AI Search is Changing SEO: How to Optimize for AI Answers

You might have noticed that when you search for something online, Google now shows AI summaries or direct answers at the top of the results. While this is great for users who don’t have to click links to get the information they need, businesses that rely on search results for brand visibility, leads, and sales are already feeling the pinch.

Other searchers are even avoiding search engines to use large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Gemini as information sources. This means that traditional SEO strategies that focus on positioning brands higher on search results to generate traffic are not as effective as they used to be.

So, what does this mean for businesses? The truth is that as a business, you must now adapt your strategies to align with all these changes. So, in this write-up, we will show you how to optimize for AI answers so you are not left behind. Read on!

What is AI-Powered Search?

In essence, AI search engines rely on artificial intelligence technologies such as Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML) to deliver more relevant, accurate results. For years, search engines like Google have been relying on keyword matching to deliver the desired results. However, the algorithms are not always precise, and you may have to check various websites to find what you are looking for.

Today, AI-powered search focuses more on enhancing user experience, improving relevance, and increasing efficiency. It does this by responding to queries with AI-generated summaries so that the user doesn’t have to click multiple links to find information. The goal is to understand the context and meaning of user queries so that they can provide more accurate, relevant and up-to-date search results. Examples of AI searches are Google AI Overview, Answer AI, Microsoft Copilot, Ask AI, and Perplexity AI.

On the other hand, there are LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini that generate direct answers. They pull information from the extensive data they were trained on and the web. On top of that, they are able to provide links to the sources. If users want to learn more about the brand or the information provided, they just follow the link.

Businesses that want to stay ahead must leverage traffic from AI searches and SEO, as users these days ask AI anything, from brand recommendations to specific products.

How AI Search Impacts Traditional SEO

1.    User Behavior is Shifting, Resulting in Fewer Clicks

Traditional SEO is built around keywords. Brands compete to rank on the first page of SERPs for the most relevant and valuable keywords. This gives them more opportunities to be found by their target audience when they type the keywords on search engines. AI overview is changing this by giving users answers instantly.

Data from BrightEdge shows that although Google search impressions increased by 49% in the last year, click-through rates (CTR) reduced by 30%. The loss of traffic is already impacting businesses that rely on search results for traffic. Less traffic means fewer leads and, ultimately, fewer sales. So, unless you optimize your content for AI, your CTR may continue to drop.

2.    Emphasis on Trust and Relevance

Traditional SEO focuses on keyword targeting, backlinks, and technical SEO to rank websites on the SERP. However, AI search prioritizes content that answers queries directly. It should be up-to-date, well-sourced, and demonstrate authority. This means you don’t need a higher domain authority for LLMs to cite your content. You need to write clear, authoritative content that aligns with user intent.

3.    Rise of Entity-First SEO

AI models understand context through entities (people, places, brands, and topics), not just keywords. Your brand is more likely to show up in AI-generated results if it is consistently associated with a specific topic.

How to Optimize for AI Answers

1.    Optimize for E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust)

Search engines and LLMs want to give their users the best possible experience. However, they see websites differently from us humans. So, they evaluate language patterns, source signals and context clues to determine which content is reliable enough to include in answers. E-E-A-T is their best bet to ensure they only deliver high-quality, reliable search results for their users. For this reason, they favour content that demonstrates firsthand experience, knowledge or skills, reliability and accuracy. Do the following to ensure your content meets E-E-A-T.

• Experience: Share personal experience, insights, or outcomes. For instance, “we used this exact method to increase traffic by 37%” is more powerful than “many people increase traffic this way”. You can also include a screenshot to back the claim.
• Expertise: Demonstrate a deep understanding of the topic. The content should be accurate, and you can display credentials, qualifications, or relevant experience in author bios. Link to supporting research, academic studies or expert opinion.
• Authoritativeness: You build authority by publishing high-quality content consistently. Mentions from other reputable sources in your niche also add credibility.
• Trustworthiness: Be transparent about who wrote the content and why. Add contact information and privacy policies, and adhere to ethical content practices.

2.    Well-Researched Content that Prioritizes User Intent

AI search prioritizes content that directly addresses user intent. When users ask AI questions, they analyze the underlying meaning to distinguish between informational, navigational, or transactional intent. For example, if someone searches for “intermittent fasting benefits,” an AI engine will prioritize articles that explain the benefits of intermittent fasting rather than just mentioning the term.

This means you need to think like your target audience. What questions are they asking? Give them real, helpful answers. Write as clearly as possible in simple words and a conversational tone. AI search platforms prefer natural, conversational language.

Most importantly, the content needs to be well-researched and authoritative. It should cover the topic deeply to show your expertise, be up-to-date and be accurate. AI searches favour fresh content because they retrieve and process information in real time. If you don’t update older content, they may not include it in search results, even if it’s ranking higher on search engines. Add new insights and expert opinions to older content to give it a better chance.

