The search landscape is splitting into two distinct channels: the traditional organic results we've optimised for over two decades, and the new generative AI answers that increasingly sit above them.
Traditional SEO: The Foundation
Traditional SEO remains essential. It focuses on ranking your pages in Google's organic results through keyword optimisation, technical health, backlink authority, and quality content. These fundamentals aren't going anywhere.
Generative Search: The New Frontier
Google's AI Overviews (and tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini) synthesise answers from multiple sources. The goal isn't just to rank — it's to be the source the AI chooses to cite.
Key Differences in Optimisation
- Content structure: AI favours concise, direct answers followed by supporting detail. Use the "inverted pyramid" approach.
- Schema markup: Structured data helps AI understand and extract your content more effectively.
- Topical authority: Comprehensive coverage across a topic (topic clusters) signals to AI that you're a trustworthy source.
- E-E-A-T signals: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness are even more critical when AI is selecting which sources to cite.
The Strategy: Do Both
The businesses that win will optimise for both channels simultaneously. Strong traditional SEO creates the foundation of authority that AI systems then recognise and cite.
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