Why your category webpages, brand pages, and collections are invisible to AI. The one-week experiment that fixes it before competitors do.
The digital marketing world is buzzing with new acronyms.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is giving way to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). Generative Engine Optimization (GEO AI) is the new frontier. Everyone is chasing visibility in Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), racing to be quoted by Large Language Models (LLMs), and scrambling to understand how Artificial Intelligence Generation (AIG) will reshape discovery.
The conversation has shifted so dramatically that traditional SEO feels almost quaint. Local SEO? That is yesterday’s problem. Category page optimization? Basic hygiene that surely everyone has handled by now.
Except they have not.
While consultants sell sophisticated AI optimization strategies and agencies pitch “SGE readiness audits,” most businesses are sitting on a foundation full of cracks. Their taxonomy is a mess. Their category pages are barren. Their site structure is illegible to the very AI systems they are trying to impress.
Here is the uncomfortable truth: you cannot optimize for AI-driven search if your baseline SEO is broken. It is like installing solar panels on a house with no foundation. The technology is impressive, but the structure cannot support it.
This is the first article in a series I am calling “AI Traps: Build the Base or Bust”. This series is not about chasing the latest optimization trend. It is about building a durable base that works today and scales tomorrow. We start where most businesses are failing: taxonomy and category pages.
Because if Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Local SEO, and basic information architecture are not solid, everything built on top will collapse.
If AI Cannot Read You, It Cannot Recommend You.
Think about walking into a library where every book is stacked randomly on the floor. No shelves, no sections, no labels. Just thousands of books in a pile. You need information about medieval architecture, but good luck finding it. You would leave frustrated, empty-handed, convinced the book you need does not exist in that chaos.
This is what your website looks like to AI when your taxonomy is broken.
For years, businesses have treated category pages like afterthoughts. A grid of product thumbnails, perhaps accompanied by a title at the top, was considered sufficient. It looked clean. It felt minimal. But minimal to the human eye translates to empty to a search crawler. And if it looks empty to Google, it looks invisible to ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and every other AI-powered answer engine fighting for dominance in 2025.
The truth is uncomfortable but simple: AI will surface whoever is most findable, legible, and trusted. That starts with a durable Search Engine Optimization (SEO) foundation, not shortcuts. You can chase the latest optimization trick, or you can build a structure that works today and scales tomorrow. Foundations first, amplification second.
The Problem: Most Category Pages Are Ghost Pages.
Let’s be precise about what we mean by “category pages.”
We are referring to any page that organizes products, content, or services into a single collection. This includes traditional category pages, as well as brand pages, collection pages, series pages, and any other taxonomy layer in your information architecture. If it organizes items into a group, it is a category page.
In other words, we are referring to the structural foundation of your entire website.
And here is what most of these pages actually are:
- A header.
- A grid of product images.
- Maybe a filter or two.
- Perhaps a short meta description buried in the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) that no human ever reads.
To a person scrolling on a phone, it might look fine. However, to an AI scraping your site for context, it appears as a barren wasteland. There is no semantic richness, no explanation of what the category represents, no structure that says, “Here is what this collection means, who it serves, and why it matters.”
The result? Your category pages rank poorly for long-tail searches. They do not appear in “People Also Ask” boxes. They get skipped entirely when AI generates answers. When Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) summarizes search results, your brand is nowhere to be found because there was nothing worth reading.
According to recent studies, only 30% of online pages use Schema.org markup to help search engines understand their content. That means 70% of the web is invisible to the systems deciding what gets quoted, cited, and recommended. If you are in the 70% range, you are already losing.
This is not a future problem. This is happening now.
Why It Matters Now: AI Reads Structure, Not Design.
Here is the shift that most businesses have not yet internalized: AI does not care how visually appealing your page looks. It cares whether it can extract meaning.
Traditional SEO rewarded keywords, backlinks, and domain authority. Those still matter, but they are table stakes. The new game is about whether your content is machine-readable, contextually rich, and structured in a way that allows AI to confidently say, “This source is trustworthy and relevant.”
