LLM Engineering •
ChatGPT Search Optimization After the Site-Scoping Shift
ChatGPT search optimization changed when 17% of queries started scoping to specific sites. What the GPT-5.6 shift means and how to get cited.
7 min read
Read more →Topic Hub
AI Search & GEO
Search is no longer only ten blue links. Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT Search, and Perplexity cite pages — or they don't. These articles cover GEO, llms.txt, ChatGPT site-scoping, and the SEO fundamentals Google still says are the foundation for generative AI features.
GEOAI Overviewsllms.txtCitations
Articles 8
AI Security •
How to Block AI Training Without Losing Search Visibility
Block AI training without losing search by setting one toggle. Bot Preference Sync writes robots.txt from your dashboard — no static file to maintain.
8 min read
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Web Engineering •
How to Make Your Site Agent-Readable: 4 Layers, One Worker
Make your site agent-readable in four layers — readable, discoverable, callable, payable. Three are build-time files; only /mcp needs a Worker.
10 min read
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Web Engineering •
How to Increase SEO Traffic in the AI Era: 10 Techniques (2026)
How to increase SEO traffic in the AI era: 10 genuine, white-hat techniques anyone can use to earn clicks and citations from ChatGPT, Perplexity and AI Mode.
7 min read
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Web Engineering •
SEO in the AI Era: The 2026 GEO Playbook for Winning AI Search Traffic
SEO in the AI era: what actually changed, why clicks fell 60%, and the GEO playbook to earn traffic from ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Mode in 2026.
11 min read
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Web Engineering •
How to Fix Core Web Vitals: LCP, INP & CLS (2026)
A hands-on guide to optimizing Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS). Covers measurement, diagnosis, and specific fixes with before/after examples from real projects.
6 min read
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AI Engineering •
Ads for AI Agents: TIME Serves Crawlers a Different Site
Ads for AI agents are live. TIME serves crawlers a 42 KB markdown site with sponsored blocks; humans and Googlebot get 1.2 MB of HTML. I measured all of it.
10 min read
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AI Engineering •
Agentic Browsing in PageSpeed Insights: How to Make Your Website AI-Ready (2026)
Agentic browsing in PageSpeed Insights grades your site for AI agents, not just humans. What the category checks, why Google added it, how to pass it.
9 min read
Read more →Frequently Asked Questions
What is GEO (generative engine optimization)?
GEO is the practice of making pages easy for AI answer engines to retrieve, quote, and cite — not just rank as a blue link. Google’s own guidance is that AI Overviews and AI Mode use the same core ranking systems as Search, so helpful, crawlable, people-first content is the foundation. Extra machine-readable files (llms.txt, Markdown alternates) help other engines; Google Search does not require them.
How do I appear in Google AI Overviews and AI Mode?
The page must be indexed and eligible for a snippet in Google Search. There is no extra AI-only markup. Google’s 2026 generative-AI guide says to keep doing foundational SEO: crawlable HTML, unique non-commodity content, good page experience, and structured data that matches visible text. Query fan-out means one thorough page can support several related questions.
Does llms.txt help Google rankings?
No. Google has said it does not use llms.txt (or similar AI-only files) for Search or generative AI features. Other engines (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity) may still fetch it. Keep llms.txt accurate if you publish one, but do not treat it as a Google ranking lever.
How does Google Discover differ from Search?
Discover is interest-based, not keyword-based. Indexed, people-first articles can appear without extra tags. Google recommends large images (at least 1200px wide, more than 300,000 pixels), max-image-preview:large, a representative og:image that is not a generic logo, and titles that describe the content without clickbait.
Google Search · Preferred sources
Prefer this site on Google
If you already read this writing, add umesh-malik.com as a Preferred Source. Google can then highlight it with a preferred badge in Top Stories, AI Overviews, and AI Mode — for you, not as a site-wide ranking boost.