What is A.I. Optimization and Should My Business Care About It?

Recently, I asked my trusted advisors if Google was going to become a wasteland when LLMs (Large Language Models) took over the world.

The answer? 

Hardly. 

If you are a business, you have known the benefits of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for a long time now. Now, businesses are looking at AIO (A.I. Optimization) so that they can show up beyond Google. They want to be seen on AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Like SEO, this takes time. But also like SEO, if you don’t start now - you’re already behind. 

What is A.I. Optimization?

LLMs find information in the same way an average user on Google would: they scour the web and pull together an “intelligent” answer. However, LLMs go a step further by formulating an answer based on the prompts and responses from users that it has cataloged - including you. Like all smart technology, LLMs learn your behavior, tone of voice and often provide you with close to the answer it thinks you are looking for (but maybe not the answer you actually need). 

In the beginning, we saw a lot of problems with this. Nearly every industry had an example of someone trying to cut corners and repurpose what ChatGPT spit out - without fact-checking what it created. 

Over the last few months, these LLMs are (finally) showing their work and sharing the resources they use in their responses. A.I. Optimization is a content marketing strategy of providing the answers that LLMs are looking for so that your business name is more likely to show up as a “resource” here.

Bottom Line: A.I. Optimization will become as important as SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Social Media marketing in ensuring your brand stays in front of the right people at the right time.

Should My Businesses Care about AIO?

The truth? 

Not all businesses need to care. 

Here’s a helpful way to look at it: if Google ads are too broad for your business (and bring in too many unqualified leads), then AIO is probably not right for you. 

But if you’ve had success with Google ads, or, perhaps just as importantly, haven’t needed to invest in advertising because your referrals are so strong, your business could benefit from AIO.

The most important question to ask yourself is, “Is my audience changing the way they search for answers?” 

AI-driven queries are often run by men (38%) ages 30-49 (38%) with postgraduate work (53%) and a high-income job (52%). Do these demographics matter to you? Then, yeah, you might need to care.

Furthermore, if your ideal clients are currently struggling with a specific problem and use ChatGPT to solve their problem (think: trying to determine how much they could sell their business for, and you are a business valuator).

Then, yes, it would make smart business sense to create searchable content on your website that will feed the LLMs.

Bottom Line: If your audience uses AI to find solutions you provide, then you need to care about AIO.

Do I Have to Start Writing for Robots?

AIO isn’t replacing SEO - and Google isn’t going anywhere.

Smart companies are adding this as an additional layer to ensure their brand remains top-of-mind where their audiences are spending their time. The good news, if you already have a strong content marketing strategy, you are more than halfway there. 

Similar to an SEO strategy, consistency, clarity and credibility will be key here. This is not a one and done strategy.

While SEO-powered tools can provide the keywords that matter most in Google searches, we are seeing a breakout trend in AIO tools that scour the biggest feeders to LLMs. These tools can give you insight into what people in your industry are writing and talking about - and therefore what content is feeding LLMs.

Bottom Line: Consistency and clarity win the day for LLMs (just like for SEO).

The Game Isn’t Changing

AI Optimization isn't about choosing between Google and AI—it's about meeting your audience wherever they're searching for answers. Just as businesses didn't abandon their websites when social media began to surge, AIO represents the next evolution in how you connect with customers.

The good news is: the future is NOT just one marketing tool, it is many. Focusing solely on AI Optimization isn’t the solution - and neither is ignoring it. 

A holistic marketing strategy has always been your friend - and that hasn’t changed. There are just new players to consider pulling from the bench. 

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Want to add AIO to your current marketing strategy? We can help 👉 Contact Cassandra