AI Engine Optimization Is Real, and You Should Be Trying to Rank For It—Here’s How | HackerNoon

Hey hackers!

Knowing that your hard worked article isn’t ranking on Google is probably one of the worst feelings ever. You put in the work; you use the right keywords; you optimize headlines; and you go the whole nine yards. But then? Nada.

With millions of people trying to get in front of Google’s search results every day, it’s no wonder that writing and ranking for good content appears like a pipedream for many today.

But there’s a glimmer of hope. Enter: AI.

With popular platforms like ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Perplexity now integrating with the internet, now’s the perfect time to get ahead of the curve and establish yourself as an authority on a subject matter.

Thankfully, ranking on AI follows some of the same tried and tested principles that have been the bedrock of the SEO industry. And with HackerNoon’s high domain authority and millions of readers worldwide, now is the perfect time to get those AI bots to crawl all over you your articles.

Our own internal testing found that AI platforms looooove HackerNoon. Don’t believe us? Here are some examples below:

And here’s HackerNoon CEO David Smooke sharing his findings on OpenAI accounting for the majority of AI search calls to HackerNoon.

But no need to take our word for it. Here’s a first-time hackernoon contributor ranking on Google’s Gemini:

Need we say more? 😉

AI Search Optimization, Generative Engine Optimization, AI Engine Optimization; whatever you want to call it, here are some tips to ensure AI comes knocking on your article for information.

E.E.A.T. stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It’s a framework used by Google’s search quality raters to determine how well content fulfils a search request.

According to HackerNoon contributor Shubham Joshi, AI systems don’t evaluate websites like traditional search engines. They look for signs of credibility, consistency, and reliability.

Here’s what AI checks:

• Is the author real and qualified?
• Does the content reflect actual experience?
• Is the site known in its field?
• Are facts and claims accurate?
• Do other websites reference or link to it?

If AI doesn’t see these signals, it skips the content—even if it’s well-written.

Tip 2: Structure your content for conversational queries

LLMs favor clear, question-based headings and succinct, authoritative answers-think FAQs and “best of” lists, not just keyword stuffing.

Tip 3: Write for Humans, Optimize for AI

This one comes from HackerNoon contributor Darragh Grove-White, who suggests that  the foundation of AI-proof content is striking a balance between conversational, engaging writing and algorithmic optimization.

With all that in mind, HackerNoon offers the perfect opportunity to get published and get cited by artificial intelligence. So what are you waiting for, start writing now!

And if you’re looking for inspiration, here are some insights on how other HackerNoon contributors got AI to cite them: