AI Ranking Factors for Google AI Mode and ChatGPT in 2025

Josh Hamit

Founder, Improve My Search Ranking

I’m an SEO and AI / GEO optimisation expert who’s helped 500+ businesses generate over £200m in sales through better search visibility.

How to Appear in AI-Driven Search

As Google Search evolves with AI Mode, the rules of SEO are being rewritten in real time.

Just last week, we signed up 3 new clients from AI searches based on changes we’ve made to our SEO strategy.

If you’d like to do the same, well you are in luck!

The below guide outlines exactly how to rank your own business in AI results.

And the good news is, traditional SEO tactics aren’t dead in the water just yet, and appear to impact AI-generated summaries and overviews greatly.

Yet, that is not to say new factors do not impact how you appear in AI results too.

Based on Google’s latest patents, expert analysis, and real-world testing, here’s a breakdown of what I understand to be the most important AI SEO ranking factors and how to optimise for them in 2025.

Level 1: Foundational SEO Still Matters

Before AI Mode even considers surfacing your content, the basics of traditional SEO must be in place:

• On-Page SEO: Make sure metadata, internal linking, file-names, alt texts, header tags, robots.txt, sitemaps, keyword alignment and other standard SEO best practices are all optimised.
• Core Web Vitals: Page speed, mobile responsiveness, and visual stability affect your inclusion.
• Schema Markup: Rich results and structured data help build your brand’s Knowledge Graph.
• Citations & NAP Consistency: Be listed across all major and industry-specific directories.
• Conversion Tracking: Ensure GA4 is tracking actions (e.g. bookings, Calendly, downloads).
• User Experience: Dwell time, scroll depth, and interaction signals tell AI your content is worth sticking with.

Level 2: AI-Specific Content Strategy

Google’s AI Mode uses a technique called “query fan-out” – breaking a search into multiple sub-questions before selecting content. That means your content must do more than match a keyword; it has to cover the full intent landscape.

What This Looks Like:

Query types to cover:

• Direct matches
• Related searches
• Recent queries
• Implied intent

For example, if you asked Google’s AI Mode “how to reduce LDL cholesterol” the query fan-out may look as follows:

How To Optimise Your Website:

• Build topic clusters that map to buyer personas and multiple stages of awareness.
• Use tools like Google Notebook LLM to explore real-world sub-questions that Google Gemini crawls through when you ask it a search query and then reverse-engineer the very fan-out content ideas..
• Include FAQs, list-based content, and “People Also Ask” style insights.
• Write short, structured paragraphs – AI Mode extracts answers at the passage level.
• Clearly label your headings and intros to reflect user intent.
• Design content to semantically overlap with both adjacent and deep-level questions your audience might ask.
• Introduce refresh cycles to optimise older high-ranking or high-impression content.

What Type Of Content Should You Prioritise?

• “X vs Y” comparisons
• “Before you buy…”
• “Alternatives to…”
• Original research and expert interviews
• Case studies, pricing pages, and transactional content
• Development of unique resources and tools
• Long-tail, decision-making content for the middle and bottom of the funnel search.

Level 3: Trust & Brand Signals

Google’s AI doesn’t just look at your content – it asks: “Can I trust this brand?”

Here’s what influences that:

• Reviews on platforms like Google, Trustpilot, and industry-specific sites
• Brand mentions (with or without backlinks) in publications, directories, and forums
• Consistent messaging across these brand mentions helps build greater understanding in LLM’s that your business is linked to a certain niche, product, audience, message.
• Consistent branding across your site, socials, GBP, and directory listings
• Local signals (if local business is important to you): Sponsorships, high-authority partnerships, and community engagement
• Real people: Showcasing team bios, qualifications, awards, and accreditations

The more credible and present your brand is online, the more likely AI Mode is to surface your content.

According to Ahrefs, branded web mentions appear to have the biggest impact on if a business shows up in AI Overviews.

Level 4: Multichannel Visibility

AI, much like traditional search, pulls from beyond your website – and it is becoming even more important.

Ensure you have fantastic visibility across numerous other channels. A few to consider:

• Reddit, X (Twitter), LinkedIn
• YouTube, Google Maps, Google Business Profile
• Quora, Apple Maps, Bing

Your brand should be discoverable on the same channels your audience is searching, commenting, and comparing. AI Mode is intent-aware and channel-aware – if you’re not active, you’re invisible.

It’s important to understand your audience here and ensure you are visible on the channels they hang out on.

Final Word: Stop Optimising for Keywords Alone

AI Search is dynamic, context-aware, and personalised. Rankings aren’t fixed – they’re calculated based on semantic fit, user behaviour, and trust signals.

Want to make sure your brand appears in AI search?

This is what it takes.

Send me a message if you’d like to learn more.