Optimising your website and blog for AI search
If you’ve spent time making your website or blog easy for Google to find, you might be wondering… what now? Is it still worth optimising for search when everyone’s talking to ChatGPT instead of typing into Google?
Short answer: yes. But the goalposts are moving.
And understanding how AI search works can help you stay ahead of the game and get found more often.
What is AI search?
AI search (sometimes called generative search or answer engine optimisation) is search powered by artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), or Microsoft Copilot.
Instead of giving a list of links, AI search tools generate an actual answer to your question. And it does this by pulling information from lots of different sources and turning it into a friendly, human-sounding reply.
Often, those replies come with links to sources, and that’s where your website or blog can come in.
If you’re a small business, a well-written blog or helpful piece of website content could be the exact source an AI search tool pulls from to answer someone’s question.
Why does AI search matter for your website or blog?
Because people are searching differently now. And if your content isn’t showing up in AI-generated answers, you could be missing out on traffic, leads, and visibility.
Just like we used to write blogs and website copy to appear in the top results of Google, we now want to write content that AI tools trust enough to include in their answers.
That means…
You’re not just writing for your dream customer.
You’re not just writing for SEO Google love.
You’re also writing for the AI tool your dream customer is using.
And because AI tools summarise and combine content from many sources, it’s more important than ever to be the best source.
(Feeling overwhelmed yet?! After all, chances are you’re still reeling from understanding SEO!)
How is AI search optimisation different from traditional SEO?
While there's a lot of overlap between SEO and AI search optimisation, there are a few key differences in focus:
Traditional SEO
Focuses on keywords and ranking on SERPs
Relies on backlinks, page speed, and mobile-friendliness
Structured for search bots
Optimises meta tags and snippets
Competes for clicks on a search results page
AI Search Optimisation
Focuses on being selected as a trusted source in AI responses.
Prioritises clarity, authority, and summarisation potential.
Structured for AI tools to understand and reuse.
Optimises whole-page clarity and topical depth.
Competes to be quoted directly in the AI’s answer.
In short: SEO is about visibility on search results. AI search optimisation is about credibility and clarity—earning the AI’s trust so it includes you in the answer itself.
How AI search is changing (and what we know so far)
The world of AI search is moving fast. But here’s what we know so far:
Helpful, trustworthy content gets picked up more. AI search tools are trained to avoid spammy, low-quality, or overly promotional content. Mmm. Just like Google SEO!
Clear structure matters. Blogs and website pages with clear headings, bullet points, and plain language are easier for AI to understand and summarise. Yup - pretty much the same as normal SEO.
Original insights count. If you’re saying the same thing as everyone else, AI won’t need your page. Unique perspectives, real-life examples, and helpful explanations help you stand out. Oh wow - again! Just like SEO!
Authority and credibility help. The more your website is linked to by others, mentioned in reputable places, and written by someone with expertise, the more likely AI is to trust it. Guess what. Just like traditional SEO.
So, you know all those things we’re “supposed” to be doing with our website and blog content - you’ve got it - they’re all the things that help us rank in AI search too!
So, how do you optimise for AI search?
Here are some simple ways to start:
1. Write for real people, not robots
Yes, AI is involved, but it’s still trying to help humans. Focus on clear, natural writing that explains things simply. Avoid jargon, fluff, or keyword stuffing.
2. Use structured content
Headings, subheadings, bullet points, tables all help AI understand what your content is about. It also makes things easier for your human reader (which is a win-win).
3. Include questions and answers
Think about what your customer might type (or say) when using an AI tool. “How do I get rid of dry skin?” “What’s a natural way to treat eczema?” Answer those directly in your blog.
4. Add trustworthy details
Include author bios, dates, external references, and internal links. These small details signal that your site is trustworthy and reliable.
5. Keep your content fresh
AI tools prefer up-to-date content. Make sure your most important blogs and web pages are regularly reviewed and refreshed with new info where needed.
How do AI search optimisation and traditional SEO strategies compare?
High-quality, helpful content still wins
Google’s algorithm and AI tools both favour clear, accurate, and trustworthy information.Good structure still matters
Headings, bullet points, and plain language help both search engines and AI tools understand your content.Authority still counts
Backlinks and expertise are still signals of credibility.
What’s different in AI search optimisation?
1. You're not optimising for clicks, you’re optimising to be quoted
Traditional SEO aims to get people to click through to your site from search results.
With AI search, the content that gets shown often doesn’t require a click. The AI gives the user an answer on the spot, quoting its sources (so they have the option to click through if they want.)
What this means: You want to write content that’s “ready to be quoted”. Content that’s clear, concise, self-contained answers that an AI tool can easily lift into its response.
2. Topical depth and clarity matter more than keyword targeting
AI search tools don’t rely as much on exact keyword matches. They’re designed to understand meaning and context.
What this means: Cover a topic thoroughly, not just around a single keyword. Use natural language, and answer related questions your audience might ask.
3. E-E-A-T becomes even more important
That’s Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust. These are already key in traditional SEO, but AI tools rely heavily on them to avoid hallucinations or misinformation.
What this means: Add author bios, credentials, original insights, and clear sourcing. Make it easy for AI to trust you.
4. Formatting for summarisation is crucial
AI tools are looking for content that’s easy to extract and summarise.
What this means: Use short paragraphs, Q&A format, lists, and subheadings. Include key takeaways in one sentence (and ideally a TLDR takeaway right up at the top of the page). The clearer your message, the more likely it will be selected.
5. No meta title or description to rely on
In traditional SEO, a strong meta title and description help get clicks. But AI tools often ignore these, and instead pull directly from your on-page content.
What this means: Your on-page text needs to do more heavy lifting. Opening paragraphs, headings, and concise summaries are essential.
So, what does this really mean?
SEO and AI search can sound overwhelming. But at closer look, they’re remarkably similar. If you’re already writing helpful, thoughtful content with your ideal customer in mind, you’re halfway there.
Optimising for AI search doesn’t mean throwing everything out and starting again. It means tweaking what you already do.
Making your content quotable
Going deeper on context and clarity
Building and showcasing trust and authority
Using clear formatting and direct answers
Thinking in terms of topics and questions, not just keywords
So when someone out there asks an AI tool a question… your website might just be the one with the answer.
Too overwhelmed - need help!
If your website copy, blogs or email newsletters are getting too much, just book a call and let’s talk.
