AIO is the practice of getting your pages cited in answers created by AI, such as Google's AI Overviews. There are five conditions: your company facts match across every page, structured data is in place, each section opens with its conclusion, your FAQ is organized, and your track record is written in specific numbers.
AIO is about getting AI to use your pages in the answers it creates
AIO is the practice of getting your website used as a source in places such as the AI Overviews shown at the top of search results. The term comes from the initials of AI Overviews, and it is sometimes used broadly to mean AI search optimization.
The way people use search is changing. Until now, readers chose a page from a list of results, but AI Overviews first show an answer in which AI has summarized the content of multiple pages. If your page is cited in the answer, your company name and information reach the reader's eyes. If it isn't, readers may end their search after reading only the summary.
Why the way your website is built matters
AI looks for the part of a page that answers the question and pulls it out. Between a page built so the answer is easy to extract and a page where the answer finally appears after a long preamble, the former is more likely to be used.
Google Search Central's official documentation explains that there are no special additional technical requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. The prerequisite is that the page is indexed in search and eligible to show a snippet in search results. Beyond that, the basics of traditional SEO apply, such as writing original content that is useful to readers and keeping structured data consistent with what is displayed. In other words, the foundation of AIO is thorough basic SEO.
5 conditions for pages AI is likely to cite
Your company facts are the same on every page
If the company name, address, phone number, year of founding and service names are written differently from page to page, AI cannot tell which is correct. Align even the position of "Ltd.," how the street number is written in the address, and how the phone number is separated.
Your structured data is organized
Structured data is a way of adding the content of a page in a form machines can read. Use the type that fits the content: Organization for company information, FAQPage for FAQs, Article for articles, and so on. Writing content in structured data that is not shown on screen goes against the guidelines. Keep it consistent with what is displayed.
The first sentence of each section states the conclusion plainly
AI picks up the opening of a section as a candidate for the answer. For a heading like "How much does it cost?", write "The initial cost starts from ¥XX" in the sentence right after it. Follow with the reasons and conditions afterward.
Examples of what AI picks up, by industry
The information AI uses in answers differs by industry. When you audit your site, use this as a reference for deciding what to write concretely for your own industry.
For a construction or repair company, it is the types of work you handle, your service area, a pricing guide, the flow of the work and the warranty. For example, a page that answers the question "How many days does exterior wall painting take from quote to completion?" with a number of days is more likely to be picked up.
For professional offices and consulting practices, it is what you can be consulted about, how fees are set, and the flow from consultation to resolution. "Is the first consultation free?" is a question people often ask, so make it a heading and answer it.
For restaurants and salons, it is the menu and prices, business hours, how to book, and the number of seats and facilities. This information changes easily, so each time it changes, fix your website and your Google Business Profile at the same time.
For companies that sell goods, it is product specifications, prices, shipping fees and return conditions. Putting them in a table makes them easier for AI to extract.
What holds across every industry is to turn the questions customers actually ask, in their own words, into headings and write the answer right after them. Start by writing down 10 things your company is "often asked," and you'll see what information is missing.
Turn the audit results into a fix-it order
Rank the issues you find in the audit by size of impact and lightness of effort. Aligning how company facts are written takes little effort and has a big impact, so it comes first. Next, add the conclusion at the top of your service and pricing pages. After that, expand your FAQ, and finally implement structured data. Doing the technical work after the main text is in order means less rework.
Your FAQ is well organized
Question-and-answer pairs are a form AI uses easily in its answers. Turn the questions customers actually ask into headings in their own words, and write each answer in two or three sentences.
Your track record is written in specific numbers
Even if you write "extensive track record," AI cannot cite it. Write facts with numbers and units, such as "adopted by XX companies" or "in business for XX years." However, never write numbers that are not true or cannot be backed up.
Steps to audit your own website
- Open every page that shows your company name, address and phone number, write down how each is written and compare them
- Check whether the company profile and FAQ pages contain structured data. If you enter the page's address into Google's Rich Results Test, the structured data it could read is displayed
- Read the lines right after each heading on your main pages and check whether the first sentence is the answer
- Write down 10 questions you have actually received from customers and check whether your website has the answers
- Write down the track record you can express in numbers, confirm the basis for each, and decide where to place them
- In Google Search Console, check whether your main pages are indexed
When you've finished the six steps, you'll have a list of what is missing. Of the gaps, unifying company facts and putting the conclusion at the top of each page can be fixed right away at no cost.
Differences between SEO, GEO, LLMO and AIO
| Name | Target | Aim |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | The list of results on Google and other search engines | Appear near the top of the list |
| AIO | Google's AI Overviews and similar | Become a source for AI-created overviews |
| GEO | Generative AI answers in general | Be cited within answers |
| LLMO | Answers from large language models such as ChatGPT | Be named within answers |
GEO, LLMO and AIO are all names for measures to "get featured in answers created by AI," used differently depending on the setting. Because the boundaries differ by who is using the term, prioritize meeting the five conditions over fussing about definitions.
Common AIO mistakes
Adding only structured data and feeling done
Even with structured data, if the body text doesn't state the conclusion, there is nothing to cite. Structured data should be added as a result of organizing the content.
Writing unnatural text in an effort to get into AI
If you focus too much on a form AI is likely to cite, repeating the same phrases or forcing in extra questions and answers, the page reads unnaturally to people. Being easy for people to read is the foundation of being easy for AI to understand.
Hiring a provider that promises rankings or citations
Whether you appear in an AI answer is decided by the company that runs the AI, and no outside provider can promise it. Be wary of proposals that claim "you will definitely be cited."
FAQ
No, you don't need to do them separately. Google has indicated that no special optimization is needed for AI Overviews and that the basics of SEO apply. Cover the basics with SEO, then add conclusion-first writing and structured data.
There is a chance. AI chooses based not on a company's size but on whether the page has content that answers the question. A page that gives concrete facts in response to a question about a particular service or region is more likely to be picked up.
It depends on when AI refers to your pages and the state of the pages, so we can't give a set number of days. First finish the six audit steps, then check the situation every month after making changes.
Yes. Unifying company facts, adding a conclusion at the start of each section, and adding an FAQ can all be done by editing your existing pages.
Enter your key questions into ChatGPT or Gemini and check whether your company name or pages appear in the answer. On Google Search too, try questions that trigger AI Overviews and see whether your company is among the source links. Checking with the same questions once a month shows you the changes.
Structure that AI picks can be built in when you create your website
Websites made by Merci Ltd. come with structure that is strong for SEO, GEO and LLMO, and a conclusion-first approach to writing copy, built in as standard. We also take consultations on diagnosis and improvements for websites that are already live.
We've put the approach to AI search optimization and how to proceed on a single page.
