It’s the question every Business and HR leader asks. You’ve rolled out new benefits, negotiated better coverage, even launched a whole new platform. But after all the internal comms, budget cycles, and supplier meetings, how do you know it’s working?
If your first instinct is to reach for usage stats or participation rates, you’re not alone. But true success in benefits design isn’t only measured in dashboards. It shows up in how people feel, how they work, and how they talk about your company when no one’s watching.
Here’s what measuring success really looks like.
The most successful benefits programmes don’t just boost uptake; they boost morale. When employees feel genuinely supported and valued, that sense of security and appreciation spills into how they show up at work, and how they talk about your business when they’re not at work.
You see it in how confidently people recommend your company to others. You feel it in team energy, reduced attrition, and stronger engagement. In fact, plenty of research shows that benefits are one of the biggest drivers of overall job satisfaction, right behind pay.
Happiness at work is about creating an environment where people feel like their wellbeing is genuinely supported, and where they can bring their full lives not just their job titles to the table.
A one-size-fits-all approach might be simple to manage, but it rarely delivers what today’s employees need. This is especially true for organisations managing larger workforces with varied cultural norms, regulatory frameworks, and expectations.
Successful programmes prioritise real flexibility: custom allowances, region-specific design, and meaningful choices that reflect employees’ personal lives and priorities. It’s not about offering everything, but about curating something thoughtful and responsive, and allowing space for people to make it their own.
The most meaningful benefits are the ones people remember for life, not the ones they click on most.
Last week I wrote an example about how people remember getting access to fertility support that led to a baby, receiving healthcare when they needed it most, or being able to visit family because of an annual leave purchase scheme. This stuff is harder to put a number on, but infinitely more impactful.
None of these outcomes show up neatly in a usage report. But their impact? It’s enormous. Not just for the person involved, but for everyone who sees that story unfold, and quietly logs it as a reason to stay.
Storytelling isn’t fluffy. It’s one of the most powerful ways to measure emotional ROI and increasingly, it’s what leadership teams care about. If any business leader can explain the value of their benefits programme through stories, not just numbers, they’re doing something right.
Companies are investing huge amounts into employee benefits, but many struggle with low awareness and poor utilisation. This isn’t always a design problem it’s often a communication problem.
If your employees can’t name even three benefits they have access to, that’s not on them. A successful programme is one that people remember. One that shows up in their lives in relevant, timely ways. One they can talk about without needing to consult a portal or policy document.
The bottom line? Focus on impact over optics
A successful benefits strategy isn’t about chasing 80% participation rates or offering the longest list of perks. It’s about building something that matters. That makes people feel supported, empowered, and proud to work for you.
That might look like:
And stories that connect the dots between policy and real life!
Here’s how forward-thinking companies are stretching their employee benefits budget while delivering high-impact employee experiences.
In today’s economic climate, business and HR leaders are under more pressure than ever to do more with less. But making your employee benefits budget go further isn’t just about cost-cutting, it’s about spending smarter. The key? Reimagine you’re spending to create effective benefits for your team.
Here’s how leading organisations are stretching their employee benefits budget while delivering high-impact employee experiences.
One of the biggest misconceptions in benefits design is that higher spend automatically means better strategy. But great benefits aren’t defined by price tags. They’re defined by relevance, accessibility, and alignment with what your people need.
Too often, businesses pour money into legacy schemes or overlapping policies with low visibility and poor utilisation. Instead, a smart approach focuses on realigning spend to improve impact.
Start by asking:
Prevention is better than cure, and cheaper too. Many employers still spend disproportionately on reactive benefits (like medical insurance) over proactive ones (like wellness, mental health and preventative care).
That’s a missed opportunity. Proactive benefits reduce downstream costs, from insurance premiums to sick days. And many of them come baked into existing products, such as virtual GP access or gym discounts. These extras are often buried in fine print. If they’re not visible to employees, they’re not really benefits.
There’s often untapped value sitting in your current scheme. From EAPs to death-in-service benefits, many include ancillary offerings that never get used simply because they aren’t visible.
Audit what you’re already paying for and ask:
Bringing these hidden benefits to the surface can increase perceived value and boost engagement without increasing spend
If you’re in the UK, you have access to powerful tools that can generate budget through tax efficiencies. Benefits like workplace nursery, cycle-to-work, EV leasing, and annual leave purchase can be offered through salary sacrifice, reducing employer NIC contributions.
Those savings can be reinvested elsewhere. For example, one employer used their savings from annual leave trading to fund fertility support and wellbeing allowances all without adding to their overall benefits budget.
You don’t need to spend more to do better. Many businesses can reallocate 20-30% of their current benefits budget by identifying low-impact coverage and redesigning based on what employees’ value.
Consider:
Designing with flexibility opens space to offer more relevant and personalised benefits without increasing cost.
Modern employees expect choice. And personalisation is no longer a luxury, it’s table stakes. Flexible benefits platforms let employers offer a wide range of voluntary benefits, allowances and salary sacrifice options with minimal admin. You can even offer flexibility within existing benefits by allowing employees to adjust their coverage levels or add dependents at their own cost.
A benefit employees don’t know about isn’t really a benefit. Awareness drives engagement, and engagement drives value.
Yet many benefits teams launch new schemes with a single email and hope for the best. Instead:
If you’re not investing in communication, you’re leaving ROI on the table.
Utilisation alone is not the measure of success. Some benefits, like fertility support, menopause care or neurodivergent coaching, will only ever impact a small portion of your workforce. But when they do, they change lives.
When your finance team asks, “Why are we paying for this?” be ready with the answer: because retention, wellbeing, and employee trust aren’t built on averages. They’re built on moments that matter.
Getting more from your employee benefits budget isn’t about trimming. It’s about redesigning with purpose. When you:
…you’ll be amazed at what’s possible!
Business Leaders & HR are under a lot of pressure here in the South-West. Employer NI increases are now with us, limited budgets, and rising expectations from talent. So, when you’re building out a benefits package, it’s natural to prioritise the ones that tick the “most people, most of the time” box. But if you want your benefits strategy to build loyalty, protect productivity, and future-proof your workforce, you must think differently. In my experience, utilisation isn’t always the right way to measure the success of a benefit. Some benefits might only impact a handful of people, but for those people, it can mean everything. If we’re serious about inclusive benefits, we must meet people where they are, even if that need isn’t common.
Because some of the highest-impact benefits are the ones your employees won’t use often. They’re the ones that quietly sit in the background until someone has a real need and suddenly, that benefit becomes the reason they stay, not leave. What do I mean by that? Here’s some examples of what that looks like in practice.
For example, Fertility & Reproductive Health Benefits. Offering fertility support (Egg freezing, IVF, donor support, surrogacy navigation) can feel and sound like a niche benefit. Most employees won’t use it. So why invest?
Because the absence of support comes with hidden costs. Research tells us that 1 in 7 UK couples experience fertility issues. IVF takes a physical and emotional toll: constant appointments, hormonal treatments, failed cycles…all while employees try to show up at work. Many reduce hours, take sick days, or even quietly leave during treatment. Others are forced to spend tens of thousands privately, causing financial and emotional stress. This disproportionately affects women in their 30s and 40s. But it doesn’t stop there: LGBTQ+ employees face unique financial and medical hurdles to build families. Without support, they’re more likely to churn or disengage. Offering benefits here isn’t just about doing the right thing; it’s about retaining high-value talent at a moment when they have big life choices to make. And for every employee who doesn’t use it? They see the offer. They see what kind of employer you are.
Keeping on the similar theme, another example is keeping Workplace Nursery Schemes. Childcare is the *1 reason working parents (especially mothers) scale back or leave the workforce. It’s not anecdotal. It’s backed by data across every sector. Workplace nursery salary sacrifice schemes reduce the cost of registered childcare by allowing payments from gross salary. This can mean thousands saved per year. And not from your HR budget, but via tax-efficient mechanisms. It’s one of the most financially meaningful benefits you can offer parents, yet uptake remains low in most organisations. Why? Because many employers don’t make the most of communicating it. Offering this benefit (and making it visible) removes one of the biggest logistical and emotional barriers to returning after parental leave. And it doesn’t just keep people in their jobs; it helps them re-engage faster, with fewer compromises and more long-term commitment.
