AI Doesn’t Crawl Like Google—So How Do You Get Found?

Do—and How Often—AI Large Language Models Scan Your Website for New Information?

This is a question that recently popped into my head—and it’s one your business may not have started tackling yet. As companies learn how to write prompts, assess security risks, and streamline workflows with AI, many are simultaneously noticing a troubling trend: traffic is starting to drop, sooner rather than later.

With 15+ years of experience in SEO, I believe it’s critical to understand the technical nuances between traditional SEO and emerging GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) to stay ahead of this shift.

How Traditional SEO Works vs. AI Models

Traditionally, Google bots crawl your website on a relatively predictable cadence—often estimated at every 4–6 weeks, depending on site authority and update frequency. Best practices include maintaining an up-to-date dynamic XML sitemap and manually submitting new or updated pages via Google Search Console to speed up indexing.

But AI Large Language Models (LLMs) ingest and interact with web content very differently than traditional search engines. As I began addressing in my previous blog, “Take a Page Out of a Book for Your GEO Digital Strategy,” this raises an important question:

If AI doesn’t crawl like Google, when—and how—does it access your content? And how do you stay relevant in the era of AI?

What AI Says About Itself

Naturally, I asked Google AI this exact question. Here’s what it said:

“Large Language Models (LLMs) do not ‘read’ websites on a fixed schedule like traditional search engine crawlers. Instead, their interaction with your site depends on whether they are accessing it for training, real-time retrieval, or via a user-triggered request.”

One particularly thought-provoking line surfaced from a source AI referenced:

“LLMs aren’t born knowing how to browse the web effectively.”
(Source: Mantra ideas)

That insight reframed the challenge. The question isn’t if AI interacts with your content, but how. To adapt, we need to understand the three primary ways AI systems engage with website data.

The Three Types of AI–Website Interactions

1. Training
   Training happens in large, infrequent runs using curated mixtures of licensed data, publicly available data, and human-created content. Once training is complete, the model does not continuously learn or update itself. It doesn’t remember conversations or automatically absorb new content. Think of training as school, not live experience.

2. Real-Time Retrieval
   Real-time retrieval usually does not involve crawling the open web. Instead, AI systems query indexes, APIs, databases, or licensed sources. This is fundamentally different from Google’s constant web crawling—and nothing like malicious software attempting to scrape or exploit sites.
   
   
3. User-Triggered Requests
   Modern AI represents a shift from searching to commanding. Users issue high-level prompts (e.g., “Compare electric SUVs”) and AI retrieves, structures, and synthesizes information into actionable outputs—such as summaries, comparisons, or recommendations.

The user can even control the output format such as “display a side-by-side comparison of features for the top 3 electric cars,” which is incredibly powerful and time-saving.

Signs AI Is Accessing Your Website

Analytics platforms are beginning to catch up—some now list “ChatGPT” or similar tools as referral sources. Other potential indicators include:

• Unexpected spikes in bounce rate
  
  
• Declines in organic traffic paired with stable or rising impressions in Google Search Console
  
  
• Content appearing paraphrased or summarized in AI-generated answers without direct clicks

How Do You Get Indexed by AI?

There is no manual submission process for GEO. Instead, your website must be:

• Crawlable (technically sound and accessible)
• Well-structured (clear headings, schema, and semantic organization)
• Authoritative (credible, citable, and consistent)
• Machine-readable (via public APIs, RSS feeds, or structured data)

A basic “brochure website” with 10–15 shallow pages is no longer sufficient. And while Google Ads still have their place, paid ads do not currently appear in AI-generated search results—meaning you can’t buy your way to visibility.

Staying Competitive in GEO

To remain competitive, businesses need to:

• Conduct a full technical SEO and crawlability audit
• Analyze content structure and information architecture
• Revamp content calendars to prioritize depth, specificity, and original insight

Content can no longer be high-level or teaser-based. It must be substantive, data-backed, and genuinely useful—something AI systems can confidently reference and synthesize.

Final Takeaway

Your website technology must be cutting-edge, and your authority on your subject matter must be robust. If you’re not there yet, now is the time to invest.

Because in the age of AI search, visibility belongs to the most useful source—not the loudest one.