The way people find content online is changing, and it’s happening fast. Traditional SEO isn’t enough anymore, especially with AI-powered search Agents being announced left and right. If you’re not paying attention to how AI agents work, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to keep your content visible.

So, what is Search Agent Optimization (SAO), and why does it matter for anyone creating content?

Simply put, SAO is about making sure your content can be found by AI agents who go beyond crawling your site looking for keywords; they’re curating, retrieving, and generating content based on what a user is asking for.

Why Should You Care About SAO?

People are relying on AI agents to do basic search: holiday planning, restaurant recommendations, helpline numbers. These RAG responses don’t just point people to web pages; they summarize, synthesize, and deliver the answers right there on the spot.

• AI agents care more about context than keywords: It’s not about stuffing your page with keywords anymore. AI models like GPT or BERT are focused on the intent behind the query. Your content has to be relevant and authoritative, not just filled with keywords.

  
  

• Discoverability means AI has to understand your content: AI agents don’t just rank results; they pull out the best information. If your content is structured in a way that makes it easy for these systems to understand and use, you’ll be ahead of the game.

  
  

• AI pulls from everywhere: These agents are retrieving data from multiple sources. If your content isn’t trusted or well-structured, AI will grab information from somewhere else—and that’s a problem.

How to Get Started:

1. Use Structured Data

AI agents rely on structured data to make sense of what your page is actually about. Think of it like giving these systems a cheat sheet that explains exactly what’s on your page. Schema markup is your best friend here.

Pro Tip: Make sure you’re using structured data for key entities like people, places, or things. If you’re talking about someone notable or a specific concept, let AI know exactly who or what you mean.

2. Focus on Entities, Not Just Keywords

AI agents care about entities—think specific people, places, or concepts—not just individual keywords. When you’re writing content, make sure it’s clear who or what you’re talking about and how those entities connect to each other.

3. Write for Context and Intent

Agentic web is all about creating content that actually answers the user’s intent. If someone’s searching for a solution, your content needs to deliver that, not just throw a bunch of keywords at them.

Pro Tip: Think about the questions people are really asking and make sure your content is the answer. If you’re genuinely solving a problem, AI agents will pick up on that.

4. Be an Authority

AI agents aren’t looking for just boilerplate content—they want authoritative content. If your page comes across as trustworthy and well-researched, it’s more likely to be picked up and used in AI-generated responses.

Pro Tip: Link to credible sources, include original data if you can, and make it clear why you’re an expert on the topic.

5. Keep Your Content Fresh

AI agents, especially those using RAG models, love fresh content. If you’re not regularly updating your site, your content will fall behind. Stay relevant by continuously updating your articles with the latest information.

Pro Tip: Set a reminder to review and update your top-performing content. It doesn’t have to be a complete overhaul—just adding new data or insights can make a difference.

A Word on Voice Search

Let’s not forget about voice search. With AI Agents soon coming to Alexa, Siri and and Google Assistant, your content needs to reflect natural, conversational language.

Pro Tip: Focus on long-tail keywords and questions that sound like how people talk. Think “Where’s the best sushi in LA?” not just “best sushi LA.”

Search Agent Optimization is the Future—Are You Ready?

Read more about our experiments with knowledge Graphs and Search Agent Optimization.

We believe, Agentic search is going to get more integrated into how people look for information. If you want your business to be part of the conversation, you need to start thinking about Search Agent Optimization and about becoming the go-to content source for these AI systems. I know that some of this sounds overwhelming—we had to learn it by experimenting ourselves. A good starting point is to generate a basic Agentic Web Report to get a snapshot of how your brand and SEO keywords are performing in LLM search and build your strategy from there. Good luck, babe!