Don’t Throw Out the Baby With the Bathwater — Why SEO Still Matters in the Age of AI SEO and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

The “Baby With the Bathwater” Moment

“SEO is dead! Long live AI!” If you’ve heard this lately, you’re not alone. There’s a rush of hype suggesting we should toss out everything we know about SEO just because generative AI is shaking up search. It’s a classic “don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater” situation – people are ready to ditch SEO wholesale due to the AI SEO buzz. 

But let’s push back on that. Just because ChatGPT and similar tools are changing how people get answers doesn’t mean you should abandon the SEO foundation that built visibility on Google.

If you’ve been doing SEO the right way all along – focusing on serving people first, with quality content and user experience – then your foundation is still solid in this new AI-driven landscape. In fact, those proven fundamentals are your biggest advantage in the era of chatbots and answer engines[1].

The thesis here is simple: you don’t need an entirely new playbook for search marketing. Instead, you need to align your existing strategy to both today’s best practices and tomorrow’s next practices. 

Generative AI is changing how information is delivered, but it hasn’t rewritten the basic rules of earning visibility. So before you burn your SEO playbook, let’s talk about why that playbook – with some updates – is still your ticket to success.

The Myth of a “New SEO” (GEO, AIO, AI SEO, etc.)

Defining GEO, AIO, and AI SEO

Every few years, digital marketing loves a new acronym. Lately we have seen terms like GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), AIO (Answer or AI Optimization), and AI SEO (Search Engine Optimization for AI-driven platforms).

At their core, these acronyms all describe the same idea: adapting content so it can be discovered and cited by generative AI systems, whether that’s Google’s AI Overviews, Bing Chat, or tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. 

AI SEO is the practice of optimizing content so it can be cited or summarized by AI-driven search engines and assistants.

But let’s be honest: these buzzwords can be misleading. They imply there’s a completely new kind of search optimization required – when in reality, what’s happening is an extension of what we’ve always done.

What’s Actually New: Distribution and Behavior

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) means structuring your site so generative AI systems like Google SGE, Bing Chat, and Perplexity can easily find, trust, and quote you.

Search has always been powered by algorithms and AI at some level. Google’s been using machine learning in search since RankBrain in 2015[2], and continually evolves its use of AI, like introducing the language model BERT in 2018[3]. In other words, the concept of optimizing for algorithms is not new – the algorithms have gotten smarter, and the interfaces have changed.

What is new is distribution and user behavior. People now have more ways to search and ask questions. Beyond the classic Google search box, users are exploring chatbots and AI assistants – from typing queries into ChatGPT, to using Bing’s AI chat, to consulting voice assistants. 

Generative AI has introduced conversational search, where a user might start with a dialog-driven query instead of keyword or phrase. But this doesn’t render traditional SEO obsolete; it just means search is happening in more places.

Don’t Fall for the Hype

It’s worth noting how much hype is out there. The explosive rise of ChatGPT and similar tools has indeed changed how people seek information[4]. This has led to breathless claims that only a brand-new optimization approach (often sold by self-proclaimed gurus) can “save” you in an AI world[5][6]. 

Many “AI SEO secrets” are being peddled by folks who seemingly popped up overnight[6]. As a CMO, you should be skeptical of grandiose claims. As one industry expert pointed out, the idea that traditional SEO is now irrelevant and only GEO/AIO can help is “inaccurate and irresponsible”[5]. 

The reality: learning to optimize for AI-driven search experiences is important, but it builds on the same core skill set. Don’t let the shiny new acronyms distract you from the proven basics that still work.

Why the Original SEO Foundations Still Hold True

Search Psychology Hasn’t Changed

The fundamentals of SEO—E-E-A-T, authority, and helpful content—are still the core ranking factors for both traditional and AI-driven search. White-hat SEO that focuses on real human needs is timeless. The strategies that have always been encouraged – understanding user intent, creating genuinely helpful content, ensuring a good UX, earning trust and authority – those remain the north star. 

The psychology of search hasn’t magically changed just because an AI is reading the results to the user. People still gravitate toward sources they see frequently and trust, and brands still benefit from being visible whenever and wherever people are looking for answers. Visibility breeds familiarity; familiarity builds trust. Whether the answer comes as a list of blue links or a spoken response from an AI assistant, if your brand is in the mix, you’re gaining mindshare.

