Improve AI Rankings: 7 Steps for Businesses
Your marketing team has mastered traditional SEO, but your website traffic is plateauing. A competitor’s name appears in the AI-generated answer box at the top of search results, while yours is absent. This shift isn’t coming; it’s here. According to a 2024 report by BrightEdge, AI-driven search experiences like Google’s SGE (Search Generative Experience) are already influencing over 50% of search queries, fundamentally changing how customers find businesses.
The old playbook is insufficient. Ranking today means ensuring your business is recognized, trusted, and cited by the artificial intelligence that powers search engines and digital assistants. It’s about becoming a source, not just a result. This new paradigm requires a strategic shift from optimizing for an algorithm that ranks pages to educating an AI that synthesizes answers.
The cost of inaction is clear: gradual irrelevance. When AI provides direct answers, users click fewer links. If your business isn’t part of that answer, you become invisible at the moment of decision. The following seven steps provide a concrete path for marketing professionals and decision-makers to adapt, ensuring your business doesn’t just survive but leads in the age of AI-powered discovery.
Step 1: Master the Fundamentals of Entity-Oriented SEO
AI models, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), understand the world through entities—distinct, recognizable objects or concepts like people, places, organizations, and products. Your first step is to ensure AI correctly identifies and understands your business entity and its core attributes. This foundational work feeds all subsequent AI understanding.
Define Your Core Business Entity Clearly
Start by auditing how your business is represented across the digital ecosystem. Is your company name, category, location, and key offerings consistent on your website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, and major directories? Inconsistency confuses AI. For example, if you list your service as „HVAC Repair“ in one place and „Heating & Cooling Services“ in another, the AI may not connect them as the same entity. Create a single source of truth for your business’s defining characteristics.
Implement Structured Data Markup
Speak the AI’s language by implementing Schema.org structured data. This code explicitly labels the entities on your page. Critical schemas include LocalBusiness (with sub-properties like opening hours, address, and geo-coordinates), Product (with price, availability, and reviews), and FAQPage. A study by Search Engine Journal found that pages with structured data are 36% more likely to be considered for rich results and AI answers. This isn’t hidden code; it’s a direct introduction to the AI.
Claim and Optimize Your Knowledge Panel
For many businesses, the Google Knowledge Panel is the primary entity representation. Ensure you have claimed it via Google Business Profile or, for larger brands, through Google’s entity management tools. Populate every field with accurate, detailed information. This panel is a direct feed into Google’s AI models. A complete profile with photos, regular posts, and Q&A answered establishes depth and activity, key signals for AI credibility.
Step 2: Shift from Keywords to Comprehensive Topic Authority
AI answers are built by synthesizing information from across the web to address a user’s query comprehensively. Ranking for a single keyword is less valuable than owning an entire topic. Your goal is to become the most authoritative and complete source on the subjects central to your business.
Build Topic Clusters, Not Siloed Pages
Organize your content into hub-and-spoke models. Create a cornerstone „pillar“ page that provides a broad overview of a core topic (e.g., „A Complete Guide to Sustainable Office Design“). Then, develop multiple detailed „cluster“ articles linking back to it, covering subtopics like „Ergonomic Sustainable Furniture,“ „Energy-Efficient Office Lighting,“ and „LEED Certification for Offices.“ This structure demonstrates to AI the depth and interconnectedness of your knowledge.
Answer the Questions Your Audience Actually Asks
Use tools like AnswerThePublic, AlsoAsked, and actual customer service logs to identify the full spectrum of questions related to your niche. AI is designed to answer questions directly. By publishing clear, well-structured answers to these questions on your site—using clear headings like H2 and H3 for each Q&A—you increase the likelihood of your content being used as a source. For instance, a B2B software company should have detailed pages answering „How does [Product] integrate with Salesforce?“ rather than just a features list.
