Optimising for Conversational Search: How AI is Redefining SEO in 2026

Remember when SEO was all about getting to Page 1 of Google with a bunch of keywords? Ah, simpler times. Fast-forward to 2026, and the game has changed in a big way. Thanks to AI-powered search tools - from Google's AI overviews to Bing's chatbot and all the voice assistants in our kitchens, people now expect instant answers delivered in a conversational style.

In this guide, I'll walk you through how conversational search optimisation is reshaping our approach to SEO. We'll cover what Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) and Generative AI SEO mean for your strategy, how to create content that chatbots love, and practical tips to get your site ready for this brave new world. Buckle up, marketers.

1. The Rise of Conversational Search

Not too long ago, people typed choppy phrases like "best pizza London". Now they're literally having conversations with search engines. They ask Bing AI or Google things like, "Hey, what's the best late-night pizza place near me that delivers?" and expect a human-like answer. AI tools - think Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) overviews, Bing’s chat mode, Siri, Alexa, you name it - have trained us to search in full questions and get direct answers.

In fact, since Google launched its AI Overviews, they've seen a “profound shift” to longer, more complex queries in Search. People are asking Google to solve more detailed questions now, not just spitting back a list of links.

This shift in habits is massive. According to recent data, 40% of users actively use AI in their searches, and 80% of people rely on AI-generated answers for almost half their queries. No wonder Gartner predicts that by 2026, traditional search volume will drop by 25% as people turn to AI chatbots and virtual assistants instead. In plain English: a big chunk of searches that used to go to Google are now happening on chatbots or voice assistants.

Why does this matter?

Because if your marketing strategy is stuck in 2016 focusing only on blue links, you’re missing where the audience is headed. More than half of Google searches already end without anyone clicking a result (zero-click searches) - users get what they need from the results page itself. And with AI answers, that trend is only growing. Voice search is booming too (we’re talking billions of voice assistant devices out there). Nearly one in five people worldwide now use voice search regularly, and there are actually more voice assistants in use than there are people on Earth!. Many of those voice queries are full questions or local “near me” searches. The bottom line: search is becoming a conversation, not just a query, and our SEO strategies have to adapt to this new reality.

(Oh, and fun fact: if you have a smart speaker at home, you've probably experienced this shift firsthand - asking Alexa for the weather feels a lot more natural than pulling up a weather website, right?)

2. Traditional SEO vs. AEO vs. GEO: What’s the Difference?

With AI changing how people search, new acronyms are popping up in the SEO world. Let’s break down the alphabet soup:

• SEO (Search Engine Optimisation): The classic we know and love. This is about ranking higher in search engine results for certain keywords to drive clicks to your site. It involves optimising pages with keywords, building backlinks, improving site speed - all to please the Google gods and get that #1 spot on the SERPs.

• AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation): The new kid on the block. AEO is about structuring your content to directly answer questions so that search engines (and voice assistants like Siri or Alexa) can feature your answer instantly. Instead of just aiming for a blue link, you're aiming to become the featured snippet, the knowledge panel result, or the voice answer. In other words, AEO is about becoming the answer, not just another search result. Think FAQ pages, concise Q&A formats, and content that immediately satisfies a query.

• GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation): The bleeding edge. GEO means optimising your content so that AI generative search engines (like the ones powering ChatGPT, Bing Chat, or Google’s AI results) can find and cite it in their answers. It’s a step beyond AEO. Here you're not just trying to answer the question, you're structuring your site and content in a way that a large language model can easily digest and include in a synthesized answer. This involves clear structure, schema markup, and being an authoritative source in your domain.

In simpler terms: SEO = get ranked; AEO = get selected as the answer; GEO = get your content woven into AI-generated responses. These approaches overlap but happen on different stages of the search journey. Traditional SEO is about earning a position; AEO/GEO are about earning a mention or citation in that instant answer layer of search.

Why the shift?

Because generative AI tools are becoming “substitute answer engines” that bypass the traditional search results. If someone can ask a chatbot and get what they need, they might never see your well-crafted meta title or that blog post you optimised for Google. Simply ranking #1 doesn’t guarantee traffic now. The AI might summarise your content and the user gets their answer without clicking anything! 😱 As one SEO expert put it, "being the source that an AI trusts and cites is the new holy grail". It's like going from competing for eyeballs to competing for braincells of an AI.

