Most advice on this topic stays theoretical. Here's the practical version: the actual sequence we run for a new client, roughly in order.
Start with an audit, not a plan. Before writing a word of new content, ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overview the exact questions your buyers would ask, without naming your brand. Note who gets mentioned. That list is your real competitive set for AI visibility, and it's often a different list than your SEO competitors.
Fix the technical foundation next. Schema markup (Organization, Article, FAQPage, Product, whatever fits your content) gives AI systems a structured, unambiguous way to understand what a page is and who wrote it. This is unglamorous work and it's also the thing with the biggest payoff that most sites haven't done yet.
Then restructure your best existing content for direct answers. Most web copy builds up to a point. AI engines favor content that states the point early and clearly, then supports it. That often means adding a tight, direct-answer paragraph near the top of a page, even if the rest of the page keeps its existing narrative structure.
Build author authority, not just page authority. AI systems weigh who wrote something, not just what it says. A named author with a real bio, real credentials, and a consistent presence across your site and social channels carries more weight than an unattributed page ever will.
Finally, measure the right thing. Rankings alone won't tell you if this is working. Track branded mentions inside AI answers directly, by running the same query set from the audit step on a regular basis and logging whether you appear.
None of this replaces ongoing SEO work: backlinks, page speed, mobile experience, and the rest still matter. This sits alongside it, not instead of it.