Sod and search: How AI is redefining SEO

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a bigger part of our digital lives, it’s reshaping how people search and interact online. From AI-generated search results to voice assistants and chatbots, the search journey is evolving fast – and your SEO strategy needs to evolve with it.

We’re making sure that we are actively adapting our SEO strategies to make the most of these developments.

Google is still the go-to search engine, but the way it delivers results is shifting in a big way. You may have noticed a new section at the top of search results with AI-generated summaries. These are called AI Overviews, and they’re now appearing in about 40% of searches, with that number continuing to grow.
This is powered by Gemini AI, Google’s new large language model (LLM), which works similarly to tools like ChatGPT. Instead of showing you a long list of links, Gemini can pull information from different pages and present a quick answer, summary, or even a how-to guide right in the search results. So if someone’s searching for a how-to, a recommendation, or a definition, they might get everything they need without ever clicking through to a website.
We’re already seeing early indicators of this change to user behaviour, with more impressions but fewer clicks. As AI-generated answers become more accurate and satisfying, we anticipate a continued evolution in search behaviour.

While Gemini is powering Google’s AI search, ChatGPT is also changing how people find information. More and more users are turning to it as their go-to tool – not just for search, but for writing, research, problem-solving, and planning.
ChatGPT is becoming continuously faster and more intuitive, working across voice, text, and even images. People are using it to summarise topics, get tailored answers, draft content, and compare ideas – all in one place.
It’s not just influencing search – it’s changing user behaviour.

1. Prioritising high-quality, people-first content

Google – and AI models like Gemini and ChatGPT – are rewarding content that is clear, helpful, and written with the user in mind. This is especially true for long-tail, informational searches like:

• “What are the best ways to reduce household energy costs?”
• “How to choose the right CRM for small businesses”

We’re continuing to prioritise E-E-A-T principles: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This includes:

• Creating educational, valuable content tailored to your audience
• Making sure content is written (or reviewed) by subject matter experts
• Regularly auditing your existing pages to fill gaps that competitors – or AI Overviews – may be covering

2. Optimising for featured snippets (because AI overviews use them)

Studies show that 63% of AI Overviews pull content from featured snippets (those short answer boxes you often see at the top of Google).

To give your content the best shot at being included in these AI-generated answers, we will focus on:

• Concise answers to common questions
• Bullet points, tables, and step-by-step instructions
• Headings with questions (e.g., “What is Gemini AI?”)
• Implementing FAQ schema so Google can easily understand and extract answers

3. Structuring content based on search intent

Understanding why someone is searching helps us create content that meets their needs – and performs well in both traditional and AI-enhanced search.

There are three main types of search intent:

• Informational: “What is sustainable packaging?”
• Navigational: “Canva pricing page”
• Transactional: “Buy ergonomic office chair”

We make sure to target a mix of these intents, especially the question-based and long-tail queries which AI favours. This ensures your content shows up when it matters most – whether users are researching or ready to buy.

4. Tracking AI overview: visibility

We’re now also including AI Overview presence in our monthly keyword reporting. This means we can now see when and where sites are appearing in these new AI results – and outline what we’re doing to improve visibility.

5. LLM.txt

A recent development being rolled out is llm.txt – a file that helps AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini understand how to interact with your website.

Think of it like a set of directions for AI, showing it which parts of your content to pay attention to, and how to use it. As these tools start pulling more directly from websites, llm.txt gives us a way to guide that process.

It’s still early days, and most AI tools aren’t using llm.txt just yet – but we’re keeping a close eye on it. We’ll be looking to roll it out soon to help ensure content is picked up, summarised accurately, and well-positioned in AI-driven results.

Looking ahead: What this means for your SEO

Search is no longer just about ranking #1. It’s about being where users get their answers – even if that’s inside an AI-generated summary.

By focusing on high-quality content, technical optimisation, and intent-driven strategy, we can continue to ensure that sites stay visible as things are rapidly changing. Whether it’s Google’s Gemini, Microsoft’s Copilot, or ChatGPT’s search plugins – AI is changing the game. But with the right strategy, you can stay ahead of it.