So, do you still need SEO? Absolutely, yes! Traditional SEO ensures your site is high-quality and discoverable. But it’s no longer enough on its own. You also need AEO to grab those featured snippets and voice answers, and GEO to make sure AI systems pick your content when they assemble an answer. It’s an evolution of the same goal (getting visibility), adapted to how search results are delivered today.

3. Content Strategy Implications: Snippet-Worthy Content with High E-E-A-T

How do we create content for an AI-driven, conversational search world? The short answer: make your content so clear, direct, and trustworthy that a robot and a human would find it useful. We need to craft “snippet-worthy” content - the kind that gets picked up for that answer box or summary. At the same time, we must uphold the highest content quality because Google (and users) are scrutinising credibility more than ever.

Here are the big content strategy shifts:

• Answer first, elaborate second. Remember that old inverted pyramid writing style journalists use? It's back in vogue. Lead with a concise answer to the question, then provide details. If someone asks, "What is generative AI SEO?" you’d start with a one-line definition right at the top of your explanation. This increases your chances of that one line being pulled into a featured snippet or AI overview. In the AI world, clear and concise wins. One SEO guide put it perfectly: design your pages to contain “multiple extractable elements - one-sentence definitions, 40–60-word answers, bulleted lists, etc., so engines can lift what fits best.” In short, format your content as if you’re trying to get quoted.

• Structure and readability are critical. Think headings, lists, tables, and schema. A well-structured article with proper <h2> and <h3> headings for questions, bullet points for steps, and maybe a quick summary box can be an AI goldmine. Large language models pick out content that is clearly organised and easy to parse. If your content is a wall of unstructured text, an AI might ignore it in favour of a cleaner source.

• E-E-A-T – now more than ever. Google’s quality rater guidelines introduced E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) for a reason. In an era of unlimited AI-generated content, Google is doubling down on content quality. As Gartner put it, companies must “produce unique content that is useful... demonstrate elements such as expertise, experience, authoritativeness and trustworthiness”. High E-E-A-T signals help your content stand out as the real deal. AI search algorithms are likely using these signals to decide which sources to trust and cite. In practice, this means showing your credentials (have author bios with expertise), citing your sources or data, getting positive reviews, and generally backing up your content with evidence. One industry study noted that Google’s AI results prioritize content with clear credibility signals, like authoritative websites, structured data, and expert authorship. In other words, being trustworthy isn’t just nice, it’s mandatory if you want to appear in that answer box.

• Write in a conversational, human tone. This might seem obvious (we are trying to optimise for conversational search after all), but it’s worth emphasising. Content that reads in a friendly, straightforward way tends to perform better for voice and AI searches. Why? Because if the AI is going to read an answer aloud or use it in a conversational response, it prefers something that sounds natural. So, ditch the overly stuffy corporate speak. Aim for a tone that’s informative but approachable.

To sum up this strategy: make your content easy to find, easy to understand, and easy to trust. An AI should look at your page and instantly see a) what question you're answering, b) that you have a great answer, and c) that you’re a credible source for it. Do that, and you dramatically raise your chances of being the featured answer rather than someone else’s content getting that glory.

4. Practical Optimisation Tactics (Schema, Conversations, and Long-Tail Magic)

Alright, time to get practical. What specific steps can you take to optimise for conversational search and AI-driven results? Here’s a tactical checklist to boost your voice search SEO 2026 style and nail that featured snippets strategy:

• Implement Schema Markup: Schema is your new best friend. Adding structured data (like FAQPage, HowTo, Article markup) makes it easier for AI and search engines to parse your content. Proper schema basically waves a flag that says, "Hey Google, this text is the answer to a specific question!" In fact, schema-rich sites and clean data feeds are becoming prerequisites for being cited in AI answers. For example, marking up an FAQ section can explicitly tell a search engine exactly what the question and answer are. This boosts your chances of getting featured in that coveted Q&A snippet or voice response. Bonus: Schema can also signal credibility (e.g. Article schema with author info) which plays into E-E-A-T for AI. So don’t skip this - use those <script type="application/ld+json"> blocks and get your structured data on.

• Use Conversational Keywords & Long-Tail Queries: Keyword research in the AI era means thinking about the actual questions people ask. Instead of just optimizing for "featured snippets strategy", also target phrases like "How do I get a featured snippet?" or "What is a featured snippet strategy?". Incorporate natural language questions into your headings and content. If your customers might ask, "Which project management software is best for startups?" then somewhere on your SaaS site, you should have content that literally says, “Which project management software is best for startups? Here’s the answer…”. Tools like AnswerThePublic or AlsoAsked are great for finding common questions in your niche. By writing content the same way users ask it, you align perfectly with conversational search. These long-tail, conversational queries may have lower search volume individually, but collectively they bring highly qualified traffic (and are exactly the fodder that voice assistants and AI bots love to answer).