E-E-A-T and Authority Still Drive Rankings

Just consider what hasn’t changed in Google and Bing’s criteria: helpful, user-focused content and authority signals. Google’s own guidance has consistently reinforced that E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authority, trustworthiness) and relevance remain core to ranking, Bing continues to emphasize authority and credibility, and those same signals influence whether content is cited in AI tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity[7]. In fact, the much-hyped “new SEO” approaches explicitly acknowledge that high-quality, relevant content that meets user needs is still the bedrock for both traditional and AI-driven search[8]. 

Content that’s well-structured, rich in insight, and authoritative will perform well on a Google results page and be favored by an AI summary. Similarly, authority signals like backlinks and brand mentions remain crucial. If anything, they’re more crucial: large language models rely on ingesting content from authoritative sources, and many AI answers will cite or draw from the most trusted websites. As an example, early evidence suggests that AI assistants prioritize information from credible, well-referenced sources[9] – which sounds a lot like the old SEO goal of digital PR and link earning.

Multi-Format SEO Is Even More Essential in the AI Era

Also, remember that good SEO has always been about multiple formats and channels. We’ve known for years that search isn’t just about text web pages – it includes images, videos, local listings, etc. 

Guess what? AI search is also multi-format. If you ask an AI, it might pull a paragraph from a blog, but it could just as easily present a chart or a video clip. But again, this is an evolution of something already in motion. Optimizing images with alt text, providing video transcripts, structuring content with schema – these practices have been part of holistic SEO for a long time. So if you’ve been investing in a rich content mix and solid technical SEO, you’re not behind – you’re prepared.

Bottom line: the core principles that made you successful in SEO are still valid. Serving the user’s query with the best possible answer, in a format that’s easy to access and trust – that’s the game. Generative AI doesn’t throw out those rules; it raises the stakes on quality and credibility. 

As one recent analysis put it, none of the AI search upheaval means traditional SEO tactics are “suddenly irrelevant” – in fact, those doing SEO “the right way” are in a prime position to dominate AI-driven results too[1].

What’s Really Changed in the Search Landscape

Now, just because the fundamentals remain doesn’t mean nothing has changed. A lot has. As a marketing leader, it’s important to understand what’s different in this new landscape so you can adapt strategically.

User behavior is evolving. 

A segment of users – especially a younger, tech-savvy generation – is starting their searches in AI chat interfaces. Instead of typing a query into Google, they might pose a question to ChatGPT or another assistant. 

By mid-2025, ChatGPT was reportedly attracting over 180 million monthly active users[10], and alternatives like Perplexity.ai have seen usage surge (Perplexity’s search volume grew 858% last year, reaching around 10 million monthly users[10]). People are experimenting with these tools for all kinds of queries, from broad research (“Give me a summary of emerging trends in cybersecurity”) to specific questions (“How do I fix a leaky faucet?”). Voice search with AI (think Siri, Alexa, or Bixby with new AI smarts) also plays into this – users speak a question and expect a single answer back.

Generative AI results have entered mainstream search. 

Google, the 800-pound gorilla of search, is integrating AI summaries right into its results pages. If you’ve opted in to Google’s new Search Generative Experience (SGE) labs, you’ve seen it: certain queries trigger an AI-generated overview at the top of the page, with key points and even links to dig deeper. These AI Overviews (or “AI snapshots”) essentially attempt to answer the query in a few sentences, pulling information from across the web[11][12]. 

Microsoft’s Bing, meanwhile, has an AI chat mode that accompanies search, often citing sources for the information it gives. Even OpenAI’s ChatGPT, when augmented with browsing, will provide references or links in its responses. And independent AI search engines like Perplexity give direct answers with footnotes by default. 

In short, users can now get answers rather than just links, and those answers often come attached to citations or sources. This means that your content could be featured or quoted directly in an AI-driven answer – a huge opportunity if you’re the chosen source, and a threat if you’re not even in the running.

New “entry points” and partnerships are emerging. 

Perhaps the biggest shift is the broadening of the field beyond Google. We’re seeing major moves by other players to control how people access AI-assisted search. 

For example, Samsung – a massive phone manufacturer – is reportedly nearing a deal to integrate Perplexity’s AI search technology into its Galaxy smartphones[13]. That might include preloading the Perplexity AI assistant app on new devices and even using Perplexity’s search in Samsung’s default web browser[13], potentially displacing Google as the go-to search on those phones. In other words, your next Samsung phone might answer your question via Perplexity AI, not Google. 

