How to Dominate AI Search Results in 2026 (ChatGPT, AI Overviews & More)

0:00By this point, you probably know AI-driven search is transforming how users find information. And by the end of this video, you’ll know: How AI search works and why it’s so important Practical ways to structure your site to get picked up in AI search results And why traditional SEO isn’t dead, but in fact is more important than ever My name is Matt Kenyon and I work as a growth partner helping businesses get more traffic, leads and sales from organic search, and I’ve partnered up with Surfer to help demystify AI search. The tl;dr version of this video is that ranking in AI search pretty much boils down to just doing good SEO – with a few important nuances that can make it

0:46easier for tools like ChatGPT to index and present your website. You’ve probably seen people claim that GEO (generative engine optimization) or AEO (answer engine optimization) is the new SEO. We just love our acronyms here in digital marketing in sales. (In fact, drop your favorite corporate acronym in the comments. I’d have to say mine is probably KPI. Just rolls off the tongue.) Some even say that GEO is effectively making

1:18Google obsolete. But is that true? Let’s look at the data. According to Exploding Topics, Google sees roughly 16.4 billion searches per day. That’s compared to ChatGPT’s 1 billion queries per day and a lot of those ChatGPT messages are probably not search queries – this figure presumably includes all the stuff, like,

1:45“please give me a step-by-step guide on how to like this video on YouTube.” You can just click it. Or tap it. If you want. According to a 2025 study by the Digital Marketing Agency Higher Visibility, 79.8% of Americans still prefer traditional search engines for their queries. Most folks just stick with what they know, and that happens to be good ol’ Google. Make no mistake, AI search is definitely on the rise, but we have some time before it’s fully adopted into the mainstream. And if you’re targeting Millennials or Gen Z for your products or services, you still have time, but maybe a little bit less. According to the study,

2:23those generations are much more likely to fold AI tools into their search behaviors. The good news is that GEO is less of a new discipline you have to master and more of an additional layer you add onto your existing SEO foundation. So, as a smart, beautiful, future-thinking marketing leader or business owner, you see the writing on the wall, and you know that getting into AI search tools now before they become

2:50mainstream, is probably a good idea (which is why you’re watching this video. Thanks, by the way!). It’s important to note, when we say “AI Search,” we’re referring to appearing in results from generative AI tools like ChatGPT, as well as Google’s own AI Overviews. And although both are technically powered by different large language models under the hood,

3:10the tactics we discuss in this video are very much applicable to both. Speaking of AI Overviews, Surfer released a comprehensive study looking at AI Overview insights from over 400k searches, and the data is pretty eye-opening - definitely check that out after this video, the link’s in the description. Here’s the bottom line: generative AI platforms often pull from the top-ranking search results and trusted sources to compose answers. So, strong traditional SEO is the foundation – you

3:40likely won’t show up in AI responses if you don’t first rank well organically. That said, there are some specific things you can do to make your website a prime candidate for LLM consumption. We’ll tackle these in a few categories: Writing content that AI loves Technical considerations for getting picked up by AI The role of Schema Markup in AI search Authority and trust signals But before we get into this stuff – one of the biggest things that’s driven marketers nuts about GEO is that there hasn’t been a reliable way to track it. And if we can’t generate reports and fancy graphs that go up and to the right… well then, what is all this for? Tracking clicks from LLMs isn’t always helpful

4:28because most folks will get the answer in a more conversational way and not end up clicking any links – so tracking brand mentions by AI, at least right now, is the best way to measure success. Surfer recently launched an AI Tracker that monitors mentions of your brand or product across popular language models. So if you’re a Surfer user, you can take a minute before implementing the tactics

4:49in this video to add your company or product name and a short description of your category. Surfer will create relevant prompts, and within a few minutes, you’ll get a full report that updates daily. Soon, you’ll be able to edit those prompts manually, and Surfer plans to add support for all popular LLMs in the coming months. Alright, now that we have a way to know where we currently stand in AI search,

5:13let’s talk about writing content that AI loves. Unsurprisingly, AI gravitates toward natural language and question-focused content. AI models like ChatGPT and Claude are built on conversational text, so they naturally prefer content that sounds like a human expert explaining something. This is already something you should be doing with good SEO, but it’s worth repeating. Instead of optimizing for phrases like 'best running shoes ranked,' frame your H2 and H3 headings as natural,

