How Long Does It Take to See Results of AI SEO Optimisation?

The time it takes to see AI SEO results varies by industry, competition, and platform, but most businesses start noticing early gains within a few weeks. Improvements in crawlability and technical health often appear after just 2 weeks, early appearances in Google AI Overviews within 3–4 weeks, and first citations in ChatGPT or Gemini around 5–6 weeks. Full visibility across your category, where AI consistently cites you for queries tied to your unique selling points (USPs), typically takes from a few weeks to a couple of months.

Computer screen with code, representing technical foundations of generative engine optimisation and improving AI search results visibility

2 weeks → noticeable improvements in crawlability, SEO health, and AI readiness.
3–4 weeks → early mentions in Google AI Mode and AI Overviews.
5–6 weeks → first citations in ChatGPT and Gemini answers.
2–3 months → consistent visibility for queries tied to your USPs.
Varies by industry & model → depends on competition and AI re-training cycles.

Why timing expectations matter

For business owners and marketing leaders, investing in AI visibility feels urgent. According to Pew Research, when AI summaries appear in Google search results, users click fewer traditional links. This means your website may see traffic drop before you understand why.

At the same time, Google announced in May 2025 that AI Overviews now reach over 1.5 billion monthly users across 200+ countries. Visibility inside AI answers isn’t optional anymore, instead it’s where your customers are looking.

Still, AI SEO optimisation isn’t instant. Like traditional SEO, it requires laying the technical groundwork, building authority, and ensuring your signals are trusted by multiple models.

What happens in the first 2 weeks?

Within two weeks of an AI SEO optimisation project, you can usually see improvements in the underlying health metrics that determine future visibility.

These may include:

Your website’s SEO score and AI visibility audit rating.
Improved crawlability permissions (ensuring bots like GPTBot aren’t blocked).
A clear, structured sitemap and updated llms.txt file guiding AI models.
Better site speed and structured schema data.

These changes won’t immediately put you at the top of ChatGPT’s answers, but they set the stage for results to follow.

When do AI Overviews and Google AI Mode show results?

Between weeks 3–4, businesses often start appearing inside Google AI Overviews or in AI Mode answers. This is because Google retrains and updates AI summaries frequently, and fresh, structured content is picked up quickly.

According to Semrush’s July 2025 study, AI Overviews now appear in 13.14% of search queries, double the rate from earlier in the year. Many of these queries are purchase intent or comparison questions, which are the type most brands want to rank for.

When do ChatGPT and Gemini start citing brands?

Citations in ChatGPT and Gemini generally take a little longer, around 5–6 weeks. These models update their knowledge based on both crawling and retraining schedules, which vary.

OpenAI’s GPTBot crawls continuously, but citations in ChatGPT answers depend on how confident the model is in your authority.
Google Gemini integrates its broader search ecosystem, but again, confidence signals (backlinks, mentions, structured data) affect how quickly you’re cited.

Full visibility: 2–3 months

The “final milestone” of AI SEO is consistent visibility: showing up in AI answers across multiple models whenever a query touches your USPs. Reaching this stage typically takes 2–3 months, but it depends heavily on:

Your industry → fast-moving sectors like tech may take longer than niche local services.
Competitor activity → if your competitors are already investing in AI SEO, you’ll need more authority to compete.
Model retraining cycles → major AI models periodically refresh, which can boost or delay visibility.

Baby Sisters: real-life example

Baby Sisters, a babysitting platform in Portugal, came to Indexed Lab invisible in AI search. They weren’t being mentioned when users asked ChatGPT questions like “What’s the best babysitting service in Lisbon?”.

We worked with them to optimise technical foundations, create authority-driven content, and ensure their USPs (safety, flexibility, quality caregivers) were highlighted.

Within 40 days, Baby Sisters achieved their first conversion directly from an AI recommendation. ChatGPT began citing them in relevant queries, moving them from invisible to chosen. (Read the full case study)

This timeline shows that while full visibility may take months, tangible results can come much sooner.

Babysitter playing with two young children, illustrating Indexed Lab’s generative engine optimisation success in achieving first-place AI search results in 40 days

Timeline by platform

Here’s a simplified view of when you can expect AI SEO results, by platform:

Platform	2 weeks (early)	4 weeks (early-mid)	6 weeks (mid)	2–3 months (mature)
Google AI Overviews	Improved crawlability → baseline signals detected	Early mentions in summaries	Broader coverage in purchase/comparison queries	Consistent presence across USP-related queries
Google AI Mode	Technical health improvements	Early feature in AI-generated results	Stronger ranking for niche queries	Broad authority coverage
ChatGPT	Crawl signals picked up by GPTBot	Some testing queries may start to surface you	First citations in user-facing answers	Consistent citations for USP-related prompts
Gemini	Content crawl + structured signals registered	Internal confidence building	Early appearances in certain categories	Consistent presence across AI recommendations

Common mistakes to avoid

Expecting instant results: AI SEO builds momentum, it’s not a switch.
Over-focusing on brand-specific queries: broader purchase intent queries deliver more visibility.
Ignoring technical health: if crawlers can’t access your site, visibility won’t follow.
Stopping too early: visibility compounds; the second month is often where results accelerate.

Counterarguments & nuance

Some argue AI SEO is unpredictable, so timelines are meaningless. It’s true that AI retraining cycles can delay visibility. However, according to Cloudflare, GPTBot crawling has surged over 300% year-on-year, which means AI models are actively refreshing their knowledge. With strong technical signals, businesses can realistically expect results within the windows outlined above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I really see results in just 2 weeks?

Not full visibility, but you will see improvements in crawlability and health metrics, which are leading indicators of future results.

Why does ChatGPT take longer than Google AI Overviews?

Because Google integrates results more frequently via search indexing, while ChatGPT balances crawler input with retraining schedules.

Will my results disappear if AI models retrain?

Not if your authority is strong. In fact, retraining cycles often help reinforce brands that have built technical foundations and authority content.

Try it a home

If you’re running a business today, ask yourself. Have you tried prompting Gemini, ChatGPT, or Perplexity about your category? Does your brand show up? If not, now’s the time to start thinking about AI visibility, because your customers are already searching there.

If you are interested in knowing more about how to make your brand show up on AI models, I recommend you watch my video above talking about the basics so you can get started!

Still feeling overwhelmed?

At Indexed Lab we are here to help you make sense of everything, just book a free call with us!

Conclusion

So, how long does it take to see results of AI SEO optimisation? While full visibility across AI models takes 2–3 months, most businesses start seeing progress within 2 weeks and measurable citations by 4–6 weeks. By setting realistic expectations, and focusing on technical foundations, authority building, and dissemination, you’ll position your brand as the trusted answer AI models deliver to customers.