Structuring for AI SEO

Over the past two years, I’ve watched AI SEO evolve from occasional featured snippets into full-blown AI Overviews. First, it was cute—half a sentence from a product page or a how-to blog. Now it’s powerful, often reducing entire search sessions into a few machine-generated paragraphs. For some of my clients, up to 30% of search traffic now comes from generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google’s SGE. That’s not marginal. That’s a tectonic shift.

We’re no longer fighting for position #1. We’re fighting to be seen at all. And if you want to be seen in 2025, you have to build your content differently—because Google, Bing, GPT, and Claude don’t crawl content the same way humans do. They’re scanning for structured, factual, signal-rich content that feeds neatly into answers. This is AI SEO. And it’s changing everything.

AI Overviews Have Changed the Game—Quietly, Then All at Once

Search engines have continually evolved—but never this quickly. Google’s AI Overviews, now rolling out in multiple regions, don’t just summarise your page. They bypass it. They extract. They distil. They link... sometimes. If you’re not providing high-confidence, clearly segmented content, you won’t even make it to the crawl queue.

This isn’t paranoia. It’s pattern recognition. If you’ve seen how AI tools cite web content, they tend to reward sites that write in very particular ways. Not better, necessarily—just more scrapable. That’s where structure comes in.

The 320-Character Rule: Why Snippets Are Built, Not Hoped For

Let’s get into it. The magic number I’ve found is 320 characters. Not because it’s some arbitrary sweet spot, but because that’s the approximate size of a featured paragraph in ChatGPT responses and AI Overview callouts. Too short, and you lack substance. Too long, and you get clipped or ignored.

This isn’t about cramming every paragraph into 320 characters on the dot. It’s about training yourself—and your team—to write in units of value. Self-contained answers. Paragraphs that hold a single thought, carry a single keyword, and deliver clarity without waffle.

In short: you’re not writing for readers anymore. You’re writing for summarisers.

Structure First. Everything Else Second.

The irony of AI SEO is that you are looking for a bionic structure, part human, part machine. If you take this approach, AI SEO rewards you. If your blog or landing page feels like a mind map dumped onto a CMS, you’re in trouble. If it reads like a cleanly segmented, well-reasoned series of paragraphs with tight headers and that sounds professional. You’re in business.

The content below each heading should answer a straightforward question, reflect a clear search intent, and stay within its lane. If it does all that in 320–420 characters? Even better.

You’re not just writing for human readers anymore. You’re reverse-engineering machine logic—without sacrificing tone, brand, or value.

✅ Focus on One Theme or Keyword

AI crawlers aren’t multitaskers. Each paragraph should focus on a single idea or a closely related keyword cluster. This helps language models understand what you're saying and why it's relevant. One clear point per block means better indexing, stronger signals, and more snippet potential.

✅ Use Super Clear Headers

Headers aren’t poetry. They’re flags. Write headers that tell the reader (and AI) exactly what’s coming next. Match query intent with plain language—no metaphors, no cute phrasing. A clear H2 beats a clever one whenever it comes to AI-led visibility.

✅ Don’t Waffle

The web doesn’t need another paragraph that says nothing. Strip back jargon. Cut the filler. Write like someone who respects your reader’s time—but still knows what they’re talking about. Sound informed, not inflated. One smart, clean idea per paragraph.

✅ Consistent Length

If one section’s 100 words and the next is a wall of 500, AI won’t trust your structure. Stay within 320–420 characters per key block. It signals rhythm, structure, and clarity. Consistency helps AI summarise and repurpose your content more effectively.

✅ Don’t Over-Optimise

You’re writing for people first, machines second. Keyword stuffing makes your content unreadable—and AI knows it. Speak like an intelligent human would. If your phrase feels forced, remove it. Natural, conversational language consistently outperforms awkward SEO tricks.

GPT Lists Are the New Top 10 Rankings

Let’s talk about those GPT-driven lists. You’ve probably seen them: “Best consulting firms in London” or “Top content writers for B2B SaaS.” They’re no longer just blue links. They’re entire ranking blocks, created by LLMs, often built from semi-structured data or high-confidence paragraph summaries. And they’re sticky.

