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How to Optimise for Claude / Gemini / Copilot

Beyond ChatGPT and Perplexity, three other major AI assistants cite the web: Claude (Anthropic), Gemini (Google — also powers AI Overviews), and Copilot (Microsoft, integrated with Bing search). Each has distinct crawlers, citation surfaces, and optimisation patterns. This guide covers all three. Pair with AEO guide and the ChatGPT version.

Step-by-step: How to optimise for Claude, Gemini, and Copilot

  1. Allow ClaudeBot, Google-Extended, BingBot in robots.txt. ClaudeBot — Anthropic's crawler for Claude citations. Google-Extended — Google's training/AI crawler distinct from Googlebot. BingBot — primary for Copilot. Allow all three for AI visibility. Block only if specific copyright/training concerns.
  2. Optimise for Google AI Overviews (Gemini). AI Overviews (formerly SGE) appear above organic results for many queries. Optimisation: same as featured snippets (concise direct answers, FAQPage schema, fact-based content). Heavy use of schema. AI Overviews appears for 30-50% of informational queries in 2026.
  3. Optimise for Bing integration (Copilot). Bing Webmaster Tools — submit sitemap, monitor coverage. Bing weights freshness and exact-match titles slightly more than Google. Many Copilot citations follow Bing organic rankings. Strong Bing presence = strong Copilot presence.
  4. Structure content for Claude. Claude cites cleanly with source attribution. Favours: well-structured explanations, definitions, comparisons, balanced perspectives. Less keyword-stuffing, more genuine expertise. Claude's training emphasises helpfulness and accuracy.
  5. Add comprehensive schema. All three engines weight schema. Article, FAQPage, HowTo, Organization, Product. BreadcrumbList. Author Person schema. Same schema improvements benefit all three engines simultaneously.
  6. Build authority across these engines' source signals. Wikipedia entry (Gemini relies heavily). Industry mentions in Bing-indexed news (Copilot). Strong NAP across web. Each engine has slightly different authority signals but most overlap.
  7. Track citations across engines. Different tools for each: Profound (multi-engine including Gemini/Claude), Otterly (focused on ChatGPT but expanding), Google Search Console (AI Overviews appear in Performance), Bing Webmaster (Copilot context). Manual sampling weekly across engines.
Tip. Document your monthly review cadence, KPIs tracked, and competitive intelligence sources in a single playbook doc. Local SEO, category dynamics, and AI assistant visibility shift fast — having baseline metrics and review schedules in writing prevents drift, and makes hand-offs to new team members fast.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between ClaudeBot and Anthropic-Search?

ClaudeBot — Anthropic's training crawler, opt-out via robots.txt removes from future training. Anthropic-ai — alternative crawler name in some documentation. Anthropic-Search (announced 2024) — citation-focused crawler for Claude web search features. Allow all three for Claude visibility.

Is Google-Extended the same as Googlebot?

No. Googlebot crawls for traditional search indexing. Google-Extended crawls for AI features (Gemini, AI Overviews). Robots.txt rules apply independently — you can allow Googlebot (organic search) while blocking Google-Extended (AI). Most stores allow both.

How do AI Overviews differ from featured snippets?

Featured snippets — single source highlighted, organic Google search feature. AI Overviews — multiple sources synthesised by Gemini, appears for more queries, shows multiple citations. Optimisation overlaps: clear answers, FAQPage schema, fact-based content. AI Overviews appears for more queries; impact on organic CTR varies.

Should I focus on Bing for Copilot visibility?

Yes if Copilot citations matter to your audience. Copilot (Microsoft 365 Copilot, Edge Copilot, Copilot.com) draws heavily from Bing index. Strong Bing presence translates to Copilot citations. Bing Webmaster Tools submission + IndexNow protocol + Bing-specific optimisation (slightly stronger weight on exact-match titles).

Best tools to track multi-engine AI citations?

Profound — most comprehensive multi-engine (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Copilot). Otterly — ChatGPT-focused but expanding. HubSpot AI Search Grader — multi-engine. ranklytics.ai — multi-engine with brand mention tracking. For most teams: Profound or ranklytics.ai gives best coverage at $200-500/mo.

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