Optimising for AI search: Quick action guide
YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE CHANGING HOW THEY DISCOVER BRANDS. ARE YOU READY?
Search is changing. Just ‘Google it’ is quickly becoming ‘ask ChatGPT’ and with 48% of B2B buyers and 30% of consumers using ChatGPT on a weekly basis as a research tool on their path to purchase*, brands need to be paying attention. So, is your marketing content AI-ready? We’ve put together a quick guide with actionable wins to help you stay visible and get found in AI-driven search.
*Source: HubSpot (2024), Amplifi (2025)
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR YOUR BRAND RIGHT NOW
Get found – early!
People are beginning to go to ChatGPT as their first point of search, rather than straight into Google. If you’re not visible, you may lose the chance to even be considered.
Build higher-value connections
Traffic from AI tools has strong conversion, with Ahrefs suggesting AI visitors are converting up to 23x higher than organic traffic.**They’re getting personalised recommendations at exactly the right moment. So, there’s enormous potential in getting people to discover you via AI, as ROI can be significant if done right.
HOW CAN I OPTIMISE FOR AI SEARCHES?
To be visible on tools like ChatGPT, you need to know what they are looking for and which content is more likely to be included in their responses.
AI tools actually work a lot like word of mouth. They recommend brands the same way a trusted client or partner would, by considering credibility, helpfulness, and reputation.
Here’s what they look for:
- Brand mentions and authority
Are you mentioned in trusted publications? Do you have reviews and rewards? Do experts reference your work, and link to your website? Is there consistency in how your brand is mentioned across the web? - Helpful, current information
Is your content fresh, relevant, and genuinely useful? Do you address real questions people are asking? e.g. “What is X?”, “How to do Y?”, “Pros & cons of Z?” Do you include current stats, or content on seasonal and time-sensitive topics? - Crawlability
Can AI tools easily crawl your website? (e.g. no strict paywalls or code is blocking them). And building on this, is the content on your website easy to understand? - Brand signals beyond your site
Are you part of industry conversations beyond your own website? Do people discuss your brand in public forums, like Reddit or social media?
7 WINS YOU CAN IMPLEMENT TODAY
QUICK WIN 1 – Use real questions in your content.
- What to do – Frame titles, headings, and sections as questions your audience asks (e.g. What is X?, How do I do Y?).
- Why do it – Matches how people query in AI search tools, which improves your likelihood of being cited.
QUICK WIN 2 – Write structured content that’s easily digestible.
- What to do – Break up paragraphs, use bullet points, pros/cons lists, tables, and clear subheadings.
- Why do it – Makes it easier for AI tools to extract concise, useful information.
QUICK WIN 3 – Add FAQs to key pages.
- What to do – Include 2–3 FAQs with clear, direct answers to key pages that address common customer questions.
- Why do it – Captures the answers to queries that AI tools often surface.
QUICK WIN 4 – Keep content fresh and updated.
- What to do – Refresh stats, dates, seasonal/event info regularly, update blogs and product pages.
- Why do it – AI tools prioritise recent and relevant material.
QUICK WIN 5 – Add authoritative signals.
- What to do – Include expert quotes, references, and links to trusted sources (reports, industry bodies). Tip: ChatGPT’s most cited sources are Wikipedia, Reddit and Forbes.
- Why do it – Builds credibility as AI tools prefer content seen as trustworthy and well-sourced.
QUICK WIN 6 – Make pages crawlable.
- What to do – Check if your website uses robots.txt – this code may block AI tools from being able to crawl your website. Tip: You can do a simple check by asking AI to read the last line on a page of your website. If it can’t, then it isn’t crawlable by AI, and you may need to update your robots.txt file.
- Why do it – Ensures AI tools can access and use your content in responses.
QUICK WIN 7 – Submit your products to ChatGPT – coming soon!
- What to do – Whilst not open just yet, ChatGPT is exploring ways for merchants to provide product information directly to their systems. This is to help ensure it has more accurate, up-to-date listings. You can sign up on their site to be notified when this feature opens.
- Why do it – This will ensure that ChatGPT recognises your product listings, so it’s more likely to serve them as recommendations.
And once you’ve completed these actions, make sure to set up a filter in your Google Analytics so that you can track any traffic coming from AI sources. Expect small volumes, as ChatGPT’s click-through rate is only around 1-3%, but as we know, this traffic is known to convert at much higher rates.
And remember, how your business shows up in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and other AI tools depends on more than keywords. It’s about authority, clarity, trust, and how well your brand story is told across every touchpoint.
By putting some of these quick wins into action, you’ll take the first steps towards AI visibility. But the bigger opportunity lies in aligning your brand strategy, content, and digital presence so AI tools consistently recognise your expertise and recommend you to your future customers.
Ready to make your brand more visible? Get in touch.
Written by: Lottie Fitchew
Published: November 3, 2025
