How to Rank in Perplexity AI: The Complete SEO Guide (2025)
Perplexity is the fastest-growing AI search engine. Here's exactly how to get your brand and content cited in Perplexity answers.
Perplexity AI processes over 100 million queries per month and is the fastest-growing AI search engine. Unlike ChatGPT, Perplexity actively crawls the web in real time—making it both more dynamic and more responsive to fresh, well-optimised content.
How Perplexity Chooses Sources
Perplexity uses a hybrid approach: it combines a live web search with its underlying LLM (currently GPT-4 and Claude). Sources are chosen based on:
- Domain authority and trustworthiness signals
- Relevance to the specific query
- Freshness — Perplexity prioritises recent content
- Structured, direct answers that can be excerpted easily
- HTTPS and technical SEO fundamentals
Step 1 — Optimise for Crawlability
Unlike other LLMs that rely on training data, Perplexity actively crawls. This means traditional technical SEO directly improves your Perplexity rankings.
- Ensure Perplexity's crawler (PerplexityBot) is not blocked in robots.txt
- Fast page load speeds — aim for < 2s LCP
- Valid sitemap.xml submitted to major search engines
- Clean URL structure and internal linking
Step 2 — Write Direct-Answer Content
Perplexity excerpts content to build its answers. Content that leads with a direct answer to the query headline is excerpted most often.
- Start every article with a 1-2 sentence direct answer
- Use the exact query phrasing in your H1 or first paragraph
- Follow the answer with supporting detail
- Use numbered lists for step-by-step content
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I block Perplexity from crawling my site?
Yes — add 'User-agent: PerplexityBot Disallow: /' to your robots.txt. But blocking Perplexity means your content won't appear in Perplexity answers, removing a growing traffic source.
How often does Perplexity update its sources?
Perplexity crawls continuously. New content can appear in Perplexity answers within hours of publication if it's well-optimised.
Last updated: February 15, 2025 · Written by RankJag Team