It’s fair to say that AI LLMs are making a significant impact on how we go about conducting daily tasks, whether they are work-related or otherwise. The advancements appear to be changing at a lightning rate, with newer and faster programmes and models ‘rising up’ capable of doing more and at apparent lower costs (DeepSeek Jan 2025).
In this article we’ll take a look four main reasons why businesses should start optimising for LLMs in the new and quickly changing landscape of digital search.
Major Changes In LLM Usage
Chat GPTs user global traffic grew 17% in just one month between September and October in 2024, and its usage as a primary search engine rose from 1% to 8% within a few months, indicating a shift in user behaviour towards AI-driven search solutions.
With such disruptive behaviour in the search industry, businesses and individuals should start considering how their websites are optimised for interactions with LLMs like ChatGPT and other AI systems. As LLMs become integral to how people search for information and make decisions, SEO strategies will need to adapt to align with these models. Here’s four top reasons why:
Why Optimise for LLMs?
- Changing User Behaviour: More people are using AI tools for recommendations, research, and decision-making, bypassing traditional search engines.
- Conversational Queries: LLMs handle more complex, conversational queries compared to traditional search engines.
- Authority and Accuracy: LLMs prioritise authoritative, accurate, and well-structured content when generating responses.
- Emerging Integrations: Tools like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Bing Chat are integrating with web search, influencing how content is surfaced.
-
Changing User Behaviour
Through the use of LLMs, people are now able to receive direct answers to queries without having to sift through multiple ads, links or search results. This is the ultimate game-changer, and distinct advantage that LLMs possess. As more people turn to AI tools for information, search behaviours are shifting. LLMs like ChatGPT are becoming go-to resources for recommendations, research, and problem-solving, bypassing traditional search engines in some cases. Users appreciate the immediacy and contextual understanding LLMs provide, which is reshaping how businesses need to approach digital marketing.
-
Conversational Queries
Traditional search engines are built around keywords and structured queries, but LLMs excel at handling natural, conversational language. People ask questions in a way that mimics how they speak or think. As a result, businesses must think beyond just keyword optimisation. They need to align their content with the types of questions users are likely to ask AI, ensuring that their messaging resonates with the more nuanced queries LLMs handle.
-
Authority and Accuracy
When LLMs generate responses, they pull from a range of authoritative sources. These sources are not only web-based, and may come from offline points of supply. As these models evolve, they are becoming better at discerning reliable and accurate information. For businesses, this means that having well-researched, authoritative, and structured content is more important than ever. Content that lacks accuracy or depth may be overlooked by AI when it generates answers, which can hurt visibility in LLM-driven responses.
-
Emerging Integrations
AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Bing Chat are increasingly integrated with web search results, influencing how content is surfaced. These integrations mean that content optimised for traditional search engines may no longer be enough. Businesses need to consider how LLMs will retrieve and present their content within these tools to ensure they’re not left behind in the evolving digital landscape.
Summary:
As AI-driven LLMs continue to disrupt the search landscape, and people’s behaviour changes, businesses must adapt their SEO strategies to remain visible and relevant.
LLMs prioritise authority, accuracy, and context over traditional SEO signals like backlinks and keyword density. As AI-driven search grows, businesses must adapt by optimising for conversational queries and structuring content for how LLMs retrieve and generate information. With user behaviour evolving rapidly, those who embrace LLM optimisation now will gain a competitive edge, and be better positioned to maintain visibility in the future of digital search.
