Technical SEO for AI Search: Schema, Speed, and Crawlability Guide

Technical SEO for AI search focuses on three pillars: structured data (schema markup) that helps AI understand content type and relationships, site performance (Core Web Vitals under 2.5s LCP) that ensures reliable crawling, and crawlability (robots.txt, XML sitemaps) that gives AI engines access to your content. According to Google's structured data documentation, proper schema implementation improves AI content understanding by up to 67%. Unlike traditional SEO, AI technical optimization prioritizes content extraction over ranking signals.

Schema Markup for AI Search #

Priority Schema Types #

Not all schemas are equally valuable for AI. According to Schema.org documentation and AI citation analysis, prioritize:

Article Schema Implementation #

Every blog article should include Article schema. Required properties:

• headline: Article title (matches H1)
• author: Person or Organization with name
• datePublished: ISO 8601 format (2026-01-29)
• dateModified: Last update date (critical for freshness)
• publisher: Organization with logo
• description: Article summary (matches meta description)

FAQPage Schema Best Practices #

FAQ schema enables direct answer extraction. Implementation requirements from Google's FAQPage guidelines:

• Unique questions: Each question should be distinct, not duplicate
• Complete answers: Full answers, not links to other pages
• Visible content: Q&A must appear on the visible page
• 3-7 questions: Optimal range for extraction

Site Speed for AI Crawling #

Core Web Vitals Targets #

Based on Google's Web Vitals documentation, target these metrics:

Speed Optimization Tactics #

• Image optimization: WebP format, lazy loading, proper sizing
• JavaScript: Defer non-critical scripts, minimize bundle size
• CSS: Inline critical CSS, defer non-critical styles
• CDN: Use content delivery network for global performance
• Caching: Browser caching headers for repeat visits

AI Crawler Access and Crawlability #

Robots.txt for AI Crawlers #

AI engines use specific user agents. Ensure access is allowed:

• GPTBot: OpenAI's crawler for ChatGPT
• Google-Extended: Google's AI training crawler
• Perplexity-User: Perplexity's crawler
• anthropic-ai: Claude's crawler
• CCBot: Common Crawl (used by many AI models)

XML Sitemap Best Practices #

Sitemaps help AI crawlers discover and prioritize content:

• lastmod dates: Update when content changes (signals freshness)
• changefreq: Indicate update frequency for prioritization
• priority: Signal importance (0.0-1.0 scale)
• Index limitation: Maximum 50,000 URLs per sitemap
• Submit to: Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools

Internal Link Architecture #

Internal links help AI understand content relationships:

• Pillar-cluster model: Hub pages link to related content
• Contextual links: Link from within content, not just navigation
• Anchor text: Descriptive, keyword-rich anchor text
• Link depth: Important pages within 3 clicks from homepage

Mobile-First Technical SEO #

Mobile Requirements #

Google's mobile-first indexing applies to AI crawlers. Requirements from Google's mobile-first documentation:

• Responsive design: Same content on mobile and desktop
• Viewport meta tag: Proper viewport configuration
• Tap targets: Minimum 48x48 pixels for touch
• Font size: Minimum 16px base font size
• Content parity: Mobile must have same content as desktop

Technical SEO Limitations for AI #

Technical optimization has important constraints:

• Content quality first: Technical SEO cannot compensate for poor content
• No direct ranking: Schema doesn't directly improve AI citation rates
• Crawler access ≠ citations: Being crawled doesn't guarantee citations
• Changing standards: AI crawler requirements evolve rapidly
• Limited control: You can't force AI engines to cite you

Frequently Asked Questions #

What schema markup is most important for AI? #

Article schema for blog content, FAQPage for Q&A sections, and HowTo for tutorials. These directly help AI understand content type and extract answers. Always include Author/Person schema for expertise signals.

Should I allow or block AI crawlers? #

Allow AI crawlers (GPTBot, Perplexity-User, Google-Extended) if you want AI visibility. Blocking prevents your content from being indexed and cited. Only block if you have specific reasons (content licensing, etc.).

Does site speed affect AI citations? #

Indirectly. Slow sites get crawled less frequently, meaning slower content discovery and indexing. Sites with Core Web Vitals issues may be deprioritized. Target LCP under 2.5 seconds.

How do I test my technical AI SEO? #

Use Google's Rich Results Test for schema validation, PageSpeed Insights for Core Web Vitals, and check robots.txt for crawler access. GEO-Lens provides AI-specific technical auditing.

Conclusion #

Technical SEO for AI search builds the foundation for visibility. Schema markup helps AI understand your content structure, site speed ensures reliable crawling, and proper crawler access enables indexing. Together, these technical elements support your content optimization efforts.

Prioritize Article, FAQ, and HowTo schemas. Ensure Core Web Vitals pass (especially LCP under 2.5s). Allow AI crawlers in robots.txt. These fundamentals, combined with quality content, create the conditions for AI citation success.

About the Author

Yue Zhu@Seenos.ai

Product Manager at Seenos.ai. Pioneer in AEO research since 2024, exploring the convergence of SEO and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). Led multiple AI-powered content optimization projects that achieved 300%+ citation increases in ChatGPT and Perplexity.