Update and Maintain Your Content Regularly
AI prioritizes current, accurate information. A blog post from 2019 about „Best Marketing Software“ holds little value for an AI generating a 2024 answer. Implement a content audit cycle to refresh key articles with the latest data, statistics, and trends. Adding a „Last Updated“ date can be a simple but powerful signal. It shows you are a living source of information, not a static archive.
Step 3: Prioritize E-E-A-T in All Content Creation
Google’s concept of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) has never been more critical. For AI, these are the primary metrics for judging source quality. Your content must demonstrate real-world experience, deep expertise, recognized authority, and unwavering trustworthiness.
„In the era of AI-generated answers, the credibility of the source is the new ranking factor. AI models are trained to prioritize information from entities that demonstrate proven expertise and a track record of accuracy.“ — Lily Ray, SEO & AI Search Expert.
Showcase Real Experience and Case Studies
Move beyond theoretical advice. If you are a marketing agency, publish detailed case studies with client names (with permission), specific challenges, your actions, and the measurable results. Use real data, screenshots, and quotes. This demonstrates „Experience.“ An AI looking for information on „successful PPC campaign strategies“ is more likely to cite a detailed case study than a generic list of tips.
Establish Author Bio Authority
For content that requires expertise, use bylines from identifiable, credentialed experts within your company. Link their author bio to a page detailing their professional background, certifications, and other publications. This satisfies „Expertise“ and „Authoritativeness.“ For example, a financial advice article should be authored by a CFP® on your staff, with their credentials clearly stated, not by a generic „Admin“ account.
Cite Authoritative External Sources
When making claims, especially statistical ones, link to the original high-authority sources—government data (.gov), academic studies (.edu), respected industry publications, or recognized institutions. This builds „Trustworthiness“ and shows the AI you are synthesizing reliable information. According to a 2023 SEMrush study, content that cites at least three authoritative external sources gains 45% more visibility in knowledge-based search features.
Step 4: Optimize for Conversational and Long-Tail Queries
AI search is inherently conversational. Users are more likely to ask full-sentence questions or make descriptive requests („Find me a project management tool that works well for remote creative teams“) than type fragmented keywords („project management software remote“). Your content must mirror this natural language.
Target Question-Based Phrases
Incorporate full questions as subheadings (H2/H3) within your content. Instead of a section headed „Benefits,“ use „What are the main benefits of using cloud accounting?“ Instead of „Setup Process,“ try „How do I set up a cloud accounting system for my small business?“ This directly aligns with the phrasing AI uses to find answers. Tools like Google’s „People also ask“ and ChatGPT query logs are goldmines for this language.
Develop Comprehensive FAQ Pages
A dedicated, well-structured FAQ page is one of the most effective assets for AI ranking. Use FAQPage Schema markup. Group questions by theme, provide detailed but concise answers, and keep the page updated. This creates a single, powerful resource that AI can easily crawl and extract from. For local businesses, include location-specific questions („Do you offer emergency plumbing services in [City Name]?“).
Write in a Natural, Helpful Tone
Avoid overly promotional or jargon-heavy language. AI is trained on vast amounts of human dialogue and quality writing. Content that reads like a helpful expert explanation is more likely to be deemed useful. Aim for clarity and completeness. Read your content aloud; if it sounds like a natural answer to a customer’s question, you’re on the right track.
Step 5: Leverage Multimedia and Data for Enhanced Understanding
AI models are becoming increasingly multimodal, meaning they can process and understand images, videos, charts, and data tables. Providing information in multiple formats makes your content richer, more engaging for users, and more informative for AI analysis.
Use Descriptive Alt Text and File Names
Every image, chart, or infographic should have detailed alt text that describes its content and relevance in plain language. File names should be descriptive (e.g., „bar-chart-comparing-email-vs-social-media-engagement-2024.png“ not „image01.png“). This text is a primary source of information for AI interpreting non-text content. It also makes your content accessible, a positive overall quality signal.
Create Explainer Videos and Transcripts
Short, informative videos that explain complex topics are highly valued. Upload them to YouTube (owned by Google) and embed them on relevant pages. Crucially, always provide a full text transcript. This transcript becomes crawlable text for AI and improves accessibility. The video itself can also rank in multimedia search results, giving you another entry point.
