The new rules of search: How AI is reshaping SEO

SEO. Three little letters, one big impact – at least in the marketing world. 

For nearly 30 years, search engine optimisation (SEO) has had marketers chasing rankings, relevance and authority like a surfer chasing the perfect wave. 

And it’s all in pursuit of a single goal: higher visibility in search engine results, which can lead to more page views, more engagement and, ultimately, more revenue.

But since generative AI exploded into the mainstream, SEO has entered a new era. And understanding what’s changed is key to staying competitive. 

In this article, we unpack how AI is reshaping the search landscape – and what you can do to evolve your strategy. 

Then and now: The SEO shake-up 

Until recently, the foundations of SEO were relatively stable – and widely understood. It was about making your content relevant, easy to find and credible enough to rank well. (Want the full breakdown? See our comprehensive guide to SEO.)

Historically, ranking well relied on three key pillars:
1.    Discovery: Can search engines find your content?
2.    Relevance: Does it answer specific queries?
3.    Authority: Is it credible and widely referenced? 

These pillars remain essential – but the way we satisfy them is shifting fast. 

Today, AI is transforming how we create, structure and deliver content. What was once a slow, manual process (research, plan, write, edit) has now been supercharged by AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot, making AI-assisted content creation the new normal in many marketing teams. 

What AI can do for SEO (and what it can’t) 

The benefits of the AI revolution are copious. Generative AI can come up with ideas, scale content production and take the grunt work out of everything from web copy and blog drafts to page titles and meta descriptions.

It’s efficient, cost-effective and, when used well, incredibly powerful. But it’s not without drawbacks.

Rely too heavily on AI, and you run the risk of producing generic, repetitive outputs. Or worse, content that’s riddled with hallucinated facts and keyword overload – and devoid of an authentic brand voice. 

All this has a huge knock-on effect on SEO, since these are the exact issues that erode the signals search engines (and audiences) rely on to judge quality: experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust. 

So, where does that leave us? 

To answer that, it makes sense to go straight to the source – the search engines themselves. And Google’s position is as follows: 

‘Google's automated ranking systems are designed to present helpful, reliable information that's primarily created to benefit people, not to gain search engine rankings in the top search results.’

Their guidance on AI-generated content states that using AI or automation is fine, so long as it’s used to create valuable content – and not to manipulate search rankings. 

Translation? 

AI can support your content and SEO strategies – but it’s not a shortcut to search success. Human oversight, brand integrity and a clear understanding of your audience are still essential. 

The new kid on the block: Enter AEO

But the AI ripple effect extends far beyond content creation. 

As AI becomes more embedded in the way search engines interpret and deliver results, the search experience itself is being reshaped, creating new challenges (and opportunities) for marketers. 

We’ve all noticed it – that panel at the top of our Google search results serving up a direct answer to our search queries. No scrolling required. 

Before AI, this was known as a featured snippet: a short excerpt from a webpage (with a link to the source) designed to quickly answer user questions. 

Now, it’s being replaced by ‘AI overviews’: AI-generated responses that synthesise information from multiple sources into a single, concise summary.

We call these ‘zero-click results’ – answers delivered instantly, with no need to visit a website. And they’re fast becoming the first, sometimes only, thing many users engage with when searching for information online. 

Beyond Google, more users are turning to voice assistants like Siri and Alexa to find everything from news updates and weather forecasts to recipes and restaurant recommendations. 

Ultimately, we’re all seeking a faster, more convenient search experience. For marketers, that means optimising for visibility without relying on clicks.

That’s where Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) comes in. 

AEO is the practice of structuring your content so it’s easily understood – and elevated – by AI-powered search engines and assistants.

Where traditional SEO is about helping your content rank in search engine results pages (SERPs), AEO is about helping it be the result. 

To achieve that, your content should give search engines exactly what they’re looking for: trustworthy, well-structured answers to common queries, formatted in a way that’s easy to interpret and display.