Finally, another example are Income protection and Critical Illness benefits. When an employee becomes seriously ill or injured, it’s not just a health crisis, it’s a life interruption. Suddenly, work becomes impossible. And without structured support, income often disappears just when stability is needed most. Income protection fills that gap. It ensures an employee continues to receive a portion of their salary while they recover, allowing them to focus on getting better, not on whether they can pay their mortgage. And that continuity materially improves the odds of a full, confident return to work.
For Business Leaders and HR, this is where lower-utilisation benefits prove their worth. Income protection shortens recovery time, reduces presenteeism, and increases the likelihood that skilled, experienced employees don’t exit permanently. And when other team members see that their employer has their back, even in worst-case scenarios, it builds a level of trust that policies alone can’t buy.
All the above examples do not scale…and that’s the point!
Low-utilisation benefits aren’t supposed to serve everyone, every day. They’re designed to catch people in their most vulnerable, high-stakes moments. That trust is a lever for everything you care about retention, engagement, productivity, culture.
Business Leaders and HR often get told to “think creatively & strategically.” (This is the Bristol Creative’s Community, right?) Here’s the truth: empathy is strategic. Investing in benefits that show foresight, nuance and care is how you build a workforce that stays, grows and delivers. Because when your employees are most in need, they won’t care about your summer social. They’ll care about whether you were there when it counted.
And if you were? They won’t forget it.
The UK employee benefits landscape is shifting (as always), and business leaders and HR must be prepared. With new regulations including pay transparency laws in the EU, NI increases in the UK, and proposed pension reforms businesses need to stay ahead to ensure compliance while also managing costs and employee expectations.
At first sight, these changes might seem like yet another regulatory burden, but in reality, they offer an opportunity for Business’s here in the South-West to improve transparency, refine benefits strategies, and enhance the employer brand. The key is knowing how to navigate them effectively.
What’s changing?
Firstly, the EU Pay Transparency Directive
What’s that?
In a major move toward greater pay equity, the EU has introduced the Pay Transparency Directive, which will take full effect by June 2026. This regulation is designed to combat pay gaps by ensuring salary clarity and fairness across workplaces.
For Businesses, this means new obligations, including:
Salary transparency during recruitment: Employers must disclose salary ranges in job postings and are prohibited from inquiring about candidates’ salary histories.
Gender pay gap reporting: Organisations with at least 150 employees are required to report on gender pay gaps, with the threshold decreasing to 100 employees after four years.
Right to pay information: Employees can request information on average pay levels, broken down by gender, for categories of workers performing the same work or work of equal value.
While these rules may present administrative challenges, they also push businesses to be more transparent about their pay structures, which can boost trust, attract top talent, and improve retention. The companies that embrace this shift early—by conducting internal salary audits and ensuring pay structures are equitable—will find themselves in a stronger position than those scrambling to comply at the last minute.
Next up..NI increases
In the UK, employer National Insurance Contributions are set to increase from 13.8% to 15% tomorrow! This means a direct rise in payroll costs for businesses, potentially squeezing budgets further in an already challenging economic climate. To manage this impact, many businesses are turning to salary sacrifice schemes, where employees trade a portion of their salary for benefits like pension contributions or other tax-efficient perks. This approach can reduce the NIC burden for both employers and employees while ensuring that workers still receive valuable benefits.
As payroll costs rise, Businesses and HR will also need to re-evaluate benefits spending and look for ways to offer impactful benefits without unnecessary cost increases. Smart benefit strategies such as financial wellbeing programs can help businesses remain competitive without simply increasing salaries.
Thirdly, Pension reforms
Pension reform is also evolving, with a focus on expanding auto-enrolment and increasing minimum contributions. Proposed changes include
These reforms aim to boost retirement savings, but they also increase employer costs and administration.
Saying that, these changes haven’t been made official yet (so a bit of a heads up!) Employers should stay informed about potential future changes to auto-enrolment criteria to ensure compliance and optimal benefits administration (that’s how I can help BTW)
What’s that all mean for Business Leaders and HR?
