SEO POV Archives - NetElixir

Is SEO Dead, or Just Evolving?

Emily Gellis — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 16:44:08 +0000

“Will we even call it ‘search’ in two years?”

That was the question raised by Udayan Bose, CEO and Cofounder of NetElixir. In a world where AI is becoming more and more integrated into our daily lives, the way people discover information is changing rapidly. It’s no longer a question of just how SEO is evolving, it’s whether SEO as we know it will change.

From Keywords to Conversations to AI Agents

For the longest time, traditional SEO had been centered around search engine algorithms and keywords. However, we are moving toward a future where conversational prompts, chat interfaces, and AI-overviews dominate how people receive their information.

“We’re shifting from a search engine-first mindset to an end user-first world,” said Udayan.

Google’s AI Overviews now appear in over 30% of search queries. Early studies show they also reduce clicks on traditional search results by about 8%. That’s a significant chunk of traffic, especially when SEO still accounts for 30-50% of eCommerce site visits.

So, where’s that traffic going?

Some of it may be shifting to paid listings. Some of it may be lost entirely—satisfied by AI snapshots that eliminate the need to click at all.

Should We Still Call It “Search Engine Optimization”?

Since we have AI agents that can handle tasks like shopping, booking, and research, what are we even optimizing for?

Perhaps search engine optimization should be called user experience optimization, AI discovery optimization, or even shopper experience optimization.

Whichever term you choose, your mindset should still shift from optimizing for platforms to optimizing for the user themselves.

How to Prepare: Advice from Our Own SEO Experts

Be Structured, Clear, and Useful

AI search engines favor content that’s structured, scannable, and answers specific questions. Some tips to optimize:

Formatting content in a Q&A style
Using clear headers
Embedding primary sources and timestamps

E-E-A-T Still Matters

Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) continues to influence AI relevance. Make sure you:

Include detailed author bios
Cite primary sources
Add fresh data and real-time product updates where possible

Traditional Ranking ≠ AI Relevance

Ranking on Google doesn’t guarantee you will also rank well on AI search results. AI models and traditional search engines evaluate content differently. Short-form SEO pages won’t rank as well on AI engines as in-depth, research-driven content.

What Structured Data Still Delivers ROI?

Product Structured Data is especially valuable for e-commerce brands. Use how-to schema for any instructional content to help AI engines connect your content to user questions.

Does AI Favor Big Brands?

Not necessarily. Generative models like ChatGPT consider multiple factors when selecting or citing sources, including relevance, online visibility, and freshness. Brand name is not the only factor.

So… What Now?

AI is now becoming the primary interface between your brand and your customers. You cannot future-proof your SEO without rethinking your strategy entirely.

The big takeaway, stop optimizing for one search engine. Instead, optimize for how people discover information in an AI first world.

Whether we call it SEO, UXO, or something else entirely, one thing’s clear: the future of digital discovery is being rewritten.

Want to stay ahead of the curve?

Book a SEO strategy session with our team to help future-proof your search strategy as these changes continue to unfold.

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Google August 2023 Core Update

SEO Team NetElixir — Sat, 09 Sep 2023 16:25:48 +0000

Google has successfully rolled out its August 2023 Core Update, impacting search results rankings.
Google places a strong emphasis on creating content that is of high quality and prioritizes the needs of users to achieve optimal site performance.
Google clearly said that if you see a decline in performance after a core update, it doesn’t mean there is an issue with your website.

Google made an announcement on August 22, 2023, stating that they were commencing the rollout of their latest core update. This update process wrapped up on September 7, 2023, spanning a total of 16 days to reach completion.

This marks the second significant algorithm update in 2023, with the preceding one having been initiated in March 2023.

How To Recover

Make sure your web content is of the utmost quality with valuable information that aligns with the interests of your target audience. Moreover, it is essential to continuously deliver new and relevant content to maintain engagement and interest.
To rank higher on Google, create valuable and trustworthy content that follows the E-E-A-T guidelines (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). This will help your content be recognized as reliable and shown to users when they search related queries.

Additional Insights

It’s evident that enhancing your website may not result in an immediate shift in your rankings. However, you need to look for opportunities to continually improve.
A decrease in rankings could be attributed to modifications made during the core upgrade, rather than being indicative of issues with your website’s structure or content. It’s important not to make any drastic changes to your site just because your site’s traffic has declined after the update.
Brands who observed declines in their rankings should focus on enhancing the quality of their websites rather than seeking immediate technical remedies. If low traffic persists, then consult an expert.

Further Reading

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Google Downgrades Visibility of FAQ-rich and How-To Results

SEO Team NetElixir — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 18:14:05 +0000

Google plans to implement new updates to enhance the search experience and impact the visibility of FAQ-rich and How-To results.

FAQ-Rich Results:

We will see FAQ-rich results less frequently with Google’s latest update. FAQ-rich results will now only appear for well-known, authoritative government and health websites that Google deems eligible and trustworthy to share this information. For all other sites, this rich result will no longer regularly appear.

Google says marketers can drop the FAQ schema from their sites; however, we believe that there is no harm in keeping your FAQ schema as of now.

We recommend maintaining your FAQ schema for now; although a rich result is not guaranteed, it can still help search engines to understand your content more efficiently and answer direct queries your customers have about your products, services, brand, or industry.

How-To-Rich Results:

Only desktop searches will display how-to-rich results moving forward. Mobile searches will no longer activate how-to-rich results.

Although this update isn’t a direct ranking adjustment, its potential implications on website traffic and engagement are noteworthy. Websites that heavily rely on these rich results for generating traffic and brand awareness might experience a significant impact on their real estate and click-through rates. You should keep a close eye on these metrics.

Supercharge Your Search Strategy With Generative AI

These adjustments to FAQ-rich and how-to-rich results are the first steps Google is taking to create its Search Generative Experience (SGE), which will roll out more concretely next year. As generative AI can answer the majority of FAQ and how-to queries, it makes sense for Google to reduce the visibility of those schemas now in preparation.

As we continue to monitor the latest SEO changes in Google and other search engines, we will keep you informed on how to gain more real estate in SERPs and optimize your AI growth marketing strategy.

Recap Of Other SEO News

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