5:32complete sentence questions, like, 'What are the best running shoes for marathon training?' Then answer directly and conversationally. Second, AI prioritizes comprehensive coverage following E-E-A-T principles – that's Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. One 2024 study found that well-organized, authoritative content (e.g. with clear sections and FAQ entries) increased inclusion in AI-generated answers by up to 37% on platforms like Perplexity. Some ways to demonstrate EEAT in your content are to: Share first-hand experiences or case studies where possible Include statistics and cite reputable sources Showcase your credentials or industry expertise Present multiple perspectives on complex topics

6:28And address potential objections or limitations Third, AI loves semantic richness and context. Rather than repeating the same keyword, use a natural variety of related terms, concepts, and entities that create a semantic web around your topic. This is where Surfer's Content Editor really shines. Instead of guessing which related terms to include, Surfer analyzes top-performing content and gives you a

6:56comprehensive list of semantically related keywords, NLP terms, and questions to cover. Here are a few other content formatting considerations: First, both humans and AI appreciate well-structured content. Use a clear hierarchy of headings to break content into logical sections. If someone asks an AI a specific question that you answer in a particular section of your page, a proper heading can direct the AI to that part. Also, utilize bullet points or numbered lists for steps, tips, or lists of items – these are easy for AI to quote verbatim and ensure no key points are lost in a paragraph. In fact, structured content formats like lists and tables have been shown to improve

7:45the chances of being featured in AI answers. Next, use FAQs to capture succinct information that can be easily parsed and repeated by AI search tools. For example, “Does your software integrate with Salesforce?” “Yes, our software offers a native Salesforce integration.”

8:16Lastly, use tables for structured information. If you have data that compares features, specs, pricing, etc., a table is an excellent way to present it. Structured tables can be parsed by AI, and an AI might even quote a specific cell. Next, let’s talk about some of the technical considerations for making sure ChatGPT (and other AI search tools) can actually access your site. First, let's talk about crawlability. Start by double-checking your robots.txt file, usually found by just typing robots.txt at the end of your domain. AI search tools typically pull information from web indexes or use their own crawlers, so

9:04make sure you’re not disallowing OpenAI's GPTBot, Google's crawlers, and Microsoft's Bingbot. By the way, did you know that ChatGPT Search uses Bing’s index? That’s right, humble old Bing is making a comeback. That means it’s all the more important that you’re indexed in Bing and that you submit a sitemap to Bing’s Webmaster Tools. To adjust a robots.txt file, you'll typically access it through your website's control panel, a plugin, or a server-level text editor. If you have a developer, they’ll know what to do. Second, ensure your most important content

9:42is in HTML text rather than hidden behind JavaScript or buried in images and videos. While traditional search engines have gotten better at rendering JavaScript, AI systems primarily read your raw HTML. If your key information only appears after a JavaScript interaction, AI might miss it entirely. For the same reason, always include descriptive alt text for images and transcripts for videos. This makes your

10:10multimedia content accessible to AI systems. Third, optimize your site structure and speed. A clear, logical site hierarchy helps AI understand what's important on your site. Keep your most valuable content within a few clicks of your homepage and use descriptive internal linking – see what I mean? We’re just talking about SEO best practices here! Now let’s talk about the role of Schema Markup. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, Schema Markup is a vocabulary that tells AI (and search engines in general) precisely what type of information you're presenting. It’s code that humans can’t see, but that robots can use to quickly determine what a page is about. It’s been used by SEOs for years,

10:52but according to Google, it’s especially important in the age of AI. Schema Markup also powers many of what Google calls Rich Results, which are things like knowledge panels, carousels, and other fancy, non-textual things that appear in Google Search Results. There are several types of schema that are particularly valuable for AI search ranking: First, organization schema tells AI about your brand, including your name, logo, and social profiles. This helps establish your entity in knowledge graphs that AI systems reference. Article schema is probably the next most popular for search-optimized content like blog posts. It explicitly signals the publication date,

11:40author, and headline – all factors that help AI determine relevance and credibility. To make sure you have the appropriate schema on your pages, I'd recommend checking out the official documentation for the types of rich results that Google supports, making sure that any of the relevant tags are applied to your pages. More often than not,

