Dual-Purpose Content Strategy: How to Win Both SEO and AI Discovery

What if I told you that 74% of your ideal clients are now completing their entire buyer journey in a single ChatGPT conversation – and your expertise isn’t part of that conversation?

Last month, I had a proper reality check moment with one of my clients, Sarah, who runs a brilliant business consultancy for women entrepreneurs. She’d been religiously publishing weekly blog posts for more than 2 years and following every SEO best practice in the book. Her content was well-researched, keyword-optimised – and genuinely helpful.

But Sarah came to me because she was seriously frustrated! Despite all her efforts and doing everything “by the book”, she wasn’t seeing the consultation bookings she expected – or the quality of clients coming her way. Her blog traffic looked decent in Google Analytics – but those visitors weren’t converting into paying clients – and then came Google’s smackdown in late May/early June 2025.

When I analysed her content through my new hyper-focused GEO lens (!), the problem was immediately obvious. While her posts had previously ranked beautifully in traditional search results, AI systems rarely referenced or recommended her content so she was losing out on traffic she deserved.

Her ideal clients were asking ChatGPT and Google’s AI for business advice – but Sarah’s expertise wasn’t showing up in those conversations.

Because buyers are now completing their “buyer journey” over on ChatGPT (and other LLMs) – they’re making their decisions based on what the LLM is telling them – rather than going off and doing a deep-dive themselves.

They’re asking ChatGPT about a problem – and whereas previously a Google search would’ve given them a variety of web pages to start learning about a solution, ChatGPT is guiding them through the entire process – and serving up the solution (the person to buy from + what they sell + the sales page!).

But you don’t have to choose between the two – you can absolutely create content that dominates both channels.

Content Strategies are Falling Flat in the AI-first Era

Traditional SEO taught us to optimise for keywords, build backlinks, and follow technical best practices. AI systems couldn’t care less about keyword density – they prioritise clarity, genuine expertise, and direct answers to specific questions – and will give your buyers their complete buyer journey in one conversation – so you need to be able to provide all the answers.

The shift is massive. Where we used to write for Google’s algorithm, post on Social Media and rely on huge audiences – we now need to write for AI systems that actually understand context and meaning and be very specific about bringing in the right clients because right now the reach just isn’t there in terms of volume. LLMs can spot keyword stuffing from a mile away and they actively prefer natural, conversational content – even if it’s a little weird and goes off on a tangent – because that’s what real people do!

For women-owned businesses, this is actually something that works in our favour.

We’re naturally good at conversational, helpful communication. We’re used to explaining complex concepts in relatable terms because that’s how we connect with our clients – and it’s how we live our lives! Anyone with kids in the house knows exactly what I’m talking about when I say we’re used to having to break down information into bite-sized chunks so it can be understood!

And… we’re used to putting frameworks into place.

The key is developing content that satisfies both sets of requirements without compromising either approach – and this means writing naturally whilst still incorporating relevant keywords strategically.

Understanding Dual-Optimisation Strategies

Dual Optimisation sounds a bit of a mouthful – but in reality it boils down to creating content that works well for both traditional search engines – and hits all the buttons for AI systems too.

And the good news? There’s a fair crossover – it just means taking it a step further than you might’ve been doing previously with long-tailed keywords, demonstrating your expertise by tooting your own horn – and making sure you hit those “conversational queries” rather than going broad and too general.

Traditional SEO focused heavily on technical signals and link authority.

AI systems care more about expertise demonstration and direct problem-solving.

For service-based businesses like ours, dual-optimisation often means shifting from broad, competitive topics to specific, expertise-focused content. Instead of writing about “small business marketing,” you might focus on “marketing strategies for introverted women entrepreneurs” or “business growth without social media pressure.” Now more than ever, we really need to lean in to those long-tailed keywords – aka “conversational queries”!

This specificity helps you rank for less competitive traditional keywords – and those conversational queries I mentioned – whilst also positioning yourself as the expert that AI systems recommend for very particular customer needs.

I’ve found that the most successful approach is identifying the intersection between what your ideal customers are asking AI systems and what they’re searching for traditionally. These overlap areas are absolute gold for dual optimisation.

Topic Selection for Maximum LLM Visibility

The topics you choose determine your success in both traditional search and AI discovery. Start by listening to the actual questions your customers ask during consultations, discovery calls, or even casual conversations at networking events.

