Introduction to the Ever-Changing Web
The web has undergone significant changes since the early days of SEO and the emergence of search engines in the 1990s. In that time, we’ve witnessed the internet transform from something unfamiliar to an essential part of our daily lives. To put this 30-year phenomenon into perspective, consider an interview between Bill Gates and David Letterman, which showcases the vast differences in how we perceive and interact with the internet today compared to three decades ago.
The Evolution of Technology and Human Interaction
The attitude towards the internet has shifted dramatically over the years. Initially, the internet was not well understood, and its potential influence was underestimated. Today, the concept of AI entering our daily lives is taken more seriously, and many people view it with a mix of excitement and fear. This transformation is not just about the skills we’ve developed over time but also about the rapid evolution of technology and channels surrounding them.
The Technological Rat Race
The current pace of technological advancements can be overwhelming, with new products and innovations emerging every day. It’s challenging to decide where to focus your attention and priorities. As SEOs, we’re responsible for organic visibility, which is impacted by these changes. Communicating these changes to clients or stakeholders can be daunting, but it’s essential to remember that change does not equal the end of days. Instead, it relates to the technology surrounding our discipline, not the foundation of SEO itself.
Core SEO Principles Remain the Same
Major search engines like Google and Bing have consistently emphasized that core SEO principles should remain at the forefront of what we do moving forward. These principles include:
- Producing well-optimized sites that perform well
- Populating solid structured data and entity knowledge graphs
- Reinforcing brand sentiment and perspective
- Offering unique, valuable content for people
The Web Is Splitting Into Two
The open web has been disrupted, with some business models being uprooted by taking solved knowledge and serving it within their platform. This has created a split between the "human" web and the "agentic" web, where both audiences are major considerations. SEOs must consider both sides of the web and how to serve them. For instance, agents now take charge of ecommerce transactions, making the buying experience more seamless with instant checkouts.
The Rise of Agentic Commerce
The emergence of agentic commerce, as seen in OpenAI’s "Buy it in ChatGPT" feature, has open-sourced the technology behind it, known as the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP). This protocol is being adopted by content management systems like Shopify. The split between agentic and human engagement will still require optimization to ensure maximum discoverability.
Avoiding "Tokenization Spam"
When it comes to content, it’s essential to ensure that everything is concise and avoids fluff, which can be referred to as "tokenization spam." Content is not just crawled; it’s processed, chunked, and tokenized. Agents will prefer well-structured and formatted text.
Beware of "Short-Term Wins" That Sound Like Black Hat
During any technological shift, there will be bad actors who may promise brand-new tactics that guarantee success in "ranking in AI." Remember that the dust has not yet settled when it comes to the maturity of these assistance engines. Compare this to the pre-Panda/Penguin era of SEO, where black hat SEO techniques were easier to achieve. Algorithm updates closed those loopholes, and the same will happen again as these platforms improve.
Success Metrics Will Change, Not the Execution
In reality, core SEO principles and foundations remain the same and have been throughout most changes in the past. The emergence of AI will not render what we do as SEOs obsolete. Technical SEO remains the same, and the attributes that agents look at are not dissimilar to what we would optimize if large language models (LLMs) weren’t around. Brand marketing remains the same, with a focus on authority, relevance, and perspective.
Revise Your Success Metric Considerations
Success metrics now need to go beyond the SERP into visibility and discoverability as a whole, through multiple channels. There are tools and platforms available that can analyze and report on AI-focused visibility metrics, such as Yoast AI Brand Insights. For more technical SEOs, Model Context Protocols (MCPs) can provide better insight into how your brand is interpreted by LLMs.
The Same But Different … But Still the Same
While the divergence between human and agentic experiences is increasing, the methods by which we optimize for them are not too dissimilar. Leverage both within your strategy, just as you did when mobile gained traction. By understanding the evolving landscape and adapting your approach, you can ensure continued success in the ever-changing world of SEO.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the web is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by the emergence of AI and the split between the human and agentic web. As SEOs, it’s essential to remember that core principles remain the same, and our focus should be on adapting to the changing technology and channels surrounding our discipline. By doing so, we can ensure continued success and visibility in the ever-changing landscape of the web.