LLM SEO strategies 2025: practical tips to optimize for AI-powered search results

What is LLM SEO and why does it matter in 2025

LLM SEO, or large language model optimization, makes it easier for AI systems to understand and cite your website content. Large language models scan the web and pick trusted sources for AI-generated answers, such as Google’s AI overviews. What you want to do is fine-tune your web pages to gain the trust of these LLMs.

According to the Pew Research Center, users are less likely to click on links below an AI search summary. So, LLMs do influence a website’s traffic, particularly those that are affected by zero-click user behavior.

According to Ahrefs, websites without topical authority might not appear in the AI-generated answer box, even if they still rank in traditional search engines.

But look, we’re not here to scare you into pulling away from Google. Again, what we want to do is to help you see LLMs as your friend, not as a threat.

So, how do LLMs influence content discovery in this day and age of AI-generative engine optimization? Here are a few important points:

• Shifting from just keywords to contextual expertise. Some websites rely on keyword overstuffing as their main SEO content strategy. Well, not anymore. LLMs prioritize websites that create content based on contextual expertise, meaning clear and structured answers to relevant queries.
• Relying heavily on E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) signals. Trust signals like backlinks and brand mentions are important enterpirse SEO metrics that carry over to AI search engines. These metrics help build up your E-E-A-T signals, especially if you produce original research-based insights that other reputable sources refer to.

One easy tip to boost your website’s E-E-A-T signals? Your authors should have a short bio that includes relevant experience, credentials, and links to their articles. It’s a simple setup that could go a long way in increasing your trust signals.

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How large language models change traditional SEO

Previously, you just wanted to increase your rankings on the first page of search results. Now, you’re also aiming to get cited by AI models.

In a nutshell, that’s how LLMs have changed traditional SEO. Since AI-generated search results already deliver full answers at the top, you just want your brand to be cited in the overview.

The question is, how will you achieve these brand mentions on AI-generated content? You could look at these key pillars as your guideposts:

• Structure (machine readability): Use schema markup to accurately list down business information, answer frequently asked questions (FAQs), and respond to user reviews. In addition, correctly breaking down content into headings (H1, H2, H3 etc.) is an overlooked important aspect in large language model optimization. You’re making life easier for AI crawlers, which is always a good thing.
• Authority (E-E-A-T): It’s not just about brand visibility. You also want to manage how your brand appears on online platforms. You can quantify brand credibility through brand sentiment tools like Brandwatch or Qualtrics.
• Intent (answer focus): LLMs use natural language processing in feeding user queries to AI systems. So when a user asks a question, AI responses focus on directly answering these natural language queries. Don’t go around the bush. Provide clear, direct answers to users’ questions, then provide a helpful context or example.
• Clarity (conciseness): There’s no need to get technical in writing and optimizing content. For instance, a zero-knowledge cryptocurrency beginner wants to understand wallet deposits through easy-to-consume guides. Try comparison tables or numbered and bulleted lists for easier readability.

Do you see the trend here? Content marketing, when done right, plays a huge role in LLM optimization. But there has to be a continuous improvement process.

According to Search Engine Journal (SEJ) research, your past top-performing pages on Google might not get you that much traffic (and conversions) today. You can’t assume that position.

Instead, SEJ recommends optimizing content based on a performance + purpose-driven playbook.

We visualized this playbook through the table below. Take a quick look before we dive deeper into each strategy:

Key LLM SEO optimization strategies

With LLMs and AI search changing Google’s landscape, you have no choice but to adapt. Our experts compiled this actionable list of LLM SEO tactics to boost your organic traffic.

1.   Optimize for LLMs using structured data and contextual cues

As we mentioned earlier, LLMs don’t solely rely on keywords to find relevant web content. They’re good at understanding semantic relevance, but you have to make the job easier for them. How can you do that?

Through structured data feeds, of course.

But what do you want to include in your structured data? Here’s a quick list:

• Rich schema: Using Schema, mark up the page with “Article” for blog posts, “FAQ Page” for answering common questions, and “HowTo” for step-by-step guides. The “BreadcrumbList” markup is also helpful because it shows site paths, making it easier for AI systems to navigate through your website.
• Entity links: Schema markup uses entity links to build context for AI-answer engine optimization. These links point to platforms like Wikipedia to provide information about your brands and products. Use “about” for product descriptions, “mentions” for related items, and “same as” for similar entities on other high-authority sites.
• LLM-readable sections: In your copy, always include labelled sections for “Definition“, “Steps“, “Pros and Cons“, and “Examples“. Having labelled sections for multiple pages is an important aspect of AI SEO.
• “At a glance” box: Near the top of the page, place a quick summary in the form of bullet points. This helps AI search crawlers to find your content quickly. In turn, you increase your chances of getting cited on Google’s AI mode and overviews.

2.   Maintain human relevance while improving machine readability

What’s one thing that you can say is similar for both traditional SEO and AI overviews? It’s to create content that’s interesting and easy to read for real people.

But even traditional SEO professionals can agree that writing content isn’t just for the people. You also have another audience to cater to. These are search algorithms for traditional search engines, and large language models (LLMs) for AI optimization.

AI systems are integrated with training data that understands human-like language. Your job is to structure your content the same way as conversing with real people.

