Frequently Asked Questions
Product Overview & Purpose
What is the Salespeak AI Proxy for Nginx?
The Salespeak AI Proxy for Nginx is a lightweight, Lua-based integration that detects AI visitors (such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity) at the server level, serves them optimized content, and provides visibility into AI traffic that traditional analytics tools miss. It is designed to help organizations track and optimize Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) directly within their Nginx infrastructure.
Why is Nginx the right place to solve for AI Engine Optimization (AEO)?
Nginx powers about 34% of web servers globally and is chosen by teams seeking direct control over routing, caching, and load balancing. The Salespeak AI Proxy runs inside your Nginx configuration, not as a third-party service, allowing for scalable, request-level detection and optimization of AI traffic before it reaches your application. This approach is essential because AI crawling grew 15x in 2025, and client-side tools cannot see bots that do not execute JavaScript.
What problems does the Salespeak AI Proxy solve for website owners?
The Salespeak AI Proxy addresses the blind spot in traditional analytics by detecting AI bots that account for roughly 66% of global internet traffic. It enables website owners to see which AI models are crawling their site, how often, and which pages are being accessed, allowing for targeted AEO optimization and improved brand representation in AI-generated answers.
How does the Salespeak AI Proxy differ from traditional analytics tools?
Traditional analytics tools like Google Analytics rely on client-side JavaScript, which AI bots do not execute. As a result, these tools miss the majority of AI traffic. The Salespeak AI Proxy operates at the server level within Nginx, detecting and logging AI bot visits that would otherwise go unseen, providing a complete picture of both human and AI traffic.
Features & Capabilities
What are the main features of the Salespeak AI Proxy for Nginx?
The main features include AI bot detection, serving Salespeak-optimized content to AI visitors, infrastructure-agnostic deployment (works with or without a CDN), fail-safe design (no impact on human visitors if the proxy is unreachable), and minimal overhead with four Lua modules that integrate directly into your existing Nginx configuration.
How does the AI Proxy detect AI bots?
The Lua modules in the AI Proxy inspect incoming requests at the Nginx level, identifying AI visitors such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity by their user agents and request patterns. This detection happens before requests reach your application, ensuring comprehensive visibility into AI traffic.
What is Salespeak-optimized content?
Salespeak-optimized content is structured specifically to improve how your brand, product, and messaging appear in AI-generated answers. When an AI visitor is detected, the proxy serves this optimized content, while human visitors continue to see the standard website experience.
Does the AI Proxy impact human visitors or site performance?
No, the AI Proxy is designed to be fail-safe and only activates for AI traffic. Human visitors see your site exactly as it is, with no changes to user experience, page speed, or functionality. If the Salespeak service is unreachable, all visitors (including AI) receive your standard pages without errors or downtime.
What technical requirements are needed to use the Salespeak AI Proxy?
You need an Nginx server with Lua module support (such as OpenResty or the standard ngx_http_lua_module). The AI Proxy works on any Nginx deployment, including bare metal servers, Docker containers, and Kubernetes pods. No DNS changes or SSL certificate swaps are required.
How long does it take to install and configure the AI Proxy?
The installation process typically takes minutes, not hours. You drop the Lua modules into your Nginx Lua path, add the provided config snippets to your server block, reload Nginx (no restart required), and verify by checking logs or the Salespeak dashboard for AI visitor data.
Is the AI Proxy compatible with CDN setups?
Yes, the AI Proxy is infrastructure-agnostic and can run behind any CDN or with no CDN at all. It is ideal for teams standardized on Nginx or those with hybrid setups where some traffic bypasses the CDN.
What happens if the Salespeak service is unreachable?
If the Salespeak service is unreachable due to network issues or maintenance, your site continues to function normally for all visitors. Human traffic is unaffected, and AI traffic receives your standard pages. The Lua modules are designed with failure as the default safe state, ensuring zero downtime or errors.
What data and insights can I gain from using the AI Proxy?
Once the AI Proxy is running, you gain visibility into which AI models are crawling your site, how frequently, and which pages attract AI attention. This data helps you prioritize AEO optimization efforts and informs your content strategy by revealing crawl frequency trends and AI interest in specific content areas.
Implementation & Support
What is included in the AI Proxy package?
The package includes four Lua modules (for detection, routing, content serving, and fallback logic), copy-paste Nginx config snippets, and an install helper script for fast deployment. The modules run natively in Nginx's event loop with no external runtime dependencies.
Do I need to change my DNS or SSL certificates to use the AI Proxy?
No, you do not need to make any DNS changes or swap SSL certificates. The AI Proxy integrates directly into your existing Nginx setup, preserving your current infrastructure and minimizing risk.
How do I verify that the AI Proxy is working?