• Provide Direct Answers (Snippet-Worthy Responses): When structuring your content, get to the point quickly. After you pose a question in a heading, answer it in a clear, concise paragraph immediately below. Aim for about 40-60 words in that immediate answer – enough to be substantive, but short enough to be digestible. Why? Because that’s the kind of snippet Google might feature or an AI assistant might read aloud. If someone asks, "What's the difference between SEO and AEO?" and your article has a section that starts with “What’s the difference between SEO and AEO?” followed by a brief, punchy explanation, you’re in the running for a snippet. Research indicates that AI assistants often pull verbatim answers from well-formatted Q&A content, increasing your chances of snagging a featured snippet or voice search result. So think Q&A format: question in the header, answer right after, then more details if needed.

• Leverage FAQs and Q&A Sections: One easy win is to add an FAQ section to key pages (product pages, blog posts, etc.) addressing common questions. Not only does this give you more opportunities to rank for long-tail queries, but you can also mark it up with FAQ schema for double the impact. For example, if you run an e-commerce site, your product page might include an FAQ like "Q: Does this blender work for juicing? A: Yes, here's how...". Those snippets can rank on their own, and Google might even show the question in a People Also Ask box or an AI overview. It's a way of capturing more real estate on the results page. And as mentioned, those FAQs are gold for voice search - an Alexa could easily use that to answer a user’s question about your product.

• Optimise for Voice Search & Local Queries: Voice queries tend to be longer and often have local intent (think: "Where’s the nearest vegan bakery?"). To optimise, make sure you incorporate natural-sounding phrases and include location-based keywords where relevant. Also ensure your Google Business Profile and other local listings are up-to-date -voice assistants heavily rely on those for local questions. Did you know “near me” searches account for 76% of voice queries? If you have a local aspect to your business, include Qs like "Where can I find [product] near [city]?" on your site. And generally, write in a way that sounds good spoken aloud: read your content out loud to yourself – does it flow? If a voice assistant read that answer to a user, would it make sense and sound like a human? If yes, you’re on the right track.

• Don’t Neglect Technical SEO: Just a quick note - while we’re focusing on content, the technical side of SEO still matters. Fast-loading pages, mobile-friendly design, and proper indexing are foundational. Google’s AI overview will still pull from the web content it can actually crawl and understand. So fix those broken links, use descriptive alt text, and keep your sitemap tidy. Structured data, as mentioned, is part of technical SEO and is super important now. In short, make your site a clean, well-lit place for AI spiders to crawl. If an AI can’t easily fetch your content, it certainly won’t feature it.

By implementing these tactics, you're essentially speaking the search engines’ language (both the traditional engines and the new AI answer engines). You're helping them help you, which is exactly what optimisation is. None of these require rocket science - just a shift to being more user-question-focused and machine-friendly in how you present information.

(Pro tip: If you’re unsure how well you’re doing, literally try asking a voice assistant or an AI chatbot a question that your content should answer. See who it cites or what result it gives. If it’s not you, time to optimise!)

5. Examples: How Different Industries Are Adapting (E-commerce, SaaS, Finance, Travel)

Let’s put theory into practice with a few real-world examples. Different industries are leveraging AEO/GEO in different ways. Here’s a quick tour of how conversational search optimisation plays out across e-commerce, SaaS, finance, and travel:

• E-commerce & Retail: In online retail, being the recommended product in an AI-generated answer can directly drive sales. For example, if a user asks an AI, "What’s the best affordable noise-cancelling headphone in 2026?" and your content is optimised, the AI might answer: "The XYZ Headphones from Company A are top-rated for affordability and noise-cancellation," with a link to your site. Retailers are learning that AI-powered recommendations shape consumer decisions now. If your product pages aren’t optimised to be picked up by these answer engines, your competitor’s products will be. It’s that simple. In fact, if your products aren’t optimised for AI search, your competitors will take the sale - AI answers will just recommend them instead. So e-commerce brands are adding more structured data (like Product schema, reviews schema), writing rich descriptions that answer common buyer questions, and creating comparison guides (e.g. "Best laptops under $1000" guides) that an AI might draw from. The ones who do this well can snag featured snippets like product comparisons or even be the source an AI cites in a recommendation list.

