How to make your tour website LLM-friendly

If someone asked ChatGPT, “What are the best boat tours in Key West?”, would your business appear in the answer or get left out of the conversation?

Travelers are changing how they search. Instead of scrolling through pages of Google results, they’re turning to AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews to plan trips and book activities. These tools don’t just show links. They summarize the web.

For tour and activity operators, that shift opens a new frontier in visibility. It’s no longer enough for your website to be optimized for keywords. It also needs to be clear, structured, and easy for AI to interpret. Your website needs to speak the language of machines while keeping the human touch that inspires travelers to book.

In this article, we’ll break down how large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT read your website, how to make your content AI-friendly, and how to ensure your tours appear in the next generation of online discovery.

How AI models read your website

Large language models, or LLMs, are trained to understand and summarize information across the web. Instead of scanning for keywords the way traditional search engines do, they interpret context. That means they’re looking for clear signals about what your business offers, where you operate, and why travelers should trust you.

AI tools rely on structured, descriptive information to understand your business. The clearer those signals are, the more likely your website will appear in AI results.

The good news is that many of the same practices that improve your SEO also help AI understand your content:

• Structured data that labels your content, such as schema markup for tours, offers, and reviews.
• Metadata like page titles, descriptions, and image alt text help define your content.
• FAQ-style content that directly answers traveler questions in simple, complete sentences.
• Consistent business details across your website, listings, and partner pages.

When this information is complete and consistent, AI tools can confidently recommend your business in response to traveler questions like “What are the top snorkeling tours in Maui?”

What is structured data in AI language?

Structured data is behind-the-scenes code that helps AI and search engines actually get what you offer. It labels your content so machines can easily interpret it, like adding captions to your business information. This often exists as a text file that is uploaded to your website known as llms.txt. 

When AI reviews websites without llms.txt, it will have to review the html code which can be cluttered with user menu navigation, ads, and extra info leading to less accurate results. 

However, when AI reviews websites with llms.txt the results will be more efficient and relevant since it will read the most important structured content pages.

When your website uses structured data correctly, it helps AI tools distinguish between your blog posts, your tour listings, and your booking information. That accuracy increases the chances your business will appear in AI-generated results when travelers search for experiences like “best zipline tours near me.”

Here are a few ways to put structured data to work:

• Use schema markup for tours and offers. Schema types like TouristTrip, Product, and Offer tell AI exactly what you sell, where you operate, and what’s included.
• Add review and rating data. Positive reviews boost trust and help AI associate your business with quality and authority.
• Include an FAQ section. Adding a simple FAQ schema not only improves SEO but also helps AI tools pull accurate answers directly from your site.
• Check your data regularly. Tools like Google’s Rich Results Test or Schema.org’s validator can confirm your markup is correct and up to date.

Pro tip: If your website is built with FareHarbor Sites, schema markup, alt text, and metadata are already optimized for both search engines and AI discovery.

Clarity and tone: Writing like you’re explaining your experience to an AI

Writing for AI is a lot like writing for travelers. Clear, direct language works best for both people and machines.

The more straightforward and organized your content is, the better AI can “retell” your story and recommend your tours.

Here’s how to make your writing more AI-friendly:

• Use simple, complete sentences. Instead of “Our tours are an unforgettable journey through nature’s beauty,” try “Our kayak tour explores calm mangrove tunnels and open waters where dolphins often appear.”
• Describe the experience, not just the service. Phrases like “Guests paddle alongside sea turtles” or “Our guide shares local history at every stop” give AI context about what makes your tour special.
• Answer real traveler questions. Write your FAQs and About page as if you’re responding directly to a potential customer. This conversational tone helps AI models identify clear answers to include in summaries.
• Avoid filler and jargon. AI tools prioritize clarity over cleverness. Replace general statements like “We offer amazing adventures” with details such as “We run daily snorkeling trips from Lahaina Harbor with all gear included.”

You can see this approach in action with Dolphin Quest, built by FareHarbor Sites. The clear, well-structured descriptions helped boost search visibility and drive more direct bookings.

Testing your site’s AI visibility

Once your content is optimized, test how AI tools interpret it. The goal is to see how accurately they summarize your business in results, just like checking your Google rankings.

Start by running a few tests:

• Test across browsers and settings. View results in different browsers, incognito mode, and while signed out of ChatGPT. These tools remember past searches, so testing signed out gives you a more objective view of how your business appears.
• Ask AI tools about your category or location. Try prompts like “What are the best zipline tours in Maui?” or “Top boat tours in Key West.” See if your business appears in the answer or the cited sources.
• Use multiple platforms. Compare how ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI overviews summarize your content.
• Check for accuracy. Make sure your business name, tour details, and links are correct and consistent across all platforms. If not, update your schema markup, metadata, or copy to clarify key information.

If it’s easy for humans to understand, it’s easy for AI

As travelers rely more on AI tools to plan, clear and consistent content benefits everyone. The same clarity that helps travelers book also helps AI summarize your business accurately.

Structured data, straightforward writing, and reliable details ensure your tours appear where travelers are searching — whether that’s on Google, ChatGPT, or the next generation of discovery tools.

Want to keep improving your online visibility? Explore more insights in our Business Essentials blog.