Businesses wanting to get found online should take steps to make their websites AI-engine-friendly, say Swindon digital marketing experts.
Well over one billion people worldwide use standalone AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini every month, and AI engines generate monthly sessions equivalent to around 56% of the total volume of traditional search engines.
Branding and digital marketing experts, Jazzbones Creative, say this shows that instead of relying on a search engine like Google, many people are turning to AI engines for advice.
“For decades, the goal of every website owner was to be ranked highly on Google,” said Jon Ladd, Digital Director at Jazzbones. “But the digital landscape has shifted. We aren’t just optimising for keywords anymore, known as Search Engine Optimisation. Websites have to be Generative Engine Optimised, or GEO. Websites have to work really hard to achieve both.
“Whether people use Gemini, ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude or one of the other AI engines, they are now getting their answers directly from AI interfaces. If your website isn’t ‘AI-fluent’ you’re essentially invisible to the most powerful recommendation engines on the planet.”
Jon said that in highly competitive markets, like estate agency, it was even more essential for websites to be AI friendly so information could be promoted by the AI engines to potential customers.
He said: “If I am looking for an estate agent in Swindon, for example, instead of searching in Google, I might go to an AI engine and ask it to search for me, based on the criteria I want. It is a much more intuitive way to use search.”
Key steps to helping optimise a website for AI includes adding some simple code and introducing FAQs (frequently asked questions), with answers phrased to make it simple for AI to lift the content. For comparing items or listing information such as prices, AI engines love tables, as they find these easier to read than copy. AI engines also look for original, authentic content, so case studies and research on a website are a must.
Jon added: “Keep the language clear and natural. If your website doesn’t sound like you, it’s harder for people to connect with it, include clear answers to common customer questions such as pricing, timelines and market conditions. And keep it up to date, because this signals that your business is active and relevant, while also improving visibility across search and AI platforms.”
To help transition a website so it is AI friendly, and meets demands of both SEO and GEO, contact Jon at Jazzbones by emailing jon@jazzbones.co.uk or visit https://jazzbones.co.uk/.
