In this article, we show Which SEO principles still apply in the AI eraWhat you should rethink — and how to align your strategy so that your content includes answers like those from ChatGPT with browsing, perplexity, or Gemini Can show up. Terms such as”Search Generative Experience“or”Zero-click search“illustrate that search engines are increasingly acting as answer machines.
1. The new reality: visibility in answers, not in rankings
For a long time, SEO was one thing in particular: a race for first place today, something else counts:
- AI systems generate direct answers instead of link lists
- Content that is mentioned has won — the rest remains invisible
- Today, visibility means: appear in answers, not on search results pages
You can find out more about fundamental change in Part 1 of the series.
2. What is changing — and why keywords are no longer enough
Many classic SEO tactics don't work the way they used to:
- Questions replace keywords: “What is...”, “How does it work...”, “Why...” (People Also Ask)
- Context beats density: A well-worded section is more relevant than ten times the correct keyword
- Technical readability becomes a basic requirement (HTML structure, load time, mobile optimization)
- Backlinks lose weightwhen content is not formulated in a clear and trustworthy way
- Entities and semantic markup support classification through AI
AI prefers content with clear context — Aleyda Solis
3. What remains — and even becomes more important
Despite all the changes, there are SEO basics that are more important than ever:
✅ Structure
- Clear heading hierarchy (H1—H3)
- Lists, tables, paragraphs with focus
- Technically correct HTML (see MDN Web Docs)
- Structured content also helps for Featured Snippets
✅ Context
- One topic per page (Content hubs are helpful)
- Strong internal link to information architecture
- Semantically meaningful embedding of content with appropriate entities (e.g. Webflow, Schema.org, LLMs)
✅ Trust
- Author clearly identifiable (experience, expertise)
- Impressum, company profile, context visible (E-E-A-T)
- External citations or mentions increase relevance
How Perplexity described in a separate post, is the selection of sources increasingly based on Reliability, Clarity, and Relevance — not on popularity or domain strength.
4. How to adapt your SEO strategy for the AI era
What you can do specifically:
- Write for people AND machines: clear, understandable, with statement
- Answer real questions instead of just describing terms (user-centered content)
- Use structured data like Schema.orgto provide context to AI systems (e.g. FAQPage)
- Avoid interface content — Substance wins
- Work with internal links, explain the connections
- Strengthen semantic signals with markups, HTML5 elements, and clear navigation
In Part 2 of the series We explain how AI systems actually read and structure content — and what is important in terms of content.
Conclusion: AI is changing SEO — but not the principles of good content
The rules change — but the idea remains the same: Content should be understandable, relevant and structured.
You don't have to “write for AI” — you need to write in such a way that Good Answers Can Arise.
Structure, clarity and context are the new basics.
Read more
→ To Overview of the series
→ Moz: The Future of Search in an AI World
