A 3-Step Content Strategy for 2025: - Hint: Writing for AI, Not Just SEO.

Back in 2020 I wrote a series of articles on here when those that created content for marketing was fairly straightforward: write keyword-rich blogs, publish a few FAQs, and try to win Google’s attention.

But it’s now 2025 and the rules of the game have changed.

Yes, SEO still matters. But ranking on Google is no longer the finish line.

Today, your content also needs to work for AI agents the assistants, bots, and language models helping your customers make decisions before they even reach your website.

If your content isn’t optimised for that journey, it’s not just underperforming it’s invisible.

• SEO content helps search engines index and rank your pages.

• AI-first content helps smart agents understand, summarise, and recommend your answers in real-time conversations.

Think of it this way: Write as if your customer will never visit your website because their agent might get there first.

🔄 Step 1: Flip Your FAQ – Use People Also Ask (PAA) Instead

Let’s be honest most FAQ sections are written for compliance, not for customers.

They’re loaded with internal language, buried answers, and missed opportunities.

Instead, you should:

✅ Build your content using actual People Also Ask questions from Google ✅ Write answers the way a customer (or an AI agent) would understand them ✅ Format each answer with clarity first, depth second

💡 Old way:

“Our delivery policy”

💡 New way:

“How long does it take for [Your Brand] to deliver?” “Do you offer free next-day delivery?”

📚 Step 2: Structure for Machines Write for Humans

AI models thrive on clarity and structure. That means:

• Using headings written as full questions (mimicking PAA format)

• Answering each question clearly in the first paragraph

• Following up with bullets, lists, or step-by-step instructions

• Using schema where possible (FAQ Page, How To, Product)

The golden rule? Don’t make your customer or the agent serving them work too hard.

If your content isn’t easily understood and retrievable, it won’t be surfaced in AI-generated results, voice searches, or chatbot replies.

📈 Step 3: Measure What Matters – From Views to Value

Old metrics like bounce rate and average time on page still have value, but they no longer tell the full story.

Modern content performance looks like:

• PAA visibility

• Agent citations (used in ChatGPT, Copilot, etc.)

• Lead capture conversion

• Customer retention from content journeys

• Speed-to-answer for real user intent

If your content isn’t influencing behaviour, then it’s just noise.

🛒 UK Retailers Getting This Right

🔹 Currys

Currys revamped its Help & Advice section to reflect how customers actually ask questions. They now dominate search snippets and AI answer boxes with content like:

“What is the best laptop for students?” “Do I need antivirus for a Mac?”

📌 Lesson: Structured, conversational content = high-value visibility.

🔹 Made.com (Now part of Next)

Made.com shifted from glossy, look book content to AI-friendly buying guides post-acquisition. Think:

“What’s the best sofa for small spaces?” “Which fabrics are best if you have pets?”

📌 Lesson: Design + data ​= discoverability and conversion.

🔹 AO.com

AO writes around real purchase intent:

“How noisy is this washing machine?” “What’s the best fridge for a family of four?”

And their content doesn’t just help with SEO it drives sales via AI summaries, voice assistants, and chatbot integrations.

📌 Lesson: Content that answers real questions = content that sells.

💡 Bonus Tip: Write the Questions You Should Be Asked

Don’t stop at Google. Look in:

• Customer support transcripts

• Chatbot logs

• WhatsApp conversations

• Social media DMs

• Reddit and Quora threads

Then structure your answers in clear, agent-readable language and watch your content travel much further than your homepage. A lot of AI magic sits in the unstructured data.

🚀 Final Thought: If You’re Still Just “Doing Content Marketing,” You’re Already Behind

In 2025, content isn’t a marketing output. It’s your AI integration strategy.

It needs to work in: 🟢 Google 🟣 Bing Copilot 🔵 ChatGPT 🟡 Siri & Alexa 🟠 WhatsApp AI agents 🔴 Your customer's voice-activated car dashboard

If your content isn’t structured to be retrieved, summarised, and acted upon by these agents, it’s commercially irrelevant no matter how pretty your site looks.

📣 Want Help Creating AI-First, Customer-Centric Content?

I’m helping brands across retail and ecommerce rethink content for this new landscape:

✅ PAA-led content roadmaps ✅ Help centre rewrites ✅ Structured blog series for AI agents ✅ On-page schema and intent modelling ✅ Integration with conversational search

If you're tired of chasing rankings and ready to build something customers and machines actually use:

📩 DM me here on LinkedIn 📞 Let’s set up a short 30-minute strategy call

Because the future of content isn't about writing more. It's about writing what matters clearly enough for AI and human brains alike.

Let’s build that together.