AI search is here to stay. From Google’s AI overviews and AI mode to ChatGPT’s search results, AI search has been reshaping how users find content. Search engines are increasingly more conversational, contextual and selective in the content they display.
But there’s no need to worry because the kind of content that performs well in AI search is built on the same solid SEO foundations that we’ve been banging on about for years: relevancy, clarity and trust.
If you want to know how to prepare your content for this shift, read on to learn why AI search matters and 4 ways to optimise your content so it gets chosen by AI.
Why Optimising for AI Search Matters Now
Search is evolving fast.
Nearly 50% of Google searches currently include AI summaries, and this figure is expected to reach 75% by 2028. When you combine that with the fact that AI search traffic went up 527% in just a year, you can really see how it’s beginning to dominate search results.
Not only is how users are finding answers shifting to AI, but also the way they actually search, with the number of American adults using AI to search predicted to reach 90 million by 2027.
What does this mean for you? Your content doesn’t just need to rank well; it needs to be understood and trusted by AI.
4 Ways to Optimise Your Content for AI Search
AI search doesn’t just look at keywords; it cares about meaning, context, authority, and user intent. You always need to write for humans, not machines, but here are some tricks you can do to ensure AI understands your content:
1. Focus on Clear & Comprehensive Answers
AI is designed to pull content from multiple sources to offer an equally comprehensive yet summarised answer to a user’s question.
Optimising for this has some nuance. It’s helpful to conduct your keyword research in the form of questions, so what questions are people searching for in relation to your product or services? Use these questions as headings in your content to align with how users search and make it super easy for AI to pull your content into its summaries.
Answer the question directly in the first sentence of your section and use bullet points and short paragraphs for readability.
However, this is where the nuance comes in. There’s no need to split up all of your content into really short paragraphs and tons of little sections. Google’s Danny Sullivan actually warns against this. It’s an act of overoptimisation and writing more for machines than for humans, which Google will not reward. Always write your content in the best way for humans to understand, which in itself includes clear sections.
2. Prioritise Topical Authority Over Keyword Stuffing
Back in the day, SEO was all about putting exact-match keywords in your content. Google is so much smarter now, so not only is this not necessary, but AI search rewards topical and semantic depth.
When planning a piece of content, try to cover topic clusters to create a well-rounded guide. For instance, if you’re writing about local SEO, include sections such as ‘How to do a local SEO audit’ or ‘Is local SEO still relevant’, depending on what’s trending. Essentially, you want to offer your reader as much value as possible.
Add internal links to related pages on your website to build a content architecture, and write naturally rather than stuffing in a bunch of keywords.
AI systems analyse your whole site’s expertise and coverage, not just one blog post. Authority builds trust.
Do you want to know whether you’re utilising your keywords in the most effective way? Request a free video audit today, and we’ll review your current rankings and how to improve them.
3. Use Schema Markup to Structure Your Information
AI models are obsessed with structure, and adding schema markup gives them exactly that.
AI systems don’t just read your content like a human; they also scan your website’s code to understand what your content actually is. This is where structured data, also known as schema markup, becomes incredibly powerful.
Structured data is a special type of code added to your website that provides information about the content’s author, type, ratings, prices, dates, and more.
Without structured data, AI might miss key details or pull from someone else’s better-optimised content instead. Not only does it help your content land in AI search results, but it also helps your website appear in featured snippets and rich results such as star ratings, product prices, recipe times, and event dates.
4. Showcase E-E-A-T
E-E-A-T refer to Google’s search guidelines of showcasing experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust in your content. For AI, credibility matters more than ever, so writing in line with these guidelines is crucial.
E-E-A-T are important for every type of content, but especially ‘Your Money or Your Life’ content. This encompasses content about health, finances, safety, and major life decisions such as housing, employment, and education. If your content falls into any of these categories, search engines and AI systems apply much higher standards before trusting and promoting it.
To showcase E-E-A-T, you should:
- Show Who Created the Content: Add author bios which explain their credentials and expertise.
- Demonstrate Experience: Share case studies, original infographics, and examples based on your own work.
- Reference Reputable Sources: Add external links to industry authorities and trusted organisations.
- Update Your Content: AI wants to share the most up-to-date information, so keep your content regularly updated.
Want to Know How Your Content Is Performing?
Now that you understand how to optimise your content, you might be wondering how well your site is performing in standard and AI search. If you want to know where to start, we’re here to help.
At Lumen SEO, we’re currently offering free video audits of your website, with a strong focus on how your site aligns with AI search principles.
Within 48 hours, you’ll receive a video and a PDF from our CEO, Aled, detailing where your website is performing well, where it needs improvement, and practical steps to improve your ranking in AI search results.
Request a free audit today, and let’s boost your performance and conversions.
