve content in the page
Make sure the main text is in the initial HTML, not only built by scripts; server-rendered frameworks such as Next.js do this by default.
Answer questions directly
Write pages that open with a clear answer to a specific buyer question, then explain.
State verifiable facts
Publish accurate scope, process, ownership and support terms; avoid claims you cannot support.
Measure
Track referrals from AI assistants and queries in search tools, not an internal score.
AI citation readiness
- Are the crawlers you want allowed in?
- Is each page's main text in the initial HTML?
- Does each page answer one clear question near the top?
- Are your facts specific, accurate and consistent?
- Do you track AI referrals and enquiries?
Sources
Rules and guidance this answer relies on. Policies change, so check the current version before acting on it.