The world of SEO is shifting right under our feet. For years, we’ve focused on keywords, backlinks, and user experience. But now, with AI Overviews appearing at the top of Google’s search results, the game is changing. As a marketing professional, you’re likely feeling the pressure to not just keep up, but to get ahead.

I’ve spent my career in digital marketing, from managing WordPress sites for event companies to optimizing SEM campaigns for B2B e-commerce. I’ve seen trends come and go. And I can tell you this: the shift towards AI in search isn’t just hype. It’s a fundamental change in how information is discovered and presented. We’re not just writing for people anymore. We’re also writing for the AI that informs them. This means we need to adapt our content strategy, making it easier for Large Language Models (LLMs) to read, understand, and feature our work.

The New Rules: Predictive, Conversational, and Personalized

So, how do we make our content “AI-friendly”? I recently read a fantastic interview on Search Engine Journal with Cindy Krum, who has been studying this for years. Her insights really crystallized what I’ve been observing. She argues that to be featured in AI-powered search, our content needs to be:

1. Predictive: It should anticipate the user’s next question. Think about the entire user journey. If someone searches for “best running shoes,” they’ll likely search for “how to choose running shoe size” or “best running shoes for beginners” next. Your content should address these follow-up questions proactively.
2. Conversational: Write in a natural, human tone. Use questions and answers in your headings and text. AI models are built on conversational data, and they are designed to provide direct, clear answers. The more your content sounds like a helpful expert answering a question, the better. This aligns perfectly with a core SEO principle I’ve discussed before: Understanding User Intent: Cornerstone of Effective SEO in the AI Era.
3. Personalized: Content should be tailored to specific user needs and contexts. This goes beyond just keywords. It’s about understanding the who and why behind the search. For example, content about “marketing strategies” should be different for a small business owner versus a marketing executive at a large corporation.

My Practitioner’s Take: Putting This into Action

This framework isn’t just theory. It has practical implications for how we create content daily. In my own work, I’ve started to shift my focus. Instead of just targeting a primary keyword, I map out a cluster of related questions a user might have. This helps make the content more predictive and conversational.

This is just one part of the puzzle. As I’ve explored in another post, understanding How AI is Really Changing Day-to-Day SEO Tasks involves a broader look at our entire workflow, from research to analysis.

A New Technical Edge: Understanding llms.txt

Beyond the content itself, there are also new technical considerations. If your website runs on WordPress, you may have heard about a recent June 2025 update from the Yoast SEO plugin. They’ve introduced a feature that automatically creates a file called llms.txt.

In simple terms, this file provides a clean, simplified version of your content in markdown format, specifically for LLMs to read. Think of it as giving the AI a special copy of your article without any of the website’s code or formatting, making it incredibly easy for the model to digest the core information.

Now, it’s important to be clear: llms.txt is not yet an official standard recognized by all search engines. However, in my view, it’s a smart, forward-thinking step. It’s a low-effort way to signal to AI models that you are actively providing well-structured, easy-to-read content. As a hands-on practitioner, I enabled it immediately. It’s a small technical tweak that could give you an edge as AI becomes more integrated into search.

Key Takeaways

• AI is Changing SEO: AI Overviews in search results require a new approach to content creation.
• Adapt Your Content: Focus on making your content Predictive, Conversational, and Personalized to increase your chances of being featured.
• Anticipate User Needs: Don’t just answer the first question; answer the next three.
• Leverage New Tools: Features like the llms.txt file in Yoast SEO are emerging to help LLMs better understand your content.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is an AI Overview? A: An AI Overview (formerly called Search Generative Experience or SGE) is a detailed, AI-generated summary that appears at the top of some Google search results pages. It aims to directly answer a user’s query by synthesizing information from multiple web pages.

Q: How do I make my content more conversational? A: Write in a natural, direct style. Use first and second person (“I,” “you”). Structure parts of your content in a question-and-answer format, and use headings that pose common questions your audience might have.

Q: Do I absolutely need an llms.txt file on my website right now? A: It is not a formal requirement or a recognized ranking factor yet. However, it’s a new, proactive measure supported by major SEO tools like Yoast. Implementing it is a low-risk, potentially high-reward strategy to make your content more accessible to LLMs.

The fundamentals of good marketing haven’t changed. Creating value and understanding your audience are still at the core of everything we do. But the tools and tactics we use are constantly evolving. By making our content more predictive, conversational, and technically accessible, we can ensure we are ready for the future of search.