How to Appear in AI Search

A common question on the minds of climate tech founders is ‘how can my company appear in AI search?’ It’s a good question, but hopefully customers searching for your company won’t be using the Large Language Models (LLMs) for simple search. The LLMs are between 10 and 25 times more energy intensive than a regular search engine.

Which is more popular – traditional search or LLM search?

AI platforms are increasingly being used for traditional retrieval tasks that searchers would have previously performed on traditional search engines, like Google or Ecosia. This shift is being driven by user preference for conversational, synthesized, 'zero-click' answers over lists of links. AI search chatbot use has increased significantly, with an 81% year-over-year rise in LLM site visits.

A 2025 survey showed that 27% of US respondents used AI tools instead of traditional search engines. Also, 44% of AI-powered search users said it was their main source of information (although AI answers are not always correct). Furthermore, Google has integrated AI into its search results, with features like AI Overviews and an optional AI Mode (powered by its Gemini AI) to provide direct answers. This is to compete with standalone chatbots.

What can I do to increase my chances of appearing in LLM search?

Below are some steps to take to increase your chances of appearing:

Clear Concise Content

Firstly, your website messaging needs to be clear and easy to understand and not too flouncy for your site to appear in AI search. It’s highly likely that your audience will not be as technical as you, so articulating your value proposition in layman’s terms will go a long way in ensuring your messaging is clear and understood.

Every site should clearly state:

• Who you are

• What you do

• Who it’s for

• Where you operate

• Why you’re credible

  
  

How should you structure your content?

FAQs have always been favoured for traditional search, but LLMs love question answer style content and pages that directly answer questions.

To appear in AI search you should therefore have pages that literally answer:

• What is ___?

• How does ___ work?

• Is ___ worth it?

• Best ___ for ___

• ___ vs ___

• Common mistakes with ___

  
  

Example page titles could be:

• “What does our sensing solution do?

• “How much do our sensors cost?”

• “Why soil data analysis is so important”

  
  

If ChatGPT can copy-paste your paragraph as an answer, you’re winning.

How much of a subject specialist do I need to be?

Traditional search likes refreshed, useful content but this is even more the case with AI search platforms. Think strong topical focus (don’t be generic). AI prefers subject-matter experts, not generalists.

Therefore 20 pages about one niche topic is better than 2 pages each about 10 unrelated services.

Ask yourself: “If ChatGPT had to explain this topic, would my site feel like a primary source?”

What about technical structure?

Traditional search likes structured content and keywords in heading and this is the case for AI platforms too. Structured content for AI platforms matters more than design.

Use:

• Clear headings (H1, H2, H3)

• Bullet points

• Short paragraphs

• Definitions near the top of pages

Example structure:

H1: What is cyanobacteria?

Definition (2–3 sentences)

H2: How cyanobacteria can help climate change?

H2: Benefits of cyanobacteria

H2: Common misconceptions about cyanobacteria

H2: What are the applications of cyanobacteria?

This makes it easy for LLMs to extract answers.

Traditional search likes Schema / structured data to be used. This means those sub lists that appear when your company appears on a search engine. However, for AI platforms schema is not as important as clear, precise content.

Schema can include, for example:

• Organization

• Product or Service

• Team

• Blog

• FAQ

Having schema on your site helps AI systems classify your site faster. LLMs are much better than Google at detecting fluff. It may be tempting to use AI to generate content, but AI-generated blog spam doesn’t hit the mark for AI platforms. Trust, relevance and emotional connection are key when considering your content strategy. Keyword stuffing is also not a good idea.

Credibility and Authority are Key

Traditional SEO highly values and relies on credibility to determine search rankings. Search engines like Google aim to provide users with the most reliable and trustworthy information, and they use specific signals to assess a website's credibility, which is a core component of the E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) framework. This is also the case for AI platforms. Real authority signals are very important.

