You've spent years learning SEO. Keywords, backlinks, technical optimization, content strategy. You know the game.
Now there's a new game. Same goal (get found), different rules.
That's AI SEO.
AI SEO is the umbrella
AI SEO encompasses all the practices for getting your brand visible in AI-powered tools.
It includes GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) for being recommended in AI search. LLMO (LLM Optimization) for how language models process your content. Platform-specific approaches like ChatGPT SEO or Perplexity SEO.
Different names, same fundamental goal: when people use AI to find solutions, you want to be in the answer.
AI SEO vs traditional SEO
Traditional SEO optimizes for Google's algorithm to rank in search results. You fight for positions 1-10.
AI SEO optimizes for AI systems to mention and recommend you in generated responses. You're either in the answer or you're not.
Some things overlap. Good content helps everywhere. But the emphasis shifts.
Traditional SEO obsesses over keywords. AI SEO focuses on entities and concepts.
Traditional SEO builds backlinks. AI SEO builds authority signals more broadly.
Traditional SEO cares about technical factors like page speed and crawlability. AI SEO cares more about content substance.
Traditional SEO is about getting ranked. AI SEO is about getting mentioned.
The core principles of AI SEO
Entity clarity. AI needs to understand what you are. Clear, consistent information about your brand across the web helps AI recognize you as a distinct entity worth recommending.
Topical authority. Be the authoritative source in your domain. Comprehensive content, depth of coverage, demonstrated expertise. AI recommends brands it considers authorities.
Citation-worthy content. Create content AI wants to cite. Direct answers to questions, original research, comprehensive guides. If your content doesn't deserve to be quoted, it won't be.
Multi-platform presence. AI tools differ. What works for ChatGPT might not work for Perplexity. A complete AI SEO strategy optimizes across platforms.
Continuous monitoring. AI responses change. Regular tracking shows where you're visible and where you're losing ground. You can't improve what you don't measure.
Practical AI SEO tactics
Answer questions directly. Format content to directly address the queries users actually ask. If they're asking "what is the best X for Y?", have a clear, extractable answer.
Build structured content. FAQs, comparison tables, clear headings help AI extract information. Make it easy for AI to find and cite your key points.
Earn third-party mentions. Being cited by authoritative sources builds AI trust. Getting mentioned in industry publications, reviews, expert analysis all help.
Keep content fresh. For AI tools that search in real-time, current content matters. Outdated pages lose to recently updated ones.
Track and iterate. Monitor visibility, identify gaps, create content to address them. AI SEO is ongoing, not a one-time project.
Why AI SEO matters right now
AI search is growing fast. ChatGPT has hundreds of millions of users. Perplexity is growing rapidly. Google AI Overviews appear on more queries every month.
Users are increasingly getting information from AI rather than clicking through search results. The businesses that ignore AI SEO will become invisible to this growing segment of search behavior.
Your competitors are figuring this out. Some are already tracking their AI visibility. Some are already optimizing for it. The question is whether you join them or fall behind.
Getting started with AI SEO
Start with visibility assessment. Are you mentioned in AI responses for relevant queries? For which prompts? On which platforms?
Tools like Mentionable automate this tracking across multiple AI platforms. You see where you stand, identify gaps, and measure improvements over time.
From there, the work is creating content that AI finds authoritative and worth citing. The fundamentals of good content marketing still apply. You're just optimizing for a new channel alongside the traditional ones.
