The Big 6: Your AI Mode-Ready Checklist

1. Content, Content, Content

“If I had to put this in priority order - content would be the first.”

Content’s always been king, but in the world of AI Mode? It’s the whole monarchy. The days of getting away with vague, top-line copy are well and truly over. AI Mode favours content that goes deep, answers real questions, and mirrors how people actually search - across the full customer journey.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Go deeper: No more surface-level waffle. Create content that answers specific questions in detail.

• Cover the full funnel: From initial awareness to post-purchase FAQs - make sure your content meets users at every stage.

• Add biography and author pages: Not just a nice-to-have anymore. Real authors = more trust.

• Differentiate your content: Use quotes and insights from real experts in your business to stand out.

• Structure your content: Use ‘chunking’ so AI bots can easily pull out answers.

And no, it's not just about creating more. It’s about creating better - with clear structure, well-written FAQs (don’t forget your schema markup), and expert-led pieces that show genuine authority.

If you don’t have a joined-up content strategy in place, we can help. We build full-funnel content plans that feed AI, search bots and humans - without sacrificing brand tone or creativity.

2. Technical SEO

“If you’re not putting importance on technical SEO right now - you must.”

It’s not sexy, but Technical SEO is essential. AI bots (and customers) need fast, clean, crawlable sites. Schema needs to be in place. Hreflang tags need to be accurate. And if users are landing on your site after AI Mode summaries or LLM answers (often bypassing the usual longtail entry points) your pages must be ready to perform.

That means:

• Page speed needs to be on point

• Schema markups must be accurate

• Your mobile site has to work

• Errors and broken links? Fix them!

Technical SEO has moved from the background to the front row. It isn’t just about search engines anymore. It’s about real-life UX and CRO. If someone lands on your site and it’s slow, clunky or confusing? They’ll go elsewhere. Bots will too.

If you’ve been ignoring your technical SEO and would like a free site audit, get in touch.

3. PR & Digital PR

“We’ve got 100% of our clients investing in PR now - it’s a game-changer.”

Gone are the days of spammy link-building. Don’t get us wrong, backlinks are still important, but in 2025 it’s how you earn them that matters most.

Abbie talks about the Monday Clicks journey from ditching automated link-building platforms to investing properly in genuine, strategic digital PR. And how it’s been a game-changer - not just for SEO, but for trust, authority, and online reputation.

So if your SEO and PR teams aren’t talking, now’s the time to change that.

Digital PR helps with:

• High-quality backlinks

• Brand mentions in forums (which AI reads!)

• Managing your online rep in an AI-fed world

In a world where AI Mode might reference brand mentions from Reddit threads, blog comments or online reviews, reputation management is becoming a critical part of SEO strategy.

So remember: It’s not just about visibility anymore - it’s about credibility.

Need some help with connecting your Digital PR and SEO strategy? Let’s chat.

4. Social Search

“Search is everywhere - it’s not just Google anymore.”

TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest - they’re all search engines now. And your audience is using these platforms to find answers, discover products, and validate decisions.

Abbie shares how we’ve helped big retail brands like B&Q and Screwfix shift from reactive social content to data-driven content calendars - using search volume data to prioritise when and what to post.

Because your social search strategy should be led by data. This data:

• Use keyword volumes to time content

• Focus on SEO-friendly formats (e.g. captions, hashtags, alt text)

• Match content to real demand (and stop guessing what to post)
  
  

It’s not about ditching brand storytelling or community building. It’s about adding a layer of keyword-informed social content helps your team be more efficient, especially when you’re juggling hundreds of SKUs or time-sensitive product ranges.

5. Image Optimisation

“Don’t skip the alt text box. It has to go in.”

Image optimisation might feel like a box-ticking exercise, we know it’s dull and it’s fiddly. But it’s absolutely vital.

Abbie shares a no-nonsense reminder: bots can’t see images. They can only read filenames, alt text, and structured data. If you’re not naming images properly, compressing them, and adding meaningful alt text (on your site and on social), you’re missing opportunities to show up.

For every image on your site and social channels, make sure you’re:

• Renaming files properly (e.g. ‘black-long-sleeve-dress.jpg’)

• Adding descriptive alt text

• Compressing images for web speed

• Using the correct image sizes across platforms

And if you’re running an eCommerce store and neglecting Google Merchant Center? You’re losing more than you think. It’s not just a tool for paid shopping campaigns - it powers organic listings too.

6. Homepage User Journey

“The homepage is making a comeback!”

For years, homepages have taken a backseat to more targeted landing pages. But with AI Mode, users are often being directed back to brand homepages - especially when they’re asking general or brand-led questions.

So yours needs to:

• Be ridiculously easy to navigate

• Clearly signpost all key content

• Be rich in helpful copy, not fluff

If someone lands there from an AI result and can’t find what they’re looking for, they’ll bounce. Simple as that.

The 6 Steps to Get AI Mode Ready Action Plan

Here’s your 6-point AI Mode action plan:

• Get deep with your content - full funnel, FAQs, bios, chunking

• Fix your tech SEO - think speed, schema, structure

• Invest in PR - and align it with your SEO goals

• Use social search data to guide your content

• Optimise every image - from filename to alt text

• Make your homepage work harder than ever

Of course, you don’t have to tackle it all alone. If you’d like a sounding board, some tailored advice, or just a chat about where to start, the Monday Clicks team is always here.

“We’re search nerds - come and chat to us”

Abbie ends the episode with the reminder that Monday Clicks is a content-first search agency - and we’re also human. We give away a lot of advice (for free), and we genuinely enjoy chatting to people who care about doing search properly.

“If you just want to chat, please do get in touch. We’re actually pretty nice.”

You can get in touch with us here, or connect with Abbie on LinkedIn here.