In the age of generative AI, your website isn’t just for human eyes anymore – it’s also a resource for AI systems. Every day, AI “visitors” crawl and interact with websites, gathering information for large language models or acting as virtual assistants on behalf of users. This means your site content and structure must cater to two audiences: human visitors and AI bots/agents. An AI-friendly website ensures that AI tools (like ChatGPT’s browser or Bing’s chatbot) can easily read and interpret your content. The payoff? These AI platforms may recommend your business or use your information accurately when assisting potential customers. Below is a checklist – to keep your AI visitors happy and your site ready for the AI era.
AI Compatibility Website Checklist
1. Include In-Depth Descriptions of Your Offerings
Explanation: AI visitors don’t have intuition or patience for vague marketing copy – they read every single word. Unlike humans who skim pages, an AI will methodically parse your content. If your site only offers catchy slogans and sparse details, an AI might not understand what you actually do. For example, imagine a user asks an AI: “Find an API-certified pipe fabrication company in Northeast Ohio that offers weekend maintenance on pressurised beverage containers.” A traditional search might struggle with this multi-parameter query, but an AI assistant will scour its training data for a company that matches all these specifics. The company that will be recommended is the one whose website explicitly lists those details, not the one with a clever tag-line and thin content.
Action: Audit your key pages (homepage, services/products pages, about page) to ensure they include comprehensive, plain-language details about your business. Make sure you clearly spell out:
- Every service or product you offer (and your areas of specialisation)
- Who you serve – industries, types of customers, company sizes, job titles, etc.
- Where you operate – all regions or geographies you serve
- Credentials and certifications – any licences, awards, affiliations, or standards you meet
- Your team info – who does the work, number of employees, and their qualifications
If any of these details are missing, add them in straightforward, “extractable” language (meaning no jargon or fluff that an AI might misinterpret). This might involve expanding existing pages or creating new dedicated pages for specific services.
Benefit: The benefit is clear: when an AI is “researching” on behalf of a user, your richly descriptive content makes it easy for the AI to identify your company as a relevant, trustworthy answer. In short, detailed content helps AI confidently recommend you over competitors with sparse info. (And don’t worry – you can still keep it human-friendly by using good visual hierarchy and formatting, so that people can scan while AI can dig into the details.)
2. Confirm Textual Replicas of Messages in Images
Explanation: AI bots cannot “see” images the way humans do. Any text locked inside an image (like words on a graphic, infographics, or even your logo and badges) is essentially invisible to AI unless you’ve provided that information in text form as well. Many websites display crucial info – e.g. trust seals, certifications, or contact details – as images. A sighted human visitor will visually parse that, but an AI (and also visually impaired users with screen readers) will not. Relying on alt text alone isn’t a perfect solution; while alt attributes help with accessibility, there’s no guarantee a content-harvesting AI gives equal weight to alt text. The safest approach is to have the message present in the page text itself.
Action: Go through your site and identify any images that contain important text or messages. For each, ensure that the same information is written in HTML text on the page. For example, if you show a certification badge image, also include a line like “Certified ABC Provider” in text next to it. If you have an image with a promotional slogan or product info, echo that slogan in the caption or body text. This way, whether an AI is crawling your page or a screen reader is being used, the key information isn’t missed. Alt text is helpful but not sufficient – when the text is directly on the page, you know AI will ingest it reliably.
Benefit: By making all content accessible as text, you not only feed AI the info it needs (improving your chances in AI-driven recommendations), but you also improve your site’s accessibility and even SEO. In fact, experts note that a site optimised for assistive technologies (easy to navigate, text-based content) naturally becomes more AI-friendly and search-friendly. It’s a win-win: humans using screen readers, search engine crawlers, and AI bots all get the content in a usable form.
3. Ensure All Messages in Videos Are Accompanied by Text
Explanation: Just like images, videos can hide crucial information from AI visitors. If you’ve invested in a beautiful company overview video or product demo, remember that an AI crawler isn’t going to click “Play.” AI doesn’t watch videos or listen to audio – it only reads the accompanying text on the page. So if you answered important questions or shared key value propositions only inside the video, an AI (and again, any non-visual user) will miss those points.
