#126 20 Urgent SEO Actions for the AI Summaries Era, GEO, Content & Authority

Welcome to this urgent and timely update. With the rise of AI-powered search engines like Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity, traditional SEO practices are no longer sufficient. In this special episode, Jonny Ross and Pascal Fintoni provide 20 actionable strategies to help your brand stay visible, relevant, and competitive in the AI summaries era.Key Context: The AI Search Revolution The search landscape has fundamentally shifted:November 2022: ChatGPT launchedMay 2024: Google AI Overviews became visible on SERPs, causing click-through rates to drop by 34%May 2025: Google launched AI Mode fully for the USACurrent State: Zero-click searches have risen from 56% (May 2024) to 69% (May 2025) Traditional search queries averaged 2 words in 2020, but now average 23 words in 2025. Search is evolving from simple keywords to complex, conversational prompts.00:10:30 - Part 1: GEO & The New Rules of Visibility (Actions 1-6)Johnny's Essential Actions:Prepare for AI Crawlers - Create an experimental llms.txt file to signpost your best content to AI search enginesTrack AI Citations, Not Just Traffic - Monitor brand mentions across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google SGE using tools like RightsonicAdopt GEO Thinking - Understand Generative Engine Optimisation as an expansion of SEO, focusing on AI models as new browsers Pascal's Essential Actions:Add TL;DR or Key Takeaways Sections - Create scannable summary boxes at the start of your content, similar to news websitesWrite 'AI-Quotable' Content - Break content into self-contained paragraphs that can be extracted independentlyPublish Content Authored by You - Maintain consistent voice and authority, as AI summaries deprioritise purely AI-generated content 00:17:15 - Part 2: Onsite Optimisation for AI Summaries (Actions 7-12)Johnny's Technical Optimisations:Use Structured Data (Schema Markup) - Implement FAQ, How-To, and Organisation schemas with enhanced properties like "Same As," "Known For," and "Area Served"Update Metadata with AI-First Formatting - Include location terms (UK-wide, nationwide) in headings and bold key phrasesEnsure Semantic Structure & Speed - Optimise for AI crawlers with fast loading times, proper HTML structure, and ensure AI bots aren't blocked by Cloudflare Pascal's Content Strategies:Write With AI Follow-ups in Mind - Use "People Also Ask" suggestions to create supplementary content that follows AI conversation patternsRethink Your 'About Us' Section - Transform it into a Q&A format as if being interviewed by a journalist, including location-specific informationCreate Evergreen Authority Clusters - Organise content into thematic hubs with strong internal linking between related pages 00:26:23 - Part 3: Offsite Authority & Strategic Adaptation (Actions 13-18)Johnny's Reputation Building:Monitor Brand Mentions Across the Web - Track citations using tools like Brand24, SEMrush, or Mention, focusing on partnerships rather than just backlinksEngage in AI-Indexed Communities - Participate on Reddit, Quora, and YouTube, as these platforms provide significant citations to AI engines (Reddit accounts for 21% of Google AI citations, 47% of Perplexity citations)Adapt to the Visitorless Web - Reduce dependence on website visitors and rethink your website's role in the customer...