Website copywriting that performs in AI & traditional search.

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If you’re using AI to draft

AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and the rest) are a great starting point for a draft — but treat them as an assistant, not the author. Before you publish anything AI helped create, run it through this list.

Get a better first draft: prompting tips

The more context you give an AI tool upfront, the less editing you’ll need after. A strong prompt includes:

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Start with search intent, not keywords

Before writing, get clear on three things:

Write to answer that question genuinely. Keywords come second — content that serves the reader first performs better everywhere.

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SEO fundamentals to hit on every page

Crawlability

Before worrying about keywords or structure, make sure AI tools can actually reach your page. Check that your robots.txt file isn’t blocking AI crawlers like GPTBot, ClaudeBot, or PerplexityBot — some platforms, including Cloudflare, now block AI bots by default without you realizing it. Also confirm your key content isn’t hidden behind JavaScript that only loads after user interaction, or locked behind a login or paywall.

Keywords

Place your primary keyword naturally in the page title, the H1, at least one H2, and the first 100 words. For a 1,000-word page, 2–4 natural mentions is plenty — more than that risks reading as stuffed. Round it out with secondary keywords and the actual words your customers use to describe the problem.

Also think through the sub-questions a reader would ask around this topic. AI tools often break one query into several smaller searches rather than searching your exact phrase — so covering the related fragments, not just your head keyword, increases the odds your page gets pulled in for any of them.

Links

Link internally to your own related pages — services, blog posts, key conversion pages — whenever it’s genuinely useful to the reader. When you cite a stat or claim, link to a reputable outside source: government data, industry associations, academic research, or established publications. Avoid linking to low-quality or unrelated sites.

This isn’t just good practice for trust — research has shown that adding statistics, quotes, and source citations measurably increases how often content gets pulled into AI-generated answers, while keyword stuffing has the opposite effect.

Formatting

Match whatever formatting conventions already exist on your site.

There’s no universal word-count target — the right length depends on how competitive your keyword is and how many words it genuinely takes to cover the topic. Look at what’s ranking on page one and aim to cover it at least as thoroughly. A simple FAQ answer might need 150 words; a competitive service page might need 1,500+. Prioritize comprehensiveness over hitting a number — padding to reach a word count hurts readability and doesn’t help SEO or AI visibility.

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Write so AI tools can quote you

AI search tools often pull a single paragraph out of context, not the whole page. So each important paragraph should be able to stand completely on its own.

This matters on every page, not just FAQs: lead with the direct, complete answer in the first 150–200 words, before adding backstory. AI tools weigh a page’s opening content heavily when deciding relevance — don’t make readers (or AI) dig for the point.

Name things — don’t just point at them

Swap vague words like “it,” “this,” “these,” and “they” for the actual noun whenever it adds clarity. Include your brand name, the specific product or service, and a clear factual statement in key paragraphs.

Use the Question → Answer → Expand structure

For FAQ-style or informational pages, this format works especially well for both readers and AI tools:

1. QAn H2 heading phrased as a real question (“What is…”, “How does…”, “How much does…”)
2. AA 40–60 word Answer Block directly under the heading that could stand alone if quoted
3. +Supporting detail, examples, and implementation notes below that
4. ☰Structured info where it helps — bullet lists, numbered steps, comparison or pricing tables

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Be specific — it builds authority

Skip the 101-level explanations your reader already knows. Instead, use precise language: technical terms, named standards or regulations, actual metrics, and real implementation detail. Specific, concrete content earns more trust — and more AI citations — than generic educational copy ever will.

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Don’t forget the comparison stage

A lot of AI-assisted searching happens while someone is actively comparing options — not just browsing. Make sure your content answers:

If you skip these, an AI tool is likely to pull that comparison info from a competitor’s page instead of yours.

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Keep content fresh

AI tools weigh recency when choosing what to cite — a page published years ago with no updates loses ground to a more recently refreshed page on the same topic. Revisit your evergreen and cornerstone content periodically: update statistics, add new examples, and consider a visible “last updated” date. Treat published content as a living asset, not a one-time task.

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Before you hit publish

Run through this checklist on every piece before it goes live.