Action: Provide text alternatives for all important video content. The best method is to include transcripts or detailed summaries of your videos on the page. For instance, if your About Us page has a 2-minute intro video highlighting your mission, make sure the text of that mission and the main points appear in the page copy as well. You can use tools (YouTube’s transcript feature or transcription software) to get the full text of your video’s narration. Then, review the page: Are all the key messages from the video present in the text? If not, add a section or paragraph to cover anything missing. One approach is to ask: “Which of the messages in this video are not also on the webpage?” and then update the page accordingly. In some cases, you might create a short FAQ or a bullet list under the video that hits all the high notes shared in the video.
Benefit: Ensuring video content is also in text makes your site AI-accessible, SEO-friendly, and user-accessible. Search engines can index that textual content (improving your SEO), hearing-impaired users can read what they can’t hear, and AI assistants will include those facts when training or answering questions. As the Orbit Media team puts it, putting video info into text is not only good for your AI visitors, it’s “good for SEO, good for accessibility”. In short, no important message should live only inside a video – always double-publish it in text form.
4. Establish a Training Page on AI Disclosure
Explanation: Even if your site’s individual pages are detailed, you might consider taking an extra step: creating a dedicated page that summarises everything about your company for AI. Think of this as an “About Us for AI” or an AI training page. The idea is to put all the key facts in one place, so an AI crawler doesn’t have to jump around your site or risk missing context. This page, often dubbed an “AI Disclosure” page, is meant more for bots than for human readers (humans can find the same info by browsing your site’s normal pages). Because of this, website owners typically place the link subtly in the footer (near links like Privacy Policy or Accessibility Statement).
Action: Create a new page that provides a concise yet detailed overview of your business. What should it include? At minimum: who you are, what you offer (all services/products), who your customers are, your unique value or mission, your geographic reach, company history highlights, awards or credentials, and contact information. Essentially, it’s a one-stop data hub about your brand. To make it even more AI-friendly, implement schema markup on this page – structured data tags that label information types (e.g., organisation name, founding date, areas served, number of employees, awards, etc.). Major AI systems may not parse schema directly yet, but since search engines (which AI often leverages) do use schema, it can indirectly help. Plus, thinking through schema categories ensures you don’t forget any important details when writing the page.
When writing this AI disclosure page, don’t worry too much about marketing flair – focus on clarity and completeness. You might literally list out facts in a straightforward manner. Some tools even assist in generating a starter page like this, but you can hand-craft it to make sure it’s accurate. Once ready, link it in your site’s footer with a label like “AI Disclosure” or “AI Information.”
Benefit: This dedicated page acts as training data bait for AI. It increases the chances that when an AI reads about your company, it gets all of the context and factual details correct. That means more accurate answers about your brand in AI chat responses and potentially being recommended more often because nothing important was overlooked. It’s like handing the AI a complete brochure of your business on a silver platter. As a bonus, having such a comprehensive summary page can also be useful for press, partners, or anyone who needs a quick fact sheet about you.
5. Create Comparative Review Pages
Explanation: How does an AI know what sets your company apart, or that you’re a top player in your field? ‘Often, AI learns from comparative content – things like “top 10” lists, versus pages, and industry directories. If you’re absent from those comparisons (or if only your competitors are mentioned), an AI might overlook you when giving recommendations. In fact, some savvy (or sneaky) marketers have started creating listicle pages on their own sites that include themselves among the “Top X in [industry]” just to influence AI training data.
For example, a dental supply company might publish a “Top 10 Dental Suppliers” article on their website and put themselves at #1 – when AI crawlers train on that content, the AI may later recall that Company as a “top” provider. This strategy, part of a growing trend dubbed Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), is designed to get your brand name into the AI’s knowledge base.
Action: Develop comparison pages or list posts that position your brand in context with others. There are two approaches:
“Best of” Lists: Create an article like “10 Best [Your Industry] Companies” and (tactfully) include your company in the list. Provide objective-sounding comparisons of each (factual data, features, etc.), while making sure to highlight your strengths. This content should be truthful and useful – it can help human readers compare options, but it also ensures that AI models see your name associated with the category’s top players. (Yes, it’s a bit self-promotional, but it currently works because many AIs take such content at face value.)
Versus/Comparison Pages: Publish pages comparing your product or service head-to-head with your competitors (e.g., “[Your Product] vs [Competitor]”). This is common in B2B marketing and serves a dual purpose. For humans, it helps late-stage prospects see differentiators. For AI, it clearly links your name with the competitor’s in context, so if someone asks the AI about that competitor or category, your name might surface as well. On such pages, be factual and specific: feature tables or bullet lists of features, pricing, support, etc., where you excel.
