SEO vs AIO/GEO: Why the Fundamentals Still Matter
Over the past year, AI-driven search formats like AI Overviews (AIO) and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) have been gaining more and more attention.
Some have even proclaimed “SEO is dead.”
Believe me, I have read this and been told this many times when appearing in various LLMs really started to become a hot topic, but it’s far from the truth.
SEO techniques and strategies are even more important now, and we’ll show you how and why with a nice, easy to read table.
SEO vs AIO/GEO Best Practices
|
Best Practice |
SEO |
AIO/GEO |
Notes |
|
Keyword research & targeting |
✓ |
✓ |
Still vital—AI just shifts focus toward more conversational phrasing. |
|
High-quality, original content |
✓ |
✓ |
SEO and AI both reward authority and clarity |
|
On-page optimisation (titles, headings, meta) |
✓ |
✓ |
Clear structure serves both search engines and AI parsing. |
|
Schema / structured data (Org, Event, FAQ, etc.) |
✓ |
✓ |
Even more important for AI to understand and extract content. |
|
Internal linking & site structure |
✓ |
✓ |
Improves crawlability and contextual understanding in both landscapes. |
|
Mobile-friendly & fast-loading pages |
✓ |
✓ |
UX performance impacts both human traffic and AI evaluation. |
|
Backlinks & authority building |
✓ |
✓ |
Signals of credibility matter for SEO and AI citation. |
|
Content freshness / updates |
✓ |
✓ |
AI and traditional search formats favour up-to-date content. |
|
Image optimisation (alt text, captions) |
✓ |
✓ |
Supports accessibility and richer AI-generated responses |
|
User intent alignment |
✓ |
✓ |
Intent-focused content aligns with how AI generates answers. |
|
FAQ / Q&A content |
✓ |
✓ |
Especially powerful for appearing in AI-generated summaries |
As you can see, all of these tried-and-tested SEO strategies and techniques absolutely apply for appearing in AI powered search results.
A recent feature in Search Engine Land underscores this: “AI search tools are on the rise, but SEO fundamentals remain critical”. Google themselves address this too.
Don’t get caught up chasing an AIO/GEO-flavoured silver bullet and forget the fundamentals. The same principles that have always made content discoverable in ‘traditional search’ remain the foundation for success in AI driven search.
The real silver bullet is getting the basics right, and presenting information in a clear, structured, and conversational way that AI systems can easily cite.
How Can We Help?
Whether you have a Semantic-built site or not, we can help with SEO audits and strategy to help your site show up for relevant searches as much as possible.
Our in-house specialists can provide support with:
- Technical audits
- Keyword analysis
- Ongoing SEO monitoring & support
- Backlinks & link building
- Content & campaign creation
For advice (or a quick chat) you can email hello@semantic.co.uk or call +44 (0) 2380 111 545