The end of classic SEO is arriving fast
Is your SEO agency still doing classic SEO while keeping an "eye" on AI? And do you really think putting all your effort into the top 3 for a keyword is still the best strategy?
Let’s be frank: SEO is changing radically. And if you work in digital marketing, have a website, or create content for the web, you’ve probably already felt it. This is not a small Google update. This is not about backlinks or Core Web Vitals.
It’s a paradigm shift. The arrival of generative artificial intelligence, of ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, is completely transforming our relationship with online search. And therefore, with what we call SEO. SEO is becoming AEO.
The real change: we no longer "search" like we used to
For 20 years, we learned to write for search engines. We optimized pages with keywords, tags, internal links. And it worked. The goal was simple: appear in Google’s top results. But today, who still types a search like "best toaster comparison 2025" and then reads 5 articles?
More and more people do this:
"Hey ChatGPT, can you recommend a reliable toaster for under €80, not too bulky?"
And the AI answers. Directly. In two seconds. No clicks. No SERP (search engine results page). No "page 1."
AI SEO, is not a new buzzword: it’s a new playground. And we’re already right in the middle of it.
Why classic SEO is no longer enough
The SEO we’ve always known is based on a logical chain:
Query → Google results → Click → Read → Convert
But with generative AI, the chain stops at the answer. And that answer is produced by the AI itself, drawing on your content (maybe), but without ever citing you.
Yes, your pages may be useful. But no, no one will visit them. And that’s a major turning point.
Welcome to the age of AI SEO
More and more people are talking about AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), meaning optimization for answer engines. I prefer to call it simply AI SEO.
Why? Because the goal stays the same: to be visible, useful, and read. But the channel has changed.
Today, you need to think like this:
"How do I make sure my content is used by an AI to answer a question?"
That’s the whole challenge. And trust me, it’s no longer enough to have a well-optimized landing page with H1, H2, 1200 words, and 3 backlinks.
What AIs like to read (and therefore use)
It’s no mystery: generative AIs pull from web content, databases, forums, and structured articles.
Here’s what they prioritize (and therefore what AI SEO should target):
- Clear, concise, well-written answers: AI doesn’t want to summarize a novel. It wants sentences that get straight to the point.
- Well-structured pages (headings, lists, FAQ…): The easier it is for a machine to read, the better.
- Reliable, credible sources: Even if AI doesn’t always cite, it favors content from recognized brands or specialist sites.
- Up-to-date content: If you have an article from 2018 that hasn’t been updated, forget it.
Bottom line: content still matters. But you have to think of it as a clear information block, ready to be extracted, not as a page to be read.
And what about Google in all this?
Google sees what’s happening. And it’s not going to let ChatGPT or Perplexity steal the spotlight.
That’s why it’s preparing a version of its engine that answers itself questions, thanks to Gemini. It’s called SGE (Search Generative Experience), and it’s already being tested in some countries.
When it goes live here, what does that mean?
- Less room for organic results.
- Fewer clicks on your links.
- More automatically generated answers, based on your content (without necessarily crediting you).
AI SEO is an opportunity (if we start now)
I know, all of this can be scary. We tell ourselves we’ll disappear, that we’ll have no control left.
But honestly, AI SEO is an opportunity. Because very few sites are ready yet. Most people are still doing SEO "like it’s 2015." If you make the shift now, you’ll have a real head start.
So what do we do now?
Here’s what I recommend to my clients, very simply:
1. Do an "AI-friendly" audit of your content
- Do your pages clearly answer a question?
- Can they be easily quoted or summarized?
- Are they up to date?
2. Produce formats that are "usable" by AI
- Lists, comparisons, tutorials, short answers.
- Concise paragraphs at the top of the page.
- Glossaries, definitions, FAQs.
3. Structure with care
- Use the right headings, the right layout, structured data (Schema.org).
- Create clean, well-organized pages.
4. Be credible
- Build your authority: mentions, backlinks, E-E-A-T signals (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust).
5. Monitor your presence in AI tools
- Type queries into ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity. Is your content being used? Cited? Missing?
What will never change: the substance
I’ll end on a positive note: the only thing that will never change is people’s desire for clear, useful, honest answers.
AI SEO doesn’t kill content. It kills mediocre content written just to "rank."
On the other hand, if you have expertise, a voice, a tone, real added value: you absolutely have your place in the future of the web.
In summary
- Users no longer search; they ask AI.
- Classic SEO is becoming less visible, sometimes useless.
- AI SEO, is the art of being used (and visible) in generated answers.
- It’s a new way of creating content: more direct, more useful, more structured.
- And it’s a huge advantage for those who start now.