Webflow Professional Partner - Kirch & Kriewald
Content of the article:

Why AI systems need technical SEO

AI search engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini work differently than classic search engines. However, the following applies: You need clean, structured websitesto understand content. Bad crawling structures, missing schema markup or slow load times prevent your content from being processed reliably. The result: You don't appear in classic SERPs or AI summaries. This article is part of our series Visibility in the AI era.

The most important factors in technical SEO for AI visibility

1. Crawlability & indexing

Only pages that Google processes correctly can also rank. Clean indexing is therefore the basic requirement for every SEO and AI strategy.

A deeper look at the differences between crawling mechanisms can be found in our article Understanding AI crawling.

2. Structured data & schema

With Schema markup Make content machine-readable and increase the chance of rich snippets. At the same time, AI systems make it easier to interpret facts reliably. ”

  • schema.org markup use (e.g. FAQ, Article, Organization)
  • Implement JSON-LD cleanly
  • AI thus provide “facts” that they can use reliably

3. Loading speed & Core Web Vitals

A fast website is not only crucial for users, but also for rankings. Die Core Web Vitals measure load time, interactivity and visual stability — and are now a central ranking signal.

  • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) < 2.5s
  • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) < 0.1
  • First Input Delay (FID) < 100 ms
  • Core Web Vitals Guide utilize

4. Mobile usability

  • Responsive design
  • Observe mobile-first indexing
  • No blocking resources

5. Internal linking & information architecture

  • Logical, flat hierarchy
  • Strong internal links to important pages
  • Avoid duplicate content

Checklist: Technical SEO for AI & Google

BereichPrüfen
CrawlabilityRobots.txt, XML-Sitemaps, Statuscodes
Strukturierte DatenSchema.org (FAQ, Article, Organization, Product)
PerformanceCore Web Vitals, PageSpeed Insights
MobileResponsivität, Ladezeit auf mobilen Geräten
Interne VerlinkungKlare Struktur, keine Orphan Pages

Why an audit is essential

A technical SEO audit uncovers weaknesses and provides a clear roadmap. This is the only way to ensure that content is indexed quickly, correctly and completely — on Google and in AI systems.

That means:

  • More pages are correctly recorded
  • Faster load times improve user experience and ranking
  • Higher chances of appearing in AI-powered answers

TL; DR

Technical SEO is the basis for visibility — on Google and in AI search systems. An audit shows where obstacles lie and ensures that content is found quickly, correctly and completely.

Conclusion: Technical SEO as an investment in the future

Content alone is no longer enough — neither for Google nor for AI search systems. If you want to survive in visibility, you need a technically clean basis: fast loading times, clear structures, clean markup.

A technical SEO audit is not a “nice-to-have” but a prerequisite for making content permanently discoverable — whether in classic rankings or in the new AI answers.

Further sources

Common questions about technical SEO for AI visibility

Projects related to the topic

Webflow transformation: A successful 4-year customer journey with wherever SIM
Webflow transformation: A successful 4-year customer journey with wherever SIM
Webflow transformation: A successful 4-year customer journey with wherever SIM
Webflow support
Webflow web site
Print design
UI & UX Design
Weglot
Webflow relaunch 2024 for Philip Kistner
Webflow relaunch 2024 for Philip Kistner
Webflow relaunch 2024 for Philip Kistner
Webflow CMS implementation
Jetboost-Integration
Webflow relaunch
UI & UX Design
Guidance

Mehr aus dem Magazin

Webflow logo
Webflow Professional Partner
Hotjar logo
Hotjar Partner
Weglot logo
Weglot Partner
<script type="application/ld+json"> {"@context “:" https://schema.org “," @type “: “FAQPage”, “mainEntity”: [{"@type “: “Question”, “name”: “Why is technical SEO important for AI visibility?” , “acceptedAnswer”: {"@type “: “Answer”, “text”: “AI search engines need clean, structured websites to understand content and incorporate it into answers. Crawl, schema, or performance errors mean that content is not included.”}}, {"@type “: “Question”, “name”: “What factors play a role in technical SEO for AI?” , “acceptedAnswer”: {"@type “: “Answer”, “text”: “Important factors include crawlability, structured data, loading speed, mobile usability, and internal linking. These elements ensure that content is correctly captured and prioritized.”}}, {"@type “: “Question”, “name”: “What are the benefits of a technical SEO audit?” , “acceptedAnswer”: {"@type “: “Answer”, “text”: “An audit uncovers technical vulnerabilities, prioritizes measures, and provides a roadmap for better visibility on Google and AI systems.”}}] </script>} <script type="application/ld+json"> {"@context “:" https://schema.org “," @type “: “howTo”, “name”: “Technical SEO for AI visibility: step-by-step”, “description”: “A compact guide on how websites are technically optimized to be visible both on Google and in AI search systems. “, “totalTime”: “PT2H”, “supply”: [{"@type “: “HowToSupply”, “name”: “SEO tools (such as Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, PageSpeed Insights)”}, {"@type “: “HowToSupply”, “name”: “Current site map and Robots.txt"}], “step”: [{"@type “: “HowToStep”, “name”: “Check crawlability”, “text”: “Check Robots.txt, XML sitemap, and status codes. Make sure all important pages are accessible.”}, {"@type “: “HowToStep”, “name”: “Add structured data”, “text”: “Implement schema.org markup (e.g. FAQ, Article, Organization) to provide clear information to AI systems.”}, {"@type “: “HowToStep”, “name”: “Optimize performance”, “text”: “Improve performance”: “Improve performance” Core Web Vitals: LCP < 2.5s, CLS < 0.1, FID < 100ms Use caching, image optimization, and lightweight code.”}, {"@type “: “HowToStep”, “name”: “Ensure mobile usability”, “text”: “Make sure that the page is responsive and loads quickly on the mobile device. Check with Google's mobile-friendly test.”}, {"@type “: “HowToStep”, “name”: “Improve internal linking”, “text”: “Build a clear structure with logical links. Avoid orphan pages and strengthen important content with internal links.”}] </script>}