The good news is, if your content already ranks well in search, you’re likely meeting many of the criteria for AEO – and increasing your chances of appearing in AI overviews. That said, there are still several ways to further optimise for AEO: 

• Use clear, descriptive headings that mirror how people ask questions

• Incorporate FAQs with succinct, standalone answers

• Add structured data to help search engines categorise content and identify key sections

• Prioritise plain language and short paragraphs 

• Use bullet points, tables and summaries to improve skimmability

• Include facts and answers to key questions in your meta descriptions 

Ultimately, AEO rewards content that’s easy to extract, understand and trust. It’s not about chasing clicks – it’s about earning visibility where it counts.

GEO: Writing for generative engines 

AEO is just the beginning. 

As generative AI continues to evolve, marketers need to think beyond how their content performs in search and consider how it shows up in conversation.

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is about shaping information so that it’s surfaced, cited or summarised by AI models like ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot. 

As with AEO, marketers must create content that’s answerable and well-structured – the kind of information AI models can easily recognise, trust and reference. 

But where AEO relies heavily on on-page SEO and technical optimisation (like clear heading hierarchies, structured data, metadata and internal linking), GEO puts more emphasis on off-page signals (such as being mentioned or linked to in third-party content that AI models are trained on or referencing).

As such, GEO visibility can be harder to measure. But some brands are starting to see the impact of strong GEO, particularly with informational content. Ask ChatGPT for top skincare brands or best places to visit in Victoria, for example, and certain names come up again and again. 

This isn’t because certain companies have gamed the system. It’s because their content is consistently relevant and well-structured, and their brand is widely cited.

Marketers looking to boost their own GEO visibility to achieve similar results should:

• Use consistent language and topic clusters that clearly signal expertise

• Focus on clarity, accuracy and source credibility

• Structure content clearly using heading hierarchies

• Include concise summaries and Q&As in blog posts and resource pages  

• Include keywords in URLs to improve discoverability in Large Language Models (LLMs)

• Ensure your site is LLM-accessible (don’t block AI crawlers in your robots.txt file and minimise reliance on JavaScript)

How to future-proof your SEO strategy 

So, how can marketers keep pace with a search landscape transformed by AI?

The key is striking the right balance – combining human insight with AI efficiency, and optimising for both traditional rankings and emerging answer formats. Here’s how:

• Don’t abandon SEO fundamentals: Google isn’t going anywhere (yet). A solid SEO foundation – technical optimisation, clear site architecture, valuable content – remains essential. Remember, what helps you rank on search engines often boosts your visibility in AI-generated results.

• Use AI as a co-pilot, not an autopilot: AI can speed up content creation, but it’s not a shortcut to ranking. And it still needs human oversight. Review all AI-assisted content for accuracy, tone and originality before it goes live. And be sure to fact-check – rigorously. 

• Blend automation with human expertise: Pair AI-generated content with your own subject matter expertise to ensure you’re adding something useful to the conversation. Authenticity and authority still carry weight – especially in high-stakes or sensitive topics.

• Keep your content fresh: AI and search engines favour recently updated, relevant content. Publish regularly on timely topics, and make sure you review and refresh high-performing pages to stay competitive. 

• Track beyond traditional search: Visibility now extends beyond SERPs, so don’t rely solely on Google for performance insights. Monitor emerging platforms like ChatGPT plugins and Copilot, and use tools like Bing Webmaster Tools to uncover new patterns in AI-driven traffic.

• Earn authority off-site: Backlinks matter in search, but LLMs often prioritise mentions over links. Aim to be referenced in trusted third-party sites, round-up blogs, industry directories and user communities (like Reddit or forums) to reinforce your brand’s credibility across the web.

• Stay ethical and transparent: It’s important to use AI responsibly. Avoid manipulative tactics and ensure compliance with evolving data and privacy regulations. If you wouldn’t be comfortable explaining your approach to your audience, it’s worth rethinking.

Ultimately, the goal is to create content that works for both algorithms and actual humans.

And remember, search will continue to evolve. AI will get smarter, behaviours will shift and new platforms will emerge. 

Stay sharp and updated on industry news. If your strategy is grounded in clarity, trust and value, you’ll be ready to rise to the challenge. 

Make sure your audience finds you first. Learn how with ADMA’s SEO Fundamentals Course.