Rethinking SEO for AI Overviews and LLMs

AI search is changing how people discover and digest information — but that doesn’t make SEO irrelevant. It just means we need to rethink how we define visibility and authority. 

The rise of AI Overviews, voice assistants, and answer-first interfaces means users are often getting what they need without ever clicking through to a site. That changes the game, and it also unlocks a new role for SEO. 

Visibility isn’t just about position anymore 

With AI Overviews rolling out across search engines and tools like ChatGPT becoming default discovery engines for some audiences, we’re entering a post-click web. 

It’s not about ranking first. It’s about being present — cited, referenced, surfaced — wherever the answers are being served. 

That means SEO must go beyond keyword targeting and start thinking like entity and authority management. 

Think like a source, not just a publisher 

AI tools don’t care if something’s optimised. They care if it’s trusted. 

So, the content brief is changing. It's less about chasing keywords and more about answering the real question behind the query — clearly, comprehensively, and in a format machines can easily parse. 

That includes: 

Schema markup, FAQs, product specs 

Expert commentary and earned media 

Citations in forums, PR, and third-party content 

Structured data that appears in LLM training sets 

In short: optimising for machines now means being a reliable, recognisable source — not just a high-ranking link. 

SEO isn’t under threat — it’s just evolving 

Yes, the commercial model is shifting. But this isn’t the end of SEO. It’s a return to its roots. Helping people find what they need, wherever they’re looking. Clicks might drop. But influence? That’s only going up. 

SEO is no longer just about being seen. It’s about being trusted. 

Want to show up in the moments that matter? Get in touch to explore how your brand can stay visible and authoritative — even in a post-click world.