AI SEO Mastery: Part 2 – How to Build a Working AI SEO System

TLDR: Part 1 explained how AI is changing search: answers now come from systems like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Copilot—not just from websites. If your content isn’t structured for those systems, it’s invisible. This post outlines exactly how to build a working AI SEO setup. It covers how to audit what you’ve got, fix what’s missing, and maintain visibility as AI tools become one of the new defaults for discovery.

Start here if you're building seriously

If you missed Part 1, read it here. It explains how traditional SEO is losing ground to AI search, and why content must now be understandable by machines as well as humans. This post picks up where that left off. It focuses on how to structure your existing site and content so that AI tools can find, interpret, and reuse it.

AI SEO is not a tool.

Your content won’t show up in ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Copilot just because you publish regularly (if you want to that is = see the caveat ** below). These systems read differently. They don’t scan for keywords they index meaning. They need content that’s clear, connected, and machine-readable. That means you need to build structure into how your content is written, formatted, and linked.

There are three key phases to getting this right. You can apply them whether you’re running a blog, a company site, or a full SEO function.

Phase 1: Audit what exists and remove the guesswork

Scan your content for structure: Make a list of your key topics. For each, check if you have one clear, structured page that explains the topic, or a scattered set of posts. AI systems favour clarity over volume.

Test visibility in AI tools: Ask ChatGPT, Copilot, or Perplexity questions your content should answer. Does your site appear? If not, check whether your content is crawlable. Look at your robots.txt and confirm you’re not blocking bots like GPTBot or Google-Extended.

Check technical readiness: Use tools like Screaming Frog or SE Ranking to scan for:

• Missing schema
  
• Flat site architecture
  
• Unlinked content
  
• Slow-loading pages
  
• Missing meta tags or duplicate titles
  
• Triage your actions

Prioritise fixes by impact and effort. Start with high-impact, low-effort updates like improving structure, fixing internal links, and applying schema.
 
Phase 2: Organise content for AI understanding

Build topic clusters: Pick a key subject you want to rank for. Create a single authoritative page for it, then link it to several smaller pages that go deeper into subtopics. This makes your expertise easy to map and reference.

Write to answer real questions: Use clear headings that match natural queries. Open each section with the answer, not a lead-in. Keep formatting tight, short paragraphs, logical flow, no unnecessary intro copy.

Add schema markup: Use schema to label your content for machines. Start with:

• Article schema for key pages
  
• FAQ schema where relevant
  
• Organisation schema for your site and authors
  
• Use generators or plugins if you don’t write code.
  
• Fix crawling and loading problems
  

Optimise page speed, especially on mobile. Simplify code-heavy pages. Avoid anything that delays loading or hides content from crawlers. AI systems often stop loading after 3–5 seconds.

Track AI visibility over time: Prompt Copilot or Perplexity every few weeks with target queries. Watch which of your pages begin to appear or get cited. If nothing changes, recheck your structure—not just your content.
 
Phase 3: Build repeatability into your process

Standardise how you publish and set a checklist for every new page:

• One clear topic focus
  
• Structured H1, H2, and H3 headings
  
• Internal links to related content
  
• Schema applied
  
• Metadata reviewed for clarity
  
• Log every change and check impact
  
• Track what was updated, when, and why
• Monitor results monthly. 
  
• Assign clear ownership
  

If it’s just you, block time for reviews and fixes. If it’s a team, assign roles, but make sure you run monthly reviews where you check:

• What changed
  
• What showed up in AI search
  
• What new questions or content gaps emerged
  
• What you’re doing next
  

What this looks like in practice

One site we supported had strong content but no AI visibility. Nothing was showing in ChatGPT or Copilot even though their content ranked fine on Google and they .

We didn’t create anything new,but we did ensure:

• Organised five main topics into clusters
  
• Removed hundreds of thin or duplicate pages
  
• Applied schema to high-traffic content
  
• Rewrote key H2s as questions and direct answers
  
• Monitored citations monthly using prompt checks in Perplexity and Copilot
  

Their pages began appearing in summaries within 90 days. No new content. Just better structure following the 3 Phase Gen AI SEO approach.

**You can also choose to opt out.**
If you don’t want AI platforms using your content, you can block AI crawlers like GPTBot or Google-Extended in your robots.txt file. Platforms like ChatGPT also allow you to turn off link and data sharing inside account settings.

What’s next in this series

This is Part 2 of a six-part series on AI SEO.

• Part 3: What real results look like—traffic, rankings, visibility
  
• Part 4: Where search is headed—LLMs, AEO, and AI visibility metrics
  
• Part 5: The no-code tools and platforms to make this easier
  
• Part 6: How to report results monthly and retain clients long-term
  

If you’re building seriously, these next parts will show you how to measure impact, automate where it matters, and keep visibility growing.

FAQ

Q: Is this only for people doing client SEO?
A: No. This structure works whether you’re building SEO for your own site, an internal function, or as part of a consulting team.

Q: What’s the fastest fix I can make?
A: Choose one topic. Create a clean pillar page. Link to four support pages. Add schema. Track what happens in Perplexity and Copilot over the next 30 days.

Q: What tools do I need to do this?
A: You can start with Screaming Frog, Google Search Console, and manual prompts. Add tools like SE Ranking or Semrush later. Schema plugins and AI visibility trackers are helpful but not required to begin.

Q: How do I know if AI tools are using my site?
A: Prompt tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, or Perplexity with questions your content answers. Look for citations, paraphrased content, or brand references.

Want help setting this up properly?

The AI Business Workshop gives you a complete AI SEO delivery system: what to audit, what to prioritise, and how to structure for generative search. It’s designed for teams building visibility in the AI era.

Next up:
Part 3 – AI SEO Results: What Success Actually Looks Like.