Google’s SGE, Bing’s Copilot, and tools like ChatGPT, which integrate with web browsing, are now the gatekeepers of visibility. When someone asks, “What are the best running shoes for marathon training?” these systems scan the web, extract structured data, and synthesize an answer. If your category page is just a grid of images with no descriptive context, you are not even in the running.
Research shows that pages with structured data see CTR improvements ranging from 5% to 35%, with some case studies reporting even higher lifts. Eventbrite implemented the Event schema and saw a 100% increase in traffic to event pages. Rakuten added Recipe schema and experienced a 2.7x increase in traffic and a 1.5x increase in session duration. Monster India optimized job pages and saw a 94% increase in organic traffic.
These are not marginal gains. These are business-altering improvements.
And the companies winning are not using secret tricks. They are simply making their content legible to machines.
The Fix: Build a Findable Foundation.
If your category pages are ghosts, here is how to bring them back to life.
1. Create a Hierarchical Structure:
Your taxonomy is the skeleton of your digital presence. It informs both users and algorithms about the structure of your product or service portfolio.
Start with clear, logical relationships:
- Top-level categories (e.g., “Running Shoes”)
- Subcategories (e.g., “Marathon Shoes,” “Trail Running Shoes”)
- Product groups (e.g., “Neutral Gait Marathon Shoes”)
Use consistent URL patterns and breadcrumbs. A URL like ‘/running-shoes/marathon/neutral-gait’ is infinitely more readable than ‘/products?id=12487’.
Breadcrumbs are not just navigation aids. They are structured data signals that help search engines understand relationships between pages.
2. Add Descriptive Content Above the Grid:
This is the simplest, highest-impact change you can make.
Above your product grid, add 250 to 400 words of context. Explain:
- What this category contains
- Who it is for
- What makes these products different
- Common questions buyers ask
Write it for humans, but structure it for machines. Use natural language that mirrors how people actually search. If customers ask, “What running shoes are best for people with flat feet?” include that exact phrasing in your content.
This content serves multiple purposes. It provides users with clarity, signals relevance to search engines, and offers quotable material for AI summaries.
3. Implement Schema Markup:
Schema is the language AI speaks. It is structured data that wraps around your content and says, “This is a category page. Here are the products it contains. Here is how it connects to other pages on the site.”
For category pages, implement:
- CollectionPage Schema to define the category
- BreadcrumbList Schema to clarify hierarchy
- ItemList Schema to list products with attributes like name, image, and offers
Validate your schema using Google’s Rich Results Test to ensure it is working correctly. An invalid schema is worse than no schema; it signals a lack of attention to detail.
4. Distribute FAQs Across Pages:
Here is a mistake most companies make: they create one giant FAQ page with 50 questions stacked in an accordion.
That page ranks for nothing because it tries to rank for everything.
Instead, distribute 3 to 5 relevant FAQs on each category page. Answer the questions users actually ask about that specific category.
For example, on a “Marathon Running Shoes” category page:
- Q: How do I choose the right marathon running shoe?
- A: It depends on your gait, training volume, and whether you prioritize cushioning or responsiveness. Neutral runners benefit from balanced cushioning, while overpronators need stability features.
Use FAQPage Schema to mark up these Q&As. This makes you eligible for “People Also Ask” boxes and voice search answers.
Why does this work better than a centralized FAQ? Because relevance is contextual. A distributed FAQ strategy allows each page to rank for its own micro-intent, rather than diluting your entire FAQ section into irrelevance.
Proof: What Happens When You Fix the Base.
Let’s talk numbers. According to aggregated data from multiple SEO studies:
- Rich snippets increase Click-Through Rate (CTR) by 5% to 35% depending on the industry and implementation quality
- 36.6% of search keywords trigger at least one featured snippet derived from schema markup
- Users click on rich results 58% of the time compared to 41% for non-rich results
In one documented case, a B2B healthcare services provider was losing traffic to “People Also Ask” boxes that pushed their result down the page. After adding the FAQ schema, the page jumped to position 1 above the PAA box, and organic traffic doubled.