These natural, spoken questions often reveal the exact phrases people use when talking to AI assistants. For example, one of my financial planning clients noticed her customers frequently asked, “How should I manage my business finances when I’m bootstrapping everything?” This conversational question became the foundation for content that works beautifully for both AI discovery and traditional search.

My insights to date mean that I recommend focusing 70% of your content efforts on these conversational, question-based topics and 30% on broader industry topics that establish your overall expertise and authority.

The women entrepreneurs I work with who are seeing the best results are creating content around the specific challenges their ideal customers face, rather than trying to compete for broad industry terms that massive companies dominate.

I know it’s going over old ground – but unless you’ve really drilled down into your niche – and have the experience, you won’t know yet how deep you have to go. If you’re trying to be too broad then you’re probably going to just end up tying yourself up in knots as you try to hit the right spot – but, unfortunately – the more you flail about, the harder it’s going to be. So if you haven’t done it already – choose your niche and double down on it!

Content Depth vs Breadth Decisions

One of the biggest strategic decisions in dual-optimisation is whether to create comprehensive, long-form content or focused pieces that directly answer individual questions, but – as I said previously I recommend 70% of your new content creation should be “conversational” and the remaining 30% to go broad.

Traditional SEO often favoured longer content that covered multiple related topics and targeted various keyword combinations. AI systems prefer content that provides clear, direct answers to specific questions without unnecessary waffle – an FAQ is an excellent way to answer those very specific and very direct questions.

For women-owned businesses, the sweet spot is usually medium-depth content (1,200-2,000 words) that thoroughly answers one primary question whilst naturally addressing related concerns your customers might have – but (!), don’t go producing a rambling essay just for the purpose of hitting a word-count. People have short attention spans and just want the answer right now (30 seconds ago).

Instead of writing “The Complete Guide to Business Marketing” (which would be impossible to rank for and too broad for AI systems), focus on specific guides like “How to Market Your Consulting Business When You Hate Self-Promotion” or “Growing Your Service Business During Economic Uncertainty.”

This approach allows you to demonstrate genuine expertise by providing examples and strategies that you use – whilst providing the specific, actionable information that both search engines and AI systems want to recommend.

Writing Techniques That Work for Both Channels

The actual writing techniques for dual-optimisation require balancing natural conversation with strategic keyword inclusion – so start each piece by directly stating what question you’re answering and who the content is for. Think back to your school days and how you were taught to structure an essay! 🙂

It’s important to use conversational language and tone that sounds natural when spoken aloud, since AI systems often reference content for voice responses – and because the industry is anticipating a huge swing towards voice searches.

Write as if you’re explaining the topic to your bestie – not creating an academic paper.

Structure your content with clear headings that could stand alone as mini-answers just as you would have done for traditional SEO. This helps traditional search engines understand your content organisation whilst making it easy for AI systems to extract specific information for recommendations.

Include specific examples, case studies, or scenarios that illustrate your points because these showcase your expertise (E-E-A-T) and of course have the double-whammy of showing your customers that you know what you’re talking about. AI systems particularly value content that provides concrete, actionable information rather than abstract concepts such as “soulful” and “aligned” which still has me after all these years scratching my head and wondering wtf is going on.

Most importantly, write from your genuine expertise and experience. Both search engines and AI systems are getting frighteningly good at identifying and prioritising content created by actual experts rather than content writers without domain knowledge. For example, I could not for the life of me write pages and pages on the subject of “homesteading” or “raising girls” – because it’s just not my wheelhouse. Give me tech, marketing intelligence and AI and I’m your gal!

Strategic Keyword Integration

Keyword integration for dual-optimisation means using relevant terms naturally within conversational content rather than forcing keywords into unnatural sentence structures which I think most female entrepreneurs tend to do anyway. The keyword stuffing is generally the domain of the “marketing bros”.

Focus on question-based keywords that match how people actually speak. Instead of optimising for “women business consultant,” use phrases like “business consultant for women entrepreneurs” or “consultant who understands women-owned businesses” – but I would suggest going even deeper on these long-tailed keywords and going for something more along the lines of “business coach for female entrepreneurs with ADHD” – so you’re actually essentially targeting 3 keywords, but you’re making it very clear who your ICA is for both dual-optimisation – and of course, your potential clients.

