Rethinking SEO: How to Future-Proof Your Strategy with Relevance Engineering

Search is evolving fast - and your SEO strategy needs to keep up.

With Google rolling out AI-powered search experiences like AI Overviews and the growing presence of large language models (LLMs), traditional keyword-focused tactics alone won’t cut it anymore. It’s not just about ranking #1. It’s about being included in AI-generated summaries, answer boxes, and recommendation engines across platforms.

To compete in this new era, you need to shift from optimizing for search engines to optimizing for discovery - across all types of interfaces and algorithms.

This is where Relevance Engineering comes in.

What Is Relevance Engineering?

Relevance Engineering is a strategic approach to content and SEO designed to make your brand more visible within AI-powered search results. It builds on semantic SEO but goes further by optimizing your content for how LLMs extract, interpret, and summarize information.

Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on entire web pages, Relevance Engineering targets passages of content. It’s about ensuring each section of your content answers a real user intent - whether someone types it into Google or asks a chatbot.

Why It Matters

In today’s AI-first search landscape, relevance isn’t about stuffing keywords or backlinks. It’s about:

• Content that’s deep and topical
• Clear, well-structured answers
• Information that builds your brand’s authority and trust
• Format and markup that AI systems can easily digest

Let’s break down how to build a future-proof SEO strategy using Relevance Engineering.

1. Understand How AI-Powered Search Works

AI tools like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Gemini don’t just rank your website - they summarize the web.

Here’s what happens behind the scenes:

1. A user asks a question like “Best small business accounting software.”
2. The system breaks that query into sub-questions: “budget-friendly,” “user-friendly,” “cloud-based,” etc.
3. It collects passages from across the web that match those ideas.
4. It generates a summarized answer using those selected snippets.

If your site only ranks for one variation of a query - or if your content is too thin - you may be left out entirely.

Example:

If your accounting firm has a blog post titled “Best Accounting Software in 2025,” but it only lists tools without explaining pros/cons, pricing tiers, or audience fit, you’ll likely be skipped over in favor of more thorough competitors.

2. Optimize at the Passage Level, Not Just the Page Level

Traditional SEO focuses on optimizing entire pages. Relevance Engineering demands more granularity.

Each paragraph, FAQ, or section of your content should stand alone as a complete, helpful answer to a specific question.

Example:

Instead of writing “We offer HVAC services,” write:

“Our licensed HVAC technicians repair and install AC units, heat pumps, and ventilation systems, with most repairs completed within 24 hours.”

This gives LLMs something useful to extract and summarize - and it helps real users understand exactly what you do.

3. Build Topical Authority Through Content Clustering

To show up in AI-generated responses, your brand must be seen as a subject matter expert. That means going beyond surface-level content and building content clusters.

How to do it:

• Identify your core topics (e.g., “commercial solar installation”).
• Create a central hub page that introduces the topic in detail.
• Build out supporting content like FAQs, tutorials, case studies, and industry insights.
• Link them all together using descriptive anchor text.

Example:

A law firm focused on estate planning could create a hub page called “Guide to Florida Estate Planning.” Supporting pages might include:

• “How to Create a Living Trust in Florida”
• “Florida Probate Process Explained”
• “What Happens if You Die Without a Will?”

This structure signals to LLMs that your brand has comprehensive coverage - and gives them more opportunities to extract relevant content.

4. Write for Both People and Machines

Yes, you’re still writing for humans - but you’re also writing for machines that process language differently.

Follow these best practices:

• Use clear, descriptive headings
• Answer one question per section
• Break content into short paragraphs
• Use structured data and schema where possible
• Avoid fluff—be specific and helpful

Example:

Instead of “We’re the best marketing agency in town,” say:

“We help Sarasota-based small businesses grow online through SEO, paid ads, and content strategy. In the past year, our clients have seen an average 34% increase in leads.”

That’s clear, measurable, and easy for an AI to quote.

5. Refresh and Reorganize Your Existing Content

Relevance Engineering isn’t just about new content - it’s about making your existing content more useful.

Start by:

• Auditing your content library to find thin or outdated pages
• Merging or updating related content for clarity
• Adding new FAQs or examples to fill gaps
• Improving internal linking between related pages

Example:

If you have three short blog posts on social media tips for restaurants, consolidate them into a single long-form guide titled “Social Media Marketing for Restaurants: A Complete Guide.”

This creates a more valuable resource for users and gives LLMs a clearer path to extract answers.

6. Use Structured Content Formats That AI Loves

LLMs prefer structured, answer-friendly formats. The following content types perform especially well:

• FAQ pages
• How-to guides
• Comparison tables
• Definitions and glossaries
• Original data and research
• Long-form educational content

Example:

Let’s say you run a fitness studio. A well-structured article like “How to Choose the Right Workout Plan” might include:

• A brief definition of each training type (HIIT, strength, cardio)
• A table comparing plans by goal (fat loss, strength, endurance)
• FAQs like “How many days a week should I work out?”

Each of these elements can be individually surfaced in an AI response.

7. Monitor What AI Is Saying About You

Finally, treat AI tools like part of your brand’s visibility audit.

• Search for your business in AI chat interfaces (ChatGPT, Gemini, Bing AI)
• Note what’s being said, what’s missing, and what’s inaccurate
• Update your web content, social profiles, and reviews accordingly

Your goal isn’t just to rank - it’s to be represented accurately and helpfully by the AI systems users rely on.

The Future Belongs to Brands That Adapt

Relevance Engineering isn’t a replacement for SEO - it’s an upgrade.

By building topically rich, answer-ready, and structured content, you’re not just optimizing for today’s search engines - you’re setting your brand up to be visible across every future surface, from AI chats to voice assistants to search overviews.

This is what modern visibility looks like. And those who invest in it now will be the brands people find, trust, and choose tomorrow.