How to compete with AI summaries in search results

Your content might be doing its job, just not how you expected. AI summaries are now the default result. Users ask. AI answers. No clicks. No traffic. No visibility… unless your brand is the one getting cited. Here’s how to compete when AI is the middleman: Structure answers up top. Treat every page like a press release. Use schema, FAQs and clear headings. AI needs clarity, not fluff. Share original insights. AI rewards first-hand expertise, not regurgitated tips. Focus on mentions, not just rankings. Being cited in AI outputs beats position 1 with no clicks. SEO isn’t dead. It’s just measuring success differently. Is your content still visible when the click disappears? 💡 We help businesses get found, with or without a blue link. Message us if you're adapting for AI search.

I use AI tools. I like them. But here’s the line I keep coming back to. AI can give you content. It can’t give you context. We’ve had clients come to us with 20 AI blogs on their site and no rankings. Or templated SEO reports that say a lot but mean nothing. What they actually need is someone who understands their market. Someone who can ask the right questions. Someone who can explain what matters, without jargon. That’s what we do. Not just fix SEO. We listen. We translate. We turn noise into action. That’s what clients still want. And it’s why AI won’t replace us any time soon. If you want more of these real-world lessons, I share them weekly. Comment LEARN to get them.

AI is rewriting the SEO playbook, but the old rules still apply. Good content, relevance, trust, and structure are still the pillars of visibility. What’s changed is who you’re optimising for, it’s no longer just Google’s crawler, it’s AI assistants too. Here’s how to make sure both AI and humans can see your signal: 1️⃣ Answer questions directly. AI pulls content that clearly solves user intent, not keyword-stuffed fluff. 2️⃣ Strengthen trust signals. Reviews, mentions, and citations make your brand a safer choice for AI to recommend. 3️⃣ Use structured data. Schema helps AI understand context, products, FAQs, locations, and reviews. 4️⃣ Keep your content human. Clarity, tone, and storytelling still build connection, even if an AI is summarising you. AI is changing how people find you, not why they choose you.

𝐈𝐬 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐄𝐎 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐈? 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞. Is Evergreen SEO Dead Because of AI? No—But It’s Evolving. 🔍 AI summaries steal clicks from generic evergreen content (e.g., “how to change a tire”). ⚡ “Fast SEO” (trending topics) thrives—AI rarely summarizes breaking news. 🔄 Query Fan-Out sends clicks to follow-up questions, not the main query. 🛡️ Trusted, in-depth evergreen content still earns clicks—users seek reliability. 💡 Winning strategy: Pair trending content with strong evergreen hubs—and link them. AI isn’t killing evergreen—it’s demanding better quality.

Does your content strategy need to evolve now that AI is changing how people search? At WSI Digital Advisors, we work with brilliant SMEs every day who ask: "Will people still visit my website if AI answers their questions in the search results?" The short answer is: yes – but only if your content is doing its job. Here’s what’s changing (and what matters now more than ever) ... 🔍 AI is filtering the fluff. Search engines like Google and Bing are now using generative AI to summarise answers within search results. That means people might not click unless they really need more information. So, your content has to offer something extra – insight, depth, expertise, clarity – or they’ll never make it to your site. 🌱 Be the source AI relies on. AI models are trained on trustworthy, expert content. So, if your site is packed with accurate, useful, well-structured content – you don’t just show up in the search results… You become the source AI tools summarise from. That’s real authority. 🤖 Think like AI, write for humans. Your content still needs to be compelling for people – but structured in a way that’s easy for AI to understand. That means: ✅ Clear subheadings ✅ Straight answers to common questions ✅ Helpful summaries ✅ Consistent internal linking Make it simple for both bots and buyers. 👉 Shift from volume to value. This isn’t about publishing more. It’s about creating better. Expert-led Conversational Sharply focused on user intent 👉 Focus on depth, not just breadth. Your unique point of view is irreplaceable. AI can summarise what’s out there. But it can’t replicate you. Your lived experience, your industry-specific insight, your customer stories – that’s what people will still seek out and trust. Your voice has never been more valuable.