These regulatory shifts may feel like another compliance headache, but they also create opportunities to refine HR strategies and position businesses as leaders in fair pay and employee wellbeing.
From a compliance perspective, failing to align with these new laws could lead to financial penalties, reputational damage, and even employee lawsuits. Payroll will need to stay on top of NI changes, while preparation for pay transparency reporting requirements and ensure pension enrolment processes are ready for possible reforms is needed.
On the cost side, companies will need to navigate higher payroll expenses from NIC increases and potential pension changes, meaning efficient benefits management will be more important than ever. Instead of simply increasing salaries, businesses can optimise a “total rewards strategy” to ensure every pound spent on employee benefits is meaningful and effective.
But beyond compliance and cost control, these changes also offer a competitive edge. Businesses that embrace transparency, invest in employee financial wellbeing, and optimise benefits to meet new expectations will stand out as top employers by attracting and retaining talent in an increasingly benefits-driven job market here in the South West.
So…How to stay ahead? Here’s some practical steps
Prepare for pay transparency now
Start by conducting an internal salary audit to identify and fix any pay disparities before public reporting requirements take effect. Train managers on fair pay practices, and ensure job ads include clear, competitive salary bands. Taking proactive steps now can prevent compliance issues later.
Offset NIC increases with intelligent benefits
With employer National Insurance contributions rising, rethink your benefits strategy. Salary sacrifice schemes can reduce payroll tax burdens, while flexible benefits platforms allow employees to choose perks that are cost-effective yet highly valued.
Stay ahead of pension changes
Even though pension reforms aren’t yet law, businesses should prepare by reviewing auto-enrolment processes and exploring ways to enhance pension contributions in a cost effective manner. Communicating clearly with employees about their pension options will also be essential in boosting engagement.
Automate and streamline benefits management
Manually handling pay transparency reporting, NIC adjustments, and pension enrolment is a time-consuming burden for HR teams. Investing in intelligent benefits technology to automate compliance, simplify payroll adjustments, and provide real-time insights to optimise benefits strategies.
AI is transforming employee benefits—enhancing engagement, streamlining admin, and driving smarter decisions. Let’s explore how AI-powered personalisation, automation, and predictive analytics are shaping the future of benefits in and around Bristol.
Better decision making. Enhancing employee engagement…AI is changing benefits, fast. From reshaping how companies design benefits to how admin manage them, this tech is like nothing we’ve seen before.
So, how exactly is technology shaping the future of employee benefits? Let’s delve deeper into some of the most significant trends and predictions.
1. AI-driven personalisation
One-size-fits-all benefits packages are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Employees today expect benefits tailored to their unique needs and lifestyles. AI is making this a reality by analysing vast amounts of data—demographics, preferences, claims history, and even engagement patterns—to recommend the most relevant benefits for each individual.
For example, AI-powered benefits platforms may soon be able to suggest healthcare plans based on an employee’s past usage or recommend well-being programmes tailored to their stress levels or fitness goals. This kind of personalisation could help companies deliver benefits that really make a difference for their workforce, ultimately leading to greater satisfaction and retention.
2. Streamlining benefits administration with automation
AI and automation tools are changing the game by handling repetitive administrative tasks such as enrolment processing, compliance checks, and payroll integrations.
By automating these functions, Business Leaders and HR teams can free up valuable time to focus on strategic initiatives, such as improving employee engagement and workforce planning. Moreover, automation minimises errors, ensuring that benefits data remains accurate and up-to-date.
3. Improving employee experience with chatbots and virtual assistants
People Leaders frequently receive queries from employees about their benefits—ranging from eligibility and coverage details to claims procedures. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can provide instant, 24/7 support to employees, answering common questions and guiding them through benefit selections.
This reduces the burden on Business Leaders and HR teams while ensuring that employees get the information they need when they need it. Plus, chatbots can proactively remind employees about key deadlines, such as tax periods or required documentation submissions, helping to improve overall engagement with benefits.
4. Leveraging predictive analytics for smarter decision-making
AI is already improving how benefits are administered, but what if it could also help companies make strategic benefits decisions? Predictive analytics tools will soon be able to analyse trends and employee behaviour to help HR teams anticipate future needs.
