If you want your content to be found by AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews you’re in the right place. This guide explains how to optimise your website and content to show up in AI-generated results as well as being cited by large language models (LLMs).
SEO isn’t just about ranking in search engines anymore or stuffing relevant keywords into your pages. It’s about being referenced and trusted by the AI systems users rely on every day.
At Return, we help brands get ahead of this shift in user search. If you want to be part of this conversation, and be seen by your customers, keep reading.
What This Guide Covers
- Why AI Search is Changing SEO
- How ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews Work
- How to Write Content That AI Can Use
- Technical SEO Tips for Better AI Visibility
- Building Authority That AI Trusts
- Platform-Specific Optimisation Tips
- How to Track AI Search Performance
- How Return Co Can Help You Win in AI Search
- FAQs
What Does This Mean for Businesses: AI is Changing Search
Generative AI is transforming how users find answers. Instead of browsing a list of results in the SERPs and clicking endlessly, people get summarised responses directly in AI and LLM tools like:
- ChatGPT: Uses web browsing or plugins to cite external content.
- Perplexity AI: Provides direct answers with sources.
- Google AI Overviews: Displays summaries of content with limited links at the top of search results.
An impact of this change means fewer clicks to actual websites, which is certainly impacting many websites across the world. If your content is not structured or authoritative, it may be skipped entirely by these systems, and you’ll need to rely on the hope of showing organically somewhere in the top 10 listings instead.
According to industry research, more than half of search results now feature AI-generated summaries. If your content is not part of that, then you are missing out. This means, whilst we may not necessarily like this shift towards AI search engines, it’s here to stay, and we must change our approach, and adapt.
Step 1: Understand How AI-Powered Search Tools Work
What Are AI Search Engines Doing?
AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity scan, summarise, and quote from authoritative and trusted sources. Google AI Overviews however blend traditional search results with AI-written summaries.
They look for content that:
- Clearly answers a user’s query.
- Is well structured and easy to read.
- Comes from a site with authority, relevant schema, and a strong presence in traditional search.
The more helpful and structured your content, the more likely it is to be cited. The more likely it is to be cited, the more likely you’ll generate an increase in visibility.
Step 2: Create AI-Friendly, Human-Readable Content
In order to gain visibility in AI and LLM search engines and answers, your content needs to be designed for both readers and AI machines. Ensure your content follows the below guidelines:
Write With Clear Intent
- Focus on answering specific questions in plain language.
- Use H2s and H3s that include key terms and reflect user search intent.
- Begin sections with a direct answer before expanding with details.
Ensuring easily accessible and readable content is key. Stay away from optimising for industry jargon and phrases that users typically won’t be searching for. This can be off putting for users who may struggle to understand what this means and can increase bounce rates.
A clean and clear to follow page hierarchy that follows a structure of H1, H2, H3, and even FAQs, makes it easier for both AI and traditional search engines to understand context and intent.
Use Lists, Tables, and Step-by-Step Formats
- Break complex ideas into numbered steps or bullet points.
- Use summary tables to compare options or features.
- These formats are easier for AI tools to quote.
Breaking data down into tables and bullet points makes it much easier for AI and search crawlers to understand what the page is about in simple terms without utilising too much processing power. If and AI engine can get a clear understanding of the content in a few milliseconds as opposed to 5-10 seconds by having to scan the entire page, then they’re going to go for the simpler approach.
Keep Content Updated
- Refresh older posts with current examples and statistics.
- AI systems favour recently updated content.
- Update the publish date and resubmit to Google Search Console.
This is a huge area we at Return focus on a lot. Traditional search engines love up to date content, and so do AI and LLM systems. If some new research has come to light on a topic you focus on, then include that in your content. This keeps it fresh, updated, and shows you’re staying as an authority.
Example Section Format
Question: How do I optimise content for ChatGPT?
Answer: To optimise content for ChatGPT, make sure it includes structured formatting, clear answers to common queries, and schema markup like FAQ or HowTo tags. Then expand with supporting detail and real-world examples.
If you have real people asking you questions about a particular service on a regular basis, then take those questions, add them to the bottom of your page, and make sure to provide an answer to them.
The likelyhood of showing in traditional and AI search results will be much higher!
