Matthew Widdop
Matty is a Digital SEO Executive at Intelligency, helping our clients to improve their digital performance. Matty is currently studying for his Level 3 Multi-Channel Marketer apprenticeship and has completed a Sport Journalism Degree at the University of Huddersfield.
Search engine optimisation is evolving rapidly as AI-driven search experiences become more common. Can users use the same SEO techniques in AI Mode as in normal search to be successful? In this article, we will discuss all relevant SEO techniques for AI mode.
How Users Search in AI Mode
AI-powered search engines no longer rely on simple keyword matching. Instead, they use queries conversationally, analysing user intent. This means content needs to answer real questions clearly and naturally. Pages written for humans, with logical structure and depth, are more likely to be selected or referenced in AI-generated responses than those built purely around keyword repetition.
Technical SEO in AI Mode
While a lot of SEO techniques may not be relevant in AI Mode, Technical SEO is still important. Ensuring your site is easily crawlable for AI bots means it is easier for them to understand and evaluate your content, making you more likely to appear in AI-generated responses.
How to be successful in AI Mode
AI mode often delivers answers directly within the search experience, which changes how SEO success is measured. Rankings and clicks still matter, but being cited or referenced within AI-generated responses becomes a key outcome. This elevates the importance of brand authority, topical consistency, and content credibility across the web.
What Google says about SEO in AI Mode
Google’s Robby Stein named five factors Google uses to judge content within AI Mode, which Roger Monti has written about extensively in his article for Search Engine Journal. The five factors include quality, helpfulness, and real user satisfaction, driving visibility. AI Mode evaluates whether people find the information genuinely useful and use engagement signals and user behaviour to rank content, much like in traditional SEO.
What this means for Marketers
SEO in AI mode reinforces what we already know about SEO, content that helps users win. By focusing on the audience websites align naturally with AI and help to create engaging content for audiences that boost traffic and profitability.
