Controlled access
Robots, canonicals, internal links, HTTP status codes and sitemaps should let authorised systems reach decisive pages.
REFERENCE / DISCOVERY
AI and search ecosystem
A practical map of the interfaces that discover, rank, synthesise and cite information — and the disciplines needed to build a credible presence across them.
00 / FIELD MAP
Visibility no longer depends on one engine
The same question may start in conventional search, continue in an AI assistant, trigger a comparison and end on an evidence page. Strategy must treat indexing, experience, entities, sources and measurement as one chain.
10AI assistants8search engines6disciplines
REFERENCE / 2026
Four signals to consolidate
Conventional and generative engines do not require another magic layer. They need reliable access, distinctive content, readable evidence and regular observation.
Original answer
Each page should resolve one clear intent with first-hand information, a clean structure and value beyond paraphrasing other sources.
Attributable evidence
Author, entity, dates, sources, images and structured data should clarify who claims what, on which basis and in which context.
Continuous observation
Rankings are no longer enough: track citations, reused pages, factual errors, real journeys and variations between interfaces.
PLATFORMS / 01
Major public AI assistants
These interfaces do not answer in the same way. Some favour conversation, others sourced research, reasoning, code or work-environment integration. Good practice is to observe several surfaces instead of optimising for a single brand.
01General-purpose assistant
ChatGPT
Assisted research, writing, analysis, code and multimodal work in a conversational interface.
Check Open cited links and distinguish a web-supported answer from one with no explicit source.
02Reasoning & production
Claude
Document analysis, reasoning, structured writing and software development with extended context.
Check Check that retrieved document passages cover the whole question and that the document date remains relevant.
03Multimodal assistant
Gemini
Google assistant for research and production across text, images and its service ecosystem.
Check Compare the summary with displayed source pages and note claims absent from those pages.
04Assistant & search
Microsoft Copilot
Conversational interface connected to Bing search and, depending on the plan, Microsoft work environments.
Check Identify whether the answer uses the public web or connected work data in the current setting.
05Answer engine
Perplexity
Conversational web research with synthetic answers, visible citations and source exploration.
Check Read cited pages: a link does not ensure a faithful summary or a reliable source.
06Work assistant & agent
Mistral Vibe
Vibe, formerly Le Chat, brings together Mistral AI chat, productivity and coding uses. Identify the selected mode before comparing its results.
Check Check whether web search is enabled and whether current facts link to accessible sources.
07Reasoning & code
DeepSeek
Assistant focused on reasoning, programming and technical problem-solving through a web interface.
Check Recheck recent and technical facts against primary sources before making a decision.
08Consumer assistant
Meta AI
Assistant integrated into the Meta ecosystem for questions, creation and multimodal interactions.
Check Check sources and distribution context when an answer circulates inside a social app.
09Multimodal assistant
Grok
SpaceXAI web assistant for conversation, research and creation across multiple content formats.
Check Open the sources for a recent fact and distinguish a web-grounded answer from a model-only response.
10Multimodal assistant
Qwen
Assistant in the Qwen ecosystem for conversation and work with text and multimodal content.
Check Check whether web search ran and compare current claims with the pages offered as sources.
INDEX / 02
Major search engines
Search engines differ by index, providers, privacy policies, markets and answer formats. Robust visibility covers structural engines without ignoring alternatives relevant to the audience.
01General web index
General search engine with web, local, image, video and enriched answer surfaces across many markets.
Check Compare canonical URL, index status and actual display of important pages in Search Console.
02Index & Microsoft services
Microsoft Bing
Microsoft web search, also important through its data, webmaster tools and AI integrations.
Check Check crawling and indexing in Bing Webmaster Tools before interpreting AI citations.
03Privacy-focused search
DuckDuckGo
Search designed to limit profiling, with instant answers and optional AI features.
Check Test important queries and open results instead of inferring coverage from the home page.
04Independent index
Brave Search
Private search based on its own index, also offering synthetic answers with supporting sources.
Check Compare pages present in the index and verify sources cited in synthetic answers.
05European search engine
Qwant
French privacy-oriented search engine with web search and AI-assisted answers.
Check Test searches in target markets and check the origin of AI-assisted answers.
06Portal & search
Yahoo Search
Long-standing search engine integrated with a content, news, finance and services portal.
Check Test target pages and queries in the portal rather than assuming presence from another engine.
07Multiregional search
Yandex Search
Search engine whose results can be examined by language, region and audience query.
Check Compare results by region and language for queries relevant to the actual target market.
08Chinese-language search
Baidu
Chinese-language search engine and portal; assess coverage with queries and pages relevant to that market.
