In the first wave of AI search, most of the conversation focused on what is changing. Now the more important question is how to respond.

AI search does not replace SEO, but it does change what visibility means. You are no longer optimising just for rankings. You are optimising for inclusion.

AI systems increasingly deliver answers before users ever click. That means if you want to be seen, your content must be structured in a way AI systems can find, interpret and reference. That shift sits within a broader rethinking of discoverability – one that goes beyond traffic and rankings towards long-term presence across surfaces.

This is not about producing more content. It is about producing answer-ready content.

AI delivers the answer, not just the link

Traditional search pointed users toward destinations (i.e., your content). AI systems increasingly become the destination. They read your content, digest it, and present a direct summary. Sometimes they cite you. Sometimes they don’t.

That shift changes the objective.

You are no longer writing solely for Google’s ranking systems. You are shaping material that AI models must be able to interpret, trust and surface confidently. The goal is not ranking (or at least, not only ranking), it is being referenced. These aims are not mutually exclusive. In fact, strong rankings and credible inclusion tend to reinforce one another.

But inclusion requires more than optimisation for crawlers. It requires packaging your expertise in a way AI systems can process and validate.

This is no longer about keyword density. It is about clarity, structure and trust. AI systems do not simply match keywords. They validate information against trusted sources and explore related sub-questions before constructing an answer.

Structure is part of strategy

The most effective AI-friendly content breaks down into “chunks” that map to real questions. Think short, self-contained answers with clean structure. The idea is simple: your content answers the questions your audience is already asking.

That requires moving beyond broad, keyword-led pages toward focused, clearly structured responses. AI systems prioritise content they can interpret quickly and confidently.

Formats such as FAQs and how-to articles, marked up with appropriate structured data, help clarify what your content is about and when it should be surfaced.

But your content’s schema markup is not a shortcut. It is a signal. It provides a clearer roadmap to your information, improving the likelihood that your answers are understood and surfaced appropriately.

Structure alone, however, does not create authority. Authority requires conviction and clarity of perspective. That’s something many brands struggle with.

Accessibility, consensus and entity

If AI visibility is about structure and trust, then three pillars support it: Accessibility, Consensus and Entity.

Accessibility

Make your content easy for both humans and machines to access and interpret.

  • Prioritise clean, crawlable URLs and documents
  • Mitigate misinformation by managing what’s publicly accessible
  • Ensure strong search engine visibility and your content can serve as a source for Large Language Models (LLMs)

Accessibility ties directly to the technical SEO foundations you already invest in. This is not a new discipline. It is the SEO you have always done, but with a broader visibility outcome.

Consensus

Aim to shape the consensus, not just echo it.

  • Publish content with a clear, human perspective that aligns with trusted sources.
  • If you want to change the narrative, you need to be authoritative enough to influence the consensus.
  • Provide verifiable, valuable contributions. Don’t just repeat what’s already been said.

Search engines and AI models look for agreement across trusted sources. To stand out, your content should either reflect that consensus or be credible enough to help shape it. This is building a brand, positive brand touchpoints, and working to be top of mind in your category.

Entity

Establish your brand or subject as a recognised and connected entity.

  • Use Digital PR to build relationships between your entity and others.
  • Gain notability through mentions, links, reviews, and co-occurrences.
  • Help algorithms understand who you are and why you matter.
  • Improve and build on your presence within the Knowledge Graph.

An entity is how search engines understand a person, brand, or topic. The more your name appears in the right places, connected to the right things, the more visible and trusted you become.

You don’t need more content

Here’s how to make your content AI-ready:

  1. Tune into real questions. Don’t just chase keywords, zero in on the actual questions your audience is asking. Sales calls, support logs, internal FAQS, even AI chat tools on your website are rich with signals.
  2. Deliver expert clarity. Create single-topic answers that are sharp, accurate, and free from jargon. Think clarity over cleverness; AI needs precision.
  3. Structure for AI visibility. Use clean HTML, intuitive headings and schema markup to help AI understand and prioritize your content.

These steps are grounded in the principles of Google’s E-E-A-T framework (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness), which help ensure your content stands out in the age of AI search.

The bottom line is this: you don’t need more volume. You need answer-ready content that AI can easily understand and present.

Execute strategically, and your content won’t just exist, it’ll get discovered.

Mobilising your AI implementation team

AI visibility is not the responsibility of one team. It requires coordination across leadership, content, SEO, development and marketing.

  • Leadership must champion the strategic shift and allocate resources.
  • Content teams must write clear, concise answers designed to be interpreted and surfaced.
  • SEO specialists must structure content and implement the necessary markup.
  • Development teams must ensure technical crawlability and support site changes.
  • Marketing teams must identify key audience questions and use customer insight to inform content creation.

This is not a side project; it’s your next vital visibility sprint.

Now is the time to act

The landscape of content discovery is undergoing its most significant transformation in decades. While many businesses are still observing from the sidelines, AI engines like Google’s AI Overviews and conversational platforms like ChatGPT are already redefining how users find information.

These powerful generative AI systems often pull from content that’s weeks or even months old.

If you’re waiting for the dust to settle, you’re actively falling behind.

The answers you craft and optimise this month have the potential to be cited by AI throughout the rest of the year, establishing your authority and presence. This isn’t just about visibility – it’s about momentum. Brands who build now won’t just show up first. They’ll be trusted first.

How can we help?

If you’ve made it this far, it’s clear this matters to you.

Maybe you’re a CEO thinking through competitive shifts. A CMO rethinking how people find you. Or a CTO who’s seen the logs and knows that AI search is already changing the game.

The brands that will rise won’t just be louder. They’ll be clearer, more useful, and more discoverable. But you don’t need to figure it all out on your own.

Whether you’re exploring your first AI search sprint or creating a longer-term roadmap, SALT is here to help. From lightweight pilots to full-service partnerships, we meet you where you are. 

Let’s talk. Because when people search for answers, your brand should be in the conversation.