For example, AI could forecast which benefits are likely to see higher utilisation based on historical data, enabling companies to adjust their offerings accordingly. This would help Business Leaders and HR teams make data-driven decisions that align benefits with workforce needs, budget constraints, and overall company objectives.
5. Ensuring fairness and transparency in benefits access
AI-driven benefits platforms can also help eliminate bias in benefits administration. By analysing data objectively, AI can identify gaps in benefits utilisation among different employee groups and highlight areas where adjustments may be needed to ensure inclusivity and fairness.
For example, AI might reveal that certain demographics within a company are underutilising mental health resources due to a lack of awareness. Business Leaders can then take targeted steps to address these gaps, ensuring that benefits are truly accessible to all employees.
So…
What’s the take-away? Balancing innovation with a human touch
While AI offers incredible potential in the employee benefits space, it’s essential to balance automation with human oversight. The goal should be to enhance Business Leaders and HR’s ability to provide meaningful, personalised benefits—without removing the human element that makes employee support truly effective.
By embracing AI, companies here is the South West can not only improve efficiency but also create benefits experiences that employees love. The future of employee benefits is here, and it’s smarter, more personalised, and more impactful than ever before.
To learn more about what emerging technologies are bringing to benefits get in touch.
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.
Google’s AI Mode is a new search experience (currently only available to Google One AI Premium members in the US via Search Labs) that uses Google’s latest AI model (a custom version of Gemini 2.0) to generate rich, conversational answers directly in Google search results. Instead of just showing a list of website links, AI Mode gives an AI-generated overview in response to your query, complete with relevant information gathered from multiple sources and accompanied by citations/links for reference. It is particularly designed for complex or multi-part questions that typically would require multiple searches – for example, comparing detailed options or exploring a new concept step-by-step. As with other AI powered search tools, users can ask follow-up questions in a conversational manner, allowing them to dive deeper into a particular topic within the same search session. This effectively turns search into an interactive dialogue, powered by Google’s AI and backed by Google’s vast index of information.
Google’s AI Mode uniquely combines generative AI with Google’s established information systems. It can tap into the Knowledge Graph, real-time data about current events, and even shopping data for product information. Whilst the current version of Google AI Mode available via Search Labs hasn’t shown product listings as part of any of our test searches, this is still in experimentation mode and so we will likely see many new developments over the coming weeks and months.
Google’s AI Mode introduces several notable features and enhancements over a standard search experience:
With these capabilities, Google’s AI Mode is poised to change how users interact with search, especially for in-depth inquiries. Next, let’s compare how this new mode stacks up against other AI-powered search tools available today.
Google is not the only player integrating AI into search. Competing offerings like Perplexity AI and OpenAI’s ChatGPT (among others) also provide AI-driven search or Q&A experiences. However, each takes a different approach.
Perplexity AI is a newer AI-powered search engine that, like Google’s AI Mode, answers questions by fetching information from the web and then summarising it with an AI model. Perplexity has gained a niche following for its clean interface and strong focus on citations. How does it differ from Google’s AI Mode?
Strengths & weaknesses: Google AI Mode’s strength against Perplexity is the combination of breadth and depth – it can answer more complex questions by drawing on more sources and using better reasoning, all integrated in one place. Perplexity’s strength is being lean and focused: it often gives very concise answers with minimal fluff and clearly shows sources, which some users (especially researchers) appreciate. However, users have to go to a separate site or app to use Perplexity, whereas Google’s AI Mode is in a place where billions of searches are already happening. Overall, Perplexity pioneered the kind of experience that Google is now building natively, but Google’s version could eclipse it by virtue of superior data integration and user convenience.
ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, isn’t a search engine, but it is a prominent AI tool often compared in this space because it answers questions in a conversational way. It’s important to clarify the context: ChatGPT (the default free version) does not have direct access to live web information. Still, many people use ChatGPT as an information tool, so how does Google’s AI Mode differ?
