How to optimize your content for AI

While the SEO experts debate complex theories about AI search optimisation, I’ve discovered something surprisingly simple.

You can simply ask AI systems what factors they consider when recommending businesses.

Even more surprisingly, they’ll tell you – in as much detail as you want.

This isn’t theoretical. Let me show you exactly how this works.

A Real-World Test: Local Tyre Services

I recently needed new car tyres, and decided to test different search approaches.

Here’s what happened when I searched “Looking for somewhere to change my tyres, near me. Based in New Milton, Hampshire“:

And here’s what Perplexity gave me:

Notice the difference?

Perplexity’s results are more focused and immediately actionable.

No ads, no clicks, no SEO-optimised fluff – just the relevant local businesses with the information you need.

The Simple Trick: Just Ask the AI

After carrying out the original search in Perplexity, and seeing the four results, I then asked Perplexity: “How do you decide what factors to include here? In other words what factors do you consider when choosing these results?“

Perplexity’s response was shockingly transparent.

It laid out nine specific criteria it uses to rank and recommend businesses.

Let’s look at just one example:

Proximity.

More than that, it gave me some details:

“The distance from the user’s location is crucial. Services that are closer to New Milton are prioritized to minimize travel time.“

This isn’t just a vague ranking factor – it’s a clear explanation of what matters and why. The AI gave similar detailed explanations for eight other factors:

Now forgive an old SEO for thinking like an SEO.

As someone who’s worked in SEO for years, this level of transparency is extraordinary.

To verify this wasn’t a one-off, I tested the same approach with ChatGPT:

And then the same question regarding the factors behind their choices:

What struck me the most was the consistency between different AI systems – they’re all looking for similar factors.

Putting this intelligence to work for your business

Running this idea bypasses how and where the AI machines get their information from.

Now you know what factors AI search engines consider important, you can start optimizing your online presence.

For example, using the following practical checklist:

Review the factors the AI mentioned (proximity, business hours, reviews, etc.)
Audit your current online presence against these factors.
Identify gaps where you’re not clearly communicating these details.
Check your SEO: will the bots understand these?
Update your website and business listings to prominently feature and link this information. All of it.

Why this is better than guessing

You might well be thinking: “If we don’t know exactly where AI gets its data, how can we be sure this will work?”

It’s a reasonable question.

Here’s why this approach makes sense:

AI systems are designed to find and understand relevant information.
In this scenario, they’re telling us precisely what they consider important and relevant.
The factors they mention seem to align across different AI platforms.
These are all elements you can directly control and optimise.

Most importantly, you’re getting this information straight from the source, not through speculation or third-party interpretation.

Who needs self-proclaimed experts? Myself excluded, obviously.

Will this really impact your business?

While Google still dominates search overall, for now at least, AI-powered search tools are definitely gaining traction for specific types of queries.

Especially those requiring detailed comparisons or specific recommendations.

By optimizing for AI search now, you’re:

Getting ahead of the enormous shift in how customers find businesses.
Following clear, actionable guidance directly from AI systems.
Focusing on factors that improve your business overall (like better business information and customer service).
Building a foundation that works for both traditional and AI search, and the visitors that read your content.

The time to prepare for this shift is now, while most businesses are still guessing about how AI search works.