Which LLM Chatbots Should You Optimize For (SEO)

Over the last two years, clients and colleagues have been panicking: “Is ChatGPT killing Google?” It’s a fair question – but the wrong one.

Here’s what’s actually happening: chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini aren’t replacing search. They’re merging with it. We’re no longer in the era of “search” as a standalone task. We’re entering the age of research  –  the game has changed.

Let me explain.

From “search” to “research”

Traditional search was about typing a query and clicking through blue links. But AI-powered engines – whether they start as search platforms or LLM chatbots – are evolving into what we often call Answer Engines, Ask Engines, Recommendation Engines. Or we can consider them to be research engines. 

This new research engine approach blends three technologies:

1. Large Language Models (LLMs) for conversational answers
   
2. Search engines for real-time, verifiable information
   
3. Knowledge Graphs for structured understanding of entities
   

Major platforms are now combining these. Google’s AI Overview, Microsoft Bing + Copilot, and Perplexity are already doing it. And here’s the thing: even the “pure chatbot” players are racing to add search and factual grounding because they know that without it, their results are outdated or plain wrong.

Here’s an article that explains in more detail and shows how to optimize for LLMs, knowledge graphs, and modern search engines and build a digital footprint recommendation engines trust.

Not all LLM chatbots are SEO-worthy – you can save yourself some time and effort :)

Here’s the truth: a pure LLM chatbot without real-time search is not a meaningful SEO target. Why? It’s not up to date, it doesn’t cite you, and it is a very hit and miss target for traditional SEO strategies. That’s like shouting at a closed window.

So which chatbots should SEOs care about?

Let’s break down where to invest effort:

• ✅ ChatGPT (OpenAI): Absolutely. It dominates traffic (47.7B visits last year), integrates Bing search, and increasingly cites real-time sources. If you want to appear in citations or responses, focus on building a robust digital footprint, strong Brand SERP, and a clear Entity Home.
  
• ✅ Perplexity: A rising star. It cites sources inline and pulls from live web content. If your content ranks well in traditional search and you’ve nailed relevance, you’ll likely show up here too. Think: answer-first SEO.
  
• ✅ Microsoft Copilot: Embedded across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem and Windows. It’s using Bing Search + OpenAI + your documents. If your audience is corporate, this is a must-watch – and a must-optimize.
  
• ✅ Gemini (Google): It’s integrated with Google Search, Gmail, Docs, and more. Gemini is basically your Google life assistant – and it lives off your Brand SERP. If you haven’t taken control of that yet, you’re already behind.
  
• Claude (Anthropic): High quality but minimal web integration – for now. Worth tracking, especially if you’re publishing thought leadership or B2B content that could feed its training data.
  
• Grok (X by Elon Musk): Growing fast. Wildly fast. But too volatile right now. We haven’t seen consistent data or brand visibility signals emerge yet. One to watch, not one to optimize for – yet.
  
• DeepSeek: Impressive reasoning engine, open-source roots, and rising adoption. But low visibility for brands unless you’re in the dev or AI research space.
  
• ❌ Meta AI: It’s everywhere inside Meta apps, but mostly silent on citations. Not currently a platform where brand SEO efforts have tangible return.
  
• ❌ Monica: Great for users, not great for marketers. Aggregates multiple models, but you have zero influence over its outputs. Like shouting into the void.
  
• ❌ Blackbox AI: Developer tool. If you’re not targeting coders, don’t bother.
  

The unified playbook for LLM + Search + Knowledge Graph

Here’s the kicker: whether it’s Gemini, Perplexity, ChatGPT, or Bing Copilot, they all rely on the same foundation – your digital footprint. They need to crawl and index your site, but they also need to piece together a picture of your brand from every corner of the web: your website, your YouTube, your profile pages, the press coverage you forgot you did two years ago, that guest post on a niche blog, and the review you didn’t even know was published.

Your best SEO strategy in this AI-first world? Treat your brand as the product, and your digital footprint as the delivery system.

 Start by building and optimizing your Entity Home – a central hub (usually your About page) where you clearly explain who you are, what you offer, and who you serve. Then ensure that message is repeated, validated, and connected across trusted second- and third-party sites.

This is how you train search engines, LLMs, and knowledge graphs to understand, trust, and recommend your brand. That’s not a trick. That’s modern SEO – built on brand, rooted in consistency, and amplified through strategic presence.

And as search engines evolve into research engines, the brands that have invested in understandability, credibility, and deliverability across their entire digital ecosystem… will win.