What is AI SEO: updated for 2026 (UK). AI SEO — also called Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) — is the practice of optimising content, structured data, and authority signals to be cited and ranked by AI search engines including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Claude, and Bing Copilot. AI SEO is a close cousin of traditional SEO but uses different tactics because AI systems rank citations rather than blue links.
AI SEO vs traditional SEO in 2026
- Traditional SEO: rank in Google’s 10 blue links for specific keywords.
- AI SEO: be cited as a source in AI-generated answers.
Core AI SEO tactics
- Direct-answer content structure.
- Hard numbers and specific facts.
- FAQ schema markup.
- Earned-media authority signals.
- Named-author E-E-A-T.
- Entity optimisation (Wikipedia, Knowledge Graph).
What is AI SEO in practice? How AI search picks sources
AI assistants answer questions by drawing on content they consider reliable and relevant. Pages that answer a question clearly, come from a credible source and are mentioned elsewhere by trusted publications are more likely to be used and cited. That means AI SEO combines good on-page writing with real-world authority.
How to improve your AI search visibility
- Answer questions directly. Start pages with a clear, factual answer before adding detail.
- Use clear structure. Headings, lists and short paragraphs make content easier for both people and machines to understand.
- Show who wrote it. Named authors with real expertise and an up-to-date about page build trust.
- Earn mentions on trusted sites. Coverage in respected publications is one of the strongest signals that your brand is credible, which is where PR and AI SEO meet.
- Keep facts consistent. Make sure your company details, services and figures match across your website, profiles and directories.
- Allow crawling. Check your robots.txt so you are not accidentally blocking the crawlers you want to be found by.
Measuring AI SEO
- Ask AI assistants the questions your customers ask and record whether you are mentioned.
- Track referral traffic from AI tools in your analytics.
- Monitor branded search, which often rises as AI visibility grows.
FAQs
Does AI SEO replace traditional SEO?
No. Most of the foundations are the same: helpful content, technical health and authority. Google’s own guidance on AI features in Search says the same best practices apply.
How does PR help AI SEO?
Editorial coverage on respected publications gives AI systems trusted sources that mention your brand. Read how to rank in AI search for more detail.