How to optimise my website for AI search

The platforms, the tactics, and the future of SEO

Search is changing, again. But this time, it’s not just another algorithm update or a tweak in ranking factors. We’re entering the AI search era, where platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google SGE, Copilot, and Claude are fundamentally reshaping how people discover content, products and services.

Forget blue links and 10-result SERPs! We’re now dealing with conversational AI agents, multi-modal interfaces, and aggregated answers that include, or exclude, your website based on signals far more complex than just keywords and backlinks.

So, how do you ensure your website isn’t just visible to traditional search engines, but also to the AI agents now acting as gatekeepers to your content?

This guide explains:

• Recent search statistics
• The AI platforms driving the change
• How they retrieve and surface content
• What you must do to optimise your website
• Key technical SEO and structured data techniques
• The future-proofing strategies for AI-first visibility

1. AI chatbots vs traditional search: Traffic volume over 24 months

• AI chatbot traffic surged 81% year-over-year, reaching 55.2 billion visits from April 2024 to March 2025
• In contrast, search engine traffic fell slightly (0.51% YoY), totalling 1.86 trillion visits in the same period
• As a result, chatbots are still a minority: only 3% of search-engine-sized traffic roughly a 34× disparity

2. Google still dominates search volume

• Google handled 5 trillion searches in 2024 (14 billion/day), maintaining 93–96% market share
• Its total search volume grew 20%+ from 2023 to 2024
• Despite AI disruption concerns, Google’s usage continues to expand, thanks in part to AI-enhanced features

3. ChatGPT and AI tool usage vs traditional search

• ChatGPT processes 37.5 million prompts/day, compared to 14 billion Google searches/day
• That puts ChatGPT at around 0.27% daily query share of Google, though some studies model it at 2.5% of Google search volume
• Among users, 62% use AI chatbots daily, and 49% expect AI to eventually replace search engines

4. Market share shift: AI vs Google

• As of 2024, AI tools represented approximately 6% of the search market, down slightly from a higher 2023 peak
• Forecasts suggest AI’s share could grow by 35% per year, reaching 14% by 2028
• Meanwhile, organic CTR for publishers could dip by 20–40% by 2026 due to AI and zero-click growth

Key takeaways and trends

1. Search volume is growing, not shrinking, however, Google still remains dominant.
2. AI is growing fast (81% YoY in traffic), but still small in share (3–6%).
3. AI Overviews are common and vividly reducing clicks across many keywords.
4. Zero-click searches are now the majority — 58–64% in the U.S.
5. ChatGPT usage, while increasing, remains far behind Google, but daily reliance is clear.
6. Forecasts indicate AI reaching 14% market share by 2028 forcing a deeper shift in SEO.

What this means for SEO

• Organic traffic may shrink by up to 40% in some niches, especially informational queries.
• Traditional rankings still matter, but you now need to optimise for AI visibility:
  • Appearing in AI Overviews and answer engines
  • Reducing reliance on click-based metrics alone
  • Embracing Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)

In summary: while Google remains the primary gateway to information, AI-driven search is accelerating, dramatically changing how users find answers and how SEO must adapt. For marketers, this means expanding strategy to include authority, structured content, and AI-engine visibility beyond traditional rankings.

1. The key AI search platforms you need to know

Before we talk strategy, it’s critical to understand who the players are and how they operate.

ChatGPT (OpenAI)

• AI model: GPT-4o with browsing capabilities
• Sources: Primarily Bing-indexed content via Microsoft; real-time web data (with browsing enabled)
• Citation behaviour: Links cited in answers if sourced from reputable websites or surfaced via Bing index
• Tip: Structured, concise content with schema helps increase likelihood of citation

Perplexity AI

• Positioning: “The answer engine” — directly competes with Google SGE
• Crawling: Aggressively crawls the web; uses its own AI stack
• Citation model: Highlights actual sources; credits publishers generously
• Tip: Build authority and clarity — Perplexity is very transparent about sourcing

Google SGE (Search Generative Experience)

• Launched: Gradually rolling out in Google Labs and Search
• Output: AI-generated answers placed above traditional results
• Sources: Informed by Google’s full index, but not always cited
• Tip: E-E-A-T and content freshness have even more weight

