SEO in the AI Era

AI-generated answers now source information from a wide range of places beyond your own website. To secure visibility, your content needs to appear across reputable platforms, publications, and communities that AI systems trust.

Click-throughs from AI responses to brand websites have become rare, as tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews increasingly deliver information directly.

In this landscape, visibility depends on being cited in reliable sources that feed into large language models (LLMs), not just ranking well on your own site.

This means SEO can no longer operate in isolation.

SEO teams must shift from simply executing tactics to acting as strategic partners within their organisations.

Collaboration with content, product, PR, data, and engineering teams is now essential to build influence where audiences actually discover information.

Success in the AI era demands a company-wide approach, with SEO embedded in decision-making across multiple departments.

Businesses that adapt will stand a better chance of maintaining strong visibility.

Those that cling to a website-only focus risk losing their share of audience attention.

It’s no longer enough to optimise pages — your reach must extend into the wider ecosystem of trusted online sources.

Being featured and referenced in this broader network improves your chances of being included in AI-generated results.

These references help build credibility in the eyes of both search engines and AI systems.

Ultimately, visibility is now about influence — and that influence comes from integrated, cross-functional efforts.

If you want to stay competitive, it’s time to rethink SEO as a company-wide strategy, not just a marketing function.

From ranking to referencing

The old SEO approach revolved around rankings, with the top spot often seen as the ultimate win.

Today, when users ask tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google’s AI Overviews for recommendations, they receive instant answers — no clicks required.

These AI-generated responses pull information from multiple sources across the web.

Even if your brand is mentioned, your website may never be seen by the user.

In this new environment, the priority shifts to ensuring your brand, product, or viewpoint is actually included in the AI’s output.

This shift demands a rethink of your optimisation strategy and overall goals.

In the age of AI, SEO is about shaping how your brand is represented across the wider digital ecosystem, not just how it ranks on a search results page.

Achieving this requires working closely with other teams, including content, communications, product marketing, data, and engineering.

Boosting AI visibility is no longer the sole responsibility of the SEO team — it’s a shared effort across the organisation.

Where AI tools look for information

The first step in shaping an AI-focused SEO strategy is to understand where these tools gather their information and how they decide what to include in their responses.

Much of this process still operates behind the scenes, but research from Profound, Writesonic, XFunnel, and Rankscale has shed some light, highlighting key platforms that currently dominate AI-generated answers.

Here’s a summary of some of the most influential sources to focus on:

Reddit
Reddit’s prominence in AI results isn’t surprising, thanks to its user-generated discussions and licensing deals with Google and OpenAI. Perplexity also favours Reddit, even without a formal agreement.
Keep track of relevant threads and mentions of your products, and engage where it feels natural rather than forcing your presence.

Wikipedia
With its strict editorial standards and rigorous review process, Wikipedia remains one of the most authoritative online sources — something AI platforms tend to prioritise.
Ensure your brand or topic is represented with accurate, well-cited entries. Where appropriate, consider creating a Wikipedia page, following their guidelines closely.

YouTube
Many forget that YouTube is also a major search engine, with a strong track record in Google’s results. Now, its videos are appearing more often in ChatGPT’s responses.
Use clear titles, descriptive metadata, and transcripts to help AI tools surface your videos.

Quora and Specialist Forums
Communities like Quora, Stack Overflow, and niche industry forums offer credible, expert insights that AI platforms value.
Share well-informed answers under a verified profile, and use these spaces to help grow your brand’s community.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn frequently appears as a source for business-related AI queries, particularly those calling for professional advice or thought leadership.
Make it part of your publishing strategy, using clear, original insights from credible brand representatives.

Review Platforms and Marketplaces
Sites like G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot often appear in AI answers for commercial and product-related searches.
Keep your profiles updated and explore joining additional relevant platforms in your sector.

Instagram
With some Instagram posts now indexed by Google, visual content is increasingly being pulled into AI Overviews — particularly for consumer and local brands.
Optimise image captions, alt text, and profile details for better visibility.

External Media and “Best of” Lists
Mentions in authoritative publications, industry roundups, and comparison articles help establish your brand’s credibility with AI systems.
Pursue opportunities to feature in respected outlets as part of a broader digital PR effort.

While this list isn’t complete, it shows that AI visibility comes from being referenced across a diverse mix of trusted platforms and sources — not just your own website.

How SEO can partner across the business to win AI visibility

Gaining visibility within AI-generated search results is no longer something SEO can achieve on its own.

If you want your brand to appear in the trusted sources AI tools reference, it requires input from across the organisation – including content creation, communications, product marketing, PR, data analysis, and even engineering teams.

This shift means the role of SEO has evolved. It’s no longer simply about optimising your own website pages. Instead, SEO needs to act as an internal adviser:

Helping shape overall strategy.
Offering guidance on how to improve discoverability across platforms outside of your direct control.
Being involved from the very beginning – before a campaign launches, a product is released, or a piece of content goes live.

Below are some ways SEO teams can collaborate with other departments to boost AI-driven visibility.

Content teams: Creating AI-ready materials
Identify topics and formats most likely to be picked up by AI tools – such as Reddit-style answers, FAQs, expert round-ups, and concise topic summaries.
Make sure titles, layouts, and metadata are structured so AI can easily extract and summarise the information.
Consider guest posting or adapting blog content into platforms like Quora to gain credible, high-authority mentions.
Produce original, customer-focused pieces that AI models can clearly interpret, such as listicles or practical guides that address specific challenges.

Expected outcome: Ideas tailored to each platform, structured feedback, and content that performs well both in search and AI-generated answers.

Product marketing: Boosting discoverability through smart positioning
Use search and AI insights when naming products or developing key brand messages.
Find high-intent keywords to secure mentions in “best tools for…” or similar category round-ups.
Ensure profiles on platforms like G2, Capterra, or other niche marketplaces are complete and well-optimised.

Expected outcome: Products that appear in AI-powered lists and recommendations.

PR and communications: Building AI-trusted coverage
Develop story ideas based on what’s already generating strong search interest.
Focus on high-authority publications that large language models tend to favour.
Structure brand mentions and backlinks so AI can interpret them accurately.
Test pitching to outlets that regularly feature in your category’s AI responses.

Expected outcome: Media wins that boost both brand awareness and AI visibility.

Research teams: Turning data into AI-friendly references
Present research with strong headlines, memorable statistics, and short, clear summaries.
Focus on answering trending questions or filling gaps in current search content.
Optimise research landing pages so they’re easy to share and link to externally.
Post standout statistics on LinkedIn to test if they make their way into AI summaries.

Expected outcome: Research that’s referenced by journalists, bloggers, and AI tools.

Engineering: Keeping the site AI-compatible
Ensure your site remains quick to load, crawlable, and indexable.
Use structured data, LLMs.txt, or IndexNow to make it easier for AI bots to access content.
Monitor technical performance continuously instead of only during audits.

Expected outcome: A technically sound site that both search engines and AI can easily find and trust.

Customer teams: Highlighting authentic proof
Showcase strong customer testimonials and reviews.
Focus on third-party review sites that often appear in AI search results.
Monitor brand mentions on Reddit or within relevant online communities.

Expected outcome: Genuine customer stories that AI tools can include in relevant answers.

These collaborations work best when SEO teams are involved from the start – shaping campaigns, advising on formats, and ensuring assets are optimised for AI before they launch.