Strengths & weaknesses: Google’s AI Mode is strongest where ChatGPT is weak: real-time factual queries with need for source attribution. It provides an answer you can cite or trust to be up to date. ChatGPT’s strength is in open-domain creativity and instructive dialogue – it’s often more flexible in what you can ask. For an SEO expert or researcher, Google AI Mode might be the preferred tool for gathering information with confidence in the source; ChatGPT might be what you use to brainstorm how to use that information or to generate content from it. One could imagine using both: e.g., ask Google AI Mode for the latest stats or details on a topic (with sources), then use ChatGPT to help craft a report or article around that info. Another point: ChatGPT, being model-based, sometimes injects more of a conversational filler and can occasionally deviate. Google AI Mode, guided by actual search results, is more likely to stick to the point. In summary, ChatGPT is a broad AI assistant with knowledge (albeit time-limited), whereas Google’s AI Mode is an AI-enhanced search specialist grounded in live data. Each has their place, but for the specific job of answering search queries with current info, AI Mode is built to excel.
The introduction of AI Mode in Google Search has significant implications for user behaviour and how people interact with search engines:
Mobile and voice implications: As search becomes more conversational, voice search is likely to become much more popular. AI Mode’s development might bleed into how Google Assistant or mobile voice queries are answered (more conversationally, with summarised info). If AI Mode makes it easier to get a direct answer, people might be more inclined to ask their phones a question out loud and trust the spoken response.
In summary, AI Mode is changing search behavior by making search more of a dialogue and less of a directory. It is important that we place additional focus on conversational search within SEO, and that we optimise content for voice search, long-tail keywords, and individual entities – but we need to do so whilst making sure we don’t ignore traditional search. Google may have seen a large drop in their market share in recent months thanks to the introduction of other AI powered search tools, but they may just start pulling that traffic back thanks to the launch of AI Mode. We’ll keep an eye on these developments, and will let you know when Google AI Mode is ready for the general public.
In the meantime, if you’re concerned about search performance in this new era of AI and would like to make sure your website is optimised for AI search, give us a call – we would love to hear from you.
Although traditional searches have become longer and use natural language, voice searches tend to be more conversational, as if users were having a real-life discussion. For example, a user may type “Top 5 holiday destinations 2025” but verbally ask “What are the top 5 holiday destinations in 2025?”. Voice search queries tend to be informational, especially if a user makes a request via a smart speaker, or commercial if using another voice-assisted device such as a mobile phone. In comparison to traditional searches, voice searches produce more clear and concise results, often with AI Overviews and featured snippets. It’s also worth noting that a large portion of voice searches come from users who are on the move, particularly when using a mobile device, to get quick answers.
Voice search works through an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system, which translates speech to text as follows:
One difficulty with voice search is that some people using smart speakers for voice search will be unlikely to investigate what source was used. For example, a user asking an Alexa “What is the best material to make a knitted jumper?” will not be able to click through to a website selling wool and be converted into a potential customer. So you may be asking the question, if appearing in voice search results may not lead to increased traffic on my website, why do I need to optimise for it?
Firstly, voice search covers a wide range of devices, not just Alexas or Echos, and secondly, the steps you would take to optimise your website for voice search are also helping to optimise your website for traditional searches. So improving your website’s SEO for voice search will likely come with many benefits such as appearing in SERP features and AI Overviews, and ranking well organically. Voice search is about capturing these users and drawing them into your website, as they may become customers, so it’s great to include this in your overall SEO strategy.
Because questions used in typically written searches are becoming longer and more conversational, similar to voice searches, optimising the below elements for voice search essentially allows you to hit two birds with one stone. Matching search intent, including relevant keywords, adding schema where applicable, and optimising for local search and mobile will have positive effects on your rankings. Here are a few ways you can optimise your website’s SEO for voice search, whilst helping to enhance its general SEO performance.
Keywords and search intent
Keyword research enables you to understand your target audience and tailor your website’s content. You can find keyword opportunities through resources such as Google Search Console, Google Ads, or Google Analytics, as well as third-party tools such as SEMRush, Ahrefs, and Moz. It’s important to include long-tail keywords, conversational phrases, and semantic keywords to cover a range of relevant queries your audience uses to find your website’s products and services.
