Search is splitting in two
Traditional search gives you links to click. AI search gives you an answer — and quietly cites a few sources it trusted to build it. Being one of those cited sources is the new front page. Miss it and you're not on page two; you're not in the answer at all.
Why AI quotes some sites and not others
AI answers favour content that's clearly written, well-structured, and directly answers real questions — with facts it can lift cleanly. Walls of marketing fluff don't get quoted. Clear headings, plain answers, genuine expertise and structured data do. It's called GEO — Generative Engine Optimisation.
What to actually do
- Answer real questions plainly, in the words people ask them.
- Structure pages with clear headings and short, quotable answers.
- Add structured data (schema) so machines read you correctly.
- Show genuine expertise — the thing AI is trying to surface.
The good news: this overlaps heavily with good SEO and good writing. Do it well and you get found in Google and in AI answers from the same work.
Frequently asked questions
What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)?
It's optimising your content to be surfaced and cited by AI answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews — the new layer on top of traditional SEO.
Is AI search really worth optimising for?
Increasingly yes. A fast-growing share of searches now happen inside AI answers. Being cited there puts you in front of buyers before they ever reach a list of links.
Does GEO replace SEO?
No — it builds on it. Clear, structured, expert content ranks in Google and gets quoted by AI. The same work serves both, so you don't choose between them.
Want to be found in AI answers?
Book a free audit — we'll check whether your site is structured to be quoted by AI search, and what to fix.
Book Your Free AI Audit ›