SEO for AI Search (SGE): Is Your Website Ready for the Future?

The Biggest Shift in Search Since 2000

For 25 years, SEO has been about one thing: getting your link to the top of a list of 10 blue links. That era is ending.
Google's SGE (Search Generative Experience) and other AI-powered search tools (like Perplexity) are changing the game. Instead of giving a *list of links* for the user to research, SGE *researches for them* and provides a single, conversational answer, often with a few "source" links.

The new goal of SEO is no longer just to be "Rank 1." It's to be the cited source inside the AI's answer.
This is AIO (Artificial Intelligence Optimisation), and it requires a fundamental shift in strategy.

Shift 1: From Keywords to Entities & Topics

Old SEO: "I want to rank for the keyword 'best web developer Trowbridge'." You would stuff this keyword on your page.
New AIO: Google's AI doesn't just see keywords; it understands Entities (real-world concepts). It knows that "Trowbridge" is a *town* in *Wiltshire*, that "web developer" is a *service*, and that "Craig Hall" is a *person* associated with that service.

Your goal is to build a "knowledge graph" on your site that connects these entities.
How to do it:

• Topic Clusters: Create a pillar page for "Web Development" and link to supporting posts like "Custom Themes" and "Headless CMS." This proves you have *topical authority*.
• Internal Linking: Use clear anchor text (e.g., "our local SEO services") to connect these concepts.
• E-E-A-T: Have a strong "About" page connecting your *author* (the entity) to your *service* (the entity).

Shift 2: Your Content Must Be "The Answer"

AI models are trained on data. To be the source, your content must be clear, factual, well-structured, and demonstrably expert-written. Vague marketing fluff will be ignored.

1. Use Clear Q&A Structures (FAQ Schema)

Structure your content to *directly* answer the questions your users are asking. AI *loves* this format.
Bad: "Our dynamic solutions empower your business."
Good: "What is a Headless CMS? A headless CMS is a system that separates your backend content from the frontend presentation..."

Use clear <h2> and <h3> tags for these questions and mark them up with FAQPage schema (see our schema guide).

2. Prove Your E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust)

This is Google's #1 quality signal. AI will be trained to prioritise sources that demonstrate E-E-A-T.

• Author Bios: Show *who* wrote the content and *why* they are an expert.
• Case Studies: Provide real-world *experience* and proof of your work.
• "About Us" Page: Detail your company's history, mission, and physical UK location.
• Link to Sources: Cite data and link to other authoritative sources (like we're doing in this post).

3. The Role of Schema Markup is CRITICAL

If content structure (FAQs, H2s) is how you *show* your answers, schema is how you *tell* the AI what it's reading. It's the technical translation layer. Your LocalBusiness, Article, and Service schema explicitly defines your entities for the AI, making you a trusted, verifiable source of information. Without it, you're just text.

Shift 3: Technical SEO is the Foundation of AIO

An AI crawler has the same limitations as Googlebot, but less patience. Your technical foundation must be perfect.

• Crawlability: If your robots.txt blocks the AI, or your site architecture is a mess, your content will never be "learned."
• Site Speed: AI models have massive computing costs. They will not waste time and resources on a slow-loading site. A fast site (passing Core Web Vitals) is a cost-effective site to crawl.
• Clean HTML: Semantic, clean HTML (using proper <article>, <nav>, and heading tags) makes your content easier to parse and understand.

What Happens to Traffic and Measurement?

Be prepared: SGE and AI answers will likely *reduce* clicks for simple, informational queries (e.g., "how tall is the eiffel tower"). Users will get the answer without clicking.

However, traffic for complex, in-depth, and commercial-intent queries will become *more valuable*. The users who *do* click will be the ones who read the AI's summary and decided they need a true expert. Your goal is to be that expert source they click through to. This makes CRO even more important.

Start Your AI Optimisation (AIO) Strategy Today

The future of SEO is about becoming an undeniable, structured, and expert authority. The work starts now, by building a rock-solid technical foundation, proving your E-E-A-T, and structuring your content for machines *and* humans.

Our AIO service is a comprehensive audit that checks these new, critical factors. Book a consultation and let's future-proof your website's visibility.