Another example: a manufacturing client lost 50% of traffic during a Google algorithm update when new SERP features crowded their result. They added the FAQ schema in November. By February, traffic had increased by 35% month-over-month and 50% year-over-year.
These improvements are not luck. They are the result of making content machine-readable.
Amplify: Let AI Work for You.
Once your category pages have structure, descriptive content, and schema, AI stops being a threat and starts being an amplifier.
Properly structured category pages become:
- Sources for voice search answers when users ask smart speakers for recommendations
- Citations in AI-generated summaries when SGE or ChatGPT synthesizes shopping advice
- Featured snippets that push competitors below the fold
The difference between businesses that thrive in the AI era and those that disappear is not sophistication. It is discipline. AI rewards consistency, structure, and clarity.
If your data is clean, your taxonomy is logical, and your content is descriptive, AI will find you, understand you, and recommend you.
If your pages are thin, your structure is chaotic, and your schema is absent, you will vanish.
The Human Layer: Don’t Let Machines Write Your Story.
Here is the paradox. You need to optimize for machines, but you cannot write for machines.
AI can generate product descriptions. It can populate schema fields. However, it cannot convey the voice, nuance, and perspective that make your brand distinct.
Your category pages should not read like they were written by a robot. They should feel like they were written by someone who deeply understands the products, the buyers, and the problems being solved.
Use AI as a tool to scale. Use humans to craft the narrative. The companies that succeed are those that master both.
Your Next Step: Run the Experiment:
This is not about overhauling your entire site overnight. This involves conducting a controlled experiment to demonstrate its value before scaling it up.
Here is what I recommend your team do this week: Select three category pages that showcase your best-selling products or highest-margin services. Not random pages. Strategic ones. Pages where improved visibility has a direct impact on revenue.
For each of these pages, have your team:
- Write 300 to 500 words of relevant descriptive content that includes the keywords and key phrases you want that category to rank for. This is not filler text. This is strategically crafted content that positions your brand as the authority on that category. Optimize the Page Title, Meta Description, and H1 tags while you are at it. These elements work together to signal relevance.
- Implement CollectionPage and BreadcrumbList schema to make the page structure machine-readable. Validate everything with Google’s Rich Results Test to ensure there are no errors.
- Add 3 to 5 relevant Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that answer questions going beyond your specific brand, product, or service. The goal is to become the authoritative source that search engines and AI systems quote. Write these FAQs to capture People Also Ask (PAA) snippets and to be selected by SGE as a trusted answer. Use FAQPage schema to mark them up correctly.
- Measure baseline performance in Google Search Console before making changes. Track impressions, Click-Through Rate (CTR), and average position.
- Monitor results after 30 days. If these three pages show measurable improvements in impressions, CTR, or conversions, roll out the same approach across all category pages.
A note on user experience: If you are concerned that adding 300 to 500 words above the product grid will push products below the fold and hurt conversions, consider alternative approaches. The goal is to integrate the informational and educational journey into the transactional one, rather than separating them.
Examine how Apple organizes its product taxonomy. Each product category (iPhone, iMac, iPad, etc…) offers two parallel browsing experiences within a single, seamless interface. There is an informational and educational path for those still learning or undecided (Top of Funnel and Middle of Funnel), and a transactional path for those ready to purchase (Bottom of Funnel). Both experiences leverage the richness of content, imagery, and interactive assets. Neither feels like an afterthought.
Some brands use expandable content sections. Others weave descriptive content into the filtering experience. The format matters less than the principle: context must exist somewhere on the page that both humans and machines can access.
Treat this as an experiment, not a mandate. Let the data guide your next move.
AI Literacy: The Next Competitive Edge.
The next generation of digital professionals will need more than SEO or UX expertise. They will need to understand how visibility translates into comprehension for algorithms.
AI cannot reason with what it cannot recognize. In this new digital landscape, information visibility will become a shared language between humans and machines. The marketers, data architects, and content strategists who can speak that language fluently will define how brands are found, ranked, and recommended.