Does your content strategy need to evolve now that AI is changing how people search? At WSI Digital Advisors, we work with brilliant SMEs every day who ask: "Will people still visit my website if AI answers their questions in the search results?" The short answer is: yes – but only if your content is doing its job. Here’s what’s changing (and what matters now more than ever) ... 🔍 AI is filtering the fluff. Search engines like Google and Bing are now using generative AI to summarise answers within search results. That means people might not click unless they really need more information. So, your content has to offer something extra – insight, depth, expertise, clarity – or they’ll never make it to your site. 🌱 Be the source AI relies on. AI models are trained on trustworthy, expert content. So, if your site is packed with accurate, useful, well-structured content – you don’t just show up in the search results… You become the source AI tools summarise from. That’s real authority. 🤖 Think like AI, write for humans. Your content still needs to be compelling for people – but structured in a way that’s easy for AI to understand. That means: ✅ Clear subheadings ✅ Straight answers to common questions ✅ Helpful summaries ✅ Consistent internal linking Make it simple for both bots and buyers. 👉 Shift from volume to value. This isn’t about publishing more. It’s about creating better. Expert-led Conversational Sharply focused on user intent 👉 Focus on depth, not just breadth. Your unique point of view is irreplaceable. AI can summarise what’s out there. But it can’t replicate you. Your lived experience, your industry-specific insight, your customer stories – that’s what people will still seek out and trust. Your voice has never been more valuable.

AI Tools are transforming how we write, but does faster always mean better? In my latest blog, I share a balanced guide to using AI tools for idea generation, drafting, and SEO, while still protecting the most valuable asset you have: your authentic voice. Because AI can draft, but only you can connect. 👉 Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/e7-EcpGG #PublishingStrategy #AIWriting #Authenticity #ContentCreation #AuthorGrowth #DigitalPublishing

👉 AI recommendations are now more valuable than Google rankings. Why? Because visitors coming from AI-driven suggestions show higher conversion rates and deeper engagement. People increasingly turn to AI as their “advisor” when making important buying decisions. This means: • Ranking on Google still matters, but AI visibility is becoming the true growth driver. • Traditional SEO isn’t dead – it’s transforming into AI SEO. • The game is no longer just about keywords, but about how AI models perceive and recommend your brand. ✅ Ask AI models what they know about your brand (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini). ✅ Monitor mentions with tools like Mentions so or Trakr ai ✅ Optimize your content for AI: – Turn headings into questions. – Add TL;DR boxes for quick summaries. – Use schema markup to guide models clearly. ✅ Build authority off-site: LinkedIn, Reddit, Quora, PR mentions. ✅ Be transparent in comparisons – balanced content is rewarded by AI. 👉 The shift is clear: AI SEO = higher trust, higher conversions, higher stakes. I’m curious – have you already started testing how AI models recommend (or don’t recommend) your brand? #AI #AISEO #DigitalStrategy #Innovation #FutureOfMarketing #ArtificialIntelligence #ContentStrategy

Here are two simple AI Search experiments that are working for us right now. Both are super easy for tech marketing teams to implement today. 1️⃣ We're using a Q&A Format in our content: AI search seems to favor content structured as questions and answers. We're using this for our H2 headings and in FAQ sections (i.e Why is it so hard to work with generalist agencies?). It helps AI understand context, and as a bonus, it's easier for humans to scan. 2️⃣ We're Adding "Updated On" Dates: AI prioritizes fresh content. When we meaningfully update an article, we add "Updated October 2025" directly into the title or the first sentence. Simple, but we're seeing it move the needle. These tactics are layered on top of the fundamentals, like high-quality content and proper schema. But for low-effort tweaks, we're seeing a clear lift in traffic from AI search sources. Anything you are testing that's working? LMK! #AI #SEO #ContentMarketing #Martech #TechMarketing