LLM SEO

LLM SEO is optimizing your content so large language models mention and recommend you. It's the same goal as AEO, just described from the technology side rather than the user side.

The term exists because marketers understand SEO. Adding "LLM" to the front makes the concept click faster. You're doing SEO, but for the AI models that power ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini instead of for Google's ranking algorithm.

How It Differs From Traditional SEO

Traditional SEO optimizes for a ranking algorithm. You target keywords, build backlinks, improve page speed, and climb the search results. The output is a position on a list.

LLM SEO optimizes for a generative model. There's no list. The AI synthesizes a response from everything it knows about a topic. Your goal isn't to rank #1. It's to be the brand the model names when someone asks a relevant question.

This changes the playbook. Backlinks still matter, but primarily because they signal authority that gets reflected in training data. Keywords matter less than clear, factual statements about what you do and why. Page speed is irrelevant. Content depth and accuracy are everything.

A Practical Example

Imagine you sell HR software. In traditional SEO, you'd target "best HR software" and try to rank on page one. In LLM SEO, you'd ensure that when someone asks ChatGPT "What HR software should a 200-person company use?", your product gets named.

How do you get there? You need your brand represented across the sources that LLMs draw from. G2 reviews that mention your product favorably. Industry reports that include you. Your own content that clearly states what you do, who it's for, and how it compares. Reddit threads where real users recommend you.

LLMs form opinions from training data. If the data says you're good, the model says you're good. If the data barely mentions you, the model doesn't either.

The Terminology Debate

The industry hasn't settled on a single term for this. AEO focuses on the answer engine experience. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) emphasizes the generative aspect. LLM SEO and LLMO highlight the underlying technology. They all describe roughly the same practice: making your brand visible in AI-generated responses.

Use whichever term your team understands. The work is identical regardless of what you call it.

What To Focus On

Three things move the needle for LLM SEO.

First, build your presence on authoritative sources. Wikipedia, industry publications, review platforms, and reputable news sites all feed into LLM training data. Get mentioned on these and you get mentioned by AI.

Second, create content that AI can extract. Clear structure, direct answers, specific claims. If your pricing page says "contact us for pricing," AI has nothing to work with. If it says "$49/month for teams up to 20," now AI can cite that.

Third, monitor what LLMs actually say about you. Run the prompts your customers would use. Track mentions over time. AI outputs aren't static. They change as models get updated and retrieval systems index new content. What you see today might be different next month.

The brands winning at LLM SEO are the ones treating it as a measurable, ongoing channel. Not a one-time optimization project.

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Related: AEO | LLM | GEO