What Is Traditional SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the process of improving your website so it ranks higher in search engines such as Google. Traditional SEO is focused on making pages easier to crawl, index and rank — so that when users search for services (e.g., “website redesign Watford”), your site appears near the top of the results.

• Keyword research and on-page optimisation (headings, content, titles)
• Technical SEO improvements (site speed, mobile usability, crawlability)
• Content quality and search intent alignment
• Authority building through relevant backlinks
• User experience signals (engagement, time on site, low bounce rate)

What Is AI Search?

AI search refers to how Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI search engines surface information to users — often as a direct answer rather than a list of websites. Instead of “ten blue links”, AI tools typically provide a summarised response, suggested options, and in some cases citations or references.

• Users ask questions in natural language (conversational queries)
• AI generates a single, synthesised answer (often “zero-click”)
• Some tools cite or recommend sources they consider trustworthy and clear
• Discovery can happen without a traditional Google search at all

SEO vs AI Search: Key Differences

SEO and AI search overlap — but they behave very differently. SEO typically rewards keyword relevance, technical quality and authority. AI search rewards clarity, structure, topical depth and “understandability”. If an AI can’t interpret what you do, who you serve, and why you’re credible, you’re far less likely to be recommended.

• SEO is about ranking pages in search results.
• AI search is about being selected, summarised, and recommended.

Why Ranking in Google Alone Isn’t Enough Anymore

Here’s the key shift: if a potential customer asks an AI assistant for recommendations — and your website is not AI-optimised — you may not appear at all in that decision moment, even if you rank well in Google.

AI tools increasingly handle queries like:

• “Who offers website redesign services in Watford?”
• “What’s the best SEO agency for small businesses?”
• “Who can rebuild my website for AI search?”

If your site content is vague, unstructured, thin, or unclear, an AI assistant may skip over it entirely. That means fewer visits, fewer enquiries, and reduced visibility as user behaviour shifts.

How AI Chooses Which Websites to Reference

Unlike traditional search engines, LLM-based systems prioritise content they can understand and trust. While each tool behaves differently, AI generally favours websites that demonstrate expertise, explain concepts clearly, and present information in a consistent, structured format.

• Clear service definitions and “who this is for” explanations
• Strong topical depth (supporting pages, clusters, and related guides)
• High-quality writing aligned to real user questions
• Helpful internal linking that establishes context
• Structured data (schema markup) and FAQs where relevant

Why Website Redesign Is Central to AI Search Visibility

Most older websites were built to look fine and rank for a few keywords — not to be interpreted by AI systems. AI optimisation is not something you “bolt on” at the end. In many cases, it requires a strategic website redesign that improves how your content is organised, connected and presented.

• Rebuilds page structure for semantic clarity (headings, sections, FAQs)
• Aligns content to conversational search intent
• Strengthens topical authority with supporting content clusters
• Improves internal linking so AI can understand relationships
• Upgrades technical foundations: speed, UX, mobile responsiveness

The Best Strategy: Optimise for Google SEO and AI Search Together

This isn’t “SEO vs AI” as a winner-takes-all battle. The strongest websites in 2026 are optimised for both. Traditional SEO still drives rankings and traffic. AI optimisation increases your chances of being recommended and cited — and helps future-proof visibility as users search in new ways.

• SEO supports rankings, discoverability and authority signals
• LLM optimisation supports clarity, selection, recommendations and semantic relevance
• Together they create a durable, high-converting website built for modern search

FAQs: SEO vs AI Search