AI SEO by Content Type

Tactical guidance for optimizing specific content types for AI search citation. These tactics work for non-Google AI engines (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Copilot) and don't hurt Google AI Overviews / AI Mode.

For the cross-cutting strategy, see SKILL.md.

SaaS Product Pages

Goal: Get cited in "What is [category]?" and "Best [category]" queries. (Citation is the realistic goal here; being recommended in the answer depends on offsite consensus — see citations-vs-recommendations.md.)

Optimize:

• Clear product description in first paragraph (what it does, who it's for)
• Feature comparison tables (you vs. category, not just competitors)
• Specific metrics ("processes 10,000 transactions/sec" not "blazing fast")
• Customer count or social proof with numbers
• Pricing transparency (AI cites pages with visible pricing) — add a /pricing.md file so AI agents can parse your plans without rendering your page (see "Machine-Readable Files" in the main skill)
• FAQ section addressing common buyer questions

Blog Content

Goal: Get cited as an authoritative source on topics in your space.

Optimize:

• One clear target query per post (match heading to query)
• Definition in first paragraph for "What is" queries
• Original data, research, or expert quotes
• "Last updated" date visible
• Author bio with relevant credentials
• Internal links to related product/feature pages

Comparison / Alternative Pages

Goal: Get cited in "[X] vs [Y]" and "Best [X] alternatives" queries.

Optimize:

• Structured comparison tables (not just prose)
• Fair and balanced (AI penalizes obviously biased comparisons)
• Specific criteria with ratings or scores
• Updated pricing and feature data
• Cite the competitors skill for building these pages

Industry / Segment Pages

Goal: Get recommended when a prompt names an industry or company size ("email marketing software for e-commerce," "RFP software for government," "enterprise [category]"). Models increasingly sort brands into segments and personalize answers, so a generic page can lose to a competitor's segment page.

Optimize:

• One page per core industry or segment you actually serve, with industry-specific workflows, integrations, compliance, and customer proof
• Start with core segments. Many pages are fine if each adds real, segment-specific value; templated pages that only swap the industry name are what the scaled-content policy targets (see the programmatic-seo skill)
• Match the segment language used on your third-party profiles (see positioning-and-consensus.md)

Documentation / Help Content

Goal: Get cited in "How to [X] with [your product]" queries.

Optimize:

• Step-by-step format with numbered lists
• Code examples where relevant
• HowTo schema markup
• Screenshots with descriptive alt text
• Clear prerequisites and expected outcomes

Local Business / Ecom (Google emphasis)

Google's AI features pull from product feeds and business profiles for local + ecom queries. Optimize:

• Merchant Center feeds kept current with accurate inventory, pricing, attributes
• Google Business Profile complete with hours, services, photos, posts, Q&A answered
• Reviews — recent + sufficient volume; respond to reviews to signal active management
• Service area schema for local services
• Business Agent (where available) for conversational customer engagement