First edition · August 2026
The AI Search Handbook
A complete, self-contained guide to generative engine optimisation: how AI search retrieves, chunks, evaluates and cites information, and how to become a source an AI answer names.
Free library · 4 books · no sign-up
Free books on AI search, AI engineering and technical marketing.
Four complete books by Luke McLaughlin — 4,219 pages on how AI search finds and cites sources, how to build with machine learning and LLMs, how to audit a site like a search engine, and how a marketer becomes technical. Every one is a free PDF.
- 4 complete books
- 4,219 pages
- Instant PDF download
- No email required
The library
Pick a book and download it
No payment and no forms. Each book page has the full contents list and what you will be able to do by the end.
2026 edition
AI Engineering Essentials
Sixteen chapters from NumPy and data preparation through classical machine learning, neural networks and PyTorch to NLP, embeddings, transformers, RAG and MLOps — every project with runnable code and its exact output.
2026 edition
Technical SEO for Digital Marketing
A hands-on course in fourteen chapters. Each project is a small Python audit tool that crawls, parses and checks a site the way a search engine does — ending with GEO, AEO and an end-to-end technical audit.
2026 illustrated learning edition
From Marketing to Technical Marketing
An illustrated learning path for marketers who want to understand the instructions and build something useful: 52 chapters across ten parts, with a companion pack of runnable exercises and solutions.
How the books are written
Practical, evidence-led and complete
Complete books, not samples
Every download is the full edition, with diagrams, worked examples, checkpoints and answers. Nothing is held back behind a paywall.
Evidence over hype
Claims are tied to primary documentation and real data. Where a popular tactic has no support, the books say so and show you how to check.
Built to be used
Runnable Python, SQL and JavaScript projects, executed audit tools and a companion pack mean you finish each chapter with something that works.
About the author
Luke McLaughlin
Luke is an AI marketing and search specialist with more than ten years in B2B marketing across biotech, life sciences and SaaS. His work sits where technical SEO meets generative engine optimisation: making brands crawlable, retrievable and cited by AI answer engines.
He holds an MSc in Molecular Biology, works hands-on in Python, SQL and both cloud and local open-weight language models, and writes these books so that marketers can do the same.
From the blog
Short guides from The AI Search Handbook
Free articles adapted from the book. Start here if you want the core ideas in ten minutes.
How to track ChatGPT, Perplexity and other AI referrals in GA4
Use GA4's AI Assistant channel, extend it to assistants it misses, and understand which AI-driven visits GA4 cannot attribute.
GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot or ChatGPT-User? How to read AI crawler traffic in your logs
AI companies run separate bots for training, search indexing and live user requests. Learn which is which, what each visit means for AI search visibility, and how to verify them.
Can AI crawlers see your JavaScript? Rendering for AI search
Most AI crawlers read the HTML your server sends and do not run JavaScript. Here is how to check what they see and how to make client-rendered pages citable.
llms.txt explained: what it does, what it doesn't, and whether to add one
llms.txt is a short Markdown file that points AI tools to your most useful pages. Here is the format, who reads it today, and when it is worth the half hour it takes.
Questions
Frequently asked
Are the books really free?
Yes. All four books are complete PDFs and free to download. There is no payment, sign-up or email gate.
Do I need an account?
No. Click a download button and the PDF is yours.
Can I share the books?
Please share a link to this site rather than re-uploading the files, so readers always get the latest edition.
Who wrote these books?
Luke McLaughlin, an AI marketing and search specialist based in Munich. His profile and CV are on the author page and at lukekevinmclaughlin.com.