What is the difference between SEO and AI optimisation in 2025?
SEO gets you found; AI optimisation gets you chosen
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the process of improving a website so it ranks higher in search engine results and attracts more relevant visitors
At its core, SEO relies on three main elements: keywords, meta tags, and content. Search terms, known as keywords, are the words or phrases that people enter into search engines like Google or Bing as a search query.
Using relevant search terms throughout your website helps search engines understand what your pages are about, while meta tags give search engines and users a quick summary of each page, influencing both ranking and click-through rates.
Content is the driving factor – well-written, relevant, and regularly updated material signals to search engines that your website is useful and trustworthy. Together, these components work to make your website more visible, credible, and engaging to your target audience.
An Example:
Search phrase: “SEO and AI optimisation”
Result:
By including the phrase “SEO and AI optimisation” in the title, meta description, and opening paragraph, this page directly answers the SEO requirements. This page would likely rank low, due to high demand for this search term.
AI Optimisation is the next step in making sure websites remain visible as search engines shift to AI-powered results
While traditional SEO focuses on keywords, meta tags, and content structure, AI optimisation ensures that content is written in a way that directly answers user queries.
Search engines and AI models (such as ChatGPT) are now designed to highlight clear, natural-language responses that provide context, intent, and immediate answers.
This means pages need to do more than list products or services – they must explain them in plain, helpful terms so that both search engines and AI systems can pull the right snippet and present it to users.
By anticipating user intent and framing content in an accessible, conversational way, websites can increase their chances of appearing in AI-driven search results, gaining higher visibility and stronger engagement.
Example of AI optimisation for the same query:
Search phrase: “best project management software”
Result (AI-optimised):
When a user types this query, AI-driven optimisation ensures the page displays a clear, direct answer. Instead of only showing a directory, the content would include a short paragraph at the top such as:
“Looking for the best project management software? Tools like Asana, Trello, and Monday.com are popular options. Each helps teams plan, track, and deliver projects more effectively – whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise.”
By aligning content with how AI engines evaluate answers, the website is more likely to be featured in AI-generated snippets or summaries, outperforming competitors and capturing qualified traffic.
The real advantage comes from combining SEO and AI optimisation into a single strategy
Traditional SEO lays the groundwork by ensuring pages are technically sound and contain the right keywords, meta tags, and structured content. AI optimisation then builds on this by shaping the same content into clear, intent-driven answers that AI systems can easily recognise and present.
Together, they create a dual-layered approach: SEO ensures the website is discoverable, while AI optimisation ensures it is the preferred choice for featured results. This combination not only improves rankings but also positions the website as the authoritative answer to user queries, driving both visibility and trust.
Example of a combined SEO + AI approach:
Search phrase: “best project management software”
Result (SEO + AI optimisation):
The page would be structured with strong SEO foundations – title tags and meta descriptions containing the phrase “best project management software,” supported by optimised headings (H1, H2) and schema to ensure search engines understand the context. On top of this, AI-optimised content would present a direct answer in natural language at the top of the page:
AI-Optimised First Paragraph:
“Looking for the best project management software? Platforms like Asana, Trello, and Monday.com provide powerful tools for teams of all sizes, helping them plan, track, and deliver projects efficiently. Explore the options below to find the right fit for your business.
SEO-Optimised Elements:
Title: Best Project Management Software | Top Tools for Teams
Meta Description: Discover the best project management software. Compare tools like Asana, Trello, and Monday.com to find the right fit for your business.
This approach ensures Google and AI models recognise both the technical signals (SEO) and the user-focused intent (AI optimisation). The result is a page that ranks strongly, answers the query directly, and increases the likelihood of being chosen as the featured snippet or AI-generated response.