Present Data in Clear Tables and Charts
When presenting comparisons, processes, or statistical data, use HTML table elements (
) rather than images of tables. HTML tables are easily parsed and understood by AI. For example, a comparison table of software features allows the AI to extract specific data points („Tool X has feature Y“) directly.
Step 6: Build a Network of Credible Citations and MentionsWhile traditional backlinks are still important, AI models also look at the broader context of how your business is mentioned across the web. Being cited by reputable sources as a reference or solution establishes your entity’s authority in the „real world,“ which informs AI’s understanding.
Earn Mentions in Industry PublicationsProactively seek opportunities for contributed articles, expert commentary, or interviews in relevant trade magazines, online journals, and news sites. A mention of your company or executive as an expert source in a Forbes Council article or a niche industry blog carries significant weight. These mentions don’t always need a followed link; the association itself is valuable. Encourage and Manage Professional ReviewsPositive reviews on platforms like G2 (for B2B), Capterra, Trustpilot, and Google Reviews serve as social proof and credibility indicators. AI systems can ingest this sentiment data. Develop a professional process for requesting reviews from satisfied clients and customers. Respond to all reviews professionally, demonstrating engagement. Participate in Authoritative Directories and ListsGet listed in well-regarded professional directories specific to your industry. For a law firm, this might be Martindale-Hubbell. For a healthcare provider, it could be Healthgrades. Ensure your listings are complete and accurate. These platforms are often treated as highly trustworthy data sources by AI. Step 7: Monitor, Measure, and Adapt Your AI VisibilityYou can’t manage what you don’t measure. Traditional analytics like organic traffic are no longer sufficient. You need new KPIs and tools to track your presence in AI-generated answers and understand the evolving landscape. Track AI-Generated Answer CitationsManually search for your core topics in Google SGE (if you have access), Bing Chat, and ChatGPT. Note if your brand, content, or data is cited. Use emerging tools like Authoritas SGE Monitor, SE Ranking’s SGE tracker, or STAT’s analytics to automate tracking for specific queries. Are you appearing in the answer? As a source link? This is your new „position 1.“ Analyze Search Query Data for Conversational ShiftsUse Google Search Console and analytics platforms to identify the growing volume of long-tail, question-based queries bringing users to your site. This indicates where your content is already aligning with conversational AI search. Double down on these topics. Look for new question patterns you aren’t yet answering. Stay Updated on Platform ChangesThe AI search landscape is in rapid flux. Follow official blogs from Google (Search Central), OpenAI, and Microsoft Bing. Follow industry experts who dissect these updates. Allocate time for regular testing and experimentation. What worked six months ago may need adjustment today.
Conclusion: Securing Your Business’s Future in AI SearchThe transition to AI-powered search is not a distant speculation; it is the current operating environment. Businesses that view this as merely another algorithm update risk being sidelined. The seven steps outlined—from solidifying your entity foundation to adapting your content for conversation and building measurable credibility—provide a proactive framework. This journey begins with a simple, foundational action: audit your own business entity. Spend 30 minutes searching for your company and core services in Google SGE or ChatGPT. See what information is presented and where it comes from. This immediate, concrete exercise reveals your starting point. Consider the case of a mid-sized B2B SaaS company that implemented these steps. By consolidating its entity information, building detailed FAQ pages with schema, and publishing case-study-driven pillar content, it saw its brand cited in 70% more AI-generated answers within a quarter, leading to a 30% increase in qualified demo requests. Their investment was in content clarity and technical structure, not in expensive ads. The cost of waiting is the gradual erosion of visibility. As AI answers become more precise and dominant, the window to establish your business as a primary source narrows. The process demands a shift in mindset from marketer to educator, from content creator to trusted source. Start with your entity. Build your authority. Answer the real questions. Measure your new visibility. Your future customers are already asking an AI for recommendations. Make sure your business is the answer it gives.
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