How to Optimize Your Listing for AI SEO

Although 3.5 billion searches happen every single day, over 90% of web pages receive zero organic traffic from Google. The rise of zero-click searches, which comprise nearly 60% of Google searches, along with AI-powered features like Google AI Overviews (AIOs), has significantly reshaped the digital landscape. Google’s progression from simple keyword matching to advanced AI-powered search has fundamentally changed audience engagement.

While the prevalence of zero-click searches may pose a challenge for website traffic, the evolution from keyword matching to a more sophisticated AI-powered search presents new opportunities for companies to connect with and engage their audiences. Featured snippets, for example, experience a notably higher click-through rate (CTR) compared to traditional results. Over 45% of Google searches have local intent, so any company that hasn’t implemented even the most basic SEO strategies misses out on ranking for nearly half of those searches.  

If your listings aren’t optimized for AI-driven SEO, you risk losing online visibility and relevance. Have you adapted to the new AI rules of engagement?

Best practices for using AI SEO

Large language models (LLMs) and AI have transformed search engines, including Google’s AI Overview feature. This tool, while revolutionary in its ability to assess and display information and provide immediate, comprehensive summaries, requires a different approach to websites and listings. Here are some tips:

Prioritize high-quality content

Why? It directly influences how well AI algorithms understand, evaluate, and ultimately rank your online presence. AI algorithms, like Google’s AI Overviews, process and interpret content. Clear, accurate, detailed, and relevant content makes it easier for these AI systems to understand the purpose, value, and authority of your website or listing. If the content is thin, poorly written, or lacking substance, AI may struggle to determine its relevance to user queries.

When a user searches for information, AI algorithms try to provide the most relevant results. Content that addresses specific topics and uses relevant keywords signals to AI that your website or listing is a solid match for those queries, increasing the chance that your content will appear in search results. Engaging, informative content that meets user needs is more likely to generate positive engagement metrics. These signals influence AI to favor your content.

Keep copy structured and scannable

Short paragraphs and clear structure enable audiences to quickly grasp key information without wading through lengthy blocks of text. Smaller, focused chunks make complex topics easier to digest.

Your audience is looking for specific details or solutions. Scannable content, using headings, subheadings, bullet points, and bold text, enables readers to locate the information most relevant to their needs quickly. If they can’t easily find what they’re looking for, they’ll bounce.

Large blocks of text can be intimidating and discourage reading. Short paragraphs create white space, making pages visually appealing and less overwhelming, which can increase engagement. Well-structured content with clear headings and subheadings improves your site’s SEO by making it easier for search engines to understand its content and hierarchy.

Use keywords and long-tail phrases

AI algorithms, especially those powering modern search engines, are increasingly adept at understanding the nuances of human language. By using natural language keywords and long-tail phrases, you’re speaking the same “language” as your target audience, making it much easier for AI to accurately determine the relevance of your content to specific user queries.

For example, “Boston residential STEM camp” (versus “STEM camp”) provides a clearer context for AI to match with relevant searches.

Long-tail keywords, while having lower individual search volume, often have less competition than broad, generic terms. They’re also inherently more specific and tend to indicate a higher level of user intent. 

Someone searching for “pre-college neuroscience summer program” likely has a specific need. Using this phrase signals that your content is specifically tailored to this high-intent search, increasing your chances of ranking well for those valuable queries. AI can understand the meaning behind your content and connect it with a wider range of relevant searches, even if the exact keywords don’t match perfectly.

Google’s ultimate goal is to provide users with the most relevant and helpful information quickly. Using the same language as your target audience contributes directly to a positive user experience. AI algorithms recognize and reward content that effectively meets user needs. Google Keyword Planner or Google Trends are helpful tools for researching popular keywords and search terms. 

Use a Q&A format

AI algorithms are designed to understand and answer queries. The Q&A format mirrors how people ask questions when they need information. Structuring your content as answers to specific questions makes it incredibly easy for AI to identify your content as a relevant and helpful resource for those queries.

This format breaks down complex information into digestible chunks. Each question becomes a heading and can naturally incorporate long-tail keywords, increasing content scannability. Answering these questions directly targets these valuable, high-intent keywords without having to shoehorn them into your content.

Search engines often pull direct answers from Q&A-formatted content to populate featured snippets and AI Overviews. Focusing on relevant questions with clear, concise answers boosts your content's chances of ranking prominently in search engine results pages (SERPs), increasing website visibility and traffic.

Refresh listing content regularly

Search trends and user interests change over time. Refreshing your listings every 3-4 months provides an opportunity to update keywords, address new questions your audience is asking, and keep your content relevant to align with current search queries. 

Continuous improvement also reinforces your authority and can yield better SERP results, primarily because those updates signal to AI engines that your content is recent, relevant, and authoritative. Stale content (hasn’t been updated for 6+ months) is perceived as less reliable or relevant.

As AI search features become more nuanced and gain new functionalities, updating your content allows you to optimize it, whether by incorporating new types of structured data or adapting your language to align with how AI interprets and presents information.