Check Test relevant Chinese queries and inspect displayed pages rather than inferring coverage from another market.
18 rubrics to document your comparisons
Choose the same question, scope and authorized records. Retain every answer, then classify checks separately as supported, limited, contradicted or unobserved. Do not average away an inaccessible reference or uncertain identity.
Proposed method, with no service score or measured result. Record your own observations, test dates and conditions before drawing a conclusion.
PANEL / OBSERVATION
Build a panel that supports a decision
The directory does not require monitoring every platform. Select those relevant to a real audience and keep a comparable method across them.
Define the audience
Specify countries, languages, topics and tasks. Include a platform only when these people can realistically find or verify information there.
Separate the surfaces
Record whether you are observing an index, a result aggregator, an assistant that can search or a multi-bot platform. These roles do not produce equivalent evidence.
Fix the tests
Keep a dated set of queries and questions, languages, settings and reference URLs. Open results and citations; record accuracy, source and entity confusion.
Set a cadence
Repeat observations at defined intervals and after major changes. Address verifiable errors and useful journeys first; a single screenshot is not a trend.
READING / RESULTS
Interpret what the panel shows
A presence, absence or isolated citation does not identify its cause. Each case links a finding to a check and a bounded decision.
Indexed page, never cited
Check : Compare tested questions, competing pages, the visible answer and access to the primary source. Indexing alone does not measure assistant selection.
Reasonable decision · Improve the answer and provenance if a real need is unmet; keep observed frequency as a measure without promising citation.Name mentioned, wrong entity
Check : Record exact wording, namesakes, dates, identifiers and links associated with the answer.
Reasonable decision · Clarify ambiguous reference pages and controlled profiles, then monitor question variants after publication.Link cited, claim unsupported
Check : Open the URL and find the passage meant to support each claim. Note when the link only covers the broad topic.
Reasonable decision · Log the synthesis error, clarify an ambiguous source and avoid reusing the answer as evidence.Different results by language
Check : Compare translated intent, canonical pages, available sources and test settings.
Reasonable decision · Fix missing language or context in the corpus, then repeat the same panel in each target language.More citations, stable contacts
Check : Separate mentions, clicks, qualified visits and actions; check volumes and dates before concluding.
Reasonable decision · Keep both series and examine the journey to a decision; do not attribute business impact to citation alone.METHODS / 03
SEO, SXO, AEO, GEO and LLMO
These acronyms are not silos. They describe stages of one journey: be discovered, understood, provide the right answer, earn citation and deliver a useful experience.
SEO
Search Engine Optimization
Make pages crawlable, indexable, understandable and useful enough to earn durable organic visibility.
Technical · content · authorityExplore the methodSXOSearch Experience Optimization
Connect the promise shown in search results to a fast, readable, reassuring page that supports the right action.
Intent · experience · conversionExplore the methodAEOAnswer Engine Optimization
Formulate clear answers to real questions while retaining the context and evidence needed for verification.
Questions · answers · snippetsExplore the methodGEOGenerative Engine Optimization
Structure information so generative engines can identify the entity, synthesise without distortion and cite the right sources.
Entities · sources · citationsExplore the methodLLMOLarge Language Model Optimization
Strengthen the public coherence of an entity, its relationships and corpus to improve retrieval, representation and attribution.
Corpus · graphs · coherenceExplore the methodMESUREVisibility observability
Track rankings, clicks, journeys, citations, reused sources, answer accuracy and share of presence across a stable panel.
SERP · analytics · AI answersExplore the methodCHAIN / 04
From crawling to citation
This map organises the checks. Services can search, retrieve and cite pages through different paths; observe each interface separately.
- 01
Crawl
Robots and retrieval systems must reach pages, follow links and identify canonical versions.
- 02
Index
For Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, check indexing and snippet eligibility. Requirements depend on the service.
- 03
Understand
Headings, structure, data, authors, dates, entities and relationships create a coherent representation.
- 04
Select & cite
Record the answer, its date, links and the passage actually cited.
- 05
Serve & measure
The page must fulfil its promise, guide the user and create observable signals without manipulating the journey.
OBSERVATORY / 05
What actually needs measuring
No single metric proves visibility. A useful dashboard connects exposure, understanding, experience and outcome.
Coverage
Crawled, indexed, excluded and canonicalised pages, plus freshness of decisive content.
Demand
Queries, questions, intents, seasonality and changes in audience language.
Organic presence
Rankings, impressions, clicks, click-through rate and visibility share by intent group.
Experience
Speed, accessibility, comprehension, reading depth, navigation and task success.
AI presence
Observed answers, mentioned brands, cited sources, accuracy and stability across models.
