What Is AI Optimisation and Why Does It Matter for Your Business?

In a world where search is evolving faster than ever, businesses can no longer afford to think about SEO the way they did even a year ago. The rise of generative AI and large language models (LLMs) has fundamentally changed the way people search for information and how brands need to show up. This is where AI Optimisation comes in.

With more businesses in NZ and the UK relying on AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude, as well as voice assistants, it’s no longer enough to rank. You need visibility within the answer.

What Does AI Optimisation Mean in Plain English?

AI Optimisation is about preparing your website and content for the way AI search engines and generative tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews find and present information. Traditional SEO focused on helping your site rank well on a search engine results page (SERP). AI Optimisation is about helping your content get cited or summarised by AI-powered tools.

In plain terms, you’re no longer just optimising for Google’s list of links. Instead, you’re now optimising to be the answer that an AI engine gives users directly.

As we outline in our Whitepaper, The Future of Search: Beyond Rankings and Traffic, competition isn’t just for ranking pages – it’s about winning the spotlight in AI-generated snippets.

How Are AI Search Tools Like ChatGPT Changing the Game?

Generative search tools don’t show a list of websites the way Google traditionally has. Instead, they synthesise information from multiple sources and deliver a conversational answer. This means if your content isn’t structured in a way these tools can interpret and extract from, it may never be seen, even if it’s accurate and high-quality.

Ranking in the top three in Google search doesn’t mean AI tools will cite you for similar search queries. If your content isn’t structured in a way that makes it easy to interpret and cite, you may not appear at all in AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity, and this lack of visibility will hurt your brand.

LLMs like GPT-4 and Gemini scan the web for trusted, authoritative, and well-structured content. If your business can provide concise, relevant answers to common questions, you’re far more likely to be included in an AI-generated summary.

Why Is AI Optimisation So Important for Brand Visibility?

AI-generated search answers are fast becoming the new front door to your brand. Rather than relying on clicks and traffic, these tools deliver answers that may mention or reference your brand without the user ever visiting your website.

If your business isn’t being referenced, you risk becoming invisible.

As we explored in our whitepaper, traditional metrics like impressions and rankings are no longer the only (or most important) indicators of SEO success. Visibility in AI search is now just as critical.

As we discuss in our Whitepaper, the first movers shape AI narratives, and now is the time to act. Traditional SEO practices can certainly help. If you have been creating highly relevant, customer-first content for some time, that is well structured and includes schema markup, there is a good chance your brand will already be visible within these AI platforms. If not, you’re already playing catch up.

What’s the Difference Between Traditional SEO and AI Optimisation?

Let’s break it down:

Traditional SEO is still vital, but AI Optimisation builds on that foundation and adapts it for how people (and machines) search today.

What Kind of Content Performs Well in AI Search Engines?

If you want to be featured in AI-powered summaries, your content needs to be:

• Question-led: Use natural language questions as headings.
• Structured: Clear formatting, bullet points, tables, and concise answers help.
• Trustworthy: Include author bios, expert sources, and unique insights.
• Useful: Directly answer real-world questions your customers are asking.

AI search engines prefer content that is easy to scan, rich in information, and grounded in authority.

One thing that has been fundamental to good SEO is a focus on providing content that is helpful to customers and readers. This is no different for AI Optimisation. However, instead of focusing on keywords, the focus shifts to entities and conversational queries – long-form questions that you would expect to have human-to-human.

How Can NZ & UK Businesses Start Adapting Today?

Whether you’re a startup in Auckland or a B2B brand in York, here are a few practical steps you can take:

1. Add FAQs to Key Pages: These are goldmines for AI tools looking for quick, clear answers.
2. Use Schema Markup: Structured data helps machines understand your content.
3. Update Existing Content: Refresh top-performing pages with question-based subheadings and summaries.
4. Publish Original Research: AI tools love unique data points that aren’t found elsewhere. Original research pieces are also a good way to promote your brand through digital PR.
5. Showcase Expertise: Add bios, case studies, and testimonials to reinforce authority.

Need help knowing where to start? Our dedicated AI Optimisation service can help assess and optimise your most valuable content.

What Happens If You Ignore AI Optimisation?

You might have great rankings today, but as AI search becomes the default, your organic traffic could erode over time. More critically, your brand may simply stop showing up in the digital conversations that matter.

As we emphasised in The Future of Search whitepaper, the businesses that win tomorrow are those that act today. Waiting means playing catch-up while others earn top-of-mind status in AI-generated answers.

Real-World Example: From Invisible to AI-Visible

At Digital Hothouse, we are already well-prepared for this shift and have been working on tactics that we expected to be important for a number of years. Schema markup, page speed optimisation and technical auditing are key components of our SEO strategies for clients, and this means that many of our clients are already experiencing strong visibility in AI platforms. As more tools become available to track visibility, this will enable us to identify potential gaps for existing clients and ensure we are creating new content or optimising existing content to fill those gaps.

One great example of this is one of our oldest clients who we have been working with for over 10 years. Over the past 3-4 years, we have put a strong emphasis on adding relevant schema markup to their key pages, including category landing pages and product pages. In addition, we have continued to monitor site performance, including page speed and core web vital metrics, making constant tweaks to the technical setup of the site to ensure the site loads as quickly as possible for users and for search engines. With some AI crawlers spending only 5 seconds on a site to find the information they need, these metrics become more important than ever.

Whilst these tactics may have been deployed with traditional SEO in mind, it means they are well placed to increase visibility in AI platforms with a few additional tweaks, including updated schema markup, a focus on relevant entities in the body copy and an update to some of the headings on the page to make these more question and answer focused.

So, whilst AI overviews may now be more present in traditional search, a drop in clicks doesn’t mean a drop in performance. Our client didn’t need more traffic to increase conversions. They needed better visibility where it counts.

Conclusion: Get Ahead by Optimising for AI Today

Search isn’t dead, but it is different. If your business relies on being found online, AI Optimisation is now a non-negotiable. It’s not just about getting clicks, it’s about being the answer.

At Digital Hothouse, we help businesses in New Zealand and the UK adapt their digital marketing strategy for this new era of search. With our insights, tools, and expertise, you won’t just keep up, you’ll get ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to throw out my old SEO strategy?

Not at all. AI Optimisation builds on strong SEO fundamentals. It’s an evolution, not a replacement.

How do I know if I’m being cited in AI-generated content?

You can ask AI tools directly, monitor brand mentions, and use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs for emerging visibility metrics.

Is AI Optimisation only for big brands?

No, in fact, small and mid-sized businesses often adapt faster. It’s more about relevance, authority, and structure than size.

Where can I learn more?

Check out our AI Optimisation page and download our whitepaper The Future of Search: Beyond Rankings and Traffic for more in-depth insights.

Ready to make sure your brand is the answer AI gives?
Contact us for a tailored AI Optimisation strategy built around your goals.

About the Author
Gavin Hirst is the Head of SEO at Digital Hothouse, where he’s spent over a decade helping clients navigate the ever-evolving world of search. With more than 15 years of experience in digital marketing, starting out in general marketing before specialising in SEO and content strategy, Gavin brings deep expertise and a forward-thinking approach to every project. He’s especially passionate about the role of AI in shaping the future of search and how businesses can adapt to stay ahead.