Just learned AI search optimization is a thing. I’ve been doing traditional SEO for 3 years but never thought about ChatGPT or Perplexity visibility.
Where I’m at:
What I need:
My constraints:
Where do I literally start?
Here’s your step-by-step beginner guide:
Week 1: Establish Baseline
Manual AI testing (2 hours)
Set up tracking
Week 2-3: Quick Wins
| Action | Time | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Add FAQ sections to top 5 pages | 3 hours | High |
| Implement FAQPage schema | 2 hours | Medium |
| Convert H2s to questions | 2 hours | Medium |
| Add author bios with credentials | 1 hour | Medium |
| Ensure pricing is visible | 30 min | Medium |
Week 4: Content Audit
Review your top 10 pages:
Month 2+: Systematic Optimization
Prioritize pages by:
This is your roadmap. Start with Week 1.
Adding realistic timeline expectations:
What you’ll see and when:
| Timeframe | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Week 1-2 | Baseline established, understand your position |
| Week 3-4 | Quick wins implemented |
| Month 2 | Perplexity may start citing new content |
| Month 3-4 | Google AI Overview may reflect changes |
| Month 6+ | Sustained visibility improvement |
What NOT to expect:
What TO expect:
The 80/20: 80% of beginner value comes from:
Don’t over-engineer. Start simple.
Since you mentioned limited budget, here’s the cheap approach:
Free tools:
Low-cost tools:
Free actions with high impact:
Where to NOT spend money:
Total starting cost: ~$50/month (Am I Cited subscription)
Everything else is time investment.
Mistakes I see beginners make:
Mistake 1: Trying to optimize everything at once Fix: Start with top 10 pages only
Mistake 2: Not establishing baseline first Fix: You need to know where you are before you can improve
Mistake 3: Ignoring traditional SEO Fix: AI visibility is built ON SEO, not instead of it
Mistake 4: Creating all new content Fix: Optimize existing content first (faster ROI)
Mistake 5: Expecting immediate results Fix: This is a 3-6 month journey minimum
Mistake 6: Over-engineering schema Fix: Start with FAQPage schema only, add more later
Mistake 7: Not tracking Fix: Set up Am I Cited or manual tracking from day one
The beginner mindset: Small, consistent improvements > big overwhelming changes
Good news: Your SEO skills DO transfer:
What you already know that applies:
| SEO Skill | AI Optimization Application |
|---|---|
| Keyword research | Prompt/query research |
| Content optimization | Extraction optimization |
| Technical SEO | AI crawler accessibility |
| Link building | Citation/mention building |
| Analytics | AI visibility tracking |
What’s new to learn:
| New Skill | How Different |
|---|---|
| Multi-platform tracking | Not just Google rankings |
| Citation optimization | Being quoted, not just ranking |
| Content extraction | Scannable, extractable answers |
| Entity optimization | Brand recognition in AI |
The ratio: 80% of your skills apply directly. 20% is new learning.
You’re not starting from zero - you’re adding a layer to existing knowledge.
This is exactly what I needed. My action plan:
This Week:
Next Week:
Next Month:
Budget:
Expectations:
What I’m NOT doing:
Starting simple. Building up. Thanks everyone!
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The first step is knowing where you stand. Monitor your brand across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI platforms.
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