Impact
Qualified contacts, supported decisions, trust, conversion and reduced representation errors.
CONTROL / 2026 MATRIX
Eight checks before publishing
A page ready for search and AI assistants must remain useful to people, technically accessible and verifiable over time. This matrix turns those principles into practical gates.
Allowed crawling
Check robots.txt, meta directives, HTTP status, click depth and internal links.
Expected evidence · Tested URL, 200 response and internal pathReference version
Align canonical, redirects, hreflang, parameters and language variants.
Expected evidence · Absolute canonical and reciprocal hreflangIdentifiable answer
Give each page one central question, an explicit title and an immediately findable summary.
Expected evidence · Single intent and standalone answerCoherent entities
Name people, organisations, places, offers and relationships consistently across the site.
Expected evidence · Matching names, profiles and relationshipsReadable provenance
Tie important claims to an author, date, method or accessible source.
Expected evidence · Visible author, date and sourceUsable images
Use distinct, sized, lightweight and accurately described visuals attached to their page.
Expected evidence · Dimensions, alt, weight and metadataVerified experience
Check mobile, keyboard, contrast, speed, filters, forms and overflow.
Expected evidence · Real journey without blocking errorDated observation
Keep a query panel and record mentions, citations, source pages, errors and conversions.
Expected evidence · Comparable log over timeSOURCES / 06
Official tools and documentation
Interfaces and rules change. Technical decisions should return to engine documentation, webmaster tools and open standards.
01Open resource02Open resource03Open resource04Open resource05Open resource06Open resource07Open resource08Open resource09Open resource10Open resource11Open resource12Open resource13Open resource14Open resource15Open resource
Google Search Central
Crawling, indexing, structured data and Google Search best practices.
Google Search Console
URL inspection, performance, coverage and technical site signals.
Bing Webmaster Tools
Search reports, inspection, backlinks and Bing indexing tools.
IndexNow
Protocol notifying participating engines of added, changed or deleted URLs.
Schema.org
Shared vocabulary for describing entities, content, organisations and relationships.
Web.dev
References for performance, accessibility, quality and web experience.
Google Search · IA
Official principles for making a site eligible for Google Search AI features without artificial GEO shortcuts.
OpenAI · Publishers and developers FAQ
OAI-SearchBot access controls and how content may appear in ChatGPT search.
Bing · AI Performance
Bing Webmaster Tools reporting for citations and source pages observed in AI answers.
Google Images · SEO guide
Official guidance for images, alternative text, dimensions and image sitemaps.
xAI · Grok overview
Official overview of Grok and its access points.
Qwen · Qwen Chat
Official overview of the Qwen interface and supported formats.
Yandex · Search help
Official help on queries, regions and site-owner information.
Baidu · Search
Official interface for observing results of relevant Chinese queries.
Mistral · Vibe (formerly Le Chat)
Official rename announcement distinguishing Work, Code and Chat modes.
07 / FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Essential distinctions to avoid shortcuts and false promises.
Should every AI be optimised separately?
No. A shared base — original content, clear entities, strong sources, technical accessibility and coherent reputation — serves several systems. Differences are then measured by platform.
Does GEO replace SEO?
No. Assistants and generative engines still rely on discoverable, retrievable and credible content. GEO extends SEO towards synthesis, attribution and citation.
Can an AI citation be guaranteed?
No. No markup or file guarantees citation. Quality, clarity, provenance and authority can only improve the available evidence.
Must a site appear in every search engine?
Cover the surfaces used by target audiences. Google and Bing often structure much of the field, while private, European or specialised engines may matter by market.
Do these logos imply a partnership?
No. They only identify platforms in this independent directory. No partnership or commercial recommendation is implied.
How is AI visibility tracked?
Use a stable question panel, dated observations, mentions, citations, errors, variations and comparison with organic and behavioural data.
08 / CONTACT
Turn this directory into an action plan
An audit connects the platforms that matter, priority intents, technical state, evidence corpus and measurement protocol.
DEEPER READING / PRACTICE
Compare search interfaces on a specific task
The reader is looking for a tool to find a source, explore a topic, or get a summary. Surfaces should be compared according to the task, the results available and the possibility of checking the answers.
Updated on .
Priority checks
Run the same documented question on the selected surfaces. Observing links, access to documents, accuracy of the context and ease of resuming the search from the result.
Interpretation pitfalls
A longer or faster response is not necessarily more useful. The test conditions and the type of question influence the comparison.
Working record to retain
A observation sheet indicates task, query, surface, result and limit. The final choice is based on the needs of the route rather than on a universal ranking.