AI Search: Make These Manageable Changes to Your SEO Strategy Today

There’s a lot of talk right now about SEO in the age of AI search. Everything from people saying “SEO is dead” to the use of terms like “vector indexing,” it’s hard to know whether you’re still on the right track with your SEO strategy. If you’re reading this, particularly if you are a small business owner or solopreneur who DIYs a lot of your own marketing, I want you to feel assured that the SEO work you’ve done to this point is not out the window. SEO fundamentals remain the same. Read on to learn more about some manageable changes you can make to your SEO strategy to show up better in AI search.

What is SEO?

In a nutshell, search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimizing your website to increase visibility in search engine results. There are several “disciplines” within SEO:

• Technical SEO focuses on improving aspects of your website like site speed and mobile-friendliness.
• On-Page SEO involves the creation of content, and the optimization of that content through keywords, tags, meta descriptions, and hierarchical headings, to help search engines identify content to answer a query.
• Off-Page SEO has to do with building the authority of your website through association with other websites on the internet. The primary focus is the acquisition of backlinks that refer back to your website.
• Local SEO is meant to improve visibility in local search queries—i.e., “near me” searches. This is done through adding location-specific information on your website, as well as maintaining local listings like a Google Business Profile.  

All of these pieces work together to boost the visibility of your website.

What Is SEO for AI?

At this point, most of us have experienced AI search. We’ve been using LLMs like ChatGPT for some time now, and we’ve been taking advantage of AI overviews when we’re on Google. From a marketing standpoint, you may be seeing a drop in website traffic, as many searches are now becoming “zero-click,” which means that users are getting the answers they need from AI without having to click into a website. Zero-click is not new, as Google has already been doing this with Featured Snippets and Knowledge Panels, for instance, but it was pretty limited up to the point of AI-powered searches.

AI search engine optimization (AISEO) focuses on getting your website content listed in AI-generated answers or overviews. When talking about AISEO, it’s helpful to address nomenclature, as there’s a lot of different terms currently being used. While there are some small nuances among them, many use these phrases interchangeably:

• AI SEO (AI Search Engine Optimization
• GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
• AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)
• LLM SEO (Large Language Model Search Engine Optimization)

AISEO means that it’s no longer our top focus to be one of the blue links on page 1 of search results. Because AI is now providing answers right off the bat, the goal of AISEO is to be included in that overview or in that answer provided by the LLM. The question currently being discussed is how best to achieve that.

What Still Matters in SEO?

In essence, the same old SEO techniques haven’t changed. If you go directly to Google on this, it is stated that “all existing SEO fundamentals continue to be worthwhile.” Google Search Central explains that no specific optimization is necessary to appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode and that you should still continue as before. This makes sense because both Google and LLMs are drawing their responses from the internet at large, so while the blue links may not be clicked as often anymore, it follows that the content that was previously the most highly regarded, would be similarly recommended by AI.

Google’s recommendations include:

• Ensuring that crawling of your site is allowed
• Using internal links to guide crawlers around your site
• Providing a good user experience with good site speed, mobile-friendliness, understandable site structure, etc.
• Putting important content in textual form and support it with good images and videos, when possible
• Using appropriate structure data
• Keeping info up-to-date

In a nutshell, you still want to put quality, people-first content on your site. Use your experience in your field to provide helpful information, and write content with humans in mind—not search engines. You want to continue providing a good user experience for visitors to your site. Slow, clunky, hard-to-navigate sites will cause users to jump to another website. Additionally, focus on creating information that is so well-written and useful that others actually want to share it; acquiring these backlinks sends signals that your site contains good information.

What Can You Start Doing Differently Today (Or Continue Doing)

While much in SEO continues as it has before, that doesn’t mean there aren’t small modifications you can make in your content strategy to increase visibility to AI.  

Continue Topical Relevance

Being an authority in particular subject areas has always mattered in SEO, and this doesn’t change with AI. Just like search engines, AI looks for signals on what your website is about, so centering your content around your areas of expertise helps to reinforce your message.

Match Intent

Matching intent has been a focus of SEO for years now, and you may well already have it in mind when creating content. If not, “matching intent” means crafting your content to match the goal of a particular search query. For example, if someone types “coffee” into search results, that person is very likely looking for a place nearby to purchase coffee. Google understands this, and that’s why you’ll see local search results pop up. If someone types in “best coffee makers” into the search bar, that person expects to find a comparison of the features and benefits of different models of coffee makers. When creating your content, think about what the user would expect to find when they type in that query (or search it yourself and see what comes up), and craft your content to answer that question.

Provide Direct Answers

If a user asks a question, instead of burying the answer under a ton of preamble, provide the information right away and give supporting details after. This allows both humans and AI to quickly understand your point. Think of it as writing for someone who skims first and then goes back for the details later.

“Chunk” Your Content

Consider making your paragraphs self-contained blocks that answer a question; this is often referred to as “chunking content.” Instead of long-winded paragraphs that cover multiple ideas all at once (looking at myself critically here), keep each section tight and focused on one point. This not only makes your writing easier to digest, but it also helps AI models break down that content down on a technical level. These “chunks” are converted into numeric vectors that capture the semantic meaning. AI systems are then able to draw semantically similar correlations, resulting in more accurate matching between your content and the questions users are asking.

Optimize For Conversational Queries

If you’re like me, you may have noticed an evolution in your search queries. Because AI can essentially have dialogue, your queries may now be more conversational in nature, as if you are speaking to another person. Consider modifying your content now to match this new style of searching. Put thought into the way people might phrase a question, and write your copy to answer. 

Focus On “Hidden Gem” Content

A “hidden gem” (at least as it relates to SEO) refers to content that is your unique perspective based on your experience. LLMs can only spit out general knowledge; they cannot create research or offer firsthand experience. This can only come from humans who are in the field doing their work every day. This is why platforms like Reddit and Quora are so popular—people want to hear real advice from real people. Google understands that this is what users want, and that’s why you’re seeing Reddit show up more often in search results.

Don’t Overuse AI

I know, I know, it’s so easy just to type a prompt into AI and have it spit out a fresh, complete article. The trouble is, AI is providing this exact same response to thousands of other people asking the same question; the content is not original. Instead of having AI create an entire piece for you, use it more strategically. Use AI for idea generation. Or, consider writing your own material and asking AI to polish that writing into a finished piece.

Conclusion

Hopefully this article provides a good overview of some not-so-difficult tweaks you can start making to your content today. Search is evolving, but there’s no need to sound the alarm. The fundamentals still matter, and your unique expertise matters more than ever. To get really lofty here, your perspective matters not just so your website gains visibility, but so the internet becomes a richer, more well-informed place. If you’d like help with search engine optimization for your business, give us a call at 812-320-2234 or contact us here.