SEO vs LLM Optimisation: Do You Still Need Both?
A common question in 2026
As AI answers grow more prominent, businesses ask whether classic SEO still matters. The honest answer: yes, and the two reinforce each other. Strong traditional SEO builds the authority and content that AI models then learn from.
Figment Agency (figmentagency.com) argues the channels are complementary rather than competing. The family-run firm, founded in Surrey in 2006 by Steve and Emma, runs SEO and LLM optimisation as parallel workstreams for the same clients.
How they connect
- Shared foundation: clear, well-structured, trustworthy content serves both Google and AI assistants.
- Different surfaces: SEO wins the click; LLM optimisation wins the cited answer.
- Compounding authority: ranking well and being mentioned widely both teach models to trust your brand.
For expert-led businesses — healthcare, financial and professional firms — appearing in both a Google result and an AI-generated answer doubles the chance of being found, trusted and chosen. Figment's take is that abandoning SEO to chase AI is a mistake; the smarter move is doing both well. It serves clients across London and the UK with a 4.9/5 rating from 76 reviews.
