Introduction
Welcome to another episode of TJ's Technology Tuesday. Today live from the colours: For those who wondered why there was no episode last week — my wife and I celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary, and for once I made an exception and did not go live. Otherwise, every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. — either live or as a recording on LinkedIn — it is always recorded automatically. So, what are we covering today?
How do you get found today?
Today we are addressing a question I get asked very frequently: How do I get found at all in the age of ChatGPT? In the past, people used to Google things when they were looking for something, and today most people go straight into ChatGPT and get an answer. Setting aside for a moment whether that is a good idea or not — let me briefly take that detour — ChatGPT is primarily built to make large texts smaller, i.e. to summarise things, and to make small texts larger, i.e. to write or expand texts. It is exceptionally good at that.
What ChatGPT is not well suited for
It is not particularly good at research. It is also not great at calculations, and it is genuinely poor when it comes — you may have seen this on LinkedIn recently — to things like drawing a map of Germany, even in version five. That produces significant hallucinations. But what matters is not whether it makes sense to use it for that, but where your target audience is and what they are doing. And what a large part of your target audience will do today is go into ChatGPT and ask a question. For that there are a number of approaches you can take. I will show you some impulses here, and I will also give you an additional tip on how you can research such things yourself.
Perplexity
What you are about to see is Perplexity. Perplexity is a wonderful tool for exactly these kinds of questions. I simply went into Perplexity — Perplexity is a bit like a blend of Google and ChatGPT. With Google you get millions of search results and you have to dig through the relevant pages. With ChatGPT you get one answer and you can never be 100 per cent sure it is correct. With Perplexity I asked: What are the best strategies — I even have a typo in there, but that does not matter — best strategy to get found as a provider in ChatGPT? And what I am doing now is simply sharing the link in the chat. Whenever you see me looking to the side, do not be confused — I am looking at the chat or the screen share. Here in Perplexity I simply asked: What is the best strategy? And as you can see, I always receive a structured answer. You always see the main sources at the top, and you also get all the sources listed below. If I click on a source, it opens in a new tab and I can immediately check whether the source actually says what Perplexity reports. By the way, if there are questions while I look to the left — I am always looking at the LinkedIn chat — whether during the live stream or afterwards, feel free to ask. Let us walk through the key topics here, with a few additions from me. The first surprise for some of you: Use Bing SEO as a foundation.
Bing: The underestimated turbo for AI visibility
Now you might be saying: Bing — wasn't that that strange Microsoft search engine I never used? And Edge, that strange browser. Well, if you use Microsoft 365, Edge is the browser you should ideally use as your primary browser. It is by far the best supported, including Copilot integration. And Bing as a search engine is simply the foundation for ChatGPT Search — so it is very relevant for that reason too. Let me show you. There is Bing Places — I will also share the link in the chat. With Bing Places you can enter your details there as well. And there are the so-called Bing Webmaster Tools. With Bing Webmaster Tools — I will also give you the link — similar to the Google Search Console, you can optimise your website. You can even see Copilot recommendations suggesting what could be improved in certain areas. Wonderful. And here you have the classic view where you can check URLs, sitemaps, and indexing status — everything you can do in the Google world, you should also do via Bing.
Now, content optimisation. The good news is that what works well for Google is also a solid foundation for AI. You should however make sure to keep things short and punchy, and above all use question-and-answer formats — Q&As — because ultimately someone is asking a question and ideally a good answer should follow. And AI is a probability machine. It first looks for: is there something relevant here? The easier you make it for the AI, the better. So create short, punchy, citable content. You always see — for example I was at a conference recently, at Plot, where I recorded talks with this dictation device, and that produces citable content in quotation marks. If you put that kind of material on your website, you get found better. As always, building authority and credibility is important — being present on social media matters too. And here I have another search. By the way, a tip: if I have a technical question — for example, how do I activate low-power mode on the iPhone — I really like using Perplexity for that.
Perplexity is superb for technical questions. And when you start a new search in Perplexity, a new chat, you can always specify which sources you want. In this case — let me duplicate that so you can see — in this case when I searched, I chose new search and here you can specify: which sources do I want? And if you select exclusively Social, as I did for this search, you will see Reddit as a source. Personally, I had not really used Reddit much before, but it is a good idea to be active on Reddit, because Reddit is a social media platform that is a cross between Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, and real-time forums, but with a very respectful culture. The idea is that if you are on Reddit, you will also be found on Perplexity, for example. That is why being active on Reddit is a good strategy. You do not need to found your own group — you can simply start by looking for relevant questions in your field. Here you can see it goes about the topic of iPhone, and you can join a group, for example join the iPhone community, and then contribute there.
