Quick answer
Generative engine optimization means making your pages easy for AI answer engines to crawl, read and cite. Google says optimizing for generative AI search is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO, and Bing says Bing and Copilot search rely on the same core crawling, indexing and ranking foundation as traditional search, so the documented steps are to let each engine's search crawler in, keep pages indexed, and send product data through the feeds the engines accept. An llms.txt file is a proposal to standardise on using an /llms.txt file to provide information to help agents use a website, and Google says Google Search ignores llms.txt files, so creating one will neither harm nor help your visibility in Google Search.
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. It is pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai. See where Nation fits.
What generative engine optimization means for a small shop
Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the work of getting your pages read and cited when an AI system writes an answer: Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, ChatGPT search, Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity. Answer engine optimization (AEO) and AI search optimization are other names for the same idea.
The engines describe it in plain terms. Google writes that optimizing for generative AI search is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO. Its AI features page adds that there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, nor other special optimizations necessary. Bing defines GEO as content eligibility for grounding and reference in AI responses, and says Bing and Copilot search rely on the same core crawling, indexing and ranking foundation as traditional search.
So for a store owner it comes down to three questions: can the engine's crawler reach your pages, does the engine's index hold them, and are your product details clear enough to quote. None of the engines promises a citation. Google says indexing and serving isn't guaranteed, OpenAI says ChatGPT ranks search results using multiple factors, and placement is not guaranteed, and Bing says GEO does not guarantee grounding or citations in AI experiences.
Where each AI search engine gets its pages
Each engine builds its answers from its own index, filled by its own crawler. If the crawler is blocked, the engine has nothing of yours to cite. The table lists the crawler each engine names for search, and what blocking it does.
OpenAI also notes that ChatGPT search sometimes partners with other search providers, so a page that ranks in other search engines can sometimes surface in ChatGPT through them.
Search crawlers and training crawlers are separate
Several companies run one crawler for search and another for model training, and you can treat them differently in robots.txt. This matters if you want to appear in AI answers but would rather your text not train future models.
OpenAI says you can allow OAI-SearchBot to appear in search results while disallowing GPTBot, and that disallowing GPTBot tells OpenAI your content should not be used to train its generative AI foundation models. A third agent, ChatGPT-User, covers visits started by a user, where robots.txt rules may not apply; OpenAI says ChatGPT-User is not used to decide whether content may appear in search.
Google: Google-Extended controls whether content Google crawls may be used for training future Gemini models. Google says Google-Extended does not affect a site's inclusion in Google Search and is not a ranking signal there. To keep your pages in AI Overviews and AI Mode, leave Googlebot allowed.
Perplexity says PerplexityBot is not used to crawl content for AI foundation models, and that Perplexity-User generally ignores robots.txt rules, since a user requested the fetch.
- Example robots.txt for a shop that wants AI search but not OpenAI training: allow OAI-SearchBot, Googlebot, Bingbot and PerplexityBot; disallow GPTBot. Leave Google-Extended as you prefer, since it does not affect Search.
- Changes take effect after a delay: OpenAI says about 24 hours for its systems, and Perplexity says up to 24 hours.
How to show up in AI search: the documented steps
These steps come from the engines' own documentation. They apply to any store on any platform.
Check that crawlers can reach the site
Google says crawling must be allowed in robots.txt and by any CDN or hosting infrastructure. OpenAI asks you to allow OAI-SearchBot to crawl the site and confirm that your host or CDN allows traffic from OpenAI's published searchbot IP addresses. So check your firewall or CDN bot settings as well as robots.txt.
Get your pages indexed in Google and Bing
For Google AI features, a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet. For Copilot, Bing says Bing and Copilot search rely on the same core crawling, indexing and ranking foundation as traditional search. Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, and use IndexNow if your platform supports it: Bing says IndexNow notifications help Bing refresh its index and reduce outdated or incorrect URL references in Copilot responses.
Put the key facts in text, near the top
Google asks for important content available in textual form, so prices, sizes and materials should be page text, not only inside images. Bing advises you to place essential information near the top of the page, and says pages are more likely to be selected for grounding and citations when the content stands on its own.
Keep structured data honest
Google says structured data isn't required for generative AI search, and there is no special schema.org markup to add, but where you use it, Google asks for structured data that matches the visible text on the page. Bing says structured data may support clearer grounding but does not guarantee visibility or grounding traffic.
Send product data through the feeds
Google says Merchant Center feeds and Google Business Profiles can help your products and services appear in AI responses. For ChatGPT, merchants can apply to share product data and take part in shopping experiences in ChatGPT, and OpenAI says if you sell through Shopify or Etsy, your catalog is already integrated and no additional setup or application is required. Keep the feed current: OpenAI asks merchants to sync pricing, availability and updates so shoppers see the latest details.
Measure what you can
Google Search Console has a report that shows data about how your site performs in generative AI features on Google Search. Bing notes that a decline in clicks does not always indicate a loss of visibility, because an answer can cite you without a visit.
ChatGPT SEO: how to rank in ChatGPT search and shopping
OpenAI's help page does not list ranking factors. It says ChatGPT ranks search results using multiple factors, and placement is not guaranteed. What it does publish is the entry condition: allow OAI-SearchBot to crawl the site and confirm that your host or CDN allows traffic from OpenAI's published searchbot IP addresses.
