There’s a lot of debate right now about whether AI-powered search is replacing traditional search engines or if search engine usage is still growing faster than AI adoption. Either way, one thing is certain—search behaviour is evolving. It is increasingly important to ensure that your brand is optimised for Large Language Models, or LLMs for short. This can seem difficult if you have a brand language or a specific way of talking and this doesn’t match how the LLMs understand your content.

As businesses, marketers, and SEO professionals, this raises an important question: Should we still focus on traditional SEO, or shift our focus to optimising for AI models? 

The answer is clear, traditional SEO is still critical. However, AI-driven search is changing how information is found, processed, and presented. Large Language Models (LLMs) now play a significant role in how your website is understood and ranked.  LLMs, such as Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash and OpenAI’s o3 mini, are quickly changing how consumers seek and receive information. These AI-driven systems interpret and generate human-like text, influencing decisions and shaping perceptions. Large Language Models (LLMs) now play a significant role in how your website is understood and ranked.

So, how can you ensure your brand’s content is optimised for both search engines and AI models? Here are seven key strategies to help you stay visible in search and maintain brand clarity across AI-driven platforms.

Entities are key concepts, such as brands, products, and services, that search engines and AI models use to understand content. For your brand to be correctly recognised and associated with the right expertise, you need to use your brand name consistently alongside relevant keywords. Instead of writing generic descriptions for example at Varn we could say “We offer great services,” it’s important to be clear and explicit. A stronger alternative would be: “At Varn, we offer innovative SEO services powered by data.”

By making these connections clear, search engines and AI-driven models can better associate your brand with specific topics and expertise. This increases the likelihood that AI-generated search responses will accurately reference your business.

LLMs are designed to understand and generate human-like text, so your writing should be as clear and natural as possible. Overly complex or jargon-heavy content can be difficult for both AI and human readers to interpret.

When creating and writing content, imagine you are explaining your services to someone with no prior knowledge of your industry. Keep your language simple, direct, and conversational. If your subject matter is technical, take the time to explain key terms in a way that is accessible to a general audience.

By making your content easier to understand, you improve its accessibility for users while also increasing the likelihood that AI models will accurately interpret and feature your content.

Content that is well-organised and clearly structured is easier for both search engines and AI models to process. This means using descriptive headings, subheadings, and logical formatting to guide readers and search algorithms through your page.

For example, if an AI bot encounters a section titled “Benefits of Optimising Your Brand Language for LLMs” followed by a well-structured list, it can quickly determine that the following points describe the advantages of LLM optimisation. This helps AI models extract and summarise relevant information more accurately.

Breaking up content with bullet points, numbered lists, and short paragraphs also improves readability. Both human users and AI bots can more efficiently scan and process your information, leading to better search rankings and improved user engagement.

Think of your website as a well-organised library where every piece of content has its proper place. If your pages are connected in a logical and intuitive way, AI models and search engines will have an easier time understanding how different sections of your website relate to one another.

If your homepage links to main sections (like “Products” or “Services”) and those lead to specific sub-pages, a search engine or AI can follow that path to understand how your content is grouped. This again provides even more context to the information you are publishing, improving AIs understanding of your brand, or entity. A clear and connected website architecture not only enhances user experience but also signals to search engines that your content is well-structured and authoritative.

Authority and credibility are just as important for AI models as they are for traditional search engines. If trusted sources reference your brand or website, AI models are more likely to feature your content in their responses.

To build authority, focus on securing high-quality backlinks from reputable industry websites. Publishing guest articles, participating in expert panels, and being featured in respected publications all help establish your brand as a reliable source of information. Digital PR efforts not only improve traditional SEO rankings but also enhance your brand’s visibility in AI-generated search results.

AI-driven search is heavily focused on answering user queries. To improve your chances of appearing in AI-generated responses, structure your content to provide clear and direct answers to commonly asked questions.

Consider incorporating an FAQ section into your website or structuring blog posts around key industry questions. When answering these questions, be concise and informative. Well-structured, easy-to-digest responses are more likely to be surfaced by AI models when generating answers for users.

Just as brands create tone of voice guidelines for marketing and social media, it is now essential to establish guidelines for AI-generated content. AI models pull from existing online content to generate responses, so ensuring consistency in your brand’s language across digital platforms is key.

Define the messaging and terminology that best represents your brand, and ensure that AI-friendly content aligns with these guidelines. Regularly review AI-generated responses related to your business to identify any inconsistencies. By being intentional about your brand language in AI-driven search, you can maintain control over how your business is perceived and ensure that AI-generated content reflects your true brand identity.

The way we search for information is changing rapidly. The rise of AI-driven search means that brands need to optimise their content for both traditional search engines and LLMs. However, this doesn’t mean abandoning traditional SEO; it means evolving your strategy to align with how AI models interpret and present content.

By focusing on clear, structured content, entity-based optimisation, and AI-friendly brand language, you can improve your visibility across both traditional search results and AI-powered search platforms. As search continues to evolve, staying ahead of these trends will be critical for maintaining brand presence and ensuring your content reaches the right audience.

If you want to learn more about optimising your website for AI search, contact our team at Varn for expert guidance.