Hey all,

So after Diane posted about the future of search and AI SEO optimization, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole with my trusty Chatty deep research mode. Coincidentally, within hours I'd received mail outs from two SEOs I still have time for also insisting that ignoring AI SEO is now simply not an option.

Reading over what I found, it's pretty interesting so I thought I'd try to summarize here without boring the pants off you all ...

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

What Is AI SEO Optimization?

At its simplest, it's working to ensure your site shows up in AI search. Everyone is trying to compare AI SEO and traditional SEO, and the difference is stark. As many of us here know through bitter experience, traditional SEO is this long grind with backlinks and months of waiting.

With AI-powered search optimization, apparently you can sometimes show up in days. Yes ... days!

But how does AI SEO actually work? The answer everywhere was the same: AI doesn’t care if you repeat “best HVAC repair Chicago” until your keyboard breaks. It uses NLP, so it’s reading your stuff like a person would. Does this sound like a real human trying to solve a problem? If not, you're toast.

How AI Search Engines Work

Here’s where the rabbit hole got deeper. The way AI search engines gather info isn’t like Google at all. They don’t crawl every page - they scrape signals. Mentions on Reddit, Quora, Yelp reviews, even casual shout-outs in best-of style listicles.

That’s why many are on the back-foot, trying to figure out how to actually rank in AI search results.

YouTube is suddenly full of guides on optimizing content for ChatGPT search. The main theme? Backlinks aren’t the star anymore. What matters is whether people are talking about you and if your content feels natural. No robotic keyword dumps, just context that looks useful.

Every AI SEO strategy for 2025 I read circles back to the same thing: build pages that sound human. Case studies, FAQs, comparisons, pricing pages - basically the kind of content that answers questions without fluff. Haven’t tested any of it yet, but it makes sense. AI wants answers it can recommend without looking silly.

Why AI SEO Matters in 2025 (and beyond)

One stat that kept coming up (SEMRush cited it) was that customers from AI search traffic are supposedly 4.4x more valuable than a click from Google. If that’s even half right, no wonder there’s so much buzz about it.

AI-driven platforms are pulling people away from Google. Some ask ChatGPT first, some head to Perplexity. Which makes the future of SEO with AI look pretty different.

AI SEO seems much more dynamic - the speed thing really stands out. Old-school SEO is like waiting for sourdough to rise. AI SEO? Instant ramen. You might get visibility in a few days. I’ve not tested it personally, but I’ve seen plenty of people share screenshots showing up in AI search engines almost overnight.

Tempting, hey?

The AI SEO Content Stack

The same four building blocks seem to be cited often - the so-called AI SEO content stack:

• Case studies → proof that you can actually deliver results.

• FAQs → short, clear answers to decision-stage questions. (Saw entire threads on writing better FAQ pages for AI SEO.)

• Comparisons → side-by-side breakdowns that help AI figure out who to recommend. Basically comparison content for SEO, and it works.

• Pricing pages → because no one likes mystery pricing, and apparently neither does AI. I read someone call it “pricing page SEO importance”, which made me chuckle, but it’s true.

What struck me was how little “About us” fluff matters. It’s all about content that proves value fast. Every list of AI SEO tips I looked at boiled down to this playbook.

Optimizing for Recognition

One big theme kept coming through: don’t write as your business, write about your business. AI trusts third-person recommendations more. So instead of “we’re passionate about customer service” (yawn), you write something like, “XYZ is considered one of the best in [city] for [service].”

I found examples where people made little blog posts answering “who’s the best [service] in [location]?” with a quick review, some proof, and maybe a case study. They read like expert roundups, not ads. From what I’ve gathered, that’s basically how you improve your odds of showing up in AI search results.

Feels a bit weird writing about yourself in third person, but apparently it works.

Reviews, Mentions & Social Proof

Real reviews are huge. AI SEO works by pulling signals from sites like Yelp, Google Reviews, and Trustpilot. An insightful piece from BrightLocal states, "All LLMs are using directories for sources, and Yelp is prevalent".

How AI search engines use Yelp reviews is hidden behind the algo but all you need to know is, if you're listed on local directories you're more likely to show up in AI search.

One of the best ways to get reviews that help AI SEO is to build a system. Ask customers. Follow up. Stack those stars. Some Reddit threads had people boasting about gaming it, but… yeah, AI is much better at sniffing out fakes than the Google algo.

Let's face it ... poor old Google doesn't seem to have a clue when it comes to identifying AI reviews.

Then there’s the importance of mentions. AI doesn’t obsess over dofollow links like Google. It just checks if your name shows up. AI scrapes Reddit, Quora and other legit forum conversations. Same goes for casual shout-outs in blogs or press releases - basically, name drops for SEO.

Business Profiles & Directories

It's definitely worth working on those business listings. Every guide I found (well, Chatty found) stressed AI SEO for local businesses and said the same thing: fill out every profile you can. Google Business Profile, Bing Places, LinkedIn company page, BBB, Yelp, city directories - the whole lot.

While the “About” section seems less important, don't leave it out. AI scrapes those for context. Which means half-finished profiles are a wasted opportunity. To improve online business profiles fill in every box like it matters (because it does).

✅ The AI SEO Checklist 2025

Chatty loves a summary, so here we go. Here's the AI SEO checklist for 2025 based on my deep research session over a day or two!

• Create short, recommendation-style blog posts (third person works best)

• Claim and complete every directory profile you can find

• Get mentioned in best-of listicles (or make your own)

• Publish case studies, FAQs, comparison content, and clear pricing pages

• Collect reviews on autopilot (think Google, Yelp, Trustpilot)

• Encourage mentions on forums, Reddit, and Quora

• Write naturally - AI spots robotic copy a mile off

For a shortcut to the most direct way to get AI’s attention, the list above is a great start. And if half the “AI SEO case studies” I read are true, early adopters are already pulling high quality organic traffic from it.

It's only going one way