For physical products, ChatGPT also has a shopping experience. OpenAI's merchant page says merchants can apply to share product data and take part in shopping experiences in ChatGPT, lists the market as the U.S., and says purchases are completed on merchant-owned websites or apps. It also states that there are no fees on purchases that start in ChatGPT.
If you sell on Shopify, Shopify's AI guidance points to Knowledge Base, a free first-party app available with all Shopify plans, which lets you view and customize the FAQs that AI shopping agents use to answer questions about your store. Shopify also suggests product pages carry details such as sizing guides, material information and care instructions.
Google AI Overviews SEO: what Google says to do and not do
Google's guidance on AI Overviews and AI Mode is mostly a list of things you do not need. Google says you don't need to create new machine readable files, AI text files, markup or Markdown to appear in Google Search, that there's no requirement to break your content into tiny pieces for AI to understand it, and that structured data isn't required for generative AI search, and there is no special schema.org markup to add.
It also warns against one common GEO tactic: making separate pages for query variations primarily to manipulate rankings or AI responses violates Google's scaled content abuse spam policy. And it says no third-party tool has access to Google's internal ranking or AI systems, which is worth keeping in mind when a tool claims to show your AI ranking.
Search Console has a site setting for this, under Settings > Search generative AI. Google says including your site is the default control for all properties, with rollout dated August 31, 2026. If you exclude your site, links to your site and your site's content won't appear in Search generative AI features; Google adds that the control isn't used as a ranking or inclusion signal affecting other parts of Search. For finer control on single pages, Google lists nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet or noindex. Bing's equivalents: NOARCHIVE prevents content from being used in Copilot responses and grounding results, and NOCACHE limits Copilot to using only the URL, title and snippet.
What is llms.txt, and does an llms.txt file help
llms.txt is a proposal to standardise on using an /llms.txt file to provide information to help agents use a website. It was written by Jeremy Howard and published on September 3, 2024. The file is placed at the site root, or at any path within it, and the proposal says it is meant to be used on demand, when an agent needs information about a topic while assisting a user.
The format is Markdown. It starts with an H1 with the name of the project or site, the only required section, then a blockquote with a short summary of the site, then sections under H2 headers holding lists of links where further detail is available. The llmstxt.org page notes that OpenAI, Anthropic and Gemini publish llms.txt files for their own developer docs.
Whether engines read it for search is a separate question. Google is the only one of the engines here that says so in writing: Google Search ignores llms.txt files, so creating one will neither harm nor help your visibility in Google Search. OpenAI, Microsoft and Perplexity do not list llms.txt in their crawler or webmaster guidance. Adding one costs little, but no engine documents a benefit for search.
- Example llms.txt for a made-up candle shop. First line, the title: # Example Candle Shop.
- Next, a one-line summary in a blockquote: > Hand-poured soy candles in amber jars.
- Then a section heading, ## Products, with links: [Candles](https://example.com/candles): every scent and size.
- Then ## Help, with links to the shipping, returns and care pages.
Documented steps and unproven tactics
A lot of GEO advice is not in any engine's documentation. The table separates what the engines publish from what they do not.
Where Nation fits
Nation
Category: an AI store builder
Nation says one description of what you make builds the store, then agents handle orders, customers and delivery and run ads, content and social posts, with you approving the work. This page covers AI search, which applies to any store.
Limits today
- Status: pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai.
- Pricing and fees: not announced yet.
- Shopper marketplace: no shopper marketplace has been announced.
- Track record: no independent reviews or public stores yet.
Nation publishes this page. The steps here apply to any store, on any platform.
Describe what you makeQuestions about generative engine optimization
What is generative engine optimization?
Generative engine optimization is the work of making your pages easy for AI answer engines such as Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT search and Copilot to crawl, read and cite. Google describes it as ordinary SEO, so for a small shop it means allowing search crawlers, staying indexed and keeping product details clear and current.
Is answer engine optimization different from SEO?
Answer engine optimization uses the same foundations as SEO, according to the engines. Google says optimizing for generative AI search is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO, and Bing says Bing and Copilot search rely on the same core crawling, indexing and ranking foundation as traditional search. The differences are mostly crawler rules for each engine and product feeds.
What is llms.txt?
An llms.txt file is a Markdown file, usually placed at the root of a website, that summarises the site and links to its key pages for language models. It is a proposal published at llmstxt.org, and Google says Google Search ignores llms.txt files, so creating one will neither harm nor help your visibility in Google Search. OpenAI, Microsoft and Perplexity do not mention it in their crawler or webmaster pages.
How do I rank in ChatGPT?
Ranking in ChatGPT search starts with letting OpenAI's search crawler, OAI-SearchBot, reach your pages through robots.txt and your CDN. OpenAI says ChatGPT ranks results using multiple factors and that placement is not guaranteed, so after that the work is clear product pages, accurate prices and stock, and a product feed for physical goods.
Does blocking GPTBot remove my store from ChatGPT search?
Blocking GPTBot does not remove your store from ChatGPT search, according to OpenAI. GPTBot is the training crawler and OAI-SearchBot is the search crawler, and OpenAI says you can allow OAI-SearchBot to appear in search results while disallowing GPTBot. Blocking OAI-SearchBot is what keeps pages out of ChatGPT search answers.
Do I need structured data for Google AI Overviews?
Structured data is not needed for Google AI Overviews. Google says structured data isn't required for generative AI search, and there is no special schema.org markup to add. If your store platform already adds product markup, Google asks that it match the visible text on the page.