When crafting these pages, it’s okay to toot your own horn a bit – especially on your own site. Add a short paragraph on why your brand is the best option, backed by a couple of data points or review quotes if possible (this not only convinces humans, but gives AI a bold statement to latch onto). Just avoid outright falsehoods or spammy stuffing of keywords (the goal is to educate AI, not to get penalised by search engines or lose trust with real readers).
Benefit: By creating comparison pages, you increase your visibility in AI-driven answers. You’re proactively supplying context that says, “We are in the top tier of our industry,” instead of leaving that narrative to third-party sites or competitors. In the short term, this can game the AI recommendations in your favor. In the long term, as AI gets smarter, having high-quality comparative content will still help, because it shows how you differentiate yourself. It’s part of treating AI like a new type of search engine – one that needs feeding with the right content. Just remember to keep it ethical and useful; you want to earn the recommendation, even as you optimise for it.
6. Check That All Copy Displays Without JavaScript
Explanation: Fancy interactive website features can inadvertently hide your content from AI crawlers. Many LLM (large language model) crawlers do not execute JavaScript – they only read the static HTML that loads initially. If some of your text only appears after a user clicks a tab, expands an accordion, or triggers some script, an AI bot might never see that text. For instance, if you have to click “See more” to load additional FAQs or if product details only show up in a dynamic tooltip, those details might be absent in the AI’s version of your page. Similarly, content behind login walls or paywalls is off-limits to most crawlers. The bottom line: if content isn’t in the source HTML, assume an AI won’t catch it.
Action: Review your site for any critical information that relies on client-side scripting to display. Common elements to watch out for include:
Accordions or Tabs: Make sure important text within expandable sections is also present in the default HTML (for example, loaded in a collapsed section) or at least summarised elsewhere on the page.
Carousels/Sliders: If you use rotating banners or slideshows with text on them, ensure each slide’s text is in the HTML (not loaded only when that slide shows). Better yet, provide static text below the carousel for key messages.
Modal Pop-ups: If a user has to click a button to get a pop-up with information (like pricing details or form info), consider placing that info in the page footer or an accessible section as well.
Dropdowns and Hover Content: Navigation or content that only appears on hover/click should have a fallback. For example, mega-menu content could also exist on a sitemap page that bots can crawl.
Any dynamic “load more” content: If you have infinite scroll or “load more” buttons (for blogs, FAQs, testimonials), you might be hiding content from AI. Provide a way for all items to be listed in the HTML (perhaps paginated).
Speak with your development team to determine if your framework renders content server-side (better for AI) or client-side. Modern single-page applications (SPA) often load content via JavaScript after initial load, which is something to be mindful of for AI accessibility. If your best content is currently hidden behind logins or paywalls, consider offering an ungated version or summary for AI purposes (unless there’s a strategic reason to keep it private).
Benefit: Ensuring all your copy is crawlable without special interaction means AI bots (and traditional search bots) can index everything you want them to. This aligns with good SEO practises and guarantees that an AI answer box won’t omit a key detail simply because it was tucked behind a script. You’re basically removing technical barriers between your content and the AI. This leads to richer representations of your site in AI-generated answers and fewer blind spots. It also future-proofs your site: even as AI crawlers get more advanced, a clean, accessible site is always a good thing (and it improves user experience for those with slower connections or devices that struggle with heavy scripts).
7. Build a Customised AI Traffic Tracking Report
Explanation: How will you know if all these AI-friendly optimisations are working? One way is to monitor the traffic coming from AI sources. Right now, if someone finds your site via an AI chatbot (say they ask ChatGPT or Bing Chat for a recommendation and then click a link to your site), that visit might show up oddly in your analytics – possibly as referral traffic from an unusual domain, or sometimes just as “direct” traffic. Google Analytics (GA4) doesn’t automatically label “AI” as a channel, so you need a custom report or segment to see these visitors separately. Tracking this is important: it validates that people are indeed coming to you via AI assistants, and it helps you gauge how significant this emerging channel is for your business.
Action: In your web analytics platform (for many, that’s Google Analytics 4), set up a custom exploration or segment to capture AI-sourced visits. For GA4 users, this involves filtering by referral source. Common AI referral sources include domains like bing.com (Bing’s chatbot often refers traffic via bing), bard.google.com (if Google’s Bard does, though Bard currently doesn’t provide links in the same way), chat.openai.com (if using ChatGPT with browsing), or others like neeva.ai or perplexity.ai. Andy Crestodina of Orbit Media provides detailed instructions for a GA4 exploration that isolates AI chatbot referrals, resulting in a report listing all AI platforms sending you traffic. By following such steps, you might produce a chart or table showing, for example, how many visitors came from “ChatGPT” vs “Bing Chat” over the last month.