• SaaS & B2B Tech: In the software world, potential buyers often ask AI for recommendations before ever visiting a company’s site. Picture a founder saying, "ChatGPT, what’s the best project management tool for a small remote team?" The AI will synthesize some options. SaaS companies are now vying to be mentioned on that list. This means producing content like "Top 10 project management tools" (and getting it to rank or be trusted), as well as ensuring your product’s unique selling points are clearly stated on your site for the AI to pick up. SaaS marketers are embracing AEO to ensure their solution is cited in AI answers when users query things like “best [category] software”. Being cited could literally make the difference between being on a prospect’s shortlist or being invisible. Additionally, SaaS companies are big on thought leadership content - think guides, whitepapers - structured in a way that if someone asks a complex question (like "How do I improve my website’s conversion rate?"), their blog has a specific section that an AI overview might quote. They also use FAQ sections to answer things like pricing, security, integrations (stuff prospects often ask, including to voice assistants).

• Finance & Banking: In finance, trust and accuracy are everything. We’re seeing banks, fintech startups, and advisors investing in AEO to answer the kinds of high-stakes questions people ask AI. For instance, "Alexa, what’s the best savings account for high interest?" or "What’s an ETF and should I invest in one?" If a bank has a well-structured article or tool that answers these, they want it to be the one Alexa uses in its reply. Financial firms know that if their answer is the one an AI gives, they instantly gain credibility with that user. According to industry insights, consumers already rely on AI for financial questions, and firms that appear in those AI answers will win trust (and likely, new customers). So finance companies are focusing on content quality (to meet E-E-A-T), adding FAQ schema for common banking questions, and even ensuring their glossary of financial terms is robust (so Google might feature their definition of "ETF" or "APR"). By becoming the go-to answer, they not only educate the user but subtly promote their brand as the authority. P.S. Compliance is key here – they need to make sure the info is correct and up-to-date, because bad info in an AI answer could be a nightmare.

• Travel & Hospitality: The travel sector is a perfect playground for conversational queries. Travelers ask all sorts of AI questions now: "What’s the best boutique hotel in Paris for families?", "Give me a 5-day itinerary for Tokyo," or "When is the best time to visit New Zealand?" Travel brands that create snippet-optimized content for these questions can own the answer (and attract the traveler). For example, a travel blog or agency site might publish a fully structured itinerary for Tokyo with day-by-day breakdowns. If optimised, an AI overview might actually pull in that itinerary in a summary, citing the site as the source. Or if someone asks, "Do I need a visa to visit Bali?" and a travel company’s FAQ answers exactly that, Google might show it directly as a featured snippet. Travel companies are also using voice search optimization since many travelers use voice assistants on the go – queries like "find cheap flights to London" or "what's the weather in Rome this week?" tie into travel SEO. The key for travel brands is to combine inspirational content with factual Q&A. They need high-E-E-A-T content (nobody wants advice from a sketchy source on travel requirements), lots of schema (events, FAQ, etc.), and a conversational tone that makes the AI comfortable quoting it. Those who do will find that AI assistants become a new referral channel for customers planning trips. (Imagine your tour company being recommended by Siri when someone asks about “adventure tours in New Zealand” - that’s the dream!).

In all these examples, a common thread emerges: the brands that adapt and optimise for these AI-driven queries gain a competitive edge, while those sticking to “old SEO” lose visibility. Whether it’s selling a blender, software, a bank account, or a hotel room, if you can become the trusted answer to the questions your audience is asking AI, you’ve basically unlocked a new growth channel. And as more people use conversational search, that channel is only going to grow.

(At Geo Growth Media, we’ve seen this across our clients in various sectors - those who embraced AEO early are enjoying more snippet real estate and voice search referrals, while others are playing catch-up. The gap is widening, but there’s still time to jump in and optimise.)

6. New Metrics & Tools: Tracking AEO Performance in the AI Era

If SEO is changing, you can bet our metrics for success are changing too. We need to rethink how we measure visibility and what tools we use to track our progress. Here’s the new landscape:

Old world: You’d look at rankings, organic traffic, and click-through rates. You’d celebrate moving from position 5 to position 1 for a keyword, and watch your clicks go up accordingly.

New world: You might rank great, but if an AI answer steals the click, you could see zero traffic from that query. Yet, your content might still be doing its job by providing the answer. Weird, right? So now we care about things like impressions, featured snippet counts, and AI citations even if they don’t always lead to a click. In fact, marketers are treating **“answer inclusion” and even brand mentions in AI answers as key performance indicators. Did your brand/article get mentioned in the new Bing Chat or in Google’s AI overview box? That’s a win, even if the user didn’t click through - it’s still exposure and credibility.

