Can AI search cite this page?
Check whether ChatGPT search, Perplexity, Claude and other AI answer engines can actually reach and read a page: robots.txt rules per AI crawler, CDN/firewall blocks, content hidden behind JavaScript, structured data and llms.txt.
What is GEO?
Generative Engine Optimization is making your content easy for AI answer engines (ChatGPT search, Perplexity, Google's AI features, Claude, Copilot) to find, understand and cite. Nobody can guarantee a citation, but the prerequisites are technical and checkable: the engine's crawler must be allowed in, the content must be in the HTML it fetches, and the page must be clear about what it is.
Search bots vs training bots
AI companies use separate crawlers. Search and user bots (OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User, PerplexityBot, Claude-SearchBot…) fetch pages to cite them in answers. Training bots (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended, CCBot…) collect data for model training. You can block training and still be cited. Blocking a search bot means that engine can't use your page.
Does Google AI Overviews use a separate bot?
No. AI Overviews and AI Mode use regular Googlebot and the normal index. If a page is indexable in Google Search, it's eligible. Google-Extended only controls Gemini training and grounding, not Search.
Why does JavaScript matter?
Most AI crawlers fetch the raw HTML and don't run JavaScript. If your content is rendered client-side (an empty <div id="root"> filled in by React or Vue), they see an empty page. Server-side rendering or static generation fixes it.
Is the CDN check reliable?
It's a strong hint, not proof. We send requests that identify as each AI crawler (and say they come from CrawlSentry) and compare the response with a normal request. Some CDNs verify real bots by IP address, so results for genuine crawler traffic can differ. Confirm in your CDN's firewall logs.