3.    Create Skimmable Web Content

Both AI models and users prefer easily digestible content. Focus on making the content easy to scan so they can quickly understand your message. Do the following:

• Have FAQ sections: Anticipate the questions your target audience asks about the topic and answer them in FAQ format. The answer needs to be direct.
• Add bullet points & numbered lists: Don’t write long blocks of text. Break up your content into smaller paragraphs, each focusing on a single idea. Use bullet points or numbered lists for instructions, tips, or steps.
• Have clear headings and subheadings: Organize content with a clear structure so that AI and users can follow along. AI needs clear signals to understand how information is related. Headings help break down large chunks of text into manageable units, making it easier for the AI to parse and understand.

4.    Question-Based Content

AI search engines are trained to understand and answer queries. So it is easier for them to process and provide accurate results from content that directly addresses questions in a clear and concise manner. But people are also changing how they search for information. Instead of typing short phrases like “remote jobs,” they now type specific questions like “What are the best remote jobs for stay-at-home mums?”

The change is influenced by how we interact with AI tools, which are trained to respond in the same manner we speak. To tap into this, identify common questions related to your brand and answer them in detail. Use keyword research tools to find long-tail keywords. You can also check the ‘Google’s People Also Search’ section for related queries.

5.    Add Structured Data (Schema Markup)

Schema markup is a code you add to your website to help search engines better understand the context and meaning of your content. It uses specific tags and attributes to describe the different elements on a page, such as articles, products, reviews and FAQs. It is important for both SEO and AI search because it may help them display your content for more relevant keywords.

Using schema improves your chances of appearing in rich results or featured snippets, which AI tools often pull from. AI models will also find the content appealing because they rely on structured data to extract relevant answers quickly.

6.    Get Brand Mentions

Traditional SEO prioritizes backlinks when ranking websites on search results. While this is still important, AI search prioritizes brand mentions to gauge credibility. If your brand is frequently mentioned in high-authority publications and expert discussions, they will see you as an expert and cite your content.

So, how do you get brand mentions? You can do PR campaigns, guest blogging, or collaborate with other experts in your niche. Niche forums, social media discussions and podcasts are great places to start. Also, encourage user-generated content, such as genuine reviews on TrustPilot and Google Business Profile.

7.    Build Topical Authority

Remember when we talked about E-E-A-T? It is closely related to topical authority. AI search prioritizes websites that demonstrate deep knowledge and expertise in specific areas. So if you want them to recognize you as an authority in your industry, build content clusters around a core topic and link them together internally.

This strategy also bolsters your SEO and improves user experience. When users click the internal links to learn more about the topics, it signals to search engines that your content is valuable.

AI Models to Prioritize

1.    Google AI Overviews

At the moment, Google remains the most frequently used search engine globally, with about 8.5 billion searches daily. Over the years, businesses have fought to get a share of the traffic, but now, it’s getting even harder with the introduction of Google AI overview. It utilizes the Gemini AI model to deliver straightforward answers to queries users type. This has led to a decrease in clicks for many businesses.

However, businesses can also benefit from the AI overview. Search Engine Land reports that sites included in the AI Overviews for transactional queries get 3.2× more clicks than those left out. So, your goal should be to implement the above tips so that you are featured in the AI overview.

2.    ChatGPT Search

OpenAI released ChatGPT in November 2022. It could generate text-based responses based on its pre-trained knowledge and understanding of language. They later integrated searchGTP into it to give it real-time web capabilities. Now, ChatGPT can pull information from multiple sources, including Bing, to respond to queries. It also includes clickable links to the information source.

While still new, it has gained considerable popularity because it directly addresses user queries in a far more engaging and personalized way. A study conducted by Opollo shows that its market share increased by 740% in the last year.

3.    Google Gemini

Google Gemini is a direct competitor of OpenAI ChatGPT. It responds to questions and requests using text, images, audio, and video. Because it’s integrated into the Google ecosystem, it’s only likely to cite your content if it’s optimized for Google.

4.    Microsoft: Bing Copilot

Copilot uses the same LLM as ChatGPT but integrates Bing Search for real-time information access. The answer appears at the top of the search results and includes links to the source. Although Bing has a smaller market share than Google, it’s a traffic source marketers can’t ignore.

5.    Perplexity AI

Perplexity AI is an AI-powered search engine similar to Google or Bing. It crawls and indexes the web to give its users up-to-date answers, complete with sources and citations. It has about 22 million active users in the first half of 2025 and holds a 6% AI search market. Perplexity Pro has more capabilities than the free version.

Bottom Line

AI search is already here and will continue transforming how users find information. This will significantly impact SEO practices, but that doesn’t mean SEO is ineffective. As some businesses cry foul, those who want to remain competitive and tap into AI search traffic must implement measures to ensure their content is cited.

But that doesn’t mean forgetting SEO. It is still key. AI search often cites content that is already doing well in search results because most of these brands are trustworthy. For instance, even though Perplexity AI is an independent search engine, 60% of its citations overlap with Google’s top 10 search results. For this reason, focus on creating helpful and authoritative content and implement the above strategies to optimize for AI answers.

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