For 25 years, SEO was about gaming Google's algorithm. Stuff your keywords in the right places, get some backlinks, and boom - page one rankings.
But AI search has changed everything.
When someone asks ChatGPT "who's a good web designer in Suffolk?" or uses Google's AI Overview to find services, all those old SEO tricks become worthless.
Here's why - and more importantly, why the approach we've always taken at Polyspiral puts our clients ahead of the curve.
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimisation - optimising your content so it appears in AI-generated search results.
Think about how you search now compared to two years ago. Instead of typing "plumber near me" into Google and scrolling through ten blue links, you might ask ChatGPT: "I need a reliable plumber in Sudbury who can fix a leaking radiator valve - who would you recommend?"
The AI doesn't just show you a list of plumbers. It gives you an answer, often citing specific businesses and explaining why they might be a good fit.
If your business isn't showing up in those AI-generated answers, you're invisible to a rapidly growing portion of potential customers.
Traditional SEO focused on tricks:
❌ Keyword stuffing (mentioning "plumber Sudbury" 47 times on one page)
❌ Thin content designed just to rank, not to help
❌ Buying dodgy backlinks from irrelevant websites
❌ Gaming the algorithm rather than serving customers
These tactics worked because Google's algorithm could be gamed. AI search tools? Not so much.
ChatGPT, Google's AI Overview, Bing Copilot, and Perplexity AI don't care about your keyword density. They care about whether your content actually answers questions and whether you're a trustworthy source.
When AI tools decide which businesses to recommend, they evaluate:
1. Comprehensive, helpful content
Not 300-word fluff pieces. Real, detailed information that genuinely helps people make decisions.
2. Clear structure
Content that's easy to parse - with proper headings, clear answers to questions, and logical organisation.
3. Accessibility
If your website is hard for people with disabilities to use, it's also hard for AI to understand. Accessibility and AI optimisation go hand-in-hand.
4. Authority and trust signals
Reviews, credentials, and transparent information about who you are and what you do.
5. Natural language
Content written for humans, not search engines. Conversational, clear, jargon-free.
6. Technical excellence
Fast loading, mobile-friendly, secure, properly structured with schema markup.
Sound familiar? It should.
Here's the thing: we didn't change our approach when AI search became popular. We've been doing this for 27 years.
While other SEO providers were chasing algorithm updates and keyword tricks, we focused on fundamentals:
Every website we build works for people with visual impairments, dexterity issues, colour blindness, and other disabilities. This isn't just the right thing to do - it's a ranking factor for Google AND it makes your content easier for AI tools to parse and recommend.
When your website is properly structured with clear headings, descriptive link text, and logical navigation, AI tools can easily understand what you offer and who you serve.
When we help clients with content strategy, we focus on answering the actual questions their customers ask. Not "how can we rank for this keyword?" but "what does someone need to know to make a good decision?"
That 2,000-word blog post explaining exactly what to expect when hiring a solicitor? That's the kind of comprehensive content AI tools cite.
That thin 200-word page stuffed with keywords? AI ignores it completely.
We've always encouraged clients to get genuine reviews from real customers. Not because it was an SEO tactic, but because it builds trust.
AI search tools heavily weight reviews and reputation when making recommendations. A business with 300 five-star reviews and detailed, helpful responses will get recommended over a competitor with zero reviews, even if that competitor has "better SEO."
Fast loading speeds, mobile-friendly design, SSL certificates, proper hosting - these weren't optional extras for us. They were always fundamental requirements.
Now they're even more critical. AI search tools won't recommend slow, broken, or insecure websites.
Our hosting runs on 100% renewable energy AND delivers excellent performance. You don't have to choose between the planet and speed.
We've never believed in keyword stuffing or awkward, unnatural language designed to game Google. We write the way real people talk and search.
"Looking for website design Sudbury Suffolk web designers Suffolk website?" - that's algorithm-speak.
"Looking for a web designer in Sudbury who can build you a professional WordPress website?" - that's human-speak.
Guess which one AI tools prefer? The one that sounds like an actual person.
If your current SEO provider is still focused on keyword density, buying backlinks, or other traditional tactics, you're investing in strategies that are becoming less effective by the day.
The businesses that will thrive in the AI search era are those that:
✅ Create genuinely helpful, comprehensive content
✅ Build accessible, fast, well-structured websites
✅ Earn authentic reviews and build real reputations
✅ Communicate clearly and naturally
✅ Focus on technical excellence as standard
That's not revolutionary. That's what good web design and SEO has always been.
When you work with us, you get:
Website design that's accessible and AI-friendly from day one
Every site we build meets accessibility standards, loads quickly, and is properly structured for both humans and AI tools to understand.
Content strategy that answers real questions
We help you create content that genuinely helps your customers make decisions - the kind of content AI tools cite.
Technical SEO that covers all the fundamentals
SSL certificates, fast hosting, mobile optimisation, schema markup - all standard, not expensive extras.
Honest advice about what you actually need
We won't sell you keyword-stuffed content or dodgy backlinks. We'll tell you the truth about what will actually help your business get found.
Ongoing support that adapts as search evolves
As AI search continues to develop, we're staying ahead so your business stays visible.
People are already using ChatGPT, Google's AI Overview, and other AI tools to find businesses. This isn't coming - it's here.
The question isn't whether you need to adapt. It's whether you're already behind.
The good news? If you've been working with us, or if you're thinking about starting, you're already positioned well. The approach we've always taken - accessible, helpful, technically excellent, human-focused - is exactly what works in the AI search era.
The old SEO tricks are dying. Good riddance.
Real expertise, genuine helpfulness, and technical excellence? Those never go out of style.
If you're worried your current website and SEO strategy aren't ready for AI search, let's talk.
We offer website health checks that cover all the technical and content elements that matter for both traditional search and AI recommendations.
No pressure, no jargon, just honest advice about what would actually help your business get found by the right customers - however they're searching.
