Eric Hoover, SEO Director at Jellyfish
"AI driven algorithms may be evolving faster than ever before, but artificial intelligence has been in the background powering Search, specifically Google and Bing Search, for years.
As the LLMs powering AI continue to evolve, it will be a mix of what we know as “Traditional SEO” tactics and a new evolution of optimizations (GEO - Generative Experience Optimization, and SERP Experience Optimization) that help brands rank for multiple result-types across Paid and Organic listings on Page 1.
When it comes to Traditional SEO, we think about the “10 Blue Links” that are being pushed further down the results page visually. These are now, regardless of whether the search intent is Brand or Generic-focused, being overtaken by a litany of PMax-powered Paid Search blocks, larger AI Overview summaries, expansive Shopping listings (Free and Sponsored)...not to mention additional Organic Search elements like Local Map Listings and People Also Ask.
Still, the basic SEO recommendations we implement, both from a content and technical standpoint, are still relevant. You cannot achieve greatness in an AI future of Search without having a solid foundation – and that means ensuring a website is technically sound per PageSpeed best practices, tagged with appropriate Schema Markups, and amended with accurate Page Titles, Headings, and Internal Linking.
One metric that drives SEO performance that will not go the way of the Dodo is Site Authority. In fact, this basic signal of Organic Search importance is already being utilized by LLMs to understand which content, or pieces of content, are most relevant to user queries. How a product or service is perceived by LLMs is already being driven by the authority of sites or the brands themselves. I see this continuing as we enter a new age of AI Search.
The days of ranking in “Position 1” may no longer be as relevant to SEO as we enter 2025, since that position could be halfway down the page. For those looking to perform well in Organic Search, think about how your content speaks to user search intents, how well that page is laid out and tagged, and where it drives visitors down the funnel. Most of all – provide a seamless experience to the user, as this will help build authority and attract LLMs."
