The way people are searching online is shifting away from traditional search engines. AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini don’t just provide users with a list of potentially useful links, but are generating [mostly] trustworthy answers on the spot. This means that when someone asks a question, then you have a chance to feature in the AI-generated answer as long as your website contains a clearly contextualised answer to the original query.

So how do you make sure that your website is futureproofed for this new world of search? The good news is that good SEO practice still makes a strong foundation for Generative AI Search optimisation, however adaptations need to be made. Generative AI looks for different signals compared to traditional SEO, it’s not just about keywords now, but authority, structure, human-value and providing evidence to back claims too.

With this, PinPoint Media have provided 10 ways that you can optimise your website for Generative AI Search. This isn’t a guarantee that you will feature, but this will certainly improve your chances of featuring. 

1. Write with precision

AI tools answer specific questions, that’s how they’re trained. If your content is too vague or has generic filler, it’s unlikely to get pulled for a generated response. Instead, create content that answers specific questions directly. Think about how people would search your topic to get answers, and use that as the base of your content.

For example, if someone searches “How do I optimise a website for AI search?”, then a blog post or paragraph that breaks down the steps, like this post, is far more likely to be useful than a generic post about “the future of AI and SEO”.

2. Show proof of expertise

Authority is something that matters more than ever. AI systems don’t just want to provide information, but they need context around it that shows the answer is trustworthy and the sources have clear expertise. In blog posts, don’t only give your results or information, but back this by publishing case studies, share data, highlight results, or even quote subject matters from the team. This not only provides the information, but backs it up which not only helps AI provide extra clarity, but also boosts your authority.

Don’t just say what you do, demonstrate how you’ve done it.

3. Strengthen your backlink profile

Links are still a vital signal that can help build web authority. Even though the AI platforms are different from traditional search, it still draws on the same open web, where backlinks indicate trust. With AI, quality matters much more than quantity. One link from a trustworthy publication, an industry-expert website or even a university research publication can carry far more weight than hundreds of directory submissions. This is even true for traditional SEO.

It’s important to invest time in digital PR, partnerships or even original research that can earn you mentions from other credible sources. Additionally, it could be useful for your site to link out to credible sources as this further indicates to Generative AI platforms exactly what expertise you are in, and can help with trustworthiness and authority by association.

4. Build a clean, logical structure

AI models need a well structured website to understand context, this is the very foundation of requirement. If your site is jumbled with no hierarchy and confusing content, then it makes it hard for AI to interpret what it’s about or even how to properly understand your website.

At a minimum:

• Use clear headings (H1, H2, H3, paragraph) that break up content logically.

• Write descriptive page titles and meta descriptions.

• Keep URLs simple and keyword-friendly.

• Group related content together in sensible categories.
  
  
  

These are exactly like traditional SEO tactics, but they’re just as important as the world slowly shifts to AI-generative tools.

5. Keep your writing human

One of the easiest ways to lose AI and readers alike is to churn out content that is too robotic. Generative AI tools are able to recognise patterns and can easily identify content for algorithms rather than for people. 

This is an easy fix, and it’s about writing naturally. Bring out your expertise, your natural tone of voice and even your quirks. Your writing style is likely to be unique. Share opinions and experiences rather than being too corporate. AI tools are very good at picking up human nuances, and this also makes it more engaging for the people that read it too. If your content is good enough, then people will stay on it longer, and thus it would be seen as more credible to AI tools.

Some at PinPoint Media also believe it’s also a matter of time before AI-generated content is penalised, at least on traditional search engines, even despite these platforms pushing their own AI tools. 

6. Keep your content fresh

AI models don’t just source historical data, but can also pull from current sources. Generative AI prefers current, up-to-date content rather than old blogs that haven’t been updated in years. Regular updates to your site, refreshing your static pages and case studies, and also producing new blog content are all signals that your site is active, current and relevant.

Creating new blog posts is one of the best ways you can do this for Generative AI, as you are creating completely new pieces of content, and this can be on topics that are completely new to your site or boost your website in terms of additional expertise to your current content. It’s a full win-win scenario.

7. Use multiple formats

Text is still the backbone of AI search, however other formats do add weight. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are getting increasingly good in not only generating, but recognising other forms of media such as video, images, graphs, coding language etc. 

Embedding these other forms of media with proper alt text not only helps traditional SEO, but can also provide even richer context for AI systems to use that can even further boost credibility and provide greater depths of information for searchers. 

8. Think beyond keywords

Traditional SEO often revolves around exact-match keywords, usually with 1, 2 or 3 phrases. On the other hand, AI focuses this shift towards the intent. This means that writing content in a way that answers questions conversationally over just keyword-stuffing would have a much greater chance of showing in Generative AI. 

For example for PinPoint Media, instead of us creating a blog post and keyword stuffing ‘best digital marketing agency UK’, we would think about answering ‘How do I choose the right digital marketing agency in the UK?’.

The nuance really does matter for AI.

9. Prioritise speed and usability

AI platforms choose to lean on well-optimised, accessible, trustworthy sites and don't scan through every single reference page on the internet. A site that generally has good SEO practices such as mobile-optimisation, can be seen to be more trustworthy. 

Google has already baked Core Web Vitals into rankings, and these are the exact same signals that will help AI tools decide what sites and sources are worth exploring to give users information

As mentioned, this is a longstanding SEO practice, but also greatly improves user experiences on your site, which would improve your credibility as people stay longer on site, thus building further trust. Everything is interlinked here.

“As page load time goes from 1 second to 3 seconds, the probability of bounce increases 32%.” - [Think with Google]

10. Build trust and transparency

AI tools are trained to prefer sources that appear reliable. Your website needs to ensure that it is obvious who you are, what you do, and why you are qualified to speak on a subject. You can include author bios on blogs, keep contact information visible, really build out the ‘About Us’ page. Adding as many trust signals as possible helps build that credibility, as long as it’s not over the top. Including client logos, security badges, expert certifications can all reinforce credibility and trustworthiness too.

The transparency you give makes your site more persuasive to users, and readers, and can also signal to AI that you’re a legitimate source and can be trusted enough to be referenced in Generative AI.

It’s all about the why. Give people a reason to trust your site, to stay on your site, to consume your information, and even potentially contact you.

Final thought

Generative AI isn’t about redefining websites, but rather sharpening the fundamentals and building on the clarity, authority and structure of your site, layering in signals that shows how trusted and credible you are as a source.

Traditional SEO gets you in front of search engines, but AI SEO gets you in front of the answers themselves. The businesses that take this seriously now will be the ones showing up in tomorrow’s conversations.

Schedule a call with a member of our team today and get a head-start on your 2026 strategy!