What’s the difference between LLMs and SEO?
It’s vital to recognise that LLMs and AI search are not the same as SEO. Very similar principles, but building your AI and LLM visibility involves a much broader mix of workstreams. Whereas SEO is basically about keywords and site optimisation, building visibility within AI search and LLMs is about verifiable authority and credibility across online channels. In fact, some elements stray outside what many would consider the usual realms of marketing into PR territory.
Will my existing SEO content be picked up by an LLM search?
Many companies have spent a lot of money on SEO over the years. They will be wondering if that investment will deliver ROI in the new world of LLMs.
The answer is not necessarily. SEO content is structured for discoverability, but LLMs prioritise clarity, authority, and completeness over
keyword density or backlink volume.
LLMs don’t rely on ranking algorithms. Instead, they draw from high-quality, expert content that aligns with the user's intent. Content that is educational, well-structured, and entity-rich is more likely to be surfaced.
- SEO content doesn’t guarantee visibility in LLM responses
- LLMs value clarity, context, and completeness over keyword tricks
- High-authority and educational content is more LLM-friendly
What tools can I use to evaluate my LLM visibility?
LLM visibility means structuring your content so AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT can easily identify and cite it as authoritative. LLM visibility is harder to track than SEO rankings. Predictably, the list of tools vying for your attention is growing rapidly.
Current contenders include AlsoAsked, BrightEdge, Copilot, and tools from Writer.com or MarketMuse can help assess AI surfaceability. Or you could just try prompting your favourite AI LLM with common buyer queries to see which sources they cite or reference.
How do I build LLM visibility for my company?
If you are familiar with SEO, you may know about ‘site authority’ - LLM takes this to a new level with far more emphasis on expertise
and being a trusted source.
What tactics should I use to become a trusted source for LLMs?
There are number of techniques that seem to get the attention of LLMs. Longform content that answers key questions in depth — explainers, FAQs, definitions, frameworks, and expert insights. Here are some tactics that seem to work:
- Write "What is..." or "How to..." articles that mirror the way humans would ask the questions.
- Attribute quotes and perspectives to real experts (with bios and LinkedIn links).
- Use schema markup to tag authors, organisations, and topics.
- Contribute to public platforms like Quora, Reddit, or industry communities —
under your brand or expert personas.
Should I do some kind of audit on my content to see
if it’s LLM friendly?
Yes. An LLM audit checks whether your content is structured for AI readability, answers real user questions, and establishes your brand as a reliable source. Weed out jargon-heavy or keyword-stuffed content and update it to be clearer and more value-driven.
Will LLMs replace traditional search, and what does it mean for our marketing strategy?
LLMs are unlikely to fully replace traditional search any time soon - but they will complement and reshape it. As AI tools become common entry points for research, content strategies must evolve to serve both human readers and machine interpreters. SEO is not dead—but it’s expanding into AI-optimised content. The winning strategy is hybrid – a combination of traditional SEO plus LLM visibility.
Learn more about our LLM Content Strategy services.