Microsoft Copilot

• Integrated Into: Bing, Windows, Edge, Office
• AI layer: Powered by OpenAI (GPT) + Microsoft Bing Index
• Search model: Hybrid of AI-generated and traditional search snippets

Claude (Anthropic)

• Use case: Mainly B2B and enterprise; used in productivity apps
• Search ability: Limited browsing, but embeds links in summarised answers when allowed

2. AI search + traditional SEO

AI engines don’t “crawl and rank” pages the same way Google did in 2012. Instead, they:

• Extract meaning, not just keywords
• Summarise content, looking for clarity and directness
• Pull structured data, including schema.org tags
• Choose trusted domains based on topical authority

In short: AI search is more semantically aware, intent-driven, and experience-focused than traditional SEO. But that doesn’t mean SEO is dead, it’s evolving.

3. How to optimise for AI search engines: 12 essential tactics

1. Master the basics of semantic SEO

AI engines don’t just match keywords, but understand concepts.

Action points:

• Use topic clusters: interlink related pages and blogs around one central idea
• Optimise for entities (not just keywords) using available tools
• Write in natural language but with context-rich terminology

Stat: Semantic search increases content retrieval accuracy by up to 80% in NLP models (Stanford, 2023)

2. Use structured data (Schema Markup)

Schema.org markup makes your content machine-readable.

Key types to implement:

• Article, FAQPage, HowTo, Product, Organisation
• Add speakable markup for voice-enabled searches
• Use SameAs to link your entity to trusted sources (e.g., Wikipedia, LinkedIn, Wikidata)

Pro Tip: AI engines heavily favour content with clear structure and schema when choosing citations.

3. Optimise for featured snippets and direct answers

Even though AI chat responses go beyond snippets, content designed to rank for snippets is more likely to be summarised and cited.

Tactics:

• Use H2 questions followed by concise (<50-word) answers
• Structure answers as bullet points or numbered steps
• Use the inverted pyramid: lead with the answer, expand later

4. Use FAQ pages strategically

AI tools love FAQs as they match user queries directly and offer semantically rich question-answer formats.

• Use real customer questions from tools like AnswerThePublic or AlsoAsked
• Apply FAQPage schema
• Keep answers concise (1–2 paragraphs max)

5. Authoritative, referenced content wins

AI search engines score trust by looking at:

• External references
• Data citations
• Author bios and credentials

Use statistics, research, and external links to build trust. Cite sources such as Statista, Gov.uk, or reputable trade bodies.

Google’s own guidance confirms that AI summarisation ranks E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trust) even higher in its AI-generated answers.

6. Optimise site architecture for crawlability

AI search relies on the same crawl and index logic especially for ChatGPT and Perplexity, which use Bing’s infrastructure.

Make sure:

• Important pages are no more than three clicks from the homepage
• You have a clear HTML sitemap and XML sitemap submitted to Bing and Google
• You’re not blocking AI bots (check your robots.txt)

7. Be discoverable via Bing and LinkedIn

OpenAI’s GPT-powered models (ChatGPT and Copilot) rely heavily on Bing indexing and, indirectly, LinkedIn for entity context.

• Optimise your content for Bing SEO (similar to Google, but with more emphasis on exact match and meta data)
• Keep your brand’s LinkedIn company page active and linked to your website

Stat: 70%+ of ChatGPT’s web answers are powered by Bing infrastructure when browsing is enabled (OpenAI DevDocs, 2024)

8. Content freshness matters

AI tools like Perplexity and Google SGE now timestamp their sources.

Action plan:

• Refresh blog content every 6–12 months
• Add new stats, visuals, and internal links
• Use updated last modified meta tags and structured data

9. Author pages and knowledge panels

AI engines increasingly look for who wrote the content, rather than just what it says.

• Add detailed author pages with bios, credentials, social profiles, and previous publications
• Use Person schema for author profiles
• Get your brand/entity into Google’s Knowledge Graph

10. Use natural language and conversational keywords

Think about how a user would ask a chatbot for your content.

Examples:

• Instead of “SEO Tips 2024” → Use: “How can I improve my SEO in 2024?”
• Instead of “Technical SEO checklist” → Use: “What are the steps to technical SEO?”