Step 3: Improve Technical SEO for AI Discovery
Technical SEO is the foundation of which every site should be built on. A poor foundation means a website that simply won’t perform as best as it can. Just like a building without solid structure, it can only go so far and will be held back. A strong foundation means solid opportunities for stable growth.
Even AI search systems rely on solid technical SEO to find and use your content.
What to Optimise:
- Meta title and description: Must match the intent of the page and the H1.
- Mobile speed and responsiveness: AI tools prefer fast-loading, accessible pages.
- Internal links: Help AI understand content relationships and hierarchy.
- Schema markup: Use structured data like FAQPage, Article, HowTo, and BreadcrumbList.
- Pagination: Paginated pages should be indexed and easily crawlable by search engines, as this reflects the relationship between the main pages and child pages.
Schema helps AI interpret your content’s purpose, making it more likely to appear in AI answers or be cited by tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT. There is a wide range of different and available Schema types you can utilise, from Organisation, Business, Local, Person, SameAs, and so much more to help these search engines better understand the context and you and your business as an entity.
Step 4: Build Real Authority That AI Can Trust
Google and other AI engines use the E-E-A-T framework: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. AI platforms favour content that comes from brands and authors with proven expertise and credibility.
To increase your authority work on the following:
- Include author bios with credentials and experience.
- Publish expert-level content consistently.
- Get backlinks from respected relevant websites and partners.
- Engage on social platforms to build brand presence.
At Return, we build out your digital authority across content, search, and social. Send us a message and we’ll get back to you.
Step 5: Optimise for Each Platform
ChatGPT
- Structure answers clearly with headers and bullet points.
- Include Schema, FAQ schema and conversational language.
- Use internal citations and links to relevant pages.
Perplexity AI
- Provide concise, well-researched answers.
- Reference credible sources.
- Use citations in your content, even if not required by traditional SEO.
Google AI Overviews
- Rank in the top 10 for your target keyword (Google pulls from these listings).
- Use rich content (visuals, interactive elements, etc) with schema markup and lists.
- Refresh content often so it remains relevant to AI summaries.
Being the source that gets cited means more visibility, even if there are fewer clicks overall.
Step 6: Track Performance in an AI-Powered Search World
What to Measure:
- Ranking in top 10 for relevant queries (still key for Google AI Overviews).
- Featured snippet and People Also Ask visibility.
- Brand mentions or citations in AI tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity.
- Clicks and impressions from AI-enhanced search features.
- Time on page, scroll depth, and engagement.
Tools like Google Search Console, GA4 and Ahrefs can help with the above.
How Return Helps You Rank in AI Search
We help clients from a wide range of industries adapt to the growth of generative search and stay ahead of the curve.
At Return, our approach includes the following:
- Auditing your existing content for AI and traditional search readiness.
- Structuring new pages with headers, schema, and answer formats where suitable.
- Building topic authority so your content gets cited.
- Monitoring evolving AI search trends so you stay relevant..
Want a clear plan for how to rank in AI search and gain visibility in AI Overviews? Let’s talk. Book acall today.
FAQs
Q)Do I need a separate strategy for AI search?
A) No, but you need to adjust your SEO to account for how AI tools read and summarise content.
Q)Will traditional SEO still matter?
A) Ranking in the top 10 is still crucial, especially for Google AI Overviews.
Q)How do I know if AI is using my content?
A) You can track brand mentions using tools like Ahrefs or SemRush, or monitor how your content appears in generative tools.
Q)What type of content works best for AI citations?
A) Structured guides, FAQs, how-to articles, expert commentary, and list-style answers.
Return’s Final Thoughts
Generative search is not the future, and it’s not just a phase. It’s already here, and we must adapt if we want to see return.
Your content needs to be structured, cited, and trusted if you want AI platforms to pick you as a source. At Return, we help your brand grow in this new search landscape.
Key Takeaways
- AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews are changing how people search for information.
- AI-ready SEO focuses on clarity, authority, and structure so AI can extract and use your content effectively.
- Content needs to be created for both humans and AI tools, with strong formatting and technical SEO implementation.
- Schema markup, citations, and trust signals are critical to being included in AI-generated answers as well as regular search engines.
- At Return, we help businesses future proof their content and grow visibility across all search engines.
Ready to optimise your content for ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews? Contact Return today to get started.