Include location-specific terms naturally if you serve local markets. AI systems particularly value location context for service-based businesses which is tricky for those of us WFH, but I will cover that topic at a later date and how to go about doing so.

There’s more than one way to skin a cat right? 😉 So use synonyms and related terms throughout your content rather than repeating the same keyword phrases. This approach satisfies traditional SEO requirements whilst providing the natural language variation that AI systems (and your clients!) prefer.

The best keyword integration happens when you’re genuinely addressing your customers’ needs and using the language they use to describe their challenges because as they’re reading, they’re going to be having an internal monologue saying “yes, yes, yes!”

Linking Strategies for AI Discovery

Internal and external linking strategies need updating for AI discovery success. Traditional SEO focused heavily on link quantity and domain authority – although Google always denied the concept of DA (domain authority) itself, but AI systems prioritise relevance and context – and although they’re taking snippets from the “big” sites – they are also referencing pages and sites which have traditionally been outside the top 10 pages – which is great for smaller businesses who want to leverage these new ways of search and found they were missing out with traditional SEO techniques.

Create internal links that genuinely help readers find additional useful information, not just to boost page authority. Link to related content that addresses follow-up questions your customers might have after reading your current piece. Obviously when you’re first starting out with your content strategy, you won’t have this bank (or library) to draw from – however, because your content strategy should be built around an entire cluster topic – you will find that as you create (with intent!), you are able to go back and insert these relevant links – thereby giving your dual-optimisation strategy a boost – and allowing your customers to find related information more easily.

When linking to external sources, choose authoritative, current resources that AI systems are likely to recognise and trust. This might include industry publications, research studies, or even government resources relevant to your field.

Build relationships with other women entrepreneurs and industry experts for natural link building opportunities. Guest posting and expert interviews often result in the high-quality, contextually relevant links that both search engines and AI systems value. It’s worth hooking up with sites like Qwoted for the PR opportunities they can lend your business.

Focus on earning links from sources that your ideal customers trust and read, rather than pursuing links purely for SEO value – and for the love of G-d, don’t go on to fiverr and buy backlinks!

Measuring Success Across Both Channels

Right now, the traditional analytics aren’t great at covering AI discovery success, so you need to track different metrics for dual-optimisation content performance. The tools we all use will evolve (quickly!) and it will be easier to track what’s working – but we do know from experience within Be Unsociable that our clients are finding us through AI referrals.

Monitor traditional SEO metrics like organic traffic, keyword rankings, and time on page, but also track business outcomes like consultation requests, email signups, and direct enquiries that mention specific content pieces.

Pay attention to the language potential customers use when they contact you. If they reference specific phrases or questions from your content, that often indicates AI discovery success.

Track voice search performance by asking new clients how they found you. Many won’t mention that they used voice search or AI recommendations unless you specifically ask, so make sure you add this question to your intake process.

Monitor AI overview appearances by regularly searching for questions related to your expertise and noting whether your content is referenced in AI-generated responses.

Most importantly, measure the quality of leads generated by your content. Dual-optimisation often results in fewer but higher-quality enquiries from people who are genuinely ready to work with someone with your specific expertise because they have completed their buyer’s journey within the LLM itself.

Building Your Dual-Optimisation Content Strategy

Start by auditing your existing content to identify pieces that are already performing well in traditional search and could be optimised for AI discovery with minor updates. It’s also a good time to “take out the trash” as Google have now started heavily de-indexing content that was obsolete, irrelevant or of low-quality (they’re not going to pay to have shit indexed that Gemini could create in 3 seconds!).

Create a list of the top 20 questions your ideal customers ask, then build out your content strategy around these topic clusters to develop content that thoroughly answers each question using natural, and conversational language which demonstrates your expertise in these areas.

Establish a content creation process that includes checking both traditional keyword research and AI discovery potential before writing so that you can get found across both channels.

Build systems for monitoring performance across both channels and adjusting your strategy based on what actually drives business results.

Remember that dual-optimisation is a long-term strategy – however (!), results can appear very quickly within the LLMs if you’re feeding them the information they want. The businesses that start implementing these approaches now will have significant advantages as AI discovery becomes even more prevalent in customer research and decision-making processes – and a year from now, your competitors will be wishing they were on it back in the heady days of 2025!

Your content has the power to position you as the expert AI systems recommend and search engines trust. The key is creating genuinely helpful content that serves your customers’ needs whilst optimising for both discovery channels that matter for your business growth.