Skip to content
SEO is DEAD! …Again
Does this happen in other industries? Every three to four years headlines start popping up about the untimely death of SEO. It’s click bait at its finest because we all want to know: Who (or what) killed SEO?
Turns out that news of the death of SEO is greatly exaggerated. SEO is still a vital part of having an effective website. However, it is changing. It’s getting more complex, evolving rapidly, and measuring success has become more difficult. SEO is not dead, but the work ahead needs to adapt to a future that will be full of AI-driven elements.
What is It Called? The Current Alphabet Soup of Search
Is it GEO, SEO, AIO, AEO? Is everyone talking about the same thing? Are they different from each other? Not exactly. The simplest explanation is that they are all just specialized forms of modern SEO that address the new realities of AI:
Even the industry is not entirely settled on the name. The overall focus remains on the fundamentals—creating high-quality, clearly structured, and credible content—which is the only sure way to win across all of these new acronyms.
Still confused? SEO legend, Lily Ray, put this video together to explain the evolution of search and the current landscape.
The Coming of the Agents and Their Robots
Sounds like pulp fiction, but the advent of AI-driven agents is upon us. It won’t be long before users will be employing these agents to do the gritty work of researching, booking, and paying for items and services. These agents will send out their own crawlers and programs (the "robots") to accomplish assignments, which could include: crawling websites, filling out forms, scheduling appointments, purchasing products, checking competition, researching leads; and even negotiating and paying a bill.
Agents could end up being most of the traffic coming to your website and engaging with it instead of humans. This means making sure your websites are engaging for humans and, crucially, structured for robots to crawl and find information easily by using methods like structured data (Schema.org).
Cool Stuff We’re Working On
We’re looking at NLWeb (Natural Language Web) as a possible avenue for creating an environment on a website where an AI can engage with a visitor and provide information specific to that website. It’s like a miniature AI assistant that knows everything about your website and can engage in conversations, including getting an email address or helping someone fill out a form.
Crucially, this is possible by leveraging the Schema.org structured data we're actively improving. It’s still in the works, but it could be a great way to guide humans and robots on your website.
How Did AI Get So Smart So Fast?
Like a lot of us working in the digital space, it started with a love of video games. Using video games as training tools provides a sandbox where AI engines can safely practice complex navigation of complex worlds and engage in high-level decision-making. From the joystick/button world of the Atari 2600 to AIs current training in dense, realistic virtual worlds, (think Grand Theft Auto and Starcraft) the focus is on Reinforcement Learning. AI receives rewards for successful actions and penalties for errors. (If you’ve ever played Elden Ring, you know there is always a penalty for errors).
Let’s Strategize for Tomorrow’s Search
The core of SEO—delivering value and clarity—hasn’t changed, but the ways we achieve visibility have evolved rapidly. High-quality, engaging content that answers real consumer questions remains essential, and it’s something we’ve long prioritized for our clients. Those ahead of the curve over the past 36 months recognized that content quality was the key to long-term success, and that focus continues to pay off.
Today, we’re building on that foundation while integrating the latest AI-driven techniques and insights into every client strategy. Want to see how we’re staying ahead of this groundbreaking shift? Get in touch and let’s talk.
Stay Informed.
Join Our Monthly Email Series.