The lowdown on Markdown: can it really boost AI search?
- 5d
- 2 min read
Every few months, SEO gets a new silver bullet, and in February 2026 it was Markdown.
Rumours began swirling that AI search tools favoured simplified formatting. Cue experiments publishing content in Markdown (instead of HTML) with the aim of driving more AI search traffic.
This all sounded promising until a study by Profound tested this theory and….nothing. No uplift, no magic boost. In fact, Google and Bing both described Markdown as messy, and more likely to increase crawl load, which is not exactly a glowing endorsement!
This further proves the theory that when it comes to SEO there isn’t (sadly) a secret formatting hack that unlocks AI visibility. Search – whether traditional or AI-driven – still rewards clarity, structure and genuinely useful content. If anything, it’s a reminder that in SEO, best practice usually beats shiny shortcuts.
Even as the algorithm evolves, the basic fundamentals stay the same.
What can you do to improve traditional and AI driven SEO?
Improve your structure
Search engines love structure because it makes your content easier to crawl, whereas humans love structure because it makes your content easier to read.
You need a clear H1, logical H2s and easy to read skimmable paragraphs, that include your key points.
Answer the question early
Don’t bury your most valuable content in paragraph six. AI search in particular favours direct responses. Get to the point quickly, then expand with secondary content to back up your points.
Refresh your content
Got some high-performing SEO content? Great, don’t let it grow stale. Continue to audit it: update stats, improve structure and add relevant internal links.
Become an authority
A one-off blog does not mean you’ve got that content covered. Build clusters of content around themes and thread them together with internal links.
Make it readable
You’re not actually writing for robots (well, not yet anyway). Remember that the end goal is to attract people to your page and to keep them reading, so your content needs to be useful and engaging. If it’s just repeating what’s already out there it won’t hold attention.
Remember, clarity beats clever tricks. To make your content SEO-friendly answer the questions your audience are already asking. Want more SEO advice? Here’s how brands can optimise for social SEO
