Do I need AI Search Optimisation yet?
For B2B SaaS, consultancies, agencies, and high-consideration B2C — yes, increasingly. For hyper-local urgent services — not yet. Below is the framework. — Oliver Ball.
The short answer
Yes, you need it if your buyers research before buying — B2B SaaS, agencies, consultancies, professional services, considered B2C. The audience using ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini for research is growing fast.
Probably not urgent if your buyers urgently call someone nearby — emergency plumbers, takeaways, locksmiths. Traditional SEO + GBP still drive most revenue here.
Worth the basic setup regardless. Even if AI Search isn’t your primary channel, allowing AI crawlers and publishing an llms.txt is cheap, low-effort, and future-proofs you.
Why this matters more than people realise
- ChatGPT has 600M+ weekly users in 2026. Many of them are using it to research purchases, agencies, software, services. If your business isn’t being cited, you’re not in the consideration set.
- Google’s AI Overviews appear above organic results. Even your existing organic ranking is being displaced by an AI summary that may not include you.
- Researchers don’t see ten blue links anymore. They see one synthesised answer. Being cited in that answer is the new “ranking position 1”.
- First-mover advantage exists. Optimisation is happening now while competitors are still figuring out what AI Search is. Early movers get cited consistently while training data evolves.
- Different signals than SEO. Even if your SEO is excellent, you’re not automatically being cited by LLMs — they weight different signals.
More on what AI Search is and how it works: beginner’s guide.
Categories that absolutely need it now
- B2B SaaS. Buyers research tools in ChatGPT before evaluating. Being cited as a recommended option is critical.
- Agencies and consultancies. “Best [type] agency UK” queries are increasingly going through LLMs.
- Professional services. Solicitors, accountants, financial advisors. Buyers research credentials and approaches before contacting.
- Considered B2C. Premium ecom, high-AOV products, anything with a multi-week buying cycle.
- Education and training. Course recommendations, training providers, certification programmes.
- Healthcare and clinics. Researched conditions and treatment options.
Categories where it’s not yet urgent
- Emergency local services. Plumbers, locksmiths, vets. Buyers urgently search “near me” — not LLM territory.
- Hyper-local hospitality. “Coffee shop near me” stays Google + GBP for the foreseeable future.
- Impulse-purchase ecom. Cheap, low-consideration products bought without research.
- Brand-loyal categories. Buyers go straight to the brand they always use, not to research.
Even in these categories, basic AI crawler access and llms.txt are worth the 2-hour setup.
The minimum-viable AI Search setup
If you’re not running a full AI Search Optimisation programme, do at least this:
- Allow AI crawlers in robots.txt. GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, CCBot, Applebot-Extended.
- Check Cloudflare settings. Many sites accidentally block AI bots via Cloudflare’s “Block AI Bots” toggle. Disable it.
- Publish an llms.txt file. Structured business context for LLMs. llmstxt.org for spec.
- Add Organization + Service schema. schema.org markup helps LLMs understand your entity.
- Run prompts through ChatGPT / Claude / Perplexity for your category. See if you appear. If not, you have work to do.
This baseline takes 4-8 hours to implement. It won’t make you a citation-magnet, but it stops you being invisible.
When to invest in proper AI Search Optimisation
- Your buyers are researchers. Multi-week consideration cycles, multiple stakeholders, high AOV.
- Your competitors aren’t doing it yet. Window for first-mover advantage.
- You’re already doing SEO and want the next layer. AI Search is incremental, not replacement.
- You see ChatGPT / Perplexity referrer traffic in GA4. If it’s already happening, optimise to grow it.
- You’re being cited inconsistently. Sometimes appearing, sometimes not. Optimisation makes citation reliable.
Cost vs return
AI Search Optimisation retainers in the UK in 2026 typically £400-£1,500/month. Our AI Search service starts at £400/month.
Realistic timeline: first citations in 4-12 weeks, consistent visibility from month 3+. Referrer traffic from LLMs typically grows from 0 to 5-15% of total traffic over 6-12 months for well-optimised sites in considered categories.
Most clients run AI Search alongside traditional SEO because the work is complementary. Combined retainer pricing applies.
FAQs
Is AI Search Optimisation just SEO?
No. Overlapping foundations, different optimisation targets. Full explanation.
Can you guarantee citations?
No. LLMs are non-deterministic. We guarantee the structural work being done.
How fast will I see results?
First citations in 4-12 weeks. Consistent visibility from month 3+.
Should I block AI crawlers to protect content?
Generally no — blocking means you can never be cited. The ROI of being cited usually beats the perceived risk of “lost content”.
What’s the difference between AI Search and Google AI Overviews?
AI Overviews are Google’s in-SERP AI summaries. AI Search refers more broadly to ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini standalone. Optimisation overlaps significantly.
Do I need this if my SEO is excellent?
Strong SEO helps but isn’t sufficient. LLMs weight different signals.
What does Signal Marketing charge?
£400/month, rolling monthly. Why Signal for AI Search.
Will AI Search replace Google?
Probably not fully. Likely takes 30-60% of informational queries over the next 5 years. Transactional and local stays on Google.
“Flawless design. Delivered quicker than I expected.”
— Reece King, verified Trustpilot review
If you want AI Search done properly
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