Here’s how you can do it:

• Lead with the user’s job-to-be-done. Start by stating the problem, the desired outcome, and the shortest path or solution. This is how you address search queries in GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). You don’t want to go around the bush, unlike traditional SEO. AI systems want direct answers in their overviews.
• Improve content flow and clarity. Keep sentences and paragraphs short. Use section headings and bullet points to describe sections in your content. Answer search queries at the front of your sections. Again, answer queries directly and immediately, so that AI models can quickly find your content.
• Use screenshots, stats, and case studies to provide human credibility. For example, adding screenshots of your A/B testing progress can make your technical guide more credible. You can also use stats and case studies from other sources, but make sure that you cite your references.
• Explain technical terms as easily as you can on the first mention. Articles, especially technical ones, explain jargon as their content goal. During the first mention of a jargon, it’s best to describe it as if you’re educating a zero-knowledge audience. This way, you increase your chances of getting cited by AI overviews on the What and How search queries.

3.   Use prompt-inspired metadata, entity linking, and internal coherence

The goal in LLM optimization is to mirror human-like conversations. So, when talking about technical stuff with your friends, how do you usually start the discussions? You typically start with “How” and “What” questions, right?

These conversational headings and keywords will help you gain AI visibility. We recommend these strategies for presenting data points to AI platforms:

• Answer questions through your metadata. For example, you can use this meta title, “How To Build AI Visibility: E-E-A-T Strategies for Small Businesses”. This way, your title already includes the answer to the search query.
• Add a 2-3 sentence summary at the top and an FAQ section at the end. They call this a TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) summary, where you write an overview of your article. This includes the most important points, plus what readers expect to discover if they dive deeper. Add the TL;DR and FAQs sections to your schema markup, as these are essential in your structured data.
• Maintain consistent branding and internal linking. According to Backlinko research, entity SEO is one of the most important aspects of LLM optimization. Along with your content, AI systems also get information from what your brand represents. So make sure that you use the same brand name and products on all your pages, especially those that you use for internal linking. You can use the same canonical URLs or add the sameAs/IDs to align similar pages.
• Ensure a coherent content flow. This is Writing 101, right? You make sure that your content is coherent with your main topic, or in this case, your H1. Follow this content flow: define a clear answer or claim to your H1 → present evidence that supports your claim → provide important takeaways to remind your readers.

4.   Showcase E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

In traditional search engines, digital marketing campaigns often funnel their efforts into securing backlinks. However, white-hat link building alone won’t cut it in Google anymore.

You need to show your expertise to get into AI-powered overviews.

• Use the “Person” schema when creating bylines for your writers. Credible sources within your team are now essential. In the past, you could get away with just including your company name on the byline. Now, AI models want to know if your authors have enough expertise in the topic. You can create profiles for each of your writers and link pages to those profiles using sameAs.
• Cite primary sources for your work. AI systems don’t like seeing claims without enough proof. We can’t stress this enough. For industry publications, mention datasets and any tools that you used.
• Maintain timeliness in your evergreen content. The beauty of an evergreen piece is that you don’t have to rewrite the whole article for it to stay relevant. You just have to update a few points here and there. That’s not where your work stops, though. We also recommend adding last-updated timestamps and change logs to your evergreen articles. This tells AI systems that all information in the article is regularly updated.
• Add trust signals, including HTTPS. Secure your web pages by using HTTPS. Add affiliate disclosures and ensure that your ads do not block the main content.

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Measuring success in the age of LLM SEO

We understand that websites are worried about the decrease in their click-through rate. But in LLM or AI SEO, organic clicks aren’t the endpoint of your success.

Instead, measuring success in search engines today requires a unique approach, as we detailed in separate tables below.

Emerging metrics beyond organic clicks

How to analyze visibility in AI summaries and chat-based results

Tools and analytics considerations

Future outlook: how businesses can stay ahead

LLMs and Google’s AI overviews have added more layers to digital marketing. Does it mean that traditional ranking factors are now obsolete? Absolutely not.

For instance, keyword research still plays a huge role in both traditional search engines and AI systems. You also have technical SEO, which remains crucial in boosting AI visibility. After all, AI systems don’t want to lead its users to platforms with slow site speed.

If you ask us to tell you two points about how LLMs influence search marketing, we’ll give you these:

• Getting mentioned by AI could have a similar positive impact as ranking first, so don’t worry. We know you’re worrying about the decrease in your organic clicks. We recommend that you stay the course, as traffic patterns will change into brand mentions. Take good care of your brand and create content around trending pain points. Sooner or later, your mentions on AI overviews could turn to conversions.
• Auditing your content takes on a more important role. LLMs are still a relatively new product, at least in terms of search marketing. Expect its algorithms and ranking factors to incrementally evolve over time. Conduct regular audits on your pages, refresh your evergreen content, and monitor your KPIs.

Remember, you’re not fighting AI here. You’re optimizing for AI.

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How Fortis Media Helps You Dominate LLM SEO in 2025

Since LLMs are still a fairly new space, businesses are relying more on LLM SEO services like Fortis Media. We have been mastering our craft in optimizing for Large Language Models (LLMs), particularly in these in-demand areas:

• Content engineering to make your content highly readable for both machines and humans (LLM query mapping, semantic HTML, and human-centric E-E-A-T)
• Advanced technical SEO to maintain strong structural visibility on LLMs (article schema, entity linking, and ongoing technical audits)
• Competitive intelligence to future-proof your LLM SEO strategies (Share of Voice dashboards, Google Analytics integration, and citation tracking)

Most importantly, we assign a dedicated account manager to each client, ensuring seamless two-way feedback and action. Contact us today to get a free LLM SEO strategy proposal for your website.