AEO for WordPress: get cited by AI search
WordPress is the most flexible platform for AEO because you control the head, robots.txt, and files. This guide covers allowing AI crawlers, emitting complete schema, adding llms.txt, and shaping content so ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI cite your pages.
Platform note: WordPress gives full control via themes and plugins — schema (Yoast/Rank Math), robots.txt, and an llms.txt via a small must-use plugin or root file.
How to do AEO on WordPress
- 1
Check AI-crawler access
Confirm your robots.txt (root file or SEO plugin) does not block GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, or Google-Extended. Validate it with the Robots.txt AI-crawler checker.
- 2
Emit complete schema
Use Yoast or Rank Math, or add JSON-LD directly, for Organization, Article, and FAQPage. Fill required fields — generate and validate with the JSON-LD tools.
- 3
Add an llms.txt
Serve /llms.txt via a must-use plugin, a redirect, or a root file that lists your most citable content and contact.
- 4
Structure content for answers
Lead sections with a direct answer, add FAQ blocks with FAQPage schema, and keep facts current — the format AI answer engines quote.
- 5
Measure citations
Baseline how often AI engines mention and cite your site with a free AI visibility scan, then iterate.
Free tools for WordPress AEO
Frequently asked questions
How do I optimize a WordPress site for AI search?+
Allow AI crawlers in robots.txt, emit complete Organization/Article/FAQ schema, publish an llms.txt, and write answer-first content. Then track citations across AI engines.
Which WordPress plugin is best for AEO?+
Yoast or Rank Math handle most schema and robots controls. For llms.txt and AI-crawler tuning, add a small must-use plugin or edit the root files directly, then validate with free tools.
Does Yoast handle llms.txt?+
Not natively at time of writing. Generate an llms.txt separately and host it at your domain root; use Yoast/Rank Math for schema and robots.
AEO for other platforms
See how AI engines cite your WordPress site
Run a free scan across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and more — then fix the gaps.
Run a free AI visibility scan →