AI models look for trust clues, including:

• About page with real people

• Author names on articles

• Credentials (years, certifications, experience)

• Company address or service area

• Links to:

  • LinkedIn profiles

  • GitHub (if technical)

  • Google Scholar / publications (if relevant)

How to increase my chances of being cited by AI tools?

Here are some tips for being cited by AI tools:

• Publish original explanations, for example, how you define the processes you use

• Share data, frameworks, or step-by-step processes

• Clearly define terms (even small ones)

• Write like you’re teaching a smart beginner (use layman’s terms not jargon)

What about word length on pages?

There’s no magic word count, but longer posts (1,500-2,500+ words) often rank best because they cover topics thoroughly, satisfying user intent and attract backlinks, though quality and relevance. User experience always trumps length. Your content should aim to be comprehensive enough to fully answer the reader's query, not just hit a certain number of words.

What are some general guidelines on word length?

• Sweet Spot: Many sources suggest 1,500 to 2,500 words for top performance, allowing depth for complex topics.

• Top Performers: Studies show top-ranking articles average over 1,400 words, with some pointing to 2,450 or even 3,000+ words for high traffic.

• Minimums: Aim for at least 300-500 words for basic posts, but ideally 1,000+ for substantial content. 

Why is long-tail content effective for LLM search?

Long tail content has always been important in search. This means using a few keywords in a phrase that a typical customer would be searching for. Don’t forget your content can’t be too dry and factual, you’ll need to connect with your audience at an emotional level.

In fact, long tail content is crucial for visibility in search results generated by large language models (LLMs) and AI assistants. LLMs are best at understanding and providing comprehensive answers to specific, conversational queries that often align with long-tail keywords. 

Specifically, long-tail content:

• Mimics Natural Language: Users interact with AI assistants and voice search using full, natural language questions (e.g., "what's the best way to reuse my textile waste?") which are inherently long-tail. Content that mirrors these conversational patterns is easier for LLMs to process.

• Aligns with Specific User Intent: Long-tail queries typically have clear, specific user intent, whether informational, commercial, or transactional. Content that directly addresses these specific user needs is more likely to be cited by an LLM as a relevant and helpful answer.

• Increases Citation Potential: LLMs aim to provide direct, authoritative answers. High-quality, in-depth content built around long-tail topics and structured with clear headings and FAQs is easily chunked and extracted by AI models to be cited in their responses.

• Lower Competition: While individual long-tail keywords have lower search volume, they face less competition than broad, generic terms. This gives smaller brands or niche sites a better opportunity to rank and establish topical authority.

• Higher Conversion Rates: The specificity of long-tail searchers means they are often further down the research or buying funnel, leading to higher conversion rates when they find exactly what they are looking for. 

In short: Focus on creating the most helpful, comprehensive resource for your user, and the word count will naturally fall into place, often leaning towards longer, more detailed content for higher rankings. 

What's going on to make AI more sustainable?

The good news is that policy makers have recognised the environmental impact of AI. At COP30 a Green Digital Action Hub was launched. This will act as a kind of central repository for data expertise and tools to help nations implement green digital strategies. The hub will be overseen by an international advisory body led by Brazil with partners including the International Telecommunication Union, the UN Institute for Training and Research, the World Bank, the Global Green Growth Institute, and also the European Green Digital Coalition and the Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability.

We also now have also have the AI Action Summits, which are basically a rebranded version of the AI Safety Summit, which was first held at Bletchley Park. One of the outcomes of the latest summit was the establishment of the Coalition for Sustainable AI, which is a membership organization led by France that aims to facilitate collaborative initiatives to align AI development with global sustainability goals. The University of Cambridge has also set up a sustainable AI initiative – the Frugal AI Hub.

Summarising best practice for LLM AI search

If you want LLMs to find your site, make sure you address the following:

• Direct answers to common questions

• Strong About / author credibility

• Structured headings and short sections

• Consistent topic coverage

• Publicly accessible (no paywalls)

• Clear niche and audience

The forementioned strategies offer a few tips to help you improve your SEO but there are many more. Get in touch for help optimising your website for SEO.