AI First SEO: How to Make Your Business Website Discovered by Chatbots

The Shift from Search Engines to AI Discovery

I’ll never forget the experience. It was the spring of 1998.

I created my first HTML webpage.

Then, I made more pages that linked together to build a website. It was mind-blowing stuff for a non-programmer or computer science major.

During this time, a tool called Google began indexing pages so that people could find you. Since then, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has grown, and there is a whole industry, agencies, and specialists across the full spectrum of experience who claim to “get your pages ranked.”

From the early 2000s to the early 2020s, it was all about Google—keywords, backlinks, and meta descriptions.

What’s crazy is that in 2025, I still hear SEO experts with the same promises.

Yet, they don’t even mention AI SEO. That’s right. Optimizing your website and content for chatbots, LLMs, and AI technology.

But the game has changed.

Now, our source of learning and searching are tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are becoming the new gateways to information.

As leadership solopreneurs, we can't afford to ignore this shift.

The good news? You can leverage AI to your advantage if you're adaptable and have a Teachable mindset (like we embrace in the G.R.I.T. framework).

Early on, I realized that just knowing how to prompt ChatGPT wasn’t enough. I needed to understand how these AI models find and prioritize content.

That curiosity led me to optimize my own websites, not just for Google but for AI discovery.

The results?

Increased organic traffic, more visibility, and content that gets featured in AI-generated responses.

In this Grit Guide, I’ll show you how to do the same.

1. Understanding How AI Discovers Content

AI tools like ChatGPT don’t work exactly like traditional search engines. Instead of crawling the web in real-time, they rely on large datasets and APIs that pull information from high-authority sources.

Some AI models are trained on historical data, while others, like Microsoft’s CoPilot, have real-time search integrations.

AI tools prefer authoritative, well-structured content. If your content isn't easily accessible or credible, AI won't prioritize it.

Actionable Steps:

Create high-quality, authoritative content: Write detailed articles with data-backed insights, expert opinions, and original research.
Ensure proper indexing: Submit sitemaps to search engines to make sure AI can access your content.
Build backlinks: Gain links from reputable industry sites to signal authority.

Example: A leadership consulting website features an in-depth article on "How Leadership Styles Impact Business Growth," with data and real-life examples, increasing AI visibility.

2. Optimizing Content for AI Discovery

Content relevance matters more than ever, with AI prioritizing clear, structured, and authoritative content.

Unlike traditional search engines that rely heavily on keywords, AI tools focus on semantic relevance and contextual accuracy.

AI thrives on content that matches user intent. Clear, concise, and contextually rich content increases your chances of being featured.

Actionable Steps:

Use topic clusters: Organize content around pillar pages that cover broad topics with supporting articles.
Write with natural language: Reflect real user queries, using conversational language.
Leverage semantic keywords: Include related terms and synonyms to provide context.

Example: A blog titled "What Are the Most Effective Leadership Styles for Business Growth?" mirrors natural language queries, enhancing discoverability.

3. Enhancing Technical SEO for AI Visibility

Structured data helps AI understand your content better. Implement schema markup for FAQs, articles, and product descriptions to enhance AI visibility.

Fast-loading, mobile-optimized websites also rank better in both search engines and AI tools.

Even the best content can go unnoticed if technical SEO isn’t optimized. Structured data helps AI parse and present your content accurately.

The programming language JSON-LD (JSON for Link Data) is a great way to mark up your content.

If you’re not a programmer or don’t know how to optimize your images, minimize code, or leverage caching, hire someone from a gig marketplace like Fiverr.com to audit and add this programming.

Actionable Steps:

Add structured data (schema markup): Use JSON-LD to highlight important content.
Improve site speed: Optimize images, minimize code, and leverage caching.
Ensure mobile optimization: Use responsive design to improve accessibility.

Example: Adding FAQ schema like "What is transformational leadership?" boosts content recognition by AI tools.

4. Building Internal Links to Strengthen AI Understanding

AI models follow internal links to understand your site structure. Create a logical hierarchy using topic clusters with pillar pages and supporting articles.

Descriptive anchor text helps AI understand the context of linked content.

A strong internal linking structure guides AI tools, showing the relationship between different content pieces.

Actionable Steps:

Use pillar pages: Connect related articles under key topics.
Descriptive anchor text: Use relevant, keyword-rich anchor text.
Regular link audits: Check for broken or outdated links.

Example: Linking "Leadership Styles" to "Emotional Intelligence in Leadership" with anchor text "Explore transformational leadership strategies."

5. Formatting Content for AI and Human Readability

While your content should resonate with humans, format it in a way that AI can easily parse. Use clear headings, bullet points, and lists to enhance readability.

This Grit Guide is a great starting point example.

AI tools prefer structured content that is easy to read and process. Formatting helps both AI and human readers.

Actionable Steps:

Use proper heading tags (H1, H2, H3): Clearly structure sections for better readability.
Bullet points and lists: Break down complex information.
FAQ sections: Answer common questions concisely.

Example: The "Leadership Styles" article uses H1 for the title, H2 for major sections, and H3 for subtopics, with bullet points summarizing key takeaways.

6. Testing and Optimizing for AI Tools

Test how your content appears in AI-generated responses by simulating search queries with ChatGPT and Gemini.

Ask questions to see if your content is referenced and identify gaps for improvement.

Continuous testing ensures your content stays relevant as AI models evolve.

Actionable Steps:

Use AI tools for query testing: Search for related queries to see if your content ranks.
Analyze gaps: Identify missing keywords or content weaknesses.
Iterate regularly: Update and improve content based on AI feedback.

Example: Asking ChatGPT "What are the best leadership styles for startups?" If it is absent, tweak the content structure and keywords, then retest.

Bringing It All Together: AI-Optimized Webpage Template

Here’s how all these strategies combine into an AI-optimized page:

Title: What Are the Most Effective Leadership Styles for Business Growth?

Introduction: Hooks the reader with a compelling question about leadership impact.
Content: In-depth exploration of leadership styles, backed by research and case studies.
Topic Clusters: Links to related articles on emotional intelligence and motivation.
Technical SEO: Implement FAQ schema for leadership-related queries.
Internal Linking: Connects to "5 Leadership Mistakes to Avoid" using descriptive anchor text.
AI Testing: Run regular queries like "best leadership styles for business growth" to ensure visibility.

🫵 Weekly Challenge

Here’s my challenge for you:

Audit your top five pages: Check for structured data, internal linking, and semantic SEO practices.

Create one AI-optimized blog post: Focus on answering a specific question like "How Does AI Improve Business Efficiency?" with clear formatting.

Test your content with ChatGPT or Gemini: Ask AI tools questions related to your content. Does your site show up?

Bonus: Set up a monthly content review process to optimize for new AI trends.

The Future of SEO is AI-Driven

AI isn’t replacing traditional search—it’s enhancing it. As solopreneurs, we need to be adaptable, resilient, and always teachable.

By implementing AI-first SEO strategies, you'll not only stay ahead of the curve but also ensure your content is discoverable in the new era of search.

You've got this, Grit Guide Subscribers! 💪

📌 Community Bonus

If you’re part of the SoloGrit community, share your chosen challenge and your action plan in the discussion board. Engage with peers by providing encouragement or feedback on their updates.

Midweek, post an update on your progress to celebrate small wins and inspire others.

Together, we grow with G.R.I.T.

Post your response in the Happy Hour space of the community and see what others have experienced. Let’s inspire each other with our journeys!

That’s it for this week’s Weekly GRIT Guide! If this post helped you share it with a fellow leadership solopreneur who needs to develop their business with GRIT.

Let’s grow together! 💪