AI SEO is quickly becoming the new frontier of search. If you want to know how to rank on AI search engines like ChatGPT, the key is trust.
Traditional SEO is no longer enough, because even if you rank first on Google, you may not appear in ChatGPT SEO results. GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) focuses on positioning your website so AI tools can cite, summarise and recommend your business directly to buyers. If you want to rank your website on ChatGPT and other AI search engines, you need to show up as the most reliable and ready-to-use answer.
The Fast Rise of ChatGPT and AI Search
You’ve probably seen the insanely fast adoption of ChatGPT in everyday life. From answering simple questions to acting as a digital advisor, it is already changing how people make decisions. If you own a business, AI is already affecting you whether you like it or not. The reality is that the future of visibility lies in AI SEO and GEO, not just traditional Google rankings.
When someone asks ChatGPT to recommend a service, it does not show a long list of links. Instead, it cites and recommends a handful of trusted sources. That means if you want to know how to rank on AI search engines, or how to rank your website on ChatGPT, the key is to earn trust. ChatGPT SEO and AI SEO is not about clicks, it is about becoming the cited answer that buyers see first.
By making sure AI search engines recommend your business, you stay ahead of the competition and tap into buyer-ready traffic with far higher conversion potential.
Google Search Is Shrinking: What the Numbers Say
We hear a lot of claims that Google’s dominance in search is fading. While some numbers aren’t yet definitive, several recent studies show clear signs that Google search traffic is under pressure — especially from AI SEO, GEO, and zero-click behaviors.
StatCounter data shows that Google’s global search engine market share slipped below 90% in most of 2025. That may seem small, but this tacitly signals a shift in how users access information. AI-native tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other conversational search tools are growing, which erodes part of what used to be “just Google.”
In parallel, we see the rise of AI Overviews (Google’s summaries or answer boxes) reducing click-through rates (CTR) for traditional results. In some cases, organic CTRs have dropped by 20-40% when AI Overviews appear. For example, Semrush notes that searches with AI Overviews are growing, many resulting in zero clicks — users getting answers without needing to leave Google.
AI-sourced traffic (from tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, etc.) is still a small slice of total visits for many sites, often well under 1%, as of mid-2025.
Although AI-sourced traffic is still a minority in total visits for many sites, the growth rate is steep. One report shows a 527% increase year-over-year in AI referrals (sessions) between early 2024 and mid 2025 for a sample of sites.
| What this means: If you rely only on ranking on Google without considering ChatGPT SEO, GEO, or how to become an “answer source,” your visibility (and your traffic) may be at risk. |
The Psychology of People Searching on LLMs vs Google
Imagine two people:
- One is using Google, typing in “best CRM software reviews,” comparing specs, reading blog posts, maybe clicking back and forth.
- The other asks ChatGPT, “Which CRM will help a small e-commerce business grow fastest?” and expects a clearer, more advice-driven answer.
These two are on different paths. The second user is further down the buyer journey. They want a decision. They want recommendation. They want trust. That’s the core difference: people using LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) are often closer to making a purchase or selecting a vendor.
When conducting our own research into AI SEO, we found that the prompts people use confirm this pattern. Instead of vague “how-to” questions, many of the searches in our Semrush AI SEO section show strong buying intent.
Users aren’t just asking “what is AI SEO.” They are asking questions that signal evaluation, comparison, and decision-making. For example:
- “Best AI SEO agency for my business”
- “How to rank my website on ChatGPT”
- “Compare GEO vs traditional SEO services”
- “What is the best company for AI SEO”
- “AI SEO pricing and packages”
These prompts are not from people casually learning. They are from people who are already close to taking action. The psychology is clear — LLM searchers are buyer-ready, and they expect to be shown the best solution right away.
| What this means: If your content isn’t structured to provide direct, confident answers to these kinds of prompts, you’re invisible at the exact moment a customer is ready to choose. |
The Key Is Getting AI Search Engines to Trust You
If you want to know how to rank on AI SEO, how to rank your website on ChatGPT or get high visibility in GEO, the central piece is this: AI is the gatekeeper. If the AI engine does not trust your content, it will not recommend it. No matter how well you optimise for keywords or how many backlinks you have, if trust signals are missing, you are invisible in AI powered answers.
Here is what current research tells us about what builds trust in AI search and LLMs like ChatGPT, and what you need to do to impress those systems:
Author and Brand Credibility Matter More Than Ever
AI SEO favours trusted entities. LLMs prefer content that clearly shows who is behind it: brand names, author names, and credentials rather than faceless domains. The more known, consistent, and credible the author or organisation, the higher your chance to be cited.
Relevance and Entity Alignment Beat Exact Keywords
Modern AI systems evaluate content based on how well it connects to entities such as people, brands, or concepts, and on semantic meaning. The content should signal that it is the best answer to the question, not just that it optimises for keyword density.
Credibility, Trustworthiness and Verifiability
These include things like third party validation through reviews, social proof, citations in respected outlets, up to date content, original insights or data, and consistency across channels. AI tools look for trust signals similar to EEAT: expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.
Clear Structure and Readability
AI favours content that is well structured with summaries, bullet points, headings, and concise comparisons. This helps the LLM interpret what is important. It also helps when you want to be the answer. The easier you make it for AI to parse your content, the more likely it is to recommend or cite you.
Recency and Fresh Data
For many use cases, especially those that deal with fast changing topics such as technology, market trends, or services, AI tools prefer newer content. If your content is stale or outdated, you are less likely to be trusted in high intent or comparison queries.
Social Proof and External References
If others trust you, such as well known or authoritative sources referencing your content, discussions on forums, news mentions, or review sites, that adds a layer of trust that AI systems notice. Content from bodies that are cited often in other sources is more likely to be surfaced.
To-Do: Steps to Improve Your AI SEO Today
Step 1: Restructure your blogs for GEO
Take your existing content and reformat it into answer-driven layouts. Use summaries, headings, bullet points, and concise comparisons so AI tools can easily cite and reuse your content.
Step 2: Focus each blog on solving a core problem
For every article, decide on the main problem it addresses. Put the core keyword into Semrush or Ahrefs, check what questions people are asking, and rewrite key sections to give direct answers.
Step 3: Write content that helps people decide
Move beyond explanation. Your content should guide readers to compare, evaluate, and act. Decision-ready content is far more likely to be surfaced in AI SEO results.
Step 4: Address buyer doubts and roadblocks
List out every hesitation or objection your ideal client might have. Then create content that removes those doubts, proving you are the most reliable solution.
Step 5: Answer high-intent, buying-stage questions
Prioritise questions that show purchase intent, such as “best provider for…” or “compare X vs Y.” These prompts are the ones AI engines are most likely to trust and cite when recommending services.
Ready to Become the Answer in AI Search?
At Burst Digital, we have already done the research and tested these strategies across multiple industries. From restructuring blogs for GEO to building content that AI engines trust, we have implemented AI SEO frameworks that are helping our clients show up in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI search engines.
If you want your business to be the one AI recommends when customers ask “what is the best company for me,” now is the time to act. Contact Burst Digital today to start improving your AI SEO and GEO visibility and make sure your brand is part of the answer.
