Have you noticed Google Search looking a wee bit different these days? That’s because it’s now powered by AI, giving you more personalised and detailed answers based on what you’re looking for.
If you’ve been putting the effort to optimise your website, adding keywords, and aiming for that sweet spot to get to the top of Google search then you might be wondering what all this means for your SEO efforts. The good news? It’s not all lost, the world of search is changing, but that just means new chances to stand out and new opportunities.
Let’s chat about what’s going on, why it’s good craic, and how your business can keep shining in this new AI-driven search landscape!
Old vs New: What’s Actually Changing?
The old way:
Back in the day (as in a few weeks ago!), getting your website to the top of Google was all about ticking off those SEO boxes, sprinkling the right keywords throughout your pages, crafting catchy meta tags, building backlinks, and making sure your site was fast and mobile-friendly. It was a game of making Google happy with all the right bits in place, and it definitely worked a treat for a while.
The new way:
Nowadays though, the search game has changed thanks to AI. Google’s looking for content that’s genuinely helpful and relevant—stuff that actually answers people’s questions. It’s all about understanding the why behind a search, not just the keywords themselves. So focusing on good, useful content, structuring your pages clearly, and making your site a joy to use are all key. It’s not about tricking the system anymore—it’s about being sound and giving people what they’re really after.
The good news is that SEO efforts are far from lost, in fact, they’re more important than ever, but they just need a fresh approach.
Quality Over Quantity
Forget keyword stuffing. Write content that genuinely answers people’s questions and solves their problems. Think of it like having a proper chat with your customers and being helpful, informative, and friendly.
Structured Data (But Keep It Simple)
Help Google understand your content better by adding structured data (schema markup) to your pages. It’s a bit of code that tells Google what’s what, like product details, reviews, or FAQs so that your site can show up in fancy search features.
Optimise for User Experience
Make sure your site is a pleasure to use: fast-loading, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate. A smooth site keeps people (and search engines) happy.
Build Trust and Authority
Show you’re the real deal by creating authoritative content, linking to reliable sources, and keeping your information up-to-date. Google loves sites that are trustworthy (don’t forget that SSL Cert!).
Embrace AI and Voice Search
Think about how people actually search now it is often in a conversational way. Answer common questions in plain language and consider adding FAQs or helpful guides to match how people ask things.
Keep Your Content Fresh and Unique
AI loves summarising content, but it needs good, original information to work from. Share insights from your own experience, case studies, unique stories, or expert opinions that nobody else has.
Keep SEO Basics Ticking Along
Don’t throw out all that hard work you’ve done with SEO—optimising meta tags, using relevant keywords, and building backlinks still help. Just make sure you’re doing it in a way that feels natural and not forced.
Stay Active on Social Media
Even if likes and shares don’t directly boost your Google ranking, they help spread the word and keep your brand in the spotlight. The more people chat about your business online, the more likely you’ll pop up in searches—and even in AI summaries!
Recently Instagram started allowing Google to show public posts from professional accounts in search results. This means your Reels, posts, and carousels could now be seen by people outside of Instagram. Before, only usernames and bios were searchable. But now, captions, hashtags, and even post content can appear on Google with previews.
AI might change how people search but it doesn’t change why they search. If you keep creating quality content, building your brand, and staying engaged with your audience, you’ll stay strong, whether in traditional search or in the new AI-powered world. Just stay curious, keep learning, and embrace the changes. After all, the best way to beat the robots is to work with them.
About the Author: Alicia Stumke
Hi Alicia,
I’ve been building sites since the late 90’s and there has always been a fad of trying to trick the search engines and jump to the top of research results and your article relates to many of my answers to potential clients. Keep the content real and relevant and try to genuinely answer questions in a way they will understand. Keep it simple and to the point.
With AI being incorporated into many site builders now its easy to just let it work away and write blurb for you, but often its easily seen as just that. I once asked a client for an About Us page content and in return i got 16 pages of text that i just couldn’t use as its not what people want and thats the entire point you are making here. Give people what they want and search engines will recognise that and also others will link to and reference it and so make more inward bound links to your site.
Chat GPT search results now return results with website content too and link to their source but without the content actually being on a site it cant be referenced and so I too encourage fresh content and to make it something worth ready or listening too.
Social Media too has become in some cases the only platform that businesses will promote themselves on and with my 26 years experience I couldn’t recommend to solely invest in one social media platform and to use it to push potential clients to the your website where you have 100% control
At the end of the day, I think its about being honest and not trying to trick algorithms or AI results. Become a resource and you will be rewards with traffic and sales leads etc
Thats my mid morning rant done !!
Regards
Dave
Thanks, Dave, for sharing your thoughts, this is definitely a growing challenge in today’s world.