There are even reports that Apple has considered adding Perplexity as a search option on Safari[14]. And in a headline-grabbing move, Perplexity AI made an unsolicited $34.5 billion bid to buy Google’s own Chrome browser[15]! Why would a three-year-old startup try to buy Chrome? Because everyone recognizes that controlling the gateway (the browser, the phone, the assistant) is controlling the search audience. 

As Reuters noted, “as a new generation of users turns to chatbots such as ChatGPT and Perplexity for answers, web browsers are regaining prominence as vital gateways to search traffic”[16]. It’s a land grab for the entry points to information – and that broadens the competitive landscape beyond the traditional Google vs. Bing SEO focus.

Fundamentals Still Decide Who Gets Featured

So yes, the field is broader and the format of results is different. But here’s the key takeaway: the fundamentals still decide who shows up in these new generative answers. Whether it’s Google’s AI overview or Perplexity’s cited sources or Bing’s chat, these systems all need relevant, trustworthy content to draw on. 

If an AI is answering a question, it’s essentially synthesizing content from the web. The sites that get featured are typically those that already have strong SEO signals: they’re relevant to the query, they have authority (maybe via lots of backlinks or mentions), and they offer substantive answers. 

For instance, early tests of Google’s SGE have shown that the AI snippets often pull from the top-ranked search results anyway. And Bing’s AI will footnote sources that are usually high-authority sites. It’s the same game with a new presentation. 

As one SEO expert observed, many of the tactics to gain visibility in AI answers are basically “standard SEO approaches wearing a shiny new ‘AI’ hat”[17]. So, while you do need to adjust to the new interfaces and track new metrics, your core strategy of creating great, findable content is still what determines success across all these platforms.

One Strategy, Many Surfaces: Consistency is the Key to Success in Both Traditional and AI SEO

Given the proliferation of search surfaces – from classic search engines to AI chats on various platforms – you might wonder if you need a separate “AI SEO” strategy on top of your “traditional SEO” strategy. 

Our answer at Xponent21 is an emphatic no. We don’t run two separate playbooks for “old SEO” and “new AI SEO,” because the same unified strategy wins across both. In practice, that strategy might have many components, but they all serve a cohesive goal: making your brand the most relevant, authoritative answer wherever a customer is searching.

Your content should be structured so it can appear in a Google SERP, be cited in Bing Chat, or surface in ChatGPT or Perplexity answers.

Here’s how:

SEO Strategy Pillar 1: Weaving a Multi-Format Content Ecosystem

Think of it as one ecosystem, many outlets. The heart of your strategy is still content – but not in a siloed, single-web-page sense. It’s a content ecosystem that can live on multiple platforms and formats. For example, say you publish a definitive guide (a pillar piece) on a topic your audience cares about. From that, you might spin off micro-content: blog posts that delve into subtopics, short videos or podcast episodes summarizing key points, infographics or charts for social media, and so on. 

This isn’t busywork; it’s intentionally crafting a presence in every format. When done right, this approach means no matter how someone searches – a Google query, an AI chatbot question, a YouTube search, or even a voice query in a car – they can encounter your content. And all those pieces cross-reference and reinforce each other. This cross-linking and repurposing isn’t just good for users; it helps AI models see the connectedness and consistency of your information across the web.

SEO Strategy Pillar 2: Building Brand Authority and Trustworthiness

A crucial part of the strategy is authority-building. In an AI-driven search world, being seen as an authority is arguably even more important than before. You want your brand to be the one that the AI chooses to quote or cite. 

How do you get there? By doing what effective SEO has always done: earning quality backlinks, mentions, and references from other reputable sources. It might also mean leveraging digital PR tactics – getting your experts quoted in articles, publishing research or insights that others link to, and generally increasing your footprint of credibility. 

The more the internet (and by extension, the AI training data) is peppered with signals that you know your stuff, the higher the chance an AI will “trust” and feature your content. From a practical standpoint, this includes things like ensuring your content has clear authorship (e.g., a known expert’s name and bio), implementing structured data (schema) that defines entities and relationships, and citing your own sources (yes, your content can cite data too – it shows thoroughness).

SEO Strategy Pillar 3: Continuously Optimizing and Refreshing Content 

Another pillar of the unified strategy is constant optimization and refreshment. Traditional SEO programs already include content audits and updates – you don’t post and forget if you want to stay on page one. 