And then — for example in my Reddit account — I have Custom Feeds. You can also stay informed on topics, like AI in my case. And you have the option to go into groups like the iPhone community. And now when there are questions, I can add a comment. The idea is simply to provide useful content. And if you do that regularly, you will get found on Perplexity when someone asks a relevant question. You have already seen a sneak preview of this a few times. There is also a product search from OpenAI, which is relatively new. The idea is that ChatGPT naturally asks: how can I monetise the topic of advertising, how can I monetise search to some extent? And the first step is to ensure better discoverability. I will share that link in the chat as well. If you go through that link — you can see it on the page — it is explained there. And the good news: you can register at the bottom.
And you should do that. I have already registered there. That means you enter your name, your email address, your URL — your website — state what you do, and then submit. You will then receive an email saying: yes, you are on the waiting list. As soon as it is activated, we will add you. As always, it is a good idea to be early. What is also mentioned there as a note is: Assure you haven't opted out of OpenAI Search Crawler. What is behind that?
What is the OpenAI Search Crawler?
If you have a website, there are two things you can configure. You can specify: should your website be found by Google search engines — yes or no? And you can configure: should the site be crawlable by AI? If you work for Handelsblatt, for example, you may not want your content — which is normally behind a paywall — to be readable by AI. Or take mobile.de, for example. Try to access their vehicle database — you will not succeed, because their business model would obviously be at risk, and so they have the option to say: no, you should not be findable via Google either.
This is done for internal pages — and mobile.de wants to be found via Google, but does not want to be crawled by AI. There is essentially a flag for this that can be set in the robots.txt file. The good news: the default is that you will always be found there. I have now seen cases with clients where the web agency disabled it with good intentions, saying: we do not want to be crawled there — but perhaps you do want that. So just double-check as a precaution that you have not accidentally been caught in this prevention, this protection. Normally by default you are found on Google, by default you are found on Bing, by default your pages are also crawlable by AI — and you can specifically exclude certain pages or an entire website presence. So please check this with your agency. Then: strengthen local and topical relevance. Here it is very important: if you have not already done so, there is the option to create a free Business Profile on Google. If you do not have one yet, you should do that.
I will share the link here. And once you have it, make sure you maintain everything — profile, reviews, photos, address — tutto completo. And the same exists — I shared the link earlier — at Bing Places, which is the equivalent in the Microsoft world. I will include that link again as well. So to recap: we have looked at Bing Webmaster Tools, we have looked at Bing Places, we have looked at this topic here. We have looked at the Product Discovery page. And as always, social media and branding. And it is particularly important to note that Reddit is the most crawlable, because LinkedIn for example is quite restrictive about external access to its content. As always, currency and originality are key, along with certified relationships and expertise. And here once more in the tabular overview: a lot of things are very similar, but classical SEO focuses more on keywords, backlinks, and metadata. With LLMO — Large Language Model Optimisation — the focus is on precise answers, citability, and context. So less filler, and more concise, relevant content.
What counts: Less filler, more punchy content
Search engines — Google and Bing — with Google being number one for classical SEO. Here Bing is very clearly out in front. Content type: compact, structured, citable content, including sources and your own and external platforms, such as Reddit for example. Make sure your content is crawlable and that load times are as fast as possible — that applies to both, by the way. No one wants to wait and you will be penalised for it. And of course it must be mobile-optimised, because people also want to access your content via smartphones. Local visibility via Google Business and Maps, and on the social media side. You can also always ask — as I did — what is the link to optimise? Google My Business. Then I get the link. I also asked: how do I list myself on Bing Maps? At first when I clicked through, I got an error message. I simply searched again and then I got in. You can see: no rocket science, a good idea to simply have the essential building blocks in place. The good news: if you have good SEO, you already have excellent prerequisites for good AI discoverability, because Google too is increasingly placing real relevance above irrelevance.
Conclusion
That means truly good content gets rewarded here. Speaking of good content: if you have not had enough of me yet, there is another opportunity to see me live this evening at 6 p.m. Together with Kai from Fonier and Morton Wolf, we are hosting a joint live webinar. Let me move to the other side so you can see it better. A joint live webinar on the topic of artificial intelligence in sales. Kai from Fonier will open and share his best prompts. Then Morton Wolf — with the motto Unfuck Sales — will focus on sales, and I will present AI solutions and additional tools as the third speaker. The link is included. Registration is free. Please join us. And as you know: first switch on your brain, then the technology.
