Getting found by AI matters about as much today as a first-page Google ranking did ten years ago. People ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI Overview directly, and they expect an answer, not a list of ten links.

I've done redesigns of more than twenty Danish websites, and most of them were invisible to AI for the same handful of reasons.

The difference between Google and AI search

Google shows links. You do the clicking. AI gives one answer and decides for you who gets mentioned and who gets forgotten. If the model doesn't know you, or doesn't trust your data, you effectively don't exist in that conversation.

Why ChatGPT doesn't mention your company

Three reasons come up again and again:

  • The content is vaguely structured. Marketing language instead of clear facts.
  • There aren't enough authority signals. Nobody mentions you anywhere else.
  • The information is inconsistent. Name, address and services read differently on the website, the Google profile and social media.

That last one surprises people. At a Chinese restaurant in Aalborg, the entire Wix site was set to noindex while robots.txt said the opposite and the sitemap returned a 404. The model couldn't confirm anything at all. At a French bistro, sameAs in their JSON-LD was empty, so there was no verified connection between the domain and their profiles.

Seven steps to getting found by AI

1. Write the way you talk. "We help small businesses sell more online" beats three paragraphs about bespoke synergies.
2. Structure the content so a machine can read it. Headings, bullet points, short paragraphs.
3. Build authority outside your own website. Press mentions, guest posts, customer reviews.
4. Fix inconsistent data. Same name, address and services everywhere. It takes an afternoon.
5. Answer the questions people actually ask. An FAQ section with real customer questions is the single best addition for AI search.
6. Use schema and structured data so the AI doesn't have to guess what the page is about.
7. Stay updated, not just optimised. A page untouched since 2019 signals you're no longer relevant. One French bistro still said "We reopen on 3 June!" from the pandemic, in 2026.

Most AI crawlers are already being let in. On the sites I've measured, GPTBot, ClaudeBot and PerplexityBot all get HTTP 200. The door is open. What's missing is structured content on the other side of it.

What I don't promise

I don't promise ChatGPT starts citing you. Nobody can. What I do is make your content clear, consistent and machine-readable, so you have a chance.

Frequently asked questions

Can you use AI for free?

Yes, up to a point. ChatGPT, Gemini and the rest have free tiers that are enough to test how your business is described right now.

Can I do SEO myself?

Basics like title tags, meta descriptions and an FAQ you can handle yourself. Authority building and technical structure take time, and it's easy to miss things that matter a lot.

How can I use AI myself?

Start by asking ChatGPT about your own company. Does it mention you? Is the information correct? That gives you a baseline.

Does ordinary SEO still work?

Yes, more than ever. Good SEO is the foundation that lets both Google and AI find and understand your business.

One last thing

I don't do brand awareness. I do revenue, rankings and websites that sell. Ask ChatGPT about your own company today. See what it says. Fix what's wrong or unclear.