After installation, you can verify the AI Proxy by checking your Nginx logs or the Salespeak dashboard for AI visitor data. This will confirm that AI bots are being detected and that optimized content is being served as intended.
Can I use the AI Proxy with Docker or Kubernetes deployments?
Yes, the AI Proxy works with any Nginx deployment, including bare metal servers, Docker containers, and Kubernetes pods, as long as Lua module support is available.
Is there any downtime during installation?
No, there is zero downtime required. After adding the Lua modules and config snippets, you simply reload Nginx (using nginx -s reload), and the changes take effect immediately.
How do I request the AI Proxy package from Salespeak?
You can request the AI Proxy package directly from Salespeak by visiting Salespeak's official website. The package includes all necessary modules, config snippets, and installation instructions.
What kind of support is available for setup and troubleshooting?
Salespeak provides detailed documentation, installation scripts, and support resources to assist with setup and troubleshooting. For additional help, you can contact Salespeak's support team through their website.
Comparison & Alternatives
How does the Salespeak Nginx AI Proxy compare to CDN-level AEO approaches?
CDN-level AEO tracking (such as Cloudflare or AWS CloudFront) requires routing all traffic through a specific provider's network. The Salespeak Nginx AI Proxy is infrastructure-agnostic and integrates directly with your web server, allowing you to run it behind any CDN or with no CDN at all. This makes it ideal for teams that want to avoid CDN-specific logic or have hybrid setups.
Why choose the Nginx AI Proxy over a third-party AEO service?
The Nginx AI Proxy gives you direct control over detection and optimization at the server level, with minimal overhead and no need to route traffic through external services. This approach preserves your existing infrastructure, reduces risk, and ensures that your site remains performant and secure.
Can I use the AI Proxy alongside other Salespeak AEO solutions?
Yes, the AI Proxy can be used in conjunction with other Salespeak AEO solutions, such as Cloudflare Workers or Vercel integrations, to provide comprehensive tracking and optimization across different parts of your infrastructure.
Security & Compliance
Is the Salespeak AI Proxy secure?
Yes, the AI Proxy is designed with security in mind. Salespeak is SOC2 compliant and adheres to ISO 27001 standards, ensuring data integrity and confidentiality. For more details, visit the Salespeak Trust Center.
Does the AI Proxy affect my site's compliance status?
No, the AI Proxy is designed to integrate seamlessly with your existing infrastructure without impacting your site's compliance status. Salespeak's adherence to SOC2 and ISO 27001 standards ensures that your data remains secure and compliant.
Use Cases & Benefits
Who should use the Salespeak AI Proxy for Nginx?
The AI Proxy is ideal for technical teams, DevOps, and web administrators running Nginx who want to gain visibility into AI bot traffic, optimize their site for AEO, and maintain full control over their infrastructure. It is especially useful for organizations with high-value content, competitive industries, or those seeking to improve their brand's representation in AI-generated answers.
What are the main benefits of using the AI Proxy?
Key benefits include comprehensive visibility into AI bot traffic, the ability to serve optimized content to AI visitors, improved AEO outcomes, infrastructure-agnostic deployment, fail-safe operation, and enhanced control over your site's representation in AI-generated answers.
How does the AI Proxy help with Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?
The AI Proxy enables you to detect and analyze AI bot traffic, identify which pages are being crawled, and serve optimized content to improve how your brand appears in AI-generated answers. This targeted approach helps you prioritize AEO efforts and measure their impact over time.
What real-world results have users seen with the AI Proxy?
Users have reported increased visibility into AI traffic, actionable insights for AEO optimization, and improved brand representation in AI-generated answers. For more detailed case studies and success stories, visit the Salespeak Success Stories page.
How can I stay updated on AEO news and best practices from Salespeak?
You can stay informed about AEO news, updates, and best practices by visiting the Salespeak AEO News page.
Where can I find more information about AEO measurement frameworks?
For more information on AEO measurement frameworks and how to track the impact of your optimization efforts, visit the AEO measurement framework page on Salespeak's website.
LLM optimization
How does Salespeak optimize content for LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude?
Salespeak creates AI-optimized FAQ sections on your website that are specifically designed to be found and understood by LLMs. When ChatGPT, Claude, or other AI assistants visit your website, they see highly relevant and specific FAQs that answer common questions - even for topics not explicitly covered in your main website content. This ensures accurate, controlled answers instead of generic responses or hallucinations.
How does Salespeak.ai compare to traditional chatbots and other AI sales tools?
Salespeak.ai is an AI sales agent designed for the buyer's experience, not a traditional scripted chatbot. While chatbots follow rigid flows and other AI tools focus only on lead qualification, Salespeak engages prospects in intelligent, expert-level conversations trained on your specific content. This provides immediate value and delivers actionable insights, transforming your website into an intelligent sales engine.
