All-in-one online visibility management platform Semrush has revealed tips on how to optimise content for AI search engines in 2026.

Insights:

• Semrush’s 2025 AI overviews study found that Google AI Overviews now appear in 88% of informational search intent queries, with growing use in commercial and navigational queries.
• Organic links are being pushed down, leading to more zero-click searches where users don’t visit websites - meaning AI is stealing traffic from traditional search results
• Citations don’t always come from the top Google results. One study found only 12% of ChatGPT citations matched URLs on Google’s first page.

How AI search engines choose what to cite:

• AI search engines cite content that’s clear, structured, trustworthy, and topically relevant. Each platform has its own rules, but most follow similar patterns.
• Google’s AI Overviews and Perplexity appear to heavily weigh general experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (traits Google refers to as E-E-A-T).
• Google explicitly states that helpful, high-quality content with clear authorship, strong topical focus, and full crawlability is most likely to appear in AI Overviews.

Large language models (LLMs) evaluate credibility using more specific signals:

• Credible authorship: Named authors with relevant credentials or experience
• Original content: Firsthand data, insights, or expert commentary
• Clean structure: Semantic HTML, proper headings, and organized page layout
• Freshness: Recently published or updated content - especially in fast-changing industries like AI or finance
• Domain trust: Strong backlink profiles and mentions on respected, topic-relevant sites

Here's what improves your citation odds:

• Structured data
• Fresh content
• Top-ranking content is cited more often
• Keyword co-occurrence

AI search engine optimisation checklist:

7 steps to optimise content for AI search engines:

1. Target the right questions 

• Start by identifying question-based keywords, which are most likely to trigger AI Overviews, featured snippets, and LLM-generated answers.

2. Optimise for featured snippets:

• Use exact-match questions in H2s or H3s
• Answer questions directly within 40–60 words
• Use numbered or bulleted lists for rankings, steps, or tool roundups
• Place definitions, stats, or processes near the top of each section

3. Format content for AI extraction:

• Use short paragraphs (2-3 lines max) to reduce cognitive load
• Break down information with bullet points and numbered lists
• Lead each section with 1-2 sentences that answer the heading directly
• Place key takeaways under H2s and H3s to help LLMs link questions with answers
• Use a consistent answer pattern for questions (e.g., definition → detail → example)
• Apply semantic HTML ("<h2>", "<ul>", "<strong>", etc.) to help crawlers and LLMs understand hierarchy and emphasis
• Add relevant schema markup, such as FAQPage, HowTo, or Article to define the page’s purpose for AI
• Avoid client-side JavaScript rendering because most LLMs cannot render dynamic content
• Pro tip: Treat each H2 or H3 block like a standalone section. If it doesn’t make sense on its own, revise the structure.

4. Add supporting media:

Adding relevant visuals every 500-700 words improves user experience and boosts your visibility in AI-generated answers.

• Use annotated screenshots to illustrate tools, dashboards, or processes
• Add custom diagrams or simple GIFs to break down workflows
• Insert charts or infographics when presenting data to help AI recognise patterns and context
• Embed short video clips to show how tools or features work in real time
• Always use descriptive filenames and keyword‑rich alt text to help AI understand and categorise visual content

5. Make your brand ‘Citable’:

• Add author bios with credentials or relevant experience
• Include original visuals like screenshots, diagrams, or frameworks
• Include proprietary data or expert quotes to build authority
• Share real-world examples or case studies (e.g., how to use Semrush’s AI Visibility Toolkit)
• Use consistent branding, bylines, and schema across your site

6. Build high E-E-A-T backlinks & mentions:

• Post on platforms like Reddit, Quora, Product Hunt, and topic-specific forums
• Pitch insights to newsletters, blogs, and podcasts in your niche
• Write guest posts or case studies for credible websites in your industry
• Use digital PR to earn backlinks from news outlets, roundups, or research sites

7. Optimise your Robots.txt and LLMs.txt files:

• Ensure your site has both a robots.txt and LLMs.txt file and that you’re not blocking key pages
• Disallow low-value or irrelevant pages (e.g., thank-you pages, tag archives, test pages)
• Audit your crawl directives regularly to make sure your best content is accessible

For more information, visit semrush.com.