To capture these new “success signals”, we have emerging tools and tactics:

• AI Visibility Tracking: Some SEO tools (and new specialised ones) now offer ways to track if your content is showing up in featured snippets or AI answers. For example, there are tools that monitor how often your brand or pages are cited by ChatGPT, Google’s SGE, Bing AI, etc.. It’s like brand mention tracking, but for AI outputs. If an AI answer includes a footnote or citation, you want to know if it’s pointing to you. And even when AI answers are unbranded, you can still try to gauge if your text was used (some tools compare known website text to AI responses). These metrics help you understand your true reach in an AI-driven search landscape.

• Featured Snippet and Zero-Click Metrics: Google Search Console now gives impression data for featured snippets and the like. Pay attention to those. You might see that a page has, say, 5,000 impressions but only 500 clicks – likely because it’s showing as a snippet that many people saw (got their answer) without clicking. That 5,000 is still important! It means your content was seen by potentially 5k people. So start valuing impressions and position-zero appearances much more. Some marketers even calculate “Estimated Reach” by combining clicks and the number of times their snippet was viewed on the results page.

• New Tools & Platforms: Established SEO platforms (SEMrush, Ahrefs, Moz, etc.) are rolling out features to address AI search. For instance, SEMrush has begun integrating tracking for Google’s AI results. There are also startups focusing solely on AI search visibility - one example from earlier, Writesonic’s GEO tool, is helping marketers track citations and even AI crawler traffic that doesn’t show up in Google Analytics. These tools can flag when an AI has used your content (even if indirectly) or when your site was visited by an AI agent. It might feel odd to “measure” things that don't result in a click, but this is about mindshare. If your brand is being referenced by AI answers, that’s awareness you should count.

• Brand Monitoring in QA Platforms: Lots of Q&A is happening off search engines, like on voice devices or even forums summarised by AI. Ensure you monitor places like Reddit (some AI pull info from forums) and voice app data if available. Also, consider setting up alerts for your brand + common question terms, to catch where you might be popping up.

• User Behaviour Changes: Keep an eye on metrics like bounce rate and time on site when you do get clicks. If AI is summarising content, the traffic that does click through might be those looking for more depth or with high intent. So you could see higher bounce on top-of-funnel pages (because many got their answer without clicking, those who click might just needed a tiny extra detail and leave). It’s important to interpret these changes not necessarily as something wrong with your page, but as byproducts of AI in the mix.

Ultimately, success in 2026's SEO looks a bit different. It’s as much about being visible in the “answer layer” of search as it is about driving traffic. We’re essentially moving towards "answer engine optimisation" metrics. My advice: report these wins to your team/clients. If your blog post was quoted by Google’s AI and got zero clicks, show the impression count or even take a screenshot of the AI result citing you. That’s proof of authority and visibility that has value, even if it’s not in site traffic.

And yes, continue to track traditional SEO metrics too - they’re still relevant for many types of queries (not everything has an AI result... yet). But broaden your definition of SEO success. As one article succinctly put it, rankings alone aren’t enough anymore. We have to rank, answer, and engage across a spectrum of platforms.

(At this point, you might be thinking, “Great, more things to measure!” 😅 But the good news is these insights can uncover new opportunities. For instance, if you find an AI answer that should have cited you but didn’t, maybe your content wasn’t clear or structured enough – that’s something you can fix. Or if an AI keeps citing a competitor, you can analyse why and adjust your strategy.)

7. Action Plan: Getting Ready for 2026 (What Marketers Should Do Now)

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by all these changes? Don’t worry – you’re definitely not alone. The search landscape is shifting fast, but with the right game plan, you can turn this into a huge opportunity for your brand. Here’s a practical action plan to get your SEO (or should we say AEO) ready for 2026:

1. Empathise with Your Audience’s Questions: Start by researching what questions your target customers are asking - both to search engines and to AI chatbots. Use tools like AnswerThePublic, Google’s "People Also Ask", and even try some queries in ChatGPT or Bing to see what comes up. Make a list of high-intent, longer queries (those are your conversational keywords). You can’t optimize for questions you don’t know people are asking! This step sets the foundation.
2. Audit Your Content for Answer Opportunities: Go through your existing content. For each piece, ask: Does this directly answer a specific question clearly? If not, tweak it. Add FAQ sections to blog posts or product pages where appropriate. Identify any gaps - topics your audience cares about that you haven’t covered in a Q&A style. A content audit with an AEO lens will reveal where you need to create new content or improve structure on existing pages.
3. Refresh & Optimize Content Structure: Take those key pages (especially any that already get some search traffic) and restructure them to be snippet-friendly. Add headings phrased as questions, follow with concise answers, then go in-depth. Ensure each page has a logical hierarchy and that important points are highlighted (bold text, bullet lists, summary boxes, etc., can all help). Remember the earlier advice: multiple extractable pieces of info per page. Also, embed trust signals - cite sources, link to authoritative references, and if possible, add author bios on content pieces to boost E-E-A-T.
4. Implement Schema Markup Everywhere It Fits: This is a step you can’t skip. Apply FAQPage schema to your FAQ sections, HowTo schema to tutorials, Article schema to blog posts (with author, date, etc.). If you have product pages, use Product schema with all relevant properties (price, availability, ratings). For local businesses, use LocalBusiness schema. Essentially, make your site’s content as machine-friendly as possible. There are plenty of plugins and tools if you’re not a dev - no excuses. After adding schema, use Google’s Rich Results Test to check for errors. This will directly support your efforts to appear in AI answers.
5. Double-Down on Experience and Trust Factors: As part of your strategy, plan to improve or highlight your E-E-A-T. This might mean adding an "About the Author" blurb on blog posts, showcasing customer testimonials or case studies (third-party validation = trust), and keeping content up-to-date. If you have any content that’s thin or purely AI-generated without review - be careful with that. It’s better to have fewer, higher quality pages than lots of mediocre ones. Quality over quantity is the name of the game when algorithms are picky. Also consider getting authoritative backlinks for key pages - PR efforts can help here. It’s like traditional SEO but with an eye toward proving your content is the one to trust.
6. Test on AI Platforms and Iterate: Don’t wait passively to see what happens. Actively test how AI is handling queries in your niche. Search a question on Google and see if an AI overview appears - is your content there? Ask Bing’s chat about your product category - does it know about you? If you find inaccuracies or omissions, address them: maybe your content needs to be clearer or you need to publish something on that topic. Some AI like Bing allow feedback; use it if your brand info is wrong. Consider creating a Q&A knowledge base on your site covering key questions - this can sometimes feed into the data pool these AIs draw from. Basically, treat AI results like additional search engines to optimise for. It’s a new field, so be prepared to experiment and adapt.
7. Monitor, Measure and Adapt: Use the tools and metrics we discussed to keep an eye on your progress. Set up a dashboard for things like featured snippet wins, impressions vs. clicks, and any AI citation tracking available. Make this a part of your SEO reporting. Over time, you’ll see what content is punching above its weight (high impressions, low clicks might indicate it's satisfying users via snippet) and what content isn’t getting picked up at all. Adapt your strategy accordingly - maybe you need to create more targeted FAQ content, or maybe you find your site is often cited but without a link (in which case, ensure your brand name is strong and memorable!). Stay agile. The algorithms behind AI search will evolve, and so must you. Subscribe to SEO newsletters, follow Google’s updates on SGE, and keep learning. We’re all figuring this out in real time, so staying informed is half the battle.
8. Educate and Align Your Team (or Clients): Finally, make sure everyone on your marketing team (or if you're an agency or consultant, your clients) understands this shift. SEO is no longer just the “blog guy’s” concern - it touches content strategy, PR, web development (for schema/technical), and even customer support (those FAQs often come from support teams!). Bring everyone on board so that your company as a whole is geared towards Answer Engine Optimization. It can be as simple as sharing a few examples of how an AI answered a query with/without your brand. Once people see it, the lightbulb goes off and you get buy-in to invest in these tactics.

By following this action plan, you’ll position yourself to ride the conversational search wave rather than be drowned by it. The key is to start now. In 2026, voice assistants, AI search, and traditional search will all coexist. The websites that thrive will be the ones that covered all bases - great traditional SEO, plus great answer optimisation.

And hey, if this still feels like a lot to tackle, just remember: optimising for better answers is really just an extension of what we’ve always aimed to do in SEO - serve the user better than anyone else. The only difference is now the “user” might be an AI intermediary presenting our info. Focus on quality, be strategic, and you’ll be fine.

If you need a hand with any of this or want to brainstorm your 2026 SEO strategy, feel free to reach out. At Geo Growth Media, we’re helping businesses navigate this new landscape every day, and we’re always happy to chat about how to get your brand chosen by the answer engines. After all, the future of search waits for no one. Let’s get you ready for it! 🚀

‍