Hey friends 👋
Lately, I’ve been circling around the same topic across multiple projects.
✨ How to optimize content for AI search ✨
I’m currently working on:
A blog post about how to optimize for AI search
A playbook on the same topic
And a workshop on how to create a content strategy that’s still relevant with AI on the rise
The overlap isn’t a coincidence.
Here’s what I want to say clearly (once again):
SEO is not dead.
Google’s search experience is evolving. FAST.
And that’s forcing all of us, marketers, writers, founders, to rethink how we create content.
Yes, generative search is changing how content is surfaced. But what it’s really doing is forcing us to double down on what’s always mattered:
✅ Creating people-first content
✅ Structuring it well
✅ Answering real questions
✅ Building true authority
And just in case you’re not convinced, Adobe just acquired Semrush for nearly $2 billion.
If SEO were truly dead, tools like that would be irrelevant, not billion-dollar assets.
While I’m working on that topic, I want to share some insights around it as I know a lot of you are either creating content for your brand or for clients.
Here’s how to optimize your site and content for AI search:
1. Make sure AI can access your content
If your site isn’t crawlable or indexable, you’re invisible not just to Google, but to AI tools that build on those same signals.
2. Strengthen your SEO foundations
Fast, secure, structured, and keyword-optimized sites still win. You don’t need to overhaul your entire strategy. Just focus on what helps both users and algorithms understand you.
3. Expand your presence beyond Google
AI models pull information from across the web, not only from company pages. They often reference info from Reddit, YouTube, and other user-generated sites.
If your brand shows up in multiple places, it’s more likely to be cited in AI results.
4. Answer real, specific questions
Search behavior is shifting from keywords to full, natural-language questions.
For example, instead of typing “skiing jackets” in Google, people are now searching “What jacket is best for skiing in nordic countries?”
AI tools mirror this shift. They prioritize content that clearly answers detailed, situational, human-sounding questions. Not just content that includes the right keyword.
If your content reflects how people actually talk, and directly solves their problems, you have a much better shot at appearing in AI-generated answers.
5. Build authority through mentions
AI learns from how the web talks about you. That includes brand mentions, co-citations, and expert associations. Not just backlinks.
In fact, you don’t necessarily need to get traditional backlinks to be seen as an authority. Unlinked mentions, even if they’re on sites like Reddit work too.
I hope these insights help.
See you next week,
Kate 🌟
