It used to be so simple: get to page one of Google and the calls would follow. But search has shifted under our feet. AI-powered tools – ChatGPT, Gemini’s AI Overviews, Perplexity – are now writing the answers for people, not just pointing them to a list of links.
That means your job isn’t just to “rank” anymore. It’s to be selected. To be the business that’s named, cited, or recommended when the machine builds its answer.
Why this matters right now
The direction of travel is crystal clear. Projections suggest traffic from large language models (LLMs) will surpass traditional organic search by 2028. That’s only three years away – close enough that businesses ignoring it risk waking up invisible.
Moreover, the traffic you do get from AI-driven discovery is higher quality. Recent analysis shows that a website visitor who arrives via ChatGPT is 4.4 times more likely to convert than one from a traditional Google search. Fewer tyre-kickers, more ready-to-act customers.
So the prize is real. The question is how to get yourself into the mix.
Think like the answer
AI tools are designed to sound like your most helpful friend. They pull from content that’s clear, conversational, and genuinely useful. If your website reads like jargon soup or hides the good stuff behind fluffy marketing copy, you’re less likely to be picked up.
Instead, focus on the basics: answer the questions your customers actually ask – in plain English, with enough context to stand alone. That might be “How long does it take to let a property in Manchester right now?” or “What’s the typical cost to sell a two-bed flat in Bristol?” The clearer and more direct your answers, the easier they are for AI to lift, cite, and share.
Proof matters
Machines – and humans – want to trust their sources. That’s why Quora and Reddit are currently among the most commonly cited sources in Google’s AI Overviews. Communities where people share real experiences are seen as credible, and the algorithms reflect that.
For your business, that means two things:
- Be visible in the places AI likes to pull from – active on forums, answering questions, sharing insights.
- Show your own proof: case studies, testimonials, data, even awards. Make your authority signals obvious. If credibility is effortless to verify, you’re a safer bet for an AI system looking for a trustworthy answer.
Tidy up the tech
Don’t panic – this isn’t about mastering code. But do make sure your website loads quickly, works on mobile, and isn’t hiding important content behind heavy scripts. And double-check you’re not accidentally blocking AI crawlers in your site settings. If the machines can’t “see” you, they can’t recommend you.
Meet your customers where they are
AI doesn’t just pull from your site. It scoops up mentions across the web: review sites, local directories, podcasts, news articles. The more your brand shows up in places people trust, the more likely you are to be included in answers. If you’re a local business, weave your geography into your content – make it obvious where you are and who you serve
The bottom line
AI isn’t the end of SEO, but it is changing the rules. Being selected as part of an answer is quickly becoming as important as ranking on page one ever was. Focus on clarity, credibility, and visibility in the right places.
Do that, and the shift from Google to AI doesn’t need to be a threat – it can be the single biggest opportunity to get found, trusted, and chosen ahead of your competitors.
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