I used to think about SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) as mainly a website job. Keywords, blogs, Google, all living over there in their own little world.
Social media felt separate in both function and form. But now? They're starting to feed into each other a lot more.
People are searching differently. They're asking ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google questions in full sentences and getting a generated answer before they ever work through a page of search results. And because of this we have had AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) entering the mix.
Google's AI answers still come from the web content Google already knows about. So the same SEO basics still count. (Google for Developers)
ChatGPT Search works differently, but there is a similar principle at play. Public websites can appear in ChatGPT Search, and OpenAI recommends allowing its search crawler if you want your site content to be discoverable. (OpenAI Help Center)
So yes, the website is still crucial.
For a service business, I'd want the website to clearly tell me:
- What the business does
- Who it works with
- What expertise sits inside the business
- What services it provides
- Where it operates
- Answers to the questions clients keep asking
Blogs and FAQs have a real practical role here too.
A well-written article answering a genuine client question gives people something useful and gives search systems a clear piece of content to understand.
Google's guidance still comes back to useful, original content written for people, alongside the technical setup that allows it to be crawled and indexed. (Google for Developers)
Which I find reassuring. We don't need to invent an entirely new style of marketing for AI.
So where does social media come in?
Consistent, quality social media for business and personal brands builds visibility and trust.
Now there is another layer to think about.
Your social posts, company profiles, videos, transcripts, reviews and wider public presence all add to the information sitting around your business online.
Keith Bendes explored this recently in a Forbes Communications Council article on social media's role in Answer Engine Optimisation.
I'd still be careful about taking that to mean every LinkedIn post, Facebook caption or Instagram Reel is being picked up by every AI tool.
It isn't that neat and tidy.
Different AI tools access information differently, platforms have different rules around what can be crawled, and this space is moving quickly.
But from a marketing point of view, the opportunity is:
Make your business easy to understand wherever someone comes across it.
Four things I'd be doing now
1. Describe the business consistently
Look at the places your business exists publicly:
- Website
- LinkedIn company page
- Google Business Profile
- Social profiles
- Relevant directories and listings
Does the description of the business line up?
Are the same core services coming through?
Would someone get roughly the same understanding of the business whichever one they landed on first?
People move between channels.
A LinkedIn post might lead to a Google search. A referral might lead to the website. Someone might look at the founder's profile before they ever look at the company page.
I want those pieces telling the same story.
2. Answer real client questions
This one is probably my favourite.
Sales conversations are FULL of content.
- What are clients asking before they buy?
- What are they confused about?
- What objection keeps coming up?
- What do you find yourself explaining every week?
Those answers can become social posts, talking-head videos, website articles, FAQs and email content.
You are already having the conversation. Let's capture it.
Then you have useful content for people and a growing body of specific information around your expertise.
3. Connect your content
None of these channels run in isolation.
- If you've written a strong article for the website, talk about it on LinkedIn.
- If there is a question sitting in an FAQ, get the expert in the business to answer it on video.
- If a topic keeps coming up in sales conversations, bring it into the next round of content.
The same idea can live in different places without copy-and-pasting the exact same thing everywhere.
That gives the business a much more connected digital presence.
4. Keep writing for humans
We can get very excited talking about AEO, GEO, indexing, keywords and AI search.
But someone, a real human, still needs to choose your business.
If you work in services, they are choosing expertise, yes, but they are also choosing people.
They want to understand how you think, whether you know your stuff and whether they trust you enough to start a conversation.
So I would never start producing weird robotic content purely in the hopes that an AI tool might pick it up.
Keep answering good questions, being clear about what you do, sharing the expertise already sitting inside the business and letting the people show up too.
Nobody can promise you an AI citation
I think this needs saying.
Nobody can guarantee that your business will appear in a ChatGPT response, a Google AI Overview or another AI-generated answer.
Google itself says that meeting its technical requirements and guidance does not guarantee content will be crawled, indexed or served. (Google for Developers)
The tools are changing quickly, and the way we measure visibility in this space is changing alongside them.
So I'd be very wary of anyone selling a magic formula for "ranking in AI".
What we can do at Blackjet is give the business a strong foundation:
- Clear and consistent positioning
- Useful content based on real expertise
- Connected social and email content
- Strong business profiles and listings
- Utilising genuine client reviews
- Sales and marketing sharing what they are hearing from the market
That last point is a big one. At Blackjet, we spend a lot of time talking about sales and marketing working together.
If all of this has made you look at your website, LinkedIn and Google Business Profile with fresh eyes, good.