Sokal provides AI search optimization tips for business websites
Garrett Zafuto, Sokal Media Group‘s search engine optimization (SEO) manager, recently shared some tips on AI search optimization for businesses during a presentation at the Society of Collision Repair Specialists’ open Board of Directors meeting.
“If we’re not thinking about how we’re showing up on these tools, we might be leaving money on the table,” Zafuto said. “AI is enhancing traditional search, not replacing it, so it’s important to continue working on those traditional SEO best practices.”
Zafuto noted the AI landscape is changing as to what’s being relied on more and more by consumers to determine where they spend their money:
“Back in the day, doing SEO, we were always focusing on impressions and clicks — how much traffic can we get to our website? Now, this traffic isn’t even making it to these websites,” Zafuto said. “They’re getting their information directly from Google… What we’ve been moving on to is focusing more on mentions and citations.”
He shared a search example of what to do after a collision on a Search Engine Results Page (SERP) with Google AI Overview. SERPs generate custom answers by combining various sources and tend to be informative, according to Zaruto.
“Google is giving different steps about the steps you should take after you get into a collision, and it’s showing its homework with these little link icons where it’s getting this information,” Zafuto said. “What we want to do, as search professionals, is make sure that we are one of those site sources.”
He added it’s important to note that Google isn’t currently implementing the above example for every type of search.
Zaruto said business owners who aren’t already investing in AI optimization aren’t necessarily behind the curve.
“If you are at least investing in traditional search engine optimization, SEO, you’re already 90% of the way there,” he said. “Of course, there is a big question mark, and that question mark is there because there are some things that these language learning models do tend to prefer.”
He then provided five tips for AI optimization:
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- Write in shortened paragraphs — When looking for sources to cite, AI tools tend to prefer short, easily digestible chunks.
- Write in Q&A format — AI tools such as Google AI overview reward content that answers specific questions.
- Include an LLMs.txt file — A grassroots effort to create a standardized way of helping AI tools navigate the site. Similar to a sitemap but for LLMs.
- Include structured data — Structured data (schema) is helpful for both Google and LLMs. For example, including “LocalBusiness” provides basic information about your business. And including “FAQ” enhances on-page FAQ content.
- Focus on positive reviews — Chat tools, such as ChatGPT and Claude, frequently reward highly-rated businesses on Google. Keep a well-optimized Google Business Profile. Ask for reviews from all customers.
Zaruto also recommends continuing to use SEO best practices, such as a focus on providing quality content, maintaining external listings (GBP, Yelp, etc.), and staying up to date on site health.
“I think there’s a little bit of a misunderstanding among a lot of people about what these AI tools are actually doing,” Zafuto said. “Some people think that they’re actually thinking for themselves and providing these well-thought-out answers. But actually, what they’re doing is taking billions upon billions of pages on the internet and reading and understanding the way we tend to talk about these things. And then it will kind of regurgitate its own version of that.
“It’s kind of like copying what is already out there, so nine times out of 10, you can bet that it’s probably steering you in the right direction, but definitely keep an eye out for the kind of AI effect where it starts to hallucinate certain things about your website, or it starts to give you tips or information that seem a little bit off base or not really rooted in reality.”
Images
Featured image: Garrett Zafuto, Sokal Media Group’s search engine optimization (SEO) manager, speaks during the April 21, 2026, Society of Collision Repair Specialists’ open Board of Directors meeting. (Lurah Lowery/Repairer Driven News)
Slides provided by Sokal and SCRS