From Threat to Opportunity: Building Your AI-First Strategy

By Lauren Beesting, Digital Marketing Strategist at Creode

We’ve explored how AI search is disrupting traditional search, and the implications are clear. Fewer awareness opportunities today may lead to AI bypassing websites tomorrow, so it’s important to adapt our approach to SEO now before the impact becomes too big.

Forward-thinking brands are already developing sophisticated strategies to maintain and enhance their visibility in this new landscape, but the key is to remember that we’ve adapted to new channels and search behaviours before. We can do it again.

It’s all about strategising, testing and trying again. What works for some won’t work for all, but having your finger on the pulse and figuring out patterns in your industry will help you keep up.

The Rise of Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)

Traditional SEO is all about making your website discoverable by search engines and people. GEO is the new approach to making your brand and content visible and citable by AI systems.

SEO and GEO are one and the same, the approach is just shifting:

1. Authority First — Entity SEO

Rather than optimising individual pages for keywords, brands must now ensure their entire digital entity exists in structured, verifiable formats across the web.

This means:

• Maintaining accurate & comprehensive profiles online

• Publishing content with clear author bylines and credentials

• Creating content based on Google’s E-E-A-T framework

• Leveraging UGC & reviews

2. Schema & Structured Data

Structure data or schema markup is code that helps search engines and AI systems understand content more easily.

Best practice schema includes:

• FAQ Schema — Makes Q&As extractable by AI

• Product Schema — Ensures accurate product information in AI responses

• HowTo Schema — Structures instructional content for AI consumption

• Medical/Financial Schema — Critical for regulated industries

3. Conversational Content Design

Search is shifting from keyword-focused content to more conversation and question-based. Rather than optimising for short keyword phrases, brands are creating content that directly answers the natural language questions users are asking AI assistants, in formats AI systems can comprehend.

This means:

• Writing short, concise and direct answers

• Producing specific industry-related questions and content

• Using questions as headings (What is, how to or why does…)

• Structuring content in lists, tables and definitions for easy extraction

• Writing TL; DRs

• Producing FAQs & Q&As

4. Digital PR & Citation Building

AI models are trained on vast amounts of web content, with particular weight given to authoritative, frequently-cited sources. Focusing on citation building and digital PR will help AI systems to recognise your brand as a credible source worth citing.

This looks like:

• Appearing in ‘best of’ lists & industry round-ups

• Getting links and mentions across reputable domains and popular platforms

• Writing contributor posts

• Creating a strong community and social media presence

5. API Readiness

In travel, finance, and e-commerce, especially, brands must prepare APIs and structured feeds so AI engines can pull live data and eventually transact on users' behalf.

Where this leaves us

The change is happening now, at a remarkable speed. Brands that wait for the dust to settle before adapting their strategies risk becoming invisible in the new search landscape.

In 2020, we obsessed over Google’s algorithm. In 2025, we need to obsess over being the source AI can’t ignore.

Need a hand adapting?

For help building a strategy to amplify your digital brand and marketing, get in touch with our team today.