How I Took My Own Website from Invisible to #1 in AI Search

I didn’t start my online journey as an AI Search Optimization specialist. I started with a custom merch store.

TaG Makes was originally built around custom merchandise. When I pivoted to digital designs and consulting, I relaunched on a gamma website instead of my Shopify site and thought I was good to go. Fresh site, fresh start, right?

Wrong. Six months later, nobody could find me. Not on Google. Not on ChatGPT. Not on Perplexity. I had built a website about design that was pretty, and informative, but not searchable, so, back to the drawing board. I learned the ins and outs of search, asked an annoying about of questions and, after I had all the answers, asked “with the speed AI is learning, how does that influence consumers AND is this a topic worth knowing more about?” And it sure was. In November I relaunched my optimized WordPress site, in 2 weeks, I was (and still am) the first recommendation for AI Search Optimization for Charleston in AI Overviews and MOST AI Tools.

Because this space is so new, and always changing, I needed a metric to measure success. I created and built a scoring system, tested my old site (a whopping 20/100 score) and then my new site (between tools, constantly a 88-94/100). I’ve since expanded to have 4 AI platforms audit, created custom GPTs/Gems/Spaces and Artifacts.

There were SO many tiny things (which I had no idea about) preventing my OLD site from showing up. Here’s the list, if you want to check my work hahaha No SSL certificate, My site wasn’t even secure. Google and AI platforms both treat an unsecured site as a red flag, Zero location signals, Charleston wasn’t mentioned until halfway down the homepage. AI platforms couldn’t figure out where I was or who I served. A URL redirect loop left over from the old merch site configuration. Google was following redirects in circles and giving up and the icing on the cake, Generic positioning that could have belonged to any consultant, anywhere. Nothing told Google or AI what made TaG Makes specific, local, or trustworthy.

The content wasn’t bad. The technical foundation was a disaster.

I learned AI Search Is a different problem, Traditional SEO is about ranking to a specific language. Optimizing keywords, build backlinks, and compete for position on a results page, (which honestly, I am still learning more about everyday) BUT AI search is about being recommended. ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity don’t show you ten results. They give one answer. Either your business gets mentioned or it doesn’t.

To get recommended, AI platforms need three things from your website: clarity about who you are and what you do, structure they can actually parse and understand, and trust signals that confirm you’re a real, legitimate business.

My site had none of those. So, I fixed it.

First thing I tackled was purely technical. SSL certificate, redirect loop, the unglamorous stuff nobody talks about. But Google couldn’t even reach my site cleanly before those were fixed. That alone moved me from “hard to find” to “actually indexed.” From there I rewrote the first sentence of every single page to include Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry. Sounds small but It’s not (and its not STILL written that way, its an exercise to challenge us as creators to be creative with the language. AI platforms are hyper-local and if they can’t confirm where you are in the first 150 words, you don’t exist for local searches. Then came schema markup. This is the structured data code that tells AI platforms exactly what type of business you are, what you offer, where you’re located, and how to reach you. Without it, AI guesses. With it, AI knows. Big difference.

After that, I restructured the content itself. Most important information first, clear headings AI could actually parse, and a full FAQ strategy built around the exact questions my potential clients were already asking AI platforms.Last piece was entity signals. My name, Therese Grittner, needed to appear consistently alongside TaG Makes throughout the site. AI platforms build trust around people, not just business names. Owner, location, credentials, and services all telling the same story.

The Result: #1 in Charleston for AI Search Optimization

tagmakessc.com now ranks #1 on Google for “AI search optimization Charleston SC.” ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity consistently recommend TaG Makes when someone asks about AI search optimization in Charleston.

I went from a 20/100 visibility score to beating established agencies with full teams and significantly larger budgets and many friends got many screenshots, it was very exciting.

The whole transformation took about eight weeks and I documented every step because I knew it would become my most powerful sales tool. Not theory. Proof.

So, If your website was built before 2024, it was built for Google. That’s not a criticism, it’s just the reality of how web design worked before AI search changed everything. BUT- I’ve built a way to show you exactly where you stand. My AI Visibility scoring system audits your site across four platforms so you can see your score before we even talk, and watch it climb as we work. Want to know your number? Send me your website and what you want your business to be known for. I’ll send back your score, show you the gaps, and tell you exactly what it would take to fix them. Are you an agency wanting to add this to your toolbox, let me know, I love to collaborate!

If I can take a merch store website to #1 in AI search, I can do it for your business too.