When AI search optimisation meets SEO

Last week, Manpreet Singh, CEO of Bobble Digital and host of the Bobble Pod podcast, and I did a webinar on how SEO is evolving now that AI searches are more and more popular.

Here are some of the topics we covered:

• How AI is changing customer behaviour

• The evolution of  SEO

• SEO vs AI-powered search

• How to optimise for every type of search

Now let's dive into some of the key takeaways.

TL;DR: Google is still the Mac Daddy, but AI-powered search is proving to be a worthy opponent. Gen Z is skipping Google altogether, consumer psychology is changing as people want answers, not lists of links (aka things to do), zero-click conversions are on the rise, and the new content strategy is a mix of SEO and AI search optimisation principles.

It will take more than this to bring Google down

Google is still the Don of search. Every day, 8.5 billion searches kiss its virtual hand and show respect.

So no, SEO is not dead.

But now AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude are “threatening” Google’s territory. Gen Z'ers are already skipping Google and heading straight to ChatGPT or TikTok for their queries, while 32% of Google searches are now voice.

This means you have to change gears and switch from a search-first to an answer-first mentality.

With this change in how we search comes another phenomenon: popping up in searches doesn't guarantee you'll get people on your website. Instead, 58.5% searches in the US and 59.7% in the EU end with zero clicks.

Meaning, people don’t want to search for answers; they want you to gift-wrap them the answers.

“Consumers aren’t searching. They’re asking.” - Ema

Did SEO evolve while we were sleeping?

For ages, the goal of the “game” was to get on one of 10 blue links (SERPs).

Now though? These are pushed further and further down by:

• AI Overviews

• Featured Snippets

• Reddit, Quora, and Q&A summaries

• Video carousels

• Image packs and visual cards

• Google Ads

• People Also Ask (PAA) Boxes

What does this mean for your content strategy?

"Broaden your strategy, get your brand featured on YouTube, Reddit, Quora, forums, and reviews. Visibility today means being referenced, not just ranked." - Manni

You need more than just your website and blog posts. You need to feature your brand on multiple channels, like YouTube, Reddit, Quora, forums, reviews, etc. Forget about just ranking, get referenced.

“Your brand visibility might now begin and end on the SERP. That’s it.  Nothing else might happen.” - Ema

“Stop just focusing on Google. Your SEO strategy should include an omnichannel approach that ensures visibility beyond Google.” - Manpreet

SEO vs. AI-powered search

As you probably know, SEO focuses on appearing in search results, but what's AEO (answer engine optimisation)?

In a nutshell, AEO means becoming the answer itself. How? You might ask. By focusing on:

• User intent clarity

• Structured content

• Concise and answer-ready formatting

• Optimisation for zero-click SERPs

• Semantic relevance

Trust signals have changed, so content credibility and citations in AI-generated answers now matter more than backlinks. How do you get them? Start incorporating author profiles, structured FAQs, up-to-date and high-value content written in a conversational tone, in your content strategy.

But hang on, does that mean what I think it means?

No. You must optimise content for both SEO and AEO in 2025 and beyond.

“The fundamentals of SEO are not going to change.” - Manpreet

S, things like:

• Content quality, relevance, and value

• Site speed and mobile friendliness

• Reputable backlinks

• Clear structure and schema markup

They are still important.

“Your content has to show up where the conversation is happening, and that means being cited off-site.” - Ema

You have to optimise for every type of search

So, you want to appear in every type of search?

Smart move. Google alone is no longer enough. You now have to be in Bing’s index. That’s the default search engine ChatGPT uses, and nearly 90% of SearchGPT’s citations come from Bing’s top 20 results.

Also, OpenAI now has access to Reddit’s Data API, meaning it can source user conversations from the platform in real time.

And while other platforms, like Wikipedia, Quora, or  Medium don’t have (yet) a formal partnership with OpenAI, they’re nevertheless an important data source for ChatGPT and other AI-powered search engines.

All of this means that you need to develop a hybrid content strategy that encompasses:

1. Traditional search: Keyword targeting, Core Web Vitals & mobile-first indexing, Voice search and assistants: FAQs, long-tail Q&As, conversational tone.

2. AI search: Credibility signals (reviews, citations,  social proof), schema markup, and semantic SEO.

“Your content needs to be AI-friendly. Clear, well-structured, credible, and marketable with  schema.” - Ema

"Shift your strategy from rankings to relevance: Stop chasing rankings alone, start optimising for credibility, clarity, and context to become the trusted answer across AI platforms." - Manni

Okay, what’s next in the LLMs optimisation world?

LLMs have changed the game, but don’t panic yet. You’ll be okay as long as you understand that consumer habits have changed, and you plan accordingly. After all, it was never about Google or AI tools.

It was always about the consumer. Thirsty for more? Go to our hub or circle back to the blog.