In the AI context, this is just as critical. AI models and search algorithms will favor up-to-date information, and users will phrase new kinds of questions as trends change. We make sure to regularly update content with new stats or developments and to optimize it based on how users interact with it. 

For example, if we notice certain questions rising in popularity, we may add an FAQ section to a key page. This continuous improvement loop keeps your content relevant both to search engines and to AI systems (some of which periodically re-crawl or retrain on new data). It’s the same core work: optimize for relevance and accuracy so that, whether a human or an AI is reading, your content stands out.

One Strategy, Not Two

To sum it up: don’t bifurcate your strategy. SEO and “AI SEO” are not competing tracks – they are one and the same at the core. The tactical emphasis might broaden (for example, more focus on how your content might be used in a conversational answer), but you’re still fundamentally doing content strategy, technical tuning, and authority building. 

By executing a cohesive strategy, you create synergy: your traditional search rankings improve and your content becomes the natural choice for AI-driven results. We’ve seen this synergy with our clients at Xponent21 – for instance, a well-structured knowledge hub we created for a client not only boosted their Google rankings but also started getting picked up verbatim in Google’s AI overview snippets. Same work, multiple outcomes.

Practical Next Practices for Future-Proof SEO

So, what should you actually do next? Here are some practical, tangible priorities to focus on as you align your strategy with the evolving search landscape (and yes, all of these tie back to making money by driving real audience engagement and conversions):

Build a Citability-Ready Content Ecosystem

Create content that is ready to be cited or used by AI. In practice, this means developing authoritative long-form pieces (studies, guides, unique data) that others want to reference[18]. 

Organize your content into hubs and spokes (pillar pages and supporting pieces) so that you cover topics comprehensively. Make sure each piece in this ecosystem links logically to others – this internal linking not only helps human readers but also signals to algorithms that you’re a topical authority. 

The goal is to have the answer for your niche, packaged in a way that an AI summary can easily pull a nugget from it (e.g. a concise definition or a statistic). 

If you have proprietary data or insights, publish them! Being the source of a useful statistic or concept can earn you organic links and make your site a go-to reference for AI engines.

Establish Multi-Format Authority 

Don’t limit your expertise to just blog posts. Aim to be present in text, video, audio, and more. For example, if you have a great blog article, consider making a quick video explainer to go with it, an infographic to visualize key points, or a podcast episode discussing it. 

This isn’t just content recycling – it’s meeting your audience wherever they are and reinforcing your message through multiple modes. From an SEO perspective, this diversifies your entry points: you could rank in traditional search, appear as a YouTube result, get a mention in a podcast app, or have your infographic shared on social media. 

For AI, multi-format content shows that your brand is broadly knowledgeable and engaged. Remember, AI models like Google’s can now interpret images and videos too. Plus, having things like video transcripts and alt text for images boosts your accessibility and gives AI more text to chew on. A multi-format presence is a modern authority signal.

Expand Your Distribution and Partnerships: 

In an era where search might happen on a phone’s native assistant, or within an app like Perplexity, you want to be everywhere your audience might search. This could mean ensuring your content is indexable by these new systems – for instance, allowing AI crawlers like OpenAI’s GPTBot, Google’s AI spiders, and Bing’s indexers to access your site so your content can be ingested into their models. It also means embracing platforms outside the Google ecosystem. 

If Bing’s AI chat is a significant channel for your audience, make sure you’re optimizing for Bing (which is slightly different, e.g., schema markup that Bing favors, getting listed in Bing Places for local, etc.). If voice search is big in your industry (say, local services or Q&A about products), optimize for that by using natural language in your content and implementing FAQ schema (which could be read aloud by an assistant). 

Additionally, look at partnerships: for example, can you get your content integrated or featured in relevant industry apps, tools, or databases that an AI might consult? The idea is to go beyond just your website – disseminate your expertise through guest posts, Q&A forums, industry publications, and more. The more nodes of the internet where your knowledge appears, the more likely it is an AI or a non-Google platform will stumble on it and credit you.

Measure Holistically – One Funnel for Organic & AI Traffic 

Ensure that your analytics mindset evolves with the channels. Rather than siloing “SEO traffic” and “AI referrals,” treat them as parts of the same organic discovery funnel. For example, if an AI answer (like Bing Chat) references your site and a user clicks through, that’s essentially organic traffic – just via an AI intermediary. 