Be aware that tracking AI referrals isn’t perfect yet. Some AI apps don’t pass a referrer, meaning those clicks look like direct traffic (this is similar to the “dark traffic” issues in early social media). Still, having a custom report will catch a lot of AI-sourced visits and is better than nothing. Keep an eye on this report regularly. You may discover, for instance, that AI-driven visitors are growing month over month – a sign that optimising for AI is paying off.
Benefit: Setting up a custom analytics report for AI traffic allows you to measure the impact of AI recommendations. You can quantify how many potential customers are coming via AI and even compare their behaviour (Do they convert at higher rates? Do they spend longer on site?) to other channels. This data can justify further investment in AI-focused content or technical changes. It also alerts you to which AI platforms matter most for your audience – perhaps you’re big on Bing or getting hits from a niche AI assistant. In a nutshell, you can’t improve what you don’t measure. Tracking AI referrals ensures you’re not flying blind as this new traffic source grows.
8. Modify Your Contact Form to Monitor AI Referrals
Explanation: In addition to backend analytics, you can gather intelligence on AI-sourced leads at the moment of conversion. Many websites include a “How did you find us?” dropdown or a “Hear about us from” question on contact forms or lead capture forms. If yours does, you should add an option for “AI recommendation” or “Chatbot” to that list. Why? Because if a lead explicitly tells you they came via an AI’s suggestion, that is golden information – it links AI efforts directly to real sales opportunities. Without this option, those AI-sourced leads might just choose “Search engine” or “Other,” and you’d miss the nuance that it was an AI intermediary that pointed them to you.
Action: Edit your contact forms to include “AI” (or more specific, like “ChatGPT/Bing AI”) as a referral source option. This is a quick fix that can yield big insights. Digital marketing expert Wil Reynolds did this on Seer Interactive’s contact form, and the results were illuminating. He found that although only 0.8% of their website traffic was identified as coming from AI, those AI referrals accounted for 10% of their leads. In other words, AI-sourced visitors converted at a much higher rate than average! This kind of data helps you appreciate the quality of AI traffic. Wil even took it a step further – when someone selects the AI option, he asks them to input the actual AI prompt or question they used that led them to Seer. That extra question provides invaluable marketing insight: you learn the exact words and pain points potential customers are describing to the AI. How do they phrase their problem? What exactly did they ask? This can inform your messaging and SEO keyphrases (since how people talk to AI might differ from how they might search on Google).
If adding a prompt field feels like too much, you can stick with just tracking the source for now. But definitely include the AI option in the dropdown. Over time, if you notice a growing number of leads coming via AI, you might allocate more budget to content targeting AI or refining that “AI disclosure” page.
Benefit: Updating your forms in this way helps close the loop on AI marketing efforts. You not only attract AI-based traffic – you can identify it at conversion. This makes your ROI from AI efforts tangible. It also prepares you for the near future: as AI agents become capable of completing forms autonomously on behalf of users, your form analytics will be one of the only ways to tell that an AI agent was involved (since those visits might not show in Google Analytics due to lack of cookies). By catching the AI source at form submission, you maintain insight into what’s driving your most valuable site interactions.
Conclusion
By following this 8-point checklist, you’ll ensure that AI bots and agents are welcome and effective on your site. Your content will be rich with details, accessible in text form, and easy for crawlers to consume. You’ll also be equipped to measure and understand the AI-driven traffic coming your way, turning a mysterious new channel into a trackable part of your marketing strategy. Embracing an AI-friendly website now is a forward-thinking move – much like the companies in the 90s and 2000s who were early to build user-friendly websites gained an edge, today the early adopters of AI optimisation will stand out. The web is evolving with AI as both a visitor and an intermediary for human visitors. Ensuring your site “plays nice” with AI means you’re not missing out on the growing number of people who rely on AI to discover and evaluate businesses. In the long run, an AI-friendly website is just good web practise – it’s about being comprehensive, accessible, and user-centric (whether your user is a person or a machine). So, go ahead and implement these steps to keep your AI visitors happy – your human visitors will be happier too, and your business will be all set for the AI era.