11:57these are the same types of schema that AI tools are using to identify your content. Implementing Schema Markup does not automatically guarantee that you show up in Rich Results or in AI search results, but it does increase your odds significantly by letting AI search tools know exactly what your content is and how they ought to present it. The goal is to make every important piece of information on your site unambiguous to machines. If an AI can easily parse that “ACME Inc is a cybersecurity company founded in 2020, based in NYC” from your schema, it’s more likely to use those facts in an answer about, say, “cybersecurity startups in NYC”. And not only should that information be clearly

12:43accessible from your website, but also broadcasted across the internet in as many places as possible. AI models love to sample data across large knowledge sources like Wikipedia, Business Directories, and Industry Databases. Even if you don’t have a full Wikipedia page, consider adding your business to Wikidata, the structured database behind Wikipedia. These are prime candidates for Google’s knowledge panels and often sampled by LLM training data. Beyond that, make sure you have a presence on any and all appropriate aggregation sites like: Google My Business Bing Places Yelp, Apple Maps LinkedIn Company Pages IMDB PubMed Crunchbase Or any other industry database in your niche. To wrap up this section, Google has explicitly

13:31confirmed that there is no secret AI tag or code or trick to help you rank in Google’s SGE.

13:41These tools rely on the well-established structured data types that we should all be using as part of our SEO strategy anyway. Now, let’s talk about how building authority and trust signals directly plays into boosting your AI rankings.

13:59First, demonstrate expertise directly in your content. Include author bios with relevant credentials, cite reputable sources, and share specific examples or case studies that showcase first-hand experience. AI is getting pretty darn good at detecting the difference between surface-level content and true expertise. Second, build off-site authority signals. AI doesn't just evaluate your content in isolation – it considers what the rest of the web says about you. Quality backlinks from respected sites, mentions in industry publications,

14:18positive reviews, and inclusion in 'best of' lists all send powerful trust signals to AI.

14:27For instance, if you run a travel blog, being listed in an article titled “Top 10 Travel Blogs of 2025” on a well-known site is gold. AI answering “What are some good travel blogs?” might very well include yours if it saw that list. So, proactively reach out to bloggers, journalists, or industry sites that do “best of” roundups and pitch your inclusion (provide them value: data, an interview, free trial of software, etc.). Third, and perhaps most importantly, develop comprehensive topical authority. This means creating content that thoroughly covers

15:28all aspects of your niche, answering the full spectrum of questions your audience might ask.

15:50This is where Surfer's Topical Map becomes invaluable. Topical Map visually maps out your current content coverage and identifies gaps that might be undermining your authority.

16:03Surfer found that AI overviews mention an average of 5 sources per query, and 90% of the time, Google lists 8 or fewer sources. Here’s the cool part – these sources can come from multiple pieces of content on the same domain! Meaning you can significantly increase chances of showing up as a source in the answer when you cover the topic from all angles. So to summarize this section, and really as an overarching theme of this video, it’s important build your website and content as if you’re trying to impress an expert human reviewer – because AI is essentially an aggregate of many such reviewers. Establishing your expertise and trustworthiness not only helps traditional SEO (via Quality Rater Guidelines influences,

16:49etc.) but directly affects whether an LLM “likes” your content enough to repeat it to users. I’m curious, now that you know that the big secret to GEO ranking is really that there’s no secret at all – just the basics of good SEO – how does that make you feel? For me, it’s encouraging. One less thing to learn. And with tools like Surfer in your toolbelt,

17:12you can tackle whatever the future of search holds without getting overwhelmed. Surfer gives you everything you need to increase your rankings in both organic and AI search, from keyword planning with Topical Map to creating perfectly structured content with Content Editor. You can identify underperforming pages through Content Audit, strengthen your site structure with Automated Internal Linking, and, now, even track your AI search performance with our AI tracker. Because, truthfully, as Ryan Law from Ahrefs put it in his insightful article,

17:42whether you call it GEO, LLMO, or AEO… it all boils down to just doing good SEO. Thanks for watching, if you want to give Surfer a try, click the link in the description to start increasing your organic search ROI today. Feel free to check out my channel for more SEO tips, and if you want to continue leveling up your SEO knowledge, subscribe to the Surfer Academy YouTube

18:04channel and check out this video next. Happy ranking!