I look forward to seeing you. Until next time — your Personal IT Coach for Executives, Thorsten Jekel.
Key Takeaways
- Anyone who wants to be found today must look beyond Google and also consider AI systems like ChatGPT — the term for this is LLMO (Large Language Model Optimisation).
- Good classical SEO is a strong foundation for AI discoverability: whoever is relevant on Google also has better chances of being cited by AI.
- Bing plays an underestimated key role: ChatGPT Search is based on Bing, which makes Bing Webmaster Tools and Bing Places essential tasks.
- Content should be short, precise, and citable — AI systems look for compact answers to specific questions, not long marketing texts.
- Q&A formats are particularly effective because they match exactly the search pattern of AI users.
- Perplexity is an excellent tool for checking your own visibility and identifying sources that AI prefers to use.
- Reddit is an often overlooked platform for LLMO: posts there are frequently used as sources by Perplexity and other AI search engines.
- Your Google Business Profile and Bing Places listing should be fully maintained to ensure local visibility — including in AI responses.
- Website owners should check that the OpenAI Search Crawler has not been accidentally blocked by agency settings.
- OpenAI offers a Product Discovery feature where you can register early to secure visibility in future ChatGPT search results.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does LLMO mean and why is it important?
LLMO stands for Large Language Model Optimisation and describes strategies to ensure that your own website or brand is found and cited by AI systems such as ChatGPT. It is important because more and more people are asking their questions directly in AI tools rather than using a traditional search engine.
What is ChatGPT well suited for — and what is it not?
According to Thorsten Jekel, ChatGPT is particularly good at summarising large texts and expanding small ones. It is not well suited for research, calculations, or precise geographical representations — in those areas it tends to hallucinate.
Why should you optimise for Bing when it comes to AI discoverability?
Bing is the foundation for ChatGPT Search. Anyone who optimises their website via Bing Webmaster Tools and registers in Bing Places directly increases their chances of being featured in ChatGPT search responses.
What are Bing Webmaster Tools and how do they help?
Bing Webmaster Tools is a free analysis and optimisation tool from Microsoft, similar to Google Search Console. It shows URLs, sitemaps, and indexing status, and even provides Copilot recommendations for further improvements to your website.
What is Perplexity and what is it particularly suitable for?
Perplexity is an AI-powered search engine that combines elements of Google and ChatGPT: it delivers structured answers while transparently showing the sources it used. Thorsten Jekel recommends it especially for technical questions and for checking which sources AI tends to prefer.
Why is Reddit relevant for AI visibility?
Reddit is frequently used as a source by AI search engines like Perplexity because it is an open platform with active discussions. Anyone who contributes useful content to relevant Reddit communities increases their chances of appearing as a source in AI-generated answers.
What type of content works best for LLMO?
Short, precise, and citable content works best for LLMO — in particular question-and-answer formats (Q&As). AI systems are probability machines that look for compact, clearly formulated answers, not long marketing texts.
What is the OpenAI Search Crawler and why should you not block it?
The OpenAI Search Crawler is a bot that indexes websites so that their content can be considered in ChatGPT search responses. By default it is allowed, but it can be accidentally blocked by agency settings — which is why Thorsten Jekel recommends checking this with your web agency.
What is OpenAI Product Discovery and why should you register?
OpenAI Product Discovery is a new product search from OpenAI where providers can register with their name, email address, and URL to join a waiting list. Registering early gives you a head start on visibility in future ChatGPT search results.
What is the difference between classical SEO and LLMO?
Classical SEO focuses on keywords, backlinks, and metadata, with Google as the most important search engine. LLMO focuses on precise answers, citability, and context — with Bing as an important foundation — and the emphasis is on compact, relevant content rather than quantity.
Tools & Resources Mentioned
- Perplexity — AI-powered search engine that delivers structured answers with source references; recommended for research and checking your own AI visibility
- Bing Webmaster Tools — free analysis and optimisation tool for the Bing search engine, including Copilot recommendations
- Bing Places — the equivalent of Google Business Profile in the Microsoft world; important for local AI discoverability
- Google Business Profile — free business profile on Google; should be fully maintained with address, photos, and reviews
- Reddit — open discussion platform frequently used as a source by AI search engines
- AI Resources on digital4productivity.de — further content on the topic of Artificial Intelligence
