How to Create Content to Boost Visibility in AI Search

By: Sarah Bellamy

| Updated Jan 01, 2026

Writing Tips DMOs Can Use to Stay Ahead of the Curve

AI is rewriting the search landscape. The destinations that win will be the ones creating content that answers real questions and inspires real travelers.

Here are a few of Tempest's tips for writing destination content that is optimized for AI.

First and foremost: helpful content is still king.

Answer questions. Think like a traveler. If you were planning a trip, what would you want to know?

Too often, DMO websites have a sentence or two of copy followed by rows of listings. Those pages are important and serve a purpose helping visitors find options quickly. But if your goal is to boost organic traffic or earn AI citations, you’ll need to go a bit further by pairing those listings with more story-driven, helpful content.

Readers want context. They want to connect with the destination. They want to know why they should stay at that hotel or try that restaurant. What does the food taste like? What should they pack? How much do things cost? When are businesses open?

That’s where supportive content comes in. Use your listings as a foundation and then build around them. Here are a few examples of how to bring your listings to life:

“Where to Stay” content: Add a blog round-up featuring pet-friendly hotels, resorts with golf courses, or cozy bed-and-breakfasts perfect for a weekend escape.
“Food & Drink” content: Showcase themed blogs like Top Pizza Places in [Destination], Family-Friendly Restaurants, or Date Night Dining Spots Worth Dressing Up For
Seasonal or event-focused guides: Tie in listings with useful information like parking tips, nearby dining or local traditions

And when it comes to local insights, make it personal. Sprinkle in details that sound like they’re coming from a friend who’s showing you around town:

“Pro-tip: Get the Moscow Mule from [Restaurant] - it’s the best in the city”
“Insider tip: Monday night is all-you-can-eat-wings at [Bar]. Check out their other weekly specials too.”

Local insights from your team, partners or residents add a human touch, keep readers engaged, and give AI tools exactly what they’re looking for: detailed, specific, useful information aligned with real user intent.

It’s not just about being the number one spot on a results page anymore. It’s about telling a story. And as DMO professionals, who better to lead that narrative? Guide with emotion. Write with authority. Be a storyteller and a champion for your region. Be the hype team. Convince people they don’t just want to come — they need to come.

When it’s time to draft your next piece, use these strategies to guide your structure and keep things engaging.

Forget the Fluff

Keep it skimmable. Today’s readers don’t have the time or patience for long walls of text, and search engines aren’t looking for fluff either. That’s where “fraggles” come in.

A fraggle is a short, self-contained block of content that can stand on its own. Each one covers a single idea, written in a way that makes sense even if someone drops in from search without reading the rest of the page. Think of them like bite-sized answers: direct, clear, and complete.

Fraggles make your writing easier to scan for humans and easier to process for machines. Search engines (and AI tools) love them because they can pull a specific block of content to answer a user’s question quickly. Travelers love them because they can find exactly what they need without digging and they are the perfect approach when writing content for a blog or page.

When writing, aim for:

Short, focused paragraphs
Clear headings to separate ideas
Sections that make sense even when read out of context

And don’t stop there. A few more best practices to strengthen your content:

Use bulleted lists, roundups, and listicle formats to simplify scanning.
Add high-quality photos with descriptive image alt text.
Include FAQ sections that directly answer common queries.

Done well, these tactics work together to keep your content readable, engaging, and primed to show up in AI-powered results.

Build Authority

Double down on credibility. Don’t just tell your story — back it up. Use statistics, quotes, and third-party sources to reinforce your content and show that it’s rooted in fact. Incorporate reviews or testimonials to highlight real experiences that validate your destination’s value.

Add an author bio to every blog or guide, and keep your About Us page current. These signals tell both visitors and search engines that there are real humans behind the words. When you show expertise, share your perspective, and lean into transparency, you build trust.

Authority isn’t built overnight, but consistent signals matter. Link out to credible sources when appropriate, showcase local experts or partners, and update older content so it stays accurate. People-first should be your motto. Don’t write for bots, and don’t use bots to write. Authenticity wins every time.

Think Beyond the Keyword

In the early SEO days, you could write around a single keyword and win. Now, things have shifted a bit. With AI, algorithms fan out across hundreds (or thousands) of sub-queries to craft the best response. That means your content should cover supplemental angles too.

For example, if your main piece is “Best Things to Do in [Destination],” you might want to expand into:

→ Best free things to do
→ Best family- or kid-friendly activities
→ Best things to do at night
→ Indoor activities or rainy-day options
→ Date-night ideas

This is Query Fan-Out in action. With this approach you can meet different intentions behind a single high-volume phrase. The more thoroughly you cover those angles, the more likely you are to be cited by AI engines.

Don’t Skip the Technicals

The foundation still matters. Keep your meta titles and descriptions tight. Use schema markup. Optimize internal linking. All the tried-and-true SEO practices still apply; they just matter even more in an AI-driven search world.

Don’t Jump on the Bandwagon — Lead the Charge

Creating content in the age of AI isn’t about chasing hacks. It’s about leaning into what’s always worked: helpful, people-first content. Tell stories, answer questions, show authority, and cover the breadth of search intent. Do that consistently, and you’ll be well-positioned not only to show up in results but to become the trusted source that both travelers and AI engines rely on.

How Can Tempest Help?

Creating content that stands out in the age of AI takes more than guesswork. From strategy and SEO to writing and content development, our Growth Marketing team helps DMOs craft people-first content that answers real questions, builds authority, and positions your destination as the trusted source travelers (and search engines) turn to. Contact Tempest today to learn how we can support your content and SEO strategy.