How to Write Content That Appeals to AI (and Attracts More Attention to Your Community)

AI Optimization for Economic Developers sounds like a mouthful but it really means creating web and marketing content that both humans and artificial intelligence tools can easily understand, interpret, and recommend. In other words - can AI read and understand the content being published on your website as easily as a human can? 

Sounds easy, right? It’s not that simple so keep reading for tips.

Why should you care?

As an economic developer looking to attract investment and talent you need to stay on top of new marketing strategies and digital storytelling tools that can help to drive traffic to your website, and visitors to your community. Writing content that appeals to AI can help your community stand out to site selectors, investors, and talent alike (download our free AI guide to get started).

When someone asks ChatGPT, “What are the best communities for advanced manufacturing?” or “What is the best place to live for remote workers?”, AI tools scour the internet to find the most relevant, clearly written, and trustworthy content. If your community’s stories and successes aren’t structured in a way AI can easily interpret, you may never make it into those results.

The good news? You don’t need to overhaul your storytelling. If you are a Golden Shovel client, you should already have an economic development content writer assigned to your account. Work with them to have content created on a monthly basis that appeals to both people and AI.

Why Writing for AI Matters

Organic search has changed. Showing up in the top ten results is not the only thing that matters anymore. Search engines like Google and AI assistants like ChatGPT or Perplexity are converging and providing answers directly on the page. The way your organization’s content is structured affects not just your SEO ranking, but whether AI recognizes and recommends your work in response to real questions from business leaders and site selectors.

AI doesn’t just read text. It identifies relationships between ideas. AI rewards content that’s:

• Structured with clear headings, lists, and logical flow.
• Explicit in defining terms and connecting ideas. In other words - if you use industry jargon, define it. If you write about a topic, connect the reader to resources, information and data that expand upon it.
• Credible with data, examples, and outcomes (tip: link to reports and data tools on your website like Golden Shovel’s Community Profile tool that’s updated with ESRI data).

If Google rewards search-friendly writing, AI rewards meaning-friendly writing so don’t be afraid to dive deeper into an idea or concept.

5 Tips to Make Your Economic Development Content AI-Friendly

1. Write for Humans First — With Clarity for Machines

Use plain, direct language. Avoid insider abbreviations and define acronyms the first time they appear.

Example: “The Northwest Business Accelerator (a regional entrepreneurship program) supports over 50 small businesses each year.”

This helps AI understand that your content relates to topics like entrepreneurship, small business development, and business retention — increasing your likelihood of being associated with those themes in AI search.

2. Structure Your Content with Headings and Questions

AI models often scan headings to understand what a page covers. Use questions and descriptive subheads:

• “What Makes Our Region Ideal for Manufacturing?”
• “How We Support Workforce Development”
• “Why Businesses Choose [Your Community Name]”

These are exactly the kinds of questions AI assistants echo when users search for solutions. A Golden Shovel content writer can explore key themes and help you to identify questions when creating your annual content plan (something we do for all of our Gatekeeper clients).

3. Include Data, Examples, and Results

Golden Shovel has recommended using proof points like awards received or key data on websites for a long time. That’s why a lot of our sites have a statistics ticker on the homepage (see the BeInBA site for an example of how we use statistics to showcase quality of life, or the Butler County Finance Authority to see how Ohio’s statistics are used to demonstrate business advantages).

AI prioritizes factual, evidence-based statements. So whatever your unique value proposition is, be sure to back up claims with specific data and outcomes:

• “Our county’s population grew by 8% over five years.”
• “The new industrial park added 250,000 square feet of production space.”
• “Three new companies relocated here in 2024 after workforce investments.”

These quantifiable details give AI context and credibility when referencing your community.

4. Interlink Related Topics on Your Website

AI learns context through connections. Link your related web pages in ways that reflect real-world relationships (click through for examples of this in action):

• A Business Attraction page links to Available Sites, Incentives, and Workforce.
• A Talent Attraction article links to Quality of Life and Education pages.

Each link reinforces your authority on economic development topics and helps AI recognize your site as a cohesive information hub.

5. Add FAQs and Definitions

Each question you answer can become an entry point for AI discovery. Consider adding these to your pages:

• “How do I apply for a building permit in (Community Name)?”
• “Where can I find more employees in (Community Name)”
• “What grants are available for my manufacturing company in (State)?”

FAQs give structure to your content and directly mirror the kinds of questions users type or speak into AI tools.

Bonus: Use Schema and Structured Data (with Your Web Team’s Help)

Adding schema markup behind the scenes helps AI know exactly what type of content it’s reading — whether it’s a case study, article, or FAQ. Golden Shovel websites are built with this capability in mind, making your pages more machine-readable and visible to both search engines and AI systems.

The Future of Economic Development Marketing

Storytelling matters now more than ever - simply because AI isn’t looking for short overviews but meaningful connections. So, the shift from SEO to AI optimization doesn’t mean abandoning storytelling — it means telling your story in a way machines and humans can both interpret. The communities that adopt clear structure, define their impact, and connect their content will rise to the top of both traditional and AI-driven search. Fortunately, Golden Shovel’s economic development content writers and Gatekeeper team can take care of this for you (if you’re not already a client - ask about how we can help you). 

Bottom line:

AI can’t amplify what it can’t understand.

Quick FAQs About Writing for AI in Economic Development Marketing

What does it mean to “write for AI”?
It means structuring your content so AI can easily identify what your page is about, who it’s for, and why it’s relevant — using clear definitions, questions, and logical flow.

How can AI optimization help my community’s visibility?
AI-optimized content ensures that when people ask digital assistants about business relocation, workforce development, or community readiness, your region’s information is eligible to appear as a referenced source.

Does this replace traditional SEO?
No — it enhances it. SEO gets you seen in search engines; AI optimization helps you get cited in intelligent answers.

Ready to Make AI Work for You?

Golden Shovel’s AI Guide for Economic Developers walks you through practical steps to make your website and content strategy visible to both people and AI.

👉 Download the AI Guide for Economic Developers