AI and SEO: how to get found in AI search.

How AI and SEO now work together

Traditional search matched the words you typed to pages that used them. You searched for “joiner Harrogate” and got a list of ten links. AI search works differently. It reads the whole question, works out what you actually mean and then writes an answer, pulling from the pages it trusts most.

So someone might now ask, “Who can make bespoke oak windows for a listed building near Harrogate?” Instead of ten links, they get a short answer that names a few firms and explains why. If your business isn’t one of the sources that answer draws on, you’re invisible for that search.

That’s the big shift. Ranking still matters, because AI tools lean heavily on pages that already perform well. However, AI and SEO now share a second goal: being clear and trustworthy enough to be quoted.

Why AI and SEO matter for your business

Google’s AI Overviews now appear above the normal results for many searches. Tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are also becoming a first stop for research, particularly when someone is comparing suppliers. As a result, more buying decisions start with an AI answer before anyone visits a website.

For a small business, that’s both a risk and an opening. The risk is that a competitor gets named and you don’t. The opening is that AI tools don’t simply favour the biggest brands. They favour whoever explains a topic most clearly and credibly, which a focused local business can often do better than a national one.

Five ways to get your content found in AI search

First, answer real questions. Think about what customers ask you on the phone or by email, then write pages that answer those questions directly. Put the answer near the top, then add the detail underneath.

Second, go deep rather than wide. One thorough guide that covers a subject properly is worth more than five thin posts. AI tools look for the page that answers the question and the follow-up questions too.

Third, write the way people talk. Use plain language and question-style headings, such as “How long does a bespoke staircase take to make?” That matches the way people speak to AI tools and voice assistants.

Fourth, add structured data. Schema markup is a small piece of code that tells search engines what a page is about, whether that’s a service, an article or a list of FAQs. Google explains how it works in its guide to structured data. Every page on this site, including this one, uses FAQ schema for exactly that reason.

Fifth, build your authority on a topic. Publish regularly around the subjects you know best, link related pages together and show real experience with examples from your own work. That’s why generic AI content struggles, while genuine expertise tells both Google and AI tools you’re a source worth trusting.

What generative engine optimisation means

You may have heard the term generative engine optimisation, or GEO. It simply means shaping your content so AI tools are more likely to include it in the answers they write. In practice, it overlaps heavily with good SEO.

The difference is emphasis. GEO puts extra weight on clear definitions, direct answers, named expertise and consistent information about your business across the web. For example, if your address, services and opening hours differ between your website and your Google Business Profile, AI tools are less likely to trust either. Keeping those details consistent is one of the easiest wins available, and it builds the kind of trust in marketing that customers notice too.

How to start with AI and SEO this month

You don’t need to rebuild your website. Start with these three steps.

If you’d rather have someone handle it, our search engine optimisation service covers both traditional rankings and AI search, as part of one fixed monthly fee.