To strengthen your content strategy, match search intent to your content. If a user is searching for “the best Greek salad recipe”, they will likely be looking for recipe SERP features with the most appealing name, enticing description, and attractive image. The above query is an informational one, so if your business sourced fresh fruit and vegetables, you could add a recipe under blogs or a designated recipes folder. Along with this content, you should also include recipe schema, adding relevant data such as a title, description, optimised image, and reviews, to increase the likelihood of appearing in recipe SERP features.
FAQs and Schema
As SERP features and AI Overviews are now in search results, the typical organic blue links that make up the top 10 results get pushed down the page. But as the screen on a mobile device is much smaller, users are likely to focus more on these top features in voice search results as opposed to website URLs. Therefore, it’s important to optimise your content, following a question-answer style while adding FAQs to pages where relevant. Alongside keyword research, you can see which questions users are searching by looking at the ‘People Also Ask’ SERP feature and looking at commonly asked questions in customer feedback.
Marking up your website’s content with a range of schema types will increase the likelihood of appearing in SERP features. Here, user-generated content (UGC) such as reviews and testimonials are great additions to your pages and schema as these make your site more credible, a factor that influences web rankings.
Optimise for local search
As highlighted earlier in our blog, a large portion of voice searches made from a mobile device are by users who are on the move. These users are often making local searches, such as “What’s the nearest supermarket near me?” or “Where can I get my phone fixed?”. Therefore, to optimise your website for local SEO, make sure that your Google My Business profile is up to date, particularly if you have a physical store. Including location-specific landing pages on your website is also beneficial as these can rank for location-specific keywords in SERPs.
Mobile optimisation
Due to Google’s mobile-first indexing approach, you need to make sure your website is up to scratch on mobile. Not only does a fast mobile site speed matter in Google’s eyes, but people using voice search, particularly when on the move, are looking for quick answers and quick buys. Users want to be able to find the information they are looking for easily on your site. Having a smooth, functional, and logical navigation on your mobile site plays a part in conversions. If a site is too slow, elements are unresponsive, or a user cannot find what they are looking for, they may simply leave the site.
Although you aren’t able to directly see your website’s appearance in voice search results, there are various elements you can track to get an understanding:
Appearing in voice search results isn’t an easy one-route path; Following a range of SEO tactics including question-answer style content, long-tail keywords and phrases, and schema markup as well as optimising your website for mobile and local search will improve your website’s performance in voice search results.
Want to learn more about how AI is changing search? Check out our AI Search and Innovation blogs, or contact one of our SEO experts today.
When looking at the kind of backlinks it is important to think about the context. Looking at an example for Varn, we conducted a search on the ‘best off-page SEO agencies’ and it returned the below result. Content pulls through from Varn’s Off-page SEO page but the sources section at the bottom is what we are really interested in.
Examining the content we can see that whilst some commercial pages are shown including Varn’s there is a high number of long-form content pages listing out SEO agencies. These kinds of lists are becoming more common across the web and appear to be what SearchGPT is prioritising when it comes to citations. If your website is mentioned in this kind of content, you are more likely to appear in SearchGPT for relevant results. Varn for example are featured in the Social Shepherd article but not in similar referral style pages from Omnius or Designrush.
These represent golden opportunities to reach out and ask for a placement. In addition to this we are also seeing more reddit results be leveraged within the content, whether this will stay or not is difficult to determine, but for this thread around the best SEO agencies in the UK, getting Varn featured is also a bonus. The question is, will not having a backlink in this kind of content have an impact?
Brand mentions have been a part of SEO for over a decade but their potential importance has often been debated. In the early days pre-2012, their importance was minimal, with a pure focus on backlinks. Following the Penguin and Hummingbird updates, the algorithm developed in terms of context and entity recognition, and this coincided with the Google patent on ‘implied links’ , a hint that unlinked brand mentions could be a ranking signal.
From 2015-1018, brand mentions became more important and started to play a significant role in signalling authority if they were placed on authoritative sites. This trend has continued up to 2024, with the added dimension of LLMs now clearly leveraging brand mentions in the answers they surface to users. The areas of the mentions may also play a part, as Neil Patel discusses:
“The more mentions, the more likely AI models are to consider your content high quality.
