The digital landscape is shifting. While the traditional SEO for Google, Bing and other search engines remains important, a new player is emerging at a very rapid pace these days. That is the Large Language Models (LLM) like ChatGPT, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot and many more. Users are increasingly turning to these AI chatbots for instant answers to their queries. This means your content in no longer just competing for a top spot on a search engine results page but it’s also competing to be the source that an AI selects to answer a user’s question.
So how do you make sure the content which is on your website gets picked out from the tons and thousands of the websites out there on the internet? This new form of optimization is called “Generative Engine Optimization” or “AI Optimization”. So you would be thinking that what’s that point of doing traditional SEO now? Well there’s a good news for you.
Even tho with the rise of these LLMs and AI chatbots, your good old traditional SEO isn’t going anywhere. In fact, many of the core principles are the same, but just with the new focus. Here’s how to position your content for success in this AI age.
1. Prioritize Clarity, Conciseness, and Structure
AI models are designed to process and synthesize information quickly. To make it easy for them to “read” and understand your content, focus on:
1. Short Direct Answers: Lead with the most important information. Use the “inverted pyramid” style of writing, where you answer the main question in their few sentencces, then provide more detail.
2. Structured Data and Formatting: Use clear headings (H1,H2,H3), bullet points, and numbered lists to break down complex information. This makes your content easily scannable for both humans and AI.
3. Simple Language: Avoid the jargon and overly complex sentences. The goal is to be understood by a wide audience. Tools like the Hemingway App can help you simplify your writing.
2. Build EAT. Expertise, Authority and Trust
All models are trained to priortize credible and authoritative sources. They want to provide accurate, trustworthy information to users. To signal your content is a reliable source, focus on:
1. Topical Authority: Don’t just write a single article on a topic, instead create a custer of interconnected content that demonstrates your deep expertise on that topic. This shows AI models that your site is a go-to resource.
2. Citations and Sourced Data: baack up your claim with credible, well-cited sources. Include statisticss, studies and expert quotes which signals trustworthiness.
3. Author Bios: Make sure author’s qualifications are clearly displayed. This adds a layer of human expertise and credibilty to your content.
3. Target Conversational and Long-tail queries
The way people interact with AI is conversational. Instead of typing a few keywords, they ask questions in natural language. To get your content featured, you need to think like a user asking a chatbot:
1. Answer “How-To” Questions: Create content that directly addresses “how to,” “what is,” and “why” questions. These are common queries in AI chatbots.
2. Use Long-Tail Keywords: Focus on longer, more specific keyword phrases that reflect real user conversations. For example, instead of “SEO,” target “how to improve SEO for a small business blog.”
4. optimize for techinal SEO and accessibility
The foundational principles of good SEO are still crucial. If a chatbot can’t crawl or understand your site, it can’t use your content.
1. Structured Data: Use schema markup (like FAQPage or HowTo schema) to explicitly tell search engines and AI models what your content is about.
2. Sitemaps and Robots.txt: Ensure your sitemap is up-to-date and that your robots.txt file doesn’t block AI crawlers like GPTBot or Google-Extended.
3. Website Speed and Usability: A fast, mobile-friendly website is a positive signal for both traditional search engines and AI models.
5. Keep your content fresh and up-to-date
AI models value recency, especially for topics where information changes frequently. Regularly updating your content with new data, statistics, and insights shows that your information is current and relevant. Here are some strategies to achieve Sustainable Content Freshness:
1. Implement a Content Audit Schedule: Don’t just publish and forget. Schedule regular audits (e.g., quarterly or bi-annually) to review your existing content.
2. Monitor Industry News and Trends: Stay abreast of developments in your niche. Use tools like Google Trends, industry publications, and social media to identify emerging topics.
3. Repurpose and Re-optimize: Don’t just write new content. Consider repurposing existing content into new formats (e.g., turning a blog post into an infographic or video) and re-optimizing older posts with new keywords or updated information.
THE FUTURE IS NOW!!
Optimizing for AI isn’t about abandoning traditional SEO; it’s about evolving your strategy. By focusing on creating clear, authoritative, and well-structured content that directly answers user questions, you can increase your chances of being a cited source in the next generation of search. The key is to write for humans first, with a structure that helps AI understand your expertise.