Summary: Read this article to learn to optimize content for human visitors while improving performance in AI-search.
Several strategies for optimizing websites for human visitors also make them more AI-friendly. Follow these best practices to help our audience members find the information they need whether they're navigating our sites or looking for answers using AI.
Use headings that provide clear, concise context
Headings should point people (and AI-search) to where answers can be found.
Clever, creative or jargon-y headings can cause confusion and frustration (especially when there's a deadline involved!) Headings should simply and clearly explain the information that follows.
Best practices for effective headings
- Use words that align with user expectations.
- Follow plain language best practices.
- Apply proper heading structure.
- Follow SEO best practices.
| Good headings | Bad headings |
|---|---|
| Sign up for a department tour | Come see for yourself |
| Choose your program | Follow your dreams |
| Web Advisory Committee terms of reference | What's WAC |
Make sure content is accurate and relevant
Inaccurate content confuses human visitors and produces bad AI outputs.
Audit content regularly and avoid duplicating content. It might seem like a good idea to provide details about central services on your department website, but how effective will you be at keeping that content up-to-date? Despite our best intentions, duplicating content often leads to incorrect answers to questions across various websites.
Best practices for content maintenance
- Audit your content at least once a year to ensure it's accurate and aligned with current standards.
- Point to the source content rather than duplicating the information.
- Remove outdated, irrelevant content.
If you're unable to audit your content on a regular basis, you might consider reducing the volume of your content to a manageable size. How many web pages does your site have? How many web pages can your team effectively maintain?
Follow best practices for writing for the web
Best practices for writing for the web, such as the inverted pyramid structure and formatting for scannability, make content more effective for human visitors (and AI-search, too).
To learn about best practices for writing for the web, access our Content toolkit and take our Writing for the web training course.
Learn how to make your website AI-friendly
Are you interested in learning to create and format AI-friendly content? Sign-up for our Web Services training courses:
- WS 100 – Writing for the Web
- WS 104 – Content auditing
- WS 105 – Web analytics
- WS 106 – Web accessibility
Visit our Training and events page for course schedules and information on how to register.
