Most websites are invisible to ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews because they never trained those systems to recognize their brand. This guide shows indie hackers how to fix that and start showing up where modern discovery happens.

TL;DR: Teach AI systems who you are, prove it with credible mentions, and structure your content so machines can extract it easily.

1. What AI Search Actually Looks For

Search engines used to rank pages. AI systems build knowledge maps. They connect names, brands, and claims to patterns they can verify.

Think of it like this: Google’s crawler indexes what you say. ChatGPT’s reasoning engine recalls what the web says about you.

The key question is not “How do I rank higher?” It is “Does the AI understand what I do, and does anyone credible confirm it?”

2. The Five Gaps That Keep You Invisible

1) Weak Entity Definition

Your name, logo, and description are not consistently linked across your website, social profiles, and external mentions.

Fix: Add Organization schema and use the same brand description everywhere.

2) No External Corroboration

All your content lives on your own site. From an AI’s perspective, it is unverified.

Fix: Publish guest posts, appear on podcasts, get listed on reputable directories, and cite sources that can cite you back.

3) Feature-First Messaging

Your copy explains what you built, not what people achieve by using it.

Fix: Rewrite homepage language to focus on outcomes such as “find early adopters faster.”

4) Low Experience Signals

Anonymous posts, no timestamps, and vague bios reduce trust for AI systems.

Fix: Add human names, dates, and author profiles that establish expertise and responsibility.

5) No Semantic Consistency

You cover too many unrelated topics which dilutes authority.

Fix: Pick one domain and reinforce it across your content for several months.

3. Real Examples of AI-Visible Sites

Plausible.io

Clear entity: privacy-focused analytics for developers.
Consistent mentions on Hacker News, GitHub, and blogs.
AEO signal: strong brand identity plus multiple citations.

LemonSqueezy.com

Topical focus on SaaS payments and indie monetization.
Active blog and community mentions.
AEO signal: structured schema and repeatable narratives.

Mailbrew.com (legacy)

Transparent team and clear niche.
AEO signal: human attribution with experience-driven posts.

Quick test: Ask ChatGPT “What is a good privacy-friendly analytics tool for startups?” If your site does not appear, your entity signal is missing.

4. The Simple AEO Framework

Focus on three elements: Entity, Experience, and Echo.

Entity	Define who you are in schema, bios, and consistent public data.
Experience	Publish results, experiments, and founder stories that look human and verifiable.
Echo	Earn mentions on other sites. Directories, podcasts, and guest posts make you discoverable by machines.

5. Why This Article Is AEO-Optimized

Names clear entities: GrowthPigeon, AI search, and AEO appear in context.
Section hierarchy with h2 and h3 makes chunking and summarization simple for LLMs.
Balanced concepts and examples that LLMs can quote.
Lists, callouts, and a table increase factual extractability.

Note: This article is written for humans first and formatted so AI summarizers can understand and recall it easily.

6. The Takeaway

AI promotes clarity. If your meaning is easy to read, verify, and repeat, your brand will start showing up in AI search results.

Identify the Gaps Preventing Your Brand From Showing Up in AI Search Results

Indie hacker guide to AEO: fix the gaps that keep your brand out of ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews. Covers entity signals, external corroboration, semantic focus, and a simple framework.