Perplexity searches the web every time someone asks a question, then writes an answer with numbered links to its sources. That makes it the most direct of the AI tools: if your page is the clearest answer it can find and read, it gets cited, and the citation is a link people click.
Four things decide whether that page is yours.
1. PerplexityBot can reach your site
Perplexity’s own documentation describes PerplexityBot as the crawler that finds and links websites in its search results, and says it is not used to train AI models. It follows robots.txt, so a Disallow for PerplexityBot, or a blanket User-agent: * block, keeps you out of its index.
Perplexity-User is different. It opens a page when someone asks about it, and Perplexity says it generally ignores robots.txt because a person asked. Blocking it does little; blocking PerplexityBot does a lot.
Firewalls matter too. Some security settings answer unknown bots with a challenge page, which a crawler cannot pass. The AI crawler checker tests both your robots.txt and how your server answers an AI crawler.
2. Your content is in the HTML
Crawlers that build search indexes mostly read the HTML your server sends. If your text only appears after JavaScript runs, the crawler sees an empty page. This is common on sites built as single-page apps and on some store themes. The free scan compares what a browser sees with what a crawler receives.
3. The answer is on the page, in plain words
Perplexity cites pages that answer the question directly. A heading that asks the question, followed by a short, specific answer, is the format it quotes most easily. Pages that bury the answer under a long introduction, or never state it at all, get passed over for ones that do.
Concrete facts help: prices, opening hours, locations, what is included, who it is for. A page that says “we offer flexible pricing” gives Perplexity nothing to quote; a page that says “plans start at $20 a month” does.
4. Other sites mention you
Perplexity reads more than your site. Reviews, directories, news and forum threads that name your business all shape its answers. Your own site sets the facts; other sites confirm them.
Check where you stand
Ask Perplexity the question your customers ask, in your category and your town, and see who it cites. Or run a free scan: it checks PerplexityBot access, content in the HTML and answer-ready pages, and a free account asks Perplexity and four other AI tools those questions for you.