Making a website easier to find is no longer just about Google. More and more people ask their questions to ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini, so findability now reaches beyond the classic search results. Below are the 12 things you can do to improve a website’s SEO, updated with what has changed since: attention for AI search engines, measuring whether it actually works, and where to read more.
1. Optimise your content
Make sure the content on your website is relevant, useful and unique, and aimed at the keywords and search terms you want to be found for. Write blog articles, product descriptions and other content that gives visitors real value. And put your keywords in the right places, like the title, the description, the URL and the headings.
2. Technical optimisation
Make sure your website is technically optimised for search engines. Think fast load times, a mobile-friendly layout, a secure HTTPS connection, well-structured HTML and a sitemap.xml file.
3. Build quality backlinks
Quality, relevant backlinks from other websites to yours can help improve your ranking in search engines. Make sure those backlinks come from relevant websites and that the link text is relevant too.
4. Integrate social media
Bring social media into your website. Sharing content on social media can pull more visitors to your website and widen its reach. It also helps build a community and a brand identity.
5. Do keyword research
Run keyword research to understand which keywords and search terms matter for your website and your audience. Then use those keywords in the right places on your website to improve its visibility.
6. Optimise your images
Make sure the images on your website are optimised for search engines: compress them and give them relevant alt texts and file names.
7. Use internal links
Use internal links to improve your website’s structure and help visitors find their way around. It can also add value to the pages on your website.
8. Speed up your website
Make sure your website loads fast, because fast websites rank higher in search engines. You get there by optimising images, using caching and minimising your website’s code.
9. Improve your metadata
Optimise metadata like the title and description of every page. This metadata shows up in the search results and can affect your click-through rate.
10. Keep your website up to date
Update your website regularly with new content and keep it well maintained. That helps your website stay relevant in the eyes of search engines.
11. Think about AI search engines too (GEO)
The tips above improve your position in Google, but the same technical foundation and clear content also help you get mentioned in the answers of ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. Put the answer to a question at the top of a page instead of a few paragraphs down, and structure content under clear headings. That makes a page nicer for visitors, and easier for an AI model to quote correctly.
12. Measure whether it actually works
More visitors or a higher position don’t automatically mean a website performs better. Tie your SEO efforts to concrete goals, like conversions or enquiries, and track them reliably. Without that link, there’s no way to tell whether better findability actually pays for itself.
Frequently asked questions
How long before SEO improvements show results?
The first technical improvements often show within weeks. Positions for competitive search terms usually build up over three to six months, depending on the market and where you start.
Do I still need SEO now that people also search with AI models?
Yes. SEO and GEO (findability in AI models) build on a similar technical and content foundation. A website that does well in Google is usually also easier for an AI model to read and quote correctly.
Which of these points has the biggest impact?
That depends on the website, but technical optimisation (point 2) is usually the place to start. Without a fast, properly indexed site, content optimisation has less effect.
Can I do this myself, or do I need an agency?
The basics, like metadata, alt texts and internal links, are often doable yourself. Technical optimisation, keyword research and link building usually take more time and specialist knowledge, which is why they’re more often outsourced.
Key takeaways
- Findability goes beyond Google: ChatGPT and Perplexity count too
- Relevant content and technical optimisation are the foundation of SEO
- Backlinks, internal links and load speed all shape your ranking
- Structure content under clear headings so AI quotes you correctly
- Tie SEO to concrete goals and measure whether it actually works
