What Is a Large Language Model?
A large language model (LLM) is an AI system trained on enormous volumes of text to understand and generate human-like language. ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, and Perplexity are all built on LLMs.
How LLMs Generate Answers
LLMs generate responses by predicting the most statistically likely next words based on patterns learned during training, often combined with retrieval systems (see: Retrieval-Augmented Generation) that pull in current, verifiable information rather than relying purely on what the model learned during training.
Why LLMs Matter for SEO
LLMs are now the engine behind a growing share of how people find information — AI Overviews, AI Mode, and standalone AI chat tools are all LLM-powered. Understanding roughly how these models decide what to cite (clear, well-structured, credible content that’s easy to extract and verify) is becoming as relevant to SEO as understanding how a traditional search algorithm ranks pages.