If you’re not included in these lists, you’re invisible. If you want to get in, your content needs to scream certainty and specificity. A wishy-washy “we help clients grow with innovative solutions” paragraph isn’t going to cut it. GPT and Claude look for explicit claims, anchored in recognisable formats.

It’s not cheating. It’s an adaptation.

How to Actually Get Picked Up by GPT and AI Overview Snippets

There’s no single trick, but here’s what works across sectors: clarity, brevity, and intentional repetition of keywords inside tight semantic zones. Don’t just mention “AI strategy consultants” in a headline—write a 320-character paragraph below it that defines who they are, what they do, and why it matters.

And don’t bury the lead. These systems aren’t going to scroll. They’ll take the first viable answer and run with it. Your best work should always come first.

Want to rank for “top B2B lead generation agency in Germany”? Say exactly that. Then explain why you qualify. Do it cleanly, without sales fluff. That’s the content that gets cited, scraped, and surfaced.

AI overviews reward structured answers and structured pages that mirror how users search. That means one idea per section, precise terminology, and minimal fluff. Read your content aloud—if it sounds like a natural spoken answer, you’re probably on the right track for AI summarisation. 

AI SEO Is Brutally Literal. Embrace That.

Traditional SEO gave us wiggle room. You could infer, imply, obfuscate, and Google would still figure it out. AI SEO is less forgiving. If your page is about “top supply chain consultants in Europe,” then say so. Put that in the H1. Repeat it in the first 320 characters. Structure your entire page around that phrase—location, expertise, verticals, and proof.

Yes, it feels a bit robotic. But you can still layer personality on top. Think of it like a clean wireframe with expressive copy layered over. First comes logic. Then comes language.

Location + Sector + Intent = Winning Formula

This applies across various industries, including SaaS, legal, fintech, consulting, AI startups, recruitment, and more. AI systems want certainty, not creativity. And they love structured combinations like:

• “[Service] in [Location] for [Audience]”

• “[Sector] trends in [Year]”

• “How to [solve problem] with [solution]”

That’s the grammar of AI summaries. Speak it fluently, and you’ll dominate the new SERPs.

You can still write beautifully, of course. But if you skip structure? You’ll be ghosted.

Let Google Show You the Blueprint—Then Copy It (Smartly)

This bit’s fun. Google’s AI Overviews are telling you how to rank. They demonstrate how they break down a query, including the subtopics they identify, the phrases they use, and the data points they highlight. It’s like being handed the exam paper a day early.

So don’t guess—reverse engineer. If you work across multiple regions, use a VPN to see how AI Overviews change from country to country. Screenshot the layout. Build your service pages or blogs around that exact skeleton. This isn’t gaming the system—it’s working with it.

Google is dropping breadcrumbs. Follow them.

One Page = One Intent. No Compromise.

In the past, you could build mega-pages—3,000-word beasts that covered ten topics and hoovered up long-tail traffic. Not anymore. AI SEO wants focus—singular purpose.

If your page is trying to rank for five variations of a service, split it. Make five pages. Each with its headers, keywords, tone, and proof. That’s how you win in GPT lists, Claude answers, and AI Overview panels.

Yes, it takes more effort. But it pays off especially if you repurpose content across multiple use cases, platforms, or geo pages.

Conclusion: AI SEO Isn’t About Beating the Algorithm—It’s About Speaking Its Language

AI isn’t replacing SEO. It’s reinterpreting it. And it’s forcing us to write smarter, not just louder. If you embrace structure, sharpen your paragraphs, and think in 320-character segments, you’ll start showing up again—not just in blue links, but in answers.

Write like you’re building a library of self-contained, well-labelled facts. But don’t lose your voice. Blend clarity with tone. Add wit when you can. Bring expertise to the surface.

That’s what makes your content work for both humans and machines. And that’s the difference between being part of the AI future—or being left behind by it.

Read other blogs in this AI SEO series.

A Short Guide To Category Ownership in AI SEO