These mirror real user input in AI platforms.

11. Track and optimise for AI mentions

The following tools can can help track AI citations and understand how your brand/content is being referenced in AI-generated results:

• AlsoAsked.com
• Glasp
• SparkToro

12. Experiment with LLM Plugins and APIs

If your product or service can be enhanced by integrating into AI ecosystems, consider:

• Building a plugin for ChatGPT or a Copilot extension
• Getting listed as a data source on Perplexity’s API
• Creating embeddable, AI-readable datasets

This is the “next level” of AI search visibility becoming a trusted source for the models themselves.

4. The metrics are changing: what to track now

Traditional SEO metrics like keyword rankings won’t always show your visibility in AI tools.

Instead, monitor:

• Brand mentions in AI tools (via Perplexity citations, ChatGPT tests)
• Referral traffic from Bing, LinkedIn, and AI search engines

5. A future-proof SEO checklist for AI visibility

Area	Tactic
Content	Use natural Q&A, concise answers, stats
Schema	Implement FAQ, Article, Person, and Speakable
Authority	Link to quality sources, display author bios
Indexing	Submit to Bing and Google; don’t block AI bots
Entities	Claim Knowledge Panels, use SameAs links
Platforms	Be visible on LinkedIn, Bing, YouTube
Refresh Rate	Keep content current with latest data
Crawlability	Optimise site structure and sitemaps

AI search is here. ARE YOU READY?

The rise of AI search doesn’t eliminate the need for SEO: it elevates it. In many ways, the rules haven’t changed, but the stakes have. If your content isn’t AI-readable, trustable, and retrievable you risk falling into digital obscurity.

By implementing the strategies above, your website won’t just survive the AI revolution it will thrive in it.

Do you want help making your website AI-visible? As UK-based SEO specialists and AI search experts, S2F helps businesses optimise for the next generation of search. Let’s future-proof your content today!

You can follow S2F on LinkedIn for the latest news.

FAQs

What is AI search and how is it different from traditional SEO?

AI search uses large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Google Gemini to answer questions directly, whereas traditional SEO optimises content for keyword-based results in search engines like Google. AI search prioritises intent, clarity, and structured information.

How can I optimise my website for AI-powered search engines?

To rank in AI search, use structured data (schema markup), answer questions clearly, include author bios, cite sources, and focus on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).

What is AEO and how does it differ from SEO?

AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimisation. It focuses on optimising content so AI systems can understand and use it to generate direct answers. SEO focuses on search engine rankings, while AEO focuses on answer visibility in AI-generated content.

Which platforms use AI for search in 2025?

The top AI search platforms include ChatGPT (OpenAI), Google Gemini (formerly Bard), Microsoft Bing Copilot, Perplexity AI, and Anthropic’s Claude.

Will AI Overviews reduce traffic from Google to my website?

Yes, potentially. Google AI Overviews are now shown in up to 47% of queries and result in over 60% of users not clicking through to websites. Optimising for AI inclusion is now critical to maintain visibility.

What kind of content is most likely to appear in AI search results?

Clear, concise, fact-checked content that directly answers questions, includes schema markup, and is published by credible authors or companies.

Do author bios help with AI search rankings?

Yes. Including a detailed author bio with schema markup helps AI systems recognise your expertise, increasing the chances your content will be cited or included in AI-generated answers.

How much traffic has shifted from Google to AI platforms?

AI search visits grew by 81% in the past year, now accounting for about 3% of all search engine traffic. While Google still dominates, AI platforms like ChatGPT are rapidly gaining ground.

What is structured data and why does it matter for AI SEO?

Structured data (schema markup) provides machine-readable context about your content. AI platforms use it to understand who wrote content, what it covers, and whether it can be trusted for answers.

How do I track if my website is appearing in AI search tools?

Use tools like Perplexity, Bing Copilot, and AI SEO extensions (e.g. Semrush AIO, AlsoAsked, or ChatGPT plugins) to test visibility and discover if your content is used in AI answers.

Author

Warren Albutt. Managing Director.

He/Him

Managing Director. S2F Marketing | Marketing for Manufacturing.

Marketing Strategy Expert. Offering all your marketing needs under one roof from start to finish.

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