Improving search engine and AI visibility (SEO & GEO)

As more learners discover training through search engines and AI-powered assistants, optimizing your TopClass site is more important than ever. Traditional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps your catalog appear in search results, while Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) helps AI tools understand and accurately reference your content when answering user questions. GEO focuses on making content easy for AI systems to discover, understand, and cite.

TopClass includes several built-in features that help improve both traditional SEO and AI visibility without requiring extensive customization.

SEO and GEO best practices

To maximize discoverability of your learning catalog, follow these recommendations:

• Write clear, descriptive titles for courses, events, and learning paths.
• Provide detailed descriptions that explain what learners will gain.
• Organize content into logical categories.
• Keep information current by updating outdated offerings.
• Use meaningful images and metadata where appropriate.
• Create descriptive URLs that are easy to read and share.
• Enable llms.txt generation so AI systems can better understand your site.
• Configure GEO settings with accurate organizational information.

Using descriptive catalog URLs

Every catalog offering includes an Alias for Catalog URL, which creates a web-friendly version of the activity title for use in shared links.

Instead of URLs containing IDs or encoded text, aliases create clean, readable URLs that are easier for users to remember and for search engines to understand.

Benefits include the following:

• Cleaner URLs
• Easier sharing
• Improved search engine indexing
• Better user experience
  Aliases are automatically generated from the activity title but can be modified by administrators when needed.

For example:

• Before: https://training.example.com/catalog/item?id=12584
• After: https://training.example.com/catalog/introduction-to-project-management

It is recommended to choose aliases that:

• Clearly describe the learning activity
• Are concise
• Avoid unnecessary words or special characters
• Remain stable after publication whenever possible

Enabling llms.txt generation

Many AI assistants rely on publicly available website information when generating responses. An llms.txt file provides a structured overview of your site that helps AI systems identify authoritative information more efficiently. While support varies across AI platforms, the format is becoming an emerging best practice for improving AI discoverability.

When enabled, TopClass automatically generates and serves an llms.txt file from the site root.

The file can include:

• Catalog offerings
• Catalog categories
• Organization information
• Site description
• Contact information
• dditional documentation links

Providing this structured information helps AI systems better understand your organization and reference accurate information when answering user questions. See System Settings: GEO for more information.

Configuring GEO settings

Use the System Administration > System Settings > GEO page to configure information included in the generated llms.txt file. Configure these settings with complete and accurate information to help both search engines and AI systems understand your organization.

Available settings include the following:

• About Description - Extended description of your organization or training site.
• About Description - Extended description of your organization or training site.
• Additional Links - Optional Markdown links to important resources or documentation.
• Contact URL - URL for your contact or support page.
• Organization / Provider Name - Name of your organization or training provider.
• Provider URL - URL of your organization's website.
• Site Purpose / Tagline - Brief description of your learning site.
• Include Catalog Items - Includes catalog offerings in the generated file.
• Include Categories - Includes catalog categories.
• Maximum Catalog Items - Maximum number of catalog items included.
• Enable Course Schema - Includes structured data for course offerings.
• Enable Event Schema - Includes structured data for events.
• Enable Review Schema - Includes structured data for reviews.
• Enable llms.txt Generation - Generates and serves the llms.txt file from the site root. You can also manually regenerate the file from this page.

Organizing the catalog

A well-organized catalog benefits both learners and search engines.

Consider these recommendations:

• Group related offerings into categories.
• Use consistent naming conventions.
• Avoid duplicate courses whenever possible.
• Archive obsolete offerings.
• Keep descriptions accurate and up to date.

A logical catalog structure makes it easier for users—and AI systems—to locate relevant learning content.

Writing learner-focused content

Course descriptions should answer common learner questions, including:

• Who is the course intended for?
• What will learners gain?
• Are there prerequisites?
• What skills will be developed?
• How is the course delivered?
• How long does it take?

Content written to answer real learner questions is generally easier for both search engines and AI systems to interpret and summarize.

Keeping information current

Regularly review your catalog to:

• Update outdated descriptions.
• Remove obsolete offerings.
• Refresh dates and schedules.
• Verify contact information.
• Confirm links remain valid.

Current information increases user confidence and reduces the likelihood that AI systems reference outdated content.