Insights into Today’s SEO Landscape – From Brand Authority and the Evolution of SERPs to the Skills Needed for AI-Driven Search
SEO isn’t dead—it’s evolved into something nearly unrecognizable. To stay in the game, SEO pros need to rethink their approach, expand their skills, and embrace new tech.
Here are 13 realities every SEO must understand to keep ahead.
- Content-Level SEO Alone Isn’t Enough
Traditional SEO tactics like keyword optimization and link-building aren’t cutting it on their own anymore. SEO now has three tiers:
- Content-level
- Content creator-level
- Website publisher-level
Simply optimizing content won’t cut it; modern SEO requires skills across all three. Content creators and publishers need to build credibility through E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness).
- DA Links are Just One Piece of the Puzzle
Links from high-domain-authority (DA) sites are helpful but carry less weight than before. Google now values credibility signals like:
- Mentions
- Entity and topic relationships
- Creator and publisher credibility
If you rely solely on DA-based links, you’ll miss out on the bigger picture.
- Keyword Quantity is Irrelevant
Stop counting keywords and focus on the essentials: user intent, vocabulary, context, entities, relationships, and query sequences. Keywords matter, but SEO is about aligning content with each buyer journey stage and keeping messaging clear and consistent.
- Text-Heavy Content is Losing Ground
Search engines are prioritizing multimedia like videos, images, Knowledge Panels, and AI-generated content over traditional text-based formats. Written content is taking a backseat in SERPs.
- Traditional Blue Links are Becoming Obsolete
Ranking for blue links is no longer the golden ticket to visibility. With AI tools like Google’s AI Overviews and Bing’s Deep Search, traditional rankings are less impactful. “Implicit ranking,” where search engines analyze and combine multiple results, is now the norm.
- On-SERP SEO is Essential
It’s not enough to focus on generating clicks—brand visibility on SERPs matters more. To keep your brand in the spotlight, you need an on-SERP SEO strategy that works across both on-site and off-site content.
- Websites Alone Won’t Ensure Visibility
Websites are no longer the primary gateway to online presence. To keep your brand visible, leverage social media, review platforms, video content, and PR alongside your website.
- Brand Recognition is Crucial
Google now prioritizes brand understanding over keyword density. If Google recognizes your brand, it will display it prominently in search results. If not, it’s time to focus on building brand authority.
- Schema Markup is Losing Relevance
Schema markup is becoming outdated, as many sites misuse it to game algorithms. Instead, Google and Bing are focusing on direct page content analysis through HTML5 elements.
- Entity Optimization is Essential
Entity optimization goes beyond schema markup. It’s about building a solid, consistent entity profile that search engines can understand—critical for building trust with algorithms.
- Credibility Relies on N-E-E-A-T-T, Not Links
Google’s N-E-E-A-T-T (Notability, Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness, and Transparency) framework evaluates credibility across the content, the creator, and the publisher. Links alone are no longer enough.
- Conversational Assistive Search is Here to Stay
Search is now multimodal and conversational, thanks to platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Bing. To optimize for these platforms, your strategy must adapt to conversational search queries.
- Diversify Beyond Google
Google is still crucial, but it’s time to optimize for assistive platforms like Bing’s AI, ChatGPT, Meta, Alexa, and Siri. Each platform offers unique opportunities for visibility, so a multi-platform approach is critical.
The world of search has expanded, and relying solely on Google isn’t enough. Bing, which powers many Microsoft products, also plays a significant role. To thrive in today’s ecosystem, you need a holistic strategy that covers all major algorithms.
Stay tuned for a practical 13-step roadmap on adapting to AI-driven search, ensuring your SEO approach is ready for the future.