That could be things like user-generated content reviews, comments, and forum posts. These are the types of information large language models are likely to use, so use social listening tools to discover these comments.”
What does SearchGPT say?
Our question: Do you use brand mentions on forums, social posts and wider non-traditional SEO sources in your algorithm when serving answers on brands to users?
SearchGPT: I don’t have my own algorithm for ranking brands, but I can analyze and synthesize information based on a mix of sources, including brand mentions on forums, social media, news articles, and other online discussions. However, my responses prioritize authoritative sources like official websites, structured SEO-optimized content, and well-cited information.
Are unlinked mentions still a tactic worth pursuing? Google’s grip on search has not vanished just yet, but with their dip below 90% of the market share for the first time since 2015, ensuring your time is spent on the most valuable tactics will be crucial.
So we’ve discussed the kind of citations that SearchGPT uses for content around ‘best X service providers’ and we have explored the added importance of brand mentions on these types of pages and wider sources on the web. How do you actually go about driving these for your business?
Brand mentions and off-page SEO is here to stay with the new AEO paradigm, if you want to continue to earn visibility remember to:
If you would like to discuss how LLMs serve content to users and how you can get featured in commercially valuable searches no matter the platform, get in touch with Varn today.
As we settle into 2025, the ongoing cost of living crisis and economic volatility continue to strain both employees and employers, with many employees facing heightened financial insecurity.
So how can you optimise your benefits budget without cutting value? The first step is to discover how to reallocate wasted spend, secure better pricing, and leverage tax-efficient benefits to maximise impact.
Managing employee benefits, cost control is always on the agenda. But savings don’t have to come at the expense of employee experience. With a smart approach to benefits design, companies can reallocate wasted spend to more impactful benefits – or a better benefits platform to help you manage it all. This makes the most of your existing budget while boosting value for employees.
This practice is sometimes referred to as “cost-neutral benefits,” but the reality is more nuanced. While some companies can identify and redistribute significant savings, others may already be optimising their spend. Either way, a strategic review of benefits is always worth the effort.
Here are three key ways employers can find opportunities to optimise their benefits budget:
A common mistake? Investing in benefits that employees don’t value. Recent key research tells us that there is low appreciation levels from employees for their benefits.
The cause is likely to be benefits that don’t align with employee needs.
For example, a Bristol Creatives startup made up of mostly employees in their twenties might be overfunding its life insurance policy, as employees in this age group are less likely to engage with life insurance. By scaling back the coverage from 10x to 2x cover, they could free up a big chunk of their spend—money that could be reinvested in wider range of more relevant benefits, or a platform that helps manage the administrative burden of benefits.
So how can Business Leaders identify these opportunities?
But before you go cutting less utilised benefits, remember: there are some benefits that few employees might use, but that are highly valuable and even life changing to them when they do, such as reproductive assistance or critical illness cover. It’s important to balance these factors when assessing your benefits. Speaking to a benefits design expert will be your best bet to strike that balance.
Cost savings aren’t just about what you offer, but also how you fund it. Many companies lose money by not negotiating the best rates with insurers or missing out on more efficient financial structures.Here are some key ways to make the most of funding:
By optimising financial structures, companies can often unlock significant savings without compromising on benefits quality.
3. Leverage tax-efficient benefits
Another overlooked opportunity is tax-efficient benefits, particularly salary sacrifice schemes. These allow employees to exchange part of their salary for benefits, reducing both employer and employee tax contributions.For employers, this means that you’re able to offer amazing benefits like electric vehicle leasing schemes and even grocery schemes…at no cost to you!
In the UK, salary sacrifice arrangements can create savings on:
For employers not already leveraging these benefits, the savings can be substantial, especially on National Insurance contributions. Yet many organisations fail to fully utilise these tax advantages, leaving money on the table.
Maximise your benefits budget with expert support
Not every company will uncover huge savings—but almost all can optimise their approach. By identifying low-value spend, negotiating better financial models, and leveraging tax-efficient benefits, Business leaders and HR provide a significantly improved offering without increasing their spend.
Want to find out where your organisation can unlock savings? Book a free benefits audit consultation with me –same budget, bigger results.
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