Update your KPIs to capture these new touchpoints. You might start tracking the volume of referrals from known AI sources (some analytics tools can identify traffic from Bing’s chatbot or other apps). 

Also pay attention to indirect metrics: Are you seeing an increase in branded searches or direct visits after a period of heavy AI answer visibility? That could mean users saw your brand via AI and later came to you. The key is to view search and AI in aggregate: both are intent-driven inbound channels. From the user’s perspective, there’s no difference – they had a question or need, they got information (maybe from an AI, maybe from a search listing), and then they followed a path to a solution (hopefully to you). 

Internally, make sure your team is attributing conversions properly. If a lead came in after interacting with an AI-provided answer, give credit to that content piece just as you would if they came straight from Google. This unified view will help you invest in content that performs well across the board. It will also prevent overreacting to any one channel’s fluctuations; if overall organic/AI visibility is up and bringing in business, you’re on the right track, regardless of how the pie slices between Google, Bing, ChatGPT, etc.

From Visibility to Value

Each of these practices ties back to what really matters: driving business results. We’re not chasing AI hype for the fun of it – we’re ensuring that no matter how the customer journey begins, it can end with your company. 

At the end of the day, whether the customer found you via a classic search or a conversational AI, the question is: did they find value in what you offered and did that lead to a business outcome (a sale, a lead, a subscription)? By fortifying your fundamentals and extending them to new platforms, you maximize the chances that the answer is “yes.”

SEO Evolved, Not Abandoned

The temptation in times of rapid change is to think we need to scrap everything and start over. But as the saying goes, don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. A proven foundation in SEO is not a liability – it’s an asset in the AI-driven future of search. 

The core work of understanding your audience, creating valuable content, and earning trust remains not just relevant but critical. The future of SEO is really just SEO evolved. It’s SEO plus all the new ways people seek information.

The future of search isn’t just about ranking on Google — it’s about being the trusted answer whether someone asks Bing, ChatGPT, Perplexity, or even their Samsung or Apple device.

For CMOs navigating how to explain this to their teams and leadership: you can lead with confidence knowing that you’re not dealing with an unknowable black box, but an extension of what you’ve already been doing. Yes, continue educating yourselves on new tools and AI behaviors, but don’t lose sight of the strategic fundamentals that drive ROI. The goal isn’t to do “AI SEO” as a separate stunt – it’s to make sure your existing strategy aligns with the future of search.

Finally, you don’t have to do it alone. It’s a lot to keep up with – and that’s where having the right partner comes in. If you’re wondering how to practically align your current digital strategy with the fast-evolving world of generative search, we’d love to explore that with you. 

At Xponent21, we’ve been on top of these changes and helping our clients adapt without panic or upheaval. The tools might be changing, but the mission is the same: get your brand in front of the right people, in the right moments, to drive real business growth. So let’s evolve, not overthrow, your SEO – the baby is worth keeping, and together we won’t throw out what works. If you’re ready to evolve your SEO into an AI-ready strategy, Xponent21 will help your brand get cited in Google’s AI Overviews, Bing Chat, and even emerging players like Perplexity. Reach out today to get started.

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[1] [4] [5] [6] [9] [17] AI search is booming, but SEO is still not dead. https://searchengineland.com/ai-search-booming-seo-still-not-dead-458935

[2] How AI powers great search results. https://blog.google/products/search/how-ai-powers-great-search-results/

[3] BERT: Pre-training of Deep Bidirectional Transformers for Language Understanding. https://research.google/pubs/bert-pre-training-of-deep-bidirectional-transformers-for-language-understanding/

[7] Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content. https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content

[8] [10] What is generative engine optimization (GEO)? https://searchengineland.com/what-is-generative-engine-optimization-geo-444418

[11] [12] How Google is improving Search with Generative AI. https://blog.google/products/search/generative-ai-search/

[13] [14] Samsung may incorporate Perplexity’s AI tech in its phones. https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/02/samsung-may-incorporate-perplexitys-ai-tech-in-its-phones/

[15] [16] AI startup Perplexity makes bold $34.5 billion bid for Google’s Chrome browser. https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/ai-startup-perplexity-makes-bold-345-billion-bid-googles-chrome-browser-2025-08-12/

[18] Why SEO fundamentals are 10x more important now. https://searchengineland.com/seo-fundamentals-more-important-453581