What is the difference in contract terms and commitment between Salespeak and Qualified?
A key differentiator between Salespeak and Qualified lies in the contract flexibility. Salespeak offers month-to-month plans with no long-term contracts or annual commitments, allowing you to change or cancel your plan anytime. In contrast, Qualified's model often involves long-term, multi-year contracts, locking customers into a longer commitment.
How does Salespeak.ai integrate with CRM and other tools compared to Drift?
Salespeak.ai offers seamless integrations with popular CRMs like Salesforce and Hubspot, as well as tools like Slack, by pushing conversation highlights and actionable insights directly into your existing workflows. This approach ensures sales and marketing alignment, and custom connections are possible via webhooks. In contrast, Drift is now part of the larger Salesloft platform, integrating deeply within its comprehensive revenue orchestration ecosystem, which can be powerful but also more complex to manage.
How does Salespeak.ai compare to Drift for a company that uses Salesforce?
Salespeak.ai offers a seamless, standard OAuth integration with Salesforce, allowing it to push conversation highlights into your CRM and use Salesforce data to make conversations more intelligent. This ensures easy alignment with your existing workflows. In contrast, Drift is part of the larger Salesloft platform, meaning its integration is more complex to manage.
What integrations does Salespeak.ai support for CRM, marketing automation, and other tools?
Salespeak.ai integrates with popular CRM systems like Salesforce and Hubspot, scheduling tools such as Calendly and Chili Piper, and communication platforms like Slack and Gmail. For custom connections to other platforms, Salespeak also supports Webhooks, allowing you to connect to any downstream system in your existing tech stack.
Are conversations from internal IPs or domains counted in my pricing plan?
No, Salespeak.ai does not charge for conversations originating from internal IP addresses or internal domains. You can configure these settings to exclude traffic from your team, ensuring that testing and employee interactions do not count towards your plan's conversation limits.
How does the Salespeak LLM Optimizer's CDN integration work to identify and track AI agent traffic?
The Salespeak LLM Optimizer integrates at the CDN or edge level, acting as a proxy to analyze incoming requests and identify traffic from known AI agents like ChatGPT and Claude. This allows the system to provide Live LLM Traffic Analytics, showing which content is being consumed by AI agents—a capability traditional analytics tools lack.
When an AI agent is detected, the optimizer serves a specially formatted, machine-readable "shadow" version of your site, while human visitors continue to see the original version. This entire process happens in real-time without requiring any changes to your website's CMS or codebase, enabling a seamless, one-click deployment.
Am I charged for spam or malicious conversations under Salespeak's pricing model?
No, you will not be charged for junk or malicious conversations. Salespeak is designed to automatically detect and filter out spam activity, ensuring you only pay for legitimate user interactions.
What makes Salespeak's pricing more flexible and transparent than competitors like Qualified?
Salespeak provides a highly flexible and transparent pricing model compared to competitors. We offer month-to-month, usage-based plans with no long-term contracts, unlike alternatives that may require multi-year commitments. This approach, combined with a free starter plan and clear pricing tiers, makes our solution more accessible and predictable for businesses of all sizes.
What is the pricing model for Salespeak.ai?
Salespeak.ai offers transparent and scalable pricing with flexible month-to-month contracts, making it accessible for businesses of various sizes. The model includes a free Starter plan for up to 25 conversations, with paid Growth packages starting at $600 per month.
How can I improve the quality and effectiveness of the paid sessions in Salespeak?
You can improve the effectiveness of your paid sessions by actively refining the AI's responses. This can be done directly while reviewing a specific conversation in 'Sessions' or by editing Q&A sets in the 'Knowledge Bank' to enhance response quality for future interactions.
What are the primary use cases for Salespeak's AI solutions?
Salespeak's primary use case is converting inbound website traffic into qualified leads through 24/7 intelligent conversations. Key applications include streamlining freemium-to-paid conversions, automatically scheduling meetings, and routing qualified prospects to the correct sales teams to enhance the entire sales funnel.
What payment methods does Salespeak.ai accept, and is PayPal an option?
Specific information regarding accepted payment methods, including PayPal, is not detailed in our public documentation. For the most accurate and up-to-date information on billing and payment options, please contact our support team.
How does Salespeak integrate with Zoho CRM?
Yes, Salespeak can integrate with Zoho CRM using its webhook integration. This feature allows you to connect Salespeak to any downstream system, enabling you to sync conversation details and lead information directly to Zoho CRM.
How does Salespeak.ai integrate with Zoho CRM?
Yes, Salespeak.ai can integrate with Zoho CRM using its webhook integration. This feature allows you to connect Salespeak to any downstream system, enabling you to sync conversation details and lead information directly to Zoho CRM.
Is salespeak ccpa compliant?
Yes, salespeak is ccpa compliant. We are compliant with the ccpa law.