How to Improve Your Search Score (And Get Recommended by AI)
Improve your search score by fixing the signals AI actually uses. Most search score gains come from a few high-impact fixes - not a complete website rebuild.
If your website is not being recommended by AI systems, it is usually for a handful of specific reasons. And the good news: those reasons are fixable.
What does it mean to improve your search score?
Your search score measures how likely AI systems like ChatGPT, Google AI, and Perplexity are to recommend your business in generated answers. Improving your search score means optimising for the signals AI uses to evaluate whether your business is trustworthy, relevant, and worth citing.
This is different from traditional SEO. It is about making your business visible to AI systems, not just ranking well in Google.
Why most websites have a low search score
The majority of websites score below 50 on the search score scale. This is not because their content is bad - it is because they have not been optimised for AI systems.
Common issues include:
- Blocking AI crawlers in robots.txt (often without realising it)
- No structured data (JSON-LD schema) telling AI who you are
- Unclear or inconsistent business descriptions
- Content that is difficult for AI to extract and understand
- Weak authority signals (few external mentions, no Wikipedia presence)
Most search score gains come from a few high-impact fixes. You do not need to rebuild your entire website - you need to add the signals AI systems are looking for.
How to improve your search score (step-by-step)
Follow these five steps to improve your search score and increase your chances of being recommended by AI:
1Add structured data (high impact)
Schema markup tells AI systems exactly who you are, what you do, and what products or services you offer. This is one of the highest-impact changes you can make.
- Organisation schema - Add to your homepage with your business name, logo, description, address, and contact info
- Product or Service schema - Add to relevant pages describing what you sell or offer
Example: If you provide document collection services, your schema should explicitly state "We provide secure electronic document collection for UK GDPR-compliant workflows" so AI knows exactly what you do.
2Create an llms.txt file
The llms.txt file is a new standard that tells AI language models how to interpret and prioritise your content. It is similar to robots.txt but specifically for AI systems.
Creating this file gives you an early-mover advantage as more AI tools begin to support it.
3Restructure content for extraction
AI systems need to be able to extract and cite your content easily. Make it easy for them by:
- Using clear, descriptive headings
- Writing concise paragraphs
- Including a one-line description of what your business does early on each page
- Avoiding content buried in complex JavaScript or heavy layouts
Example: "We provide secure electronic document collection for UK GDPR-compliant workflows" is a clear, extractable description that AI can easily understand and cite.
4Ensure AI crawler access
Before AI can cite you, it needs access. Check your robots.txt file to ensure you are not blocking the major AI crawlers:
- GPTBot (OpenAI/ChatGPT)
- PerplexityBot (Perplexity)
- Google-Extended (Google AI Overviews)
- ClaudeBot (Anthropic)
If you have legacy rules blocking "all bots", update them to explicitly allow AI agents.
5Build entity and authority signals
AI systems favour businesses that are recognised across the web. Build these signals by:
- Getting a Wikipedia article (if notable)
- Creating a Wikidata entry for your business
- Ensuring consistent business information (name, address, phone) across all platforms
- Building presence on LinkedIn, Crunchbase, and relevant industry directories
- Earning mentions from reputable publications
What improvements actually look like
When you improve your search score, the changes fall into three categories:
Technical
Schema markup, robots.txt updates, llms.txt creation
Precise
Clear business descriptions, consistent NAP info, structured content
Fast
Most fixes take minutes to hours, not weeks
The key is making specific, targeted changes that address the signals AI systems actually use - not trying to optimise for traditional Google rankings.
How long does it take to improve your search score?
Search score improvements follow a typical timeline:
Minutes to implement
Adding schema markup, fixing robots.txt, creating llms.txt
Days to reflect
AI crawlers discover and index your changes
Weeks to compound
AI systems update their understanding and start recommending you
Some changes show results quickly. Others compound over time as AI systems recalibrate their trust in your business.
To understand your current search score and see which fixes would have the biggest impact, check your score at SearchScore.
To learn more about what search score is and how it differs from traditional SEO, read our guide on what is a search score. And to understand the key differences between SEO and search score, see our comparison of search score vs SEO score.
Check Your Search Score
Enter any domain and get your free SearchScore in seconds. See how you compare against thousands of domains and what to fix first.
Check Your Search Score →Frequently Asked Questions
How do I improve my search score?
You improve your search score by fixing the signals AI systems use to understand and trust your site, including structured data, AI crawler access, content extractability, and authority signals.
Can I improve my search score quickly?
Yes. Many search score improvements are fast to implement, such as adding schema markup, improving page structure, and making content easier for AI to extract and cite.
What usually lowers a search score?
Low scores are often caused by missing structured data, weak entity clarity, poor content formatting for AI extraction, blocked crawlers, and low external trust signals.
Does improving my search score help with AI visibility?
Yes. Improving your search score increases the likelihood that AI tools will understand your site, trust your content, and recommend your business in generated answers.