Copyright Fast Company
AI has reshaped search, and it’s causing some brands to sink from view. What worked for SEO doesn’t always yield results, now that many of us ask chatbots our questions. Even when we don’t ask AI to search for us, it often does so anyway, in the form of summaries like Google’s AI Overview. A new Pew Research Center study found that 15% of US adults click a link on non-AI summary Google search results pages, while only 8% click a link when an AI summary is offered. With an AI summary, around 26% end their browsing session, and only 1% click links within the AI summary. Your brand must earn mentions in AI search summaries. Overhauling SEO for the AI age may seem like a tall order, but it’s relatively easy to get started. Here are four AI search visibility strategies you can use now. 1. Answer your audience’s questions Visibility used to depend on keywords, but large language models (LLMs) now support conversational search and answers. So, AI visibility depends on answering the questions your audience asks, using natural, conversational language. Subscribe to the Daily newsletter.Fast Company's trending stories delivered to you every day Privacy Policy | Fast Company Newsletters Discover the questions your audience asks about your products, services, industry, and content topics. Sites like Answer Socrates and Keyword Tool are good places to start. Next, update key content, such as lead magnets and site copy, with conversational questions and answers from your research. Going forward, use these questions to plan new content and help fill content gaps; Use new content to answer popular questions unaddressed by existing assets. Strategy jumpstart: Create FAQs tailored to your website and social media channels, based on the most common, relevant questions your audience asks in each channel. 2. Share insights that only your brand can provide AI search tools look for unique information backed by expertise and data. So, your brand’s content should answer your audience’s questions and show why your answers matter. What are the topics where your leaders and SMEs have deep experience and expertise? Leverage that knowledge for: Thought leadership in the form of contributed articles Expert commentary to the media Podcast appearances Industry panels and speaking opportunities to share as videos Blog swaps with partners and vendors With blog swaps, you can answer partner and vendor readers’ questions about your products or services. Does your brand have mined data for insights that matter to your audience? Turn it into a report, a webinar, or both. If your brand doesn’t yet have data to use this way, collect some. Create an online survey to ask your target market what they need now and where they see their industry going next. Further along the funnel, optimized case studies can answer customer questions and serve as authoritative sources for AI search visibility. advertisement Strategy jumpstart: Conduct original research on questions that matter most to your customers. For example, a major business process outsourcing provider conducts regular surveys of financial executives. These data-driven reports answer key customer questions, improve AI search visibility, and strengthen brand trust. 3. Build your brand’s authority through earned media You build new AI search visibility opportunities when your content answers audience questions with authority, expertise, and data not found elsewhere. Use PR best practices to promote your exclusive reports, podcasts, webinars, POVs, and contributed articles and commentary. When mainstream and industry media outlets pick up stories and ask your experts for interviews, your brand gains visibility in the trusted channels AI turns to for high-quality search results. Done right, this kind of earned media PR strategy creates a virtuous cycle. It raises your brand’s authority, improving AI search results placement and creating more opportunities for media mentions. Don’t forget customer reviews on third-party sites—a more organic form of earned media that builds credibility with AI and the public. Start a campaign to request post-purchase reviews from your customers on sites like Google and Yelp (or G2 and TrustPilot if you’re B2B), to leverage customer goodwill for better brand visibility. Strategy jumpstart: Promote your original research to the media outlets where your audience spends time. Make your experts available for commentary and quotes. If your research isn’t ready, can you pitch two expert thought leadership pieces to trusted media outlets in your field this month? 4. Structure your content for AI visibility So far, we’ve covered strategies that rely on humans. But we’re talking about AI, so we must provide search LLMs with what they need to succeed. Ensure your content answers key questions early in the piece, so bots can find it quickly. Format your content with clear headings, bulleted lists, and behind-the-scenes schema markup for better machine readability. As a bonus, these easy-to-scan headings and lists make it easier for your audience to engage. Strategy jumpstart: Add the appropriate schema markup to three of your best-performing website pages. For example, adding the FAQPage markup to your new FAQ page and HowTo to your most popular tutorial page can make it easier for AI to find and feature them in search summaries. Stay visible in the age of AI search Appearing in AI search summaries requires a shift in thinking and an adjustment of your SEO best practices. Your brand will be more likely to stand out and connect with your audience when you create content that answers your audience’s questions, infuse content with brand expertise and unique data, earn placements with trusted media and review outlets, and structure your content for easy bot consumption. Bonnie Moss is the founder and president of Moss Networks.
