Making Your Catalog Ready for AI

For years, we've helped organizations optimize their catalogs for external search (like Google), and for internal search and navigation to help users find the content they're looking for once they're already inside the catalog. Now how people access content is changing, whether they're using AI generated summaries that now appear prominently on search engines, or using a dedicated service like ChatGPT to get information.

If you're using Clean Catalog for your course catalog, you're already well-positioned to take advantage of AI search and LLMs. Here's the lay of the land as we see it.

The Fundamentals Remain The Same

The good news is that if you've been making your content accessible, SEO-friendly, and accurate, your catalog is already in great shape for AI agents. Google's guidance says that good SEO fundamentals usually mean AI-readiness, and that in most cases it does more harm than good to try to tailor your content specifically for AI agents.

As an example, see the ChatGPT search below for information on Peninsula College's Business Administration Accounting Short Term Certificate. The catalog page is well-structured, and ChatGPT is able to output accurate information about the certificate. (And links back to the original catalog page.)

A ChatGPT prompt for information about a specific certificate returns the exact catalog information and links to the catalog page.

LLMs.txt Doesn't Hurt (But Isn't Required)

Clean Catalog offers support for llms.txt, but the official guidance from major providers like Google and OpenAI doesn't say that it's explicitly required. Because it can be automatically generated without any additional admin overhead, our general recommendation is for catalog sites to provide an llms.txt, but we understand if clients want to skip it.

Structured Information Is Key

Having information clearly laid out in easily identifiable sections under their own headings, or presented in tables when appropriate, seems to be the best way to make sure that LLMs can parse it. This has always been Clean Catalog's way of doing things, and it turns out that what's good for human users is also good for LLMs.

As an example, see the search below using Google's AI mode. The specific query is for prereq requirements on ACCT 202, and those are clearly listed in their own section on the course's page in the catalog. Google is easily able to pull that exact information out, and link to the appropriate place in the catalog.

Using Google's AI mode in search to look for prereq info.

Clean Catalog Will Continue to Adapt

So far, we haven't had to make any major changes to our software to accommodate LLMs, but we're keeping a close eye on how they're used and what they require from catalogs, and we'll continue to provide updates and features as needed.