SEO for AI Search in 2025

Table of contents

• SEO for AI Search Tips
• The Do’s
• The Don’ts
• Bottom Line

SEO for AI Search Tips

Imagine users never click through to your website, all because an AI search has already answered their question.

Welcome to the new search reality! So, what’s the solution to stay relevant in this new era of search? You need to follow a few simple rules and practices.

It’s safe to say that search is shifting from traditional keyword or question-based results, where users scroll through a list of links, to AI-driven answers that summarise information.

What is AI Search? It’s a search engine that uses AI to understand what people mean and are looking for and offer the most relevant, personalised results.

For example, Perplexity now shows brands directly in its answers. Instead of showing a list of links, it references sources within the response, “According to Nike.com” or “Based on data from REI.”

Google’s AI Overviews takes a similar approach but shows key sources as clickable cards next to the summary. Bing Copilot shows its sources, using numbered references like [1] or [2].

7 Do’s and Don’ts AI Search Tips for 2025

The Do’s

7 Do’s to Secure Your Content in AI Search

 

High-quality content

AI prefers trustworthy sources, so creating well-researched content makes it more likely your work will be used in AI answers.

Solution:

Avoid shallow and confusing explanations. Offer accurate and well-researched information that clearly helps the reader understand your content and the topic. Reference credible, well-known sources throughout your content.

Match user intent

A common mistake is focusing too much on keywords. Instead, think about what users are really looking for. When your content answers the real question behind a search, AI is more likely to pick it as the best answer.

Solution:

For example, a blog about coffee makers repeatedly mentions the keyword “best coffee maker”, but only lists random brands without explaining which one is good for different needs. AI won’t feature it because it doesn’t actually answer what people are looking for. The intent behind the keywords “best coffee maker” is an informational one based on comparisons, reviews, pros and cons, not just a list of brands

Use structured data

Structured data helps AI understand what your content is about and its context, making it easier for your pages to be accurately referenced in AI-generated answers.

Solution:

Add schema markup for things like FAQs, products, reviews, and other content types so AI can easily identify and use your information.

Clearly organise the content

Well-structured content makes it easier to find the key points. Using headings, subheadings, bullet points, and other formatting elements breaks your content into smaller, easy-to-read sections.

Solution:

Use headings, subheadings, bullet points, and FAQs to structure your content. Make sure your headings follow a logical order (like H1, H2, H3) instead of jumping around (H2, H1, H2).

Fix technical issues

Technical optimisation will improve speed, accessibility, navigation, and crawlability. Regular technical maintenance will also signal search engines that your site is reliable and up to date.

Solution:

Improve, fix, and maintain:

• Site speed
• Mobile performance
• Crawlability and indexing,
• Broken links,
• XML sitemaps, robots.txt, and llms.txt
• Core Web Vitals.

Content freshness / updates

AI prefers up-to-date information, so regularly updating pages keeps your content relevant and increases the likelihood of it being cited in summaries.

Solution:

Regularly review and update your content to keep it current and relevant.

Use internal linking to strengthen context

Internal linking guides users and AI through your site and shows how different pages relate to each other.

Solution:

Link related pages within your site to show topic relationships and hierarchy.

 

The Don’ts

7 Don’ts That Could Hurt Your AI Search Visibility

 

Spammy content

If your pages are just filler, they’re unlikely to be picked up, and your visibility in AI-generated answers will suffer.

Solution:

Avoid content that is shallow or misleading. AI is designed to find, understand, and display content that genuinely helps users.

Plagiarism

Creating genuine, original, and truly helpful content will help your site stand out and be referenced.

Solution:

Never copy content from other sites. AI models recognise originality, and duplicated content can hurt your credibility. Instead, think of unique angles from which you can approach topics and offer solutions.

Keyword stuffing

Overloading content with the same terms can make it look low-quality and reduce its chances of being cited.

Solution:

Don’t overuse keywords. AI understands context. The best solution is to prioritise user intent and valuable context over keyword density.

Ignoring analytics and performance tracking

Keep track of which pages AI is using. This will help you see what’s working, make improvements where needed, and understand why certain content gets referenced.

Solution:

Use Ahrefs, SEMrush, or other SEO tools to track keyword rankings, SERP features, changes in traffic, and visibility. These help you observe if content is being referenced, if you show up in “featured snippets”, “People Also Ask”, and “AI overview” boxes.

Relying solely on text

Text-only content is limiting. AI increasingly surfaces answers from images, charts, videos, or even icons.

Solution:

Improve your content by adding relevant icons, images, videos, infographics, or other visual elements that will help users stay engaged and make complex ideas easier to understand.

Overcomplicating content

Using technical jargon or complex explanations can make your content hard for both AI and users to understand.

Solution:

Clear, simple, actionable content is more likely to be extracted, summarised, and used.

Ignoring localisation / regional differences

AI often tailors answers based on geography. Not mentioning and optmising for location/region can limit your visibility to key audiences.

Solution:

Keep in mind the general location, language, and regional nuances when publishing your content.

Bottom Line

AI search is less about tricks and more about trust and value. The content that’s structured, credible, and clearly written will be the content AI chooses to showcase.

SEO for AI Search optimisation is not only about content, even though it plays an important role. There are other elements to consider, such as authority score, backlink profile, expertise, and overall credibility based on your website’s history.