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John Mueller from Google recently joined Danny Sullivan from Google on the Digital Phablet podcast to discuss “Thoughts on SEO & SEO for AI.” They explained that optimizing for AI search is essentially the same as traditional SEO, but there are some nuances worth noting.
They emphasized the importance of creating high-quality, unique, and authentic content for users. Although shortcuts might appear in the SEO landscape, they are temporary. Prioritizing original content and genuine engagement remains the best approach. It’s also crucial to diversify content formats beyond just text—incorporate videos, audio, images, and other media types.
Danny Sullivan mentioned that AI-driven SEO, GEO, or similar efforts should be viewed as components within the broader scope of SEO itself. In essence, they argue that “it’s still SEO,” even if the presentation format changes. The key takeaway is not to worry excessively about the technical details but to focus on writing for users and creating valuable content.
For agencies and content creators feeling the pressure to adopt new strategies, Sullivan reassures that the long-term fundamentals of SEO haven’t changed. The shift in format doesn’t necessitate abandoning old tactics; instead, focus on producing original and engaging content. Today’s CMS platforms have integrated technical SEO tools, making content focus even more important.
Historically, SEO involved tailoring content for different search engines— effort-intensive and often ineffective, as search engine differences gradually diminished. The main focus should now be on serving the user, regardless of the platform or search method.
When it comes to AI SEO, Sullivan highlights the importance of originality. Language models are good at covering common or repetitive content—like yearly updates on the Super Bowl start time—but they lack the uniqueness and authenticity people seek. Audiences favor first-hand experiences, videos, podcasts, and insights from forums that showcase real expertise and authenticity.
He emphasizes that genuine content can’t be artificially manufactured; it must truly resonate with your audience. Sullivan dislikes the term “multimodal,” preferring to describe the shift as search inputs and responses coming in varied formats—text, video, audio—highlighting the need to create more diverse content types.
Determining success in AI-driven formats isn’t solely about clicks. Engagement, time spent on pages, and conversion quality are more meaningful metrics. These formats tend to keep users more engaged because they align more closely with how people want to search and receive information. AI search provides broader context by performing multiple related searches behind the scenes, then consolidating that information into comprehensive answers.
Sullivan also pointed out that AI search results might have more accurate and valuable clicks than traditional search clicks, as they align better with user intent. The process resembles asking a librarian a complex question and having the librarian probe further to clarify exactly what you need—resulting in highly relevant responses.
He shared examples of utilizing geo and trending search data from Google to improve content strategies but noted that tracking must evolve to better serve AI search, including updates to tools like Search Console. Nevertheless, as search engines advance, understanding your content and optimizing for “what you are being found for” becomes more intuitive.
Ultimately, the core advice: produce content that is authentic, valuable, and tailored for humans—because that’s what keeps your audience engaged and coming back.
ChatGPT
Perplexity
Gemini AI
Grok AI
