Is your SEO ready for the AI Era?

Neil Patel, founder of Ubersuggest and a digital marketer I highly rate, explains how brand recognition drives search rankings and how AI is transforming search behaviour beyond Google.

"Most marketers treat SEO like a traffic tool. They get the clicks, but the brand still doesn't stick. Here's what I see happening: Marketers chase clicks but forget about recognition. You get the visit, but not the return customer. If people can't remember you, they won't come back. If Google doesn't see signals of your brand's authority, you'll lose visibility in search.

AI search is shifting how people find answers. Instead of ten blue links to various websites, people now see beautifully curated AI answers. And those answers often include brands Google already trusts. This makes Brand SEO a must.

In newer AI features like Google's AI Overviews (AIOs), I'm seeing trusted brands surface more often. If you're not showing credibility, you're not showing up. But you still need the foundations: SEO basics like page speed, keyword optimisation, and mobile responsiveness."

SEO is evolving into an increasingly complex discipline as search engine results pages (SERPs) now display AI-generated responses alongside Snippets, Paid Ads, Local Maps, Business Listings, and People Also Ask sections. However, there's no need to feel overwhelmed.

Best practices still apply

Improving your site's visibility continues to rely on proven strategies, enhanced by several emerging techniques:

Continue with SEO fundamentals:

• Develop a robust keyword strategy that incorporates your brand name to strengthen Brand SEO (I highly recommend my colleague Cornelia Luethi)

• Maintain technical basics: site speed, optimised images, XML sitemaps, mobile-friendly design, SSL certificates, clean URL structure, proper linking, and robots.txt files

• Focus on on-page optimisation: quality backlinks, intuitive navigation, and engaging content

Build strategic visibility:

• Understand your audience and what they value

• Cultivate brand mentions on credible sites (even without direct links)

• Produce consistent, valuable content that aligns with your brand and audience needs

• Establish clear authorship and demonstrate real-world expertise through credentials, comprehensive About pages, and case studies

• Maintain a presence across reputable platforms where your audience searches, such as TikTok and YouTube

Monitor your site's performance

A range of reliable tools can help you track and optimise your site's performance:

• Google Analytics – The industry standard for tracking website traffic, user behaviour, conversion rates, and audience demographics

• Google Search Console – Essential for monitoring your site's presence in Google search results, showing which keywords drive traffic and flagging indexing issues, mobile usability problems, and security concerns

• SEMrush – Comprehensive SEO platform that tracks keyword rankings, analyses competitors, audits technical SEO issues, and monitors backlinks—one of the most powerful paid options for serious SEO work

• PageSpeed Insights – Google's free tool analysing both mobile and desktop performance, providing specific recommendations based on Core Web Vitals that directly impact SEO rankings

• Brandwatch – Comprehensive social media and consumer intelligence platform for understanding and engaging with your audiences

• Ubersuggest – Affordable, beginner-friendly SEO tool featuring competitor analysis and site auditing

• Woorank – SEO auditing and analysis tool for comprehensive site evaluation

This represents a significant undertaking, so approach it incrementally or consider outsourcing to an expert if marketing technology isn't your cup of tea.