The future of discoverability will belong to those who can teach AI how to see, not just what to show.
Now It’s Your Turn:
As you think about your own category pages, consider:
- How many of your category pages have meaningful content that explains what they offer and who they serve?
- If an AI scraped your site today, would it understand your business structure, or would it see a collection of disconnected product grids?
- Are you building for visibility in the systems that will define search for the next decade, or are you optimizing for a search model that is already fading?
These are not rhetorical questions. They are diagnostic ones.
And if the answers make you uncomfortable, that is not a bad thing. Discomfort is the first step toward improvement.
I would love to hear your thoughts.
If you are wondering where your site stands or would like a second opinion on your taxonomy, consider consulting your trusted Search Engine Optimization (SEO) expert for a review. If you don’t know anyone, feel free to reach out. I am happy to take a look. Sometimes the best insights come from a conversation, not a blog post.
Next Week: The Invisible Product Problem
Your product pages are not empty because they lack words. They are empty because AI cannot see them.
While you optimize descriptions for buyers, machines are deciding which products even get discovered. And most product pages? They do not register as products at all. They register as noise. The companies winning are not writing better copy. They are speaking a completely different language.
What language are you speaking?
Until then, build the base. Let AI amplify what works.
What This Means: A Quick Guide.
- AI (Artificial Intelligence): Computer systems designed to simulate human intelligence processes such as learning, reasoning, and problem-solving. Why it matters: The foundation of modern digital transformation. AI powers personalization, automation, and decision-making across search, commerce, and content.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization): The practice of improving website visibility on traditional search engines through content, links, and technical structure. Why it matters: Still the foundation of all online visibility. Strong SEO is what feeds AI systems clean, interpretable data.
- AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): Optimizing content so AI-driven tools like SGE, Bing Copilot, or ChatGPT can easily extract and summarize it. Why it matters: The evolution of SEO in an AI-first world. It focuses on structuring data and context so your brand becomes the preferred “answer.”
- GEO AI (Generative Engine Optimization): The emerging discipline of optimizing content for AI-driven search engines that generate answers instead of listing links. Why it matters: The next evolution of SEO. GEO AI focuses on how brands can appear in AI-generated summaries and conversational results.
- LLM (Large Language Model): AI systems (such as GPT, Claude, or Gemini) that learn from vast text datasets to generate and understand language. Why it matters: LLMs are the engines behind conversational AI, search assistants, and generative content tools that now influence digital visibility.
- SGE (Search Generative Experience): Google’s AI-powered search that generates summarized answers from web content. Why it matters: Determines which sources are quoted in AI-driven search results; visibility depends on how clearly your content can be read and cited.
- Local SEO (Local Search Engine Optimization): Optimizing digital presence for location-based searches and local business discovery. Why it matters: Essential for businesses serving specific geographic areas. Local SEO ensures that you appear when customers search for nearby services.
- GBP (Google Business Profile): Formerly Google My Business. The free business listing that controls how a company appears on Google Search and Maps. Why it matters: A critical visibility tool for local SEO. Optimized profiles improve trust, click-through, and AI-driven “local pack” rankings.
- Schema Markup: Structured data format (JSON-LD) that helps search engines and AI understand page content. Why it matters: Enables rich snippets and makes content eligible for AI-generated answers.
- CollectionPage Schema: Schema type used to mark up category pages that group products or content. Why it matters: Tells search engines this is a collection, improving categorization.
- BreadcrumbList Schema: Schema that defines navigation paths. Why it matters: Helps AI understand site hierarchy and relationships between pages.
- FAQPage Schema: Schema that marks up question-and-answer pairs. Why it matters: Makes content eligible for “People Also Ask” boxes and voice search.
- PAA (People Also Ask): Question-and-answer boxes in Google search results. Why it matters: High-visibility position for capturing search traffic.
- CTR (Click-Through Rate): The percentage of users who click on a search result after seeing it. Why it matters: Direct measure of how compelling your search listings are; improved by rich snippets and structured data.