How to optimize your website for AI-based search
The only thing that stays the same in SEO is change. Search engines are always tinkering with their algorithms. New optimization strategies rise and fall based on search habits and user behaviour. Content remains king but the complexion of what that content should look like has evolved over time.
Now the popularity of AI and generative search engines are shifting the playing field yet again, and in a major way. While traditional search engines operate on a lexical (keyword) model, AI engines utilize a semantic model that aims to understand a deeper meaning and intent behind the user’s query.
Plus, as we noted in our last MHz Design AI Insights article, Google has introduced AI Overviews at the top of its page, MS Bing is now integrated into ChatGPT, and advanced LLM engines like Perplexity AI are dramatically reducing the need to sift through search results to find the answer you need.
Where does today’s temperamental search dynamic leave you and your business’ website? If you have traditionally followed SEO best practices in the past, you’re off to a good start. Next, there are some crucial things you can do to make sure you stand out. Businesses that take the time now to get ahead of the curve and optimize against AI and chat-based search are the ones that are going to stand out today and enjoy bigger gains tomorrow.
5 effective strategies to rank in AI search results
Use natural language
The developers of AI assistants like ChatGPT and Copilot have gone to great lengths to offer users answers that have a human-like, conversational tone. Increasingly, these platforms therefore mimic how people naturally speak – and your content should, too. Create content for “natural language optimization” and consider what solution your content may be providing against question-based queries. Add an FAQ section to your website if you don’t already have one or expand on your existing FAQs with the style of questions users may enter in AI search.
Develop high-quality content
We touched upon Google EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) in our last AI Insights and it bears repeating: if you act like a thought-leader, search will find you. Create a continuous stream of quality content that is original, meaningful, authoritative and incorporates fresh data and insights. Statistics, quotes and external links all help with that EEAT factor, too. You should also consider refreshing old content such as blog posts to re-optimize for AI search.
Add schema markup
Schema markup (also called structured data) is a code you can add to your website to help search engines understand your content better and even show extra details in the search results (known as rich snippets). And while schema markup produces better results in traditional search, we’re finding that AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini appreciate schema markup. Structured data enables the AI to extract information and comprehend content faster with fewer computational resources. Schema markup also adds greater contextual meaning and better defines relationships between entities on a site.
Build a logical site structure
A well-organized website has always been at the foundation of solid SEO and it’s more important than ever with AI search. Technology thrives on simplicity and efficiency, and AI crawlers have less to crawl when your website features a clear hierarchy of categories and subcategories supported by internal linking. A logical site structure, also referred to as URL structure or SEO taxonomy in search circles, helps the AI understand the relationship between different pieces of content and utilize it better in its results. Make sure that any page you want found is accessible within three clicks from the homepage and uses a descriptive URL.
Incorporate multi-media
While AI assistants may seem text-based, multi-media content is crucial in AI search. That’s because AI can process and understand multimedia data and repurpose this data into its search results. Keep in mind that content such as video and infographics is often preferred by users and significantly enhances user engagement, which also increases visibility in AI-driven searches.
Bonus tip for better AI search results
Refamiliarize yourself with voice search optimization
SEO old-timers will remember when voice search optimization was all the rage. Apple invented Siri, Google offered voice search and Amazon Echo brought the smart speaker into the mainstream. Suddenly, users could search the web with their eyes closed and SEO tactics blindly followed. While voice search best practices are today firmly embedded in any decent SEO strategy, the underlying concepts are just as powerful in AI-based search. As mentioned above, AI assistants use a conversational tone so when you adapt your content by including conversational phrases and natural language queries, your content is speaking the same language as the engines that will help you get found.
AI is dramatically transforming the way users search, and how websites get found organically. Now is the perfect time to take another deep look at your website and see how you can adapt to this changing landscape.
At MHz Design, we have a long and proud history of developing websites and content strategies that help our clients get found online. Contact us now or call 416.626.1777 and ask how we can help with a website audit and offer suggestions on opportunities for improvement in response to AI-based search.
Up next in our MHz Design AI Insights series, we will look at how AI is making video production faster, more accessible and a more realistic marketing opportunity for a wider variety of businesses.
Angelo Perri is the founder and CEO of MHZ Design Communications, a customer engagement agency located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Connect on Linkedin.
