2025 was a turbulent year for SEO. AI search gained traction, organic traffic declined, and SERPs remained in constant flux.
If you’ve felt overwhelmed by all the changes, you’re not alone.

In this AMA, Lily Ray shares practical strategies for improving AI search visibility, redefining success metrics, and focusing on the SEO tactics that will drive results in 2026.

1. How should publishers rethink content when AI Overviews and AI Mode answer most queries?

It depends on your business model. If your business relies on traffic to generate revenue through page views and affiliate links, it will be challenging because AI Mode and AI Overviews are designed to keep people engaged, rather than clicking through to other sites. 

Publishers in that space need to diversify and focus more on channels like social media, email, or paid marketing. 

More broadly, we’ve spent years chasing upper-funnel traffic and publishing tons of top-of-funnel content. We need to shift toward creating content that both engages and converts. Even if it means producing less, because less is more in this new landscape.

2. Is there ever a situation where it’s safe to use AI to generate website content, or should it always be human-led?

Technically, yes, Google has said it doesn’t care whether content is written by AI or not. But in practice, many sites hit by algorithm updates tend to rely heavily on automated content. So, while it might be “safe” in limited cases, that doesn’t mean it’s risk-free.

Source: Google Search Central Blog

If you're using AI to support content creation, adding human expertise, original insights, and editorial oversight improves quality. But scaling pure AI-generated content without regard for quality or the user is where things get murky.

Personally, I err on the side of caution. We prefer human-written content, using AI only as a tool, not a replacement.

3. How should brands respond to user-generated forums outranking them?

It’s a big challenge, especially with Reddit and Quora gaining visibility in Google search results. In some cases, a Reddit thread about your brand may outrank your website, often featuring negative commentary.

But there are steps brands can take:

• First, understand that Google and LLMs are going to elevate forums, whether we like it or not. 
•  Meet your audience where they are. Engage authentically in those spaces through branded subreddits or honest participation from people at your company. 
• Be transparent about who you are, avoid being promotional, and follow platform guidelines to avoid getting banned.
• Beyond reputation management, use Reddit for research. Forums show what people are saying about your brand. Use the insight to improve your messaging and content across platforms.

4. How do we rebuild meaningful performance benchmarks when Google keeps moving the goalposts?

The first thing to remember is that this affects everyone equally. It’s a reporting change, not necessarily a change in how your site appears in search. Google's trying to limit excessive crawling from LLMs and AI crawlers, which explains the update. 

But even before this, rankings beyond position 20 offered little value and were more directional than actionable. 

Now, we need to focus on top rankings and broader business metrics, including: 

• AI visibility
• Brand lift studies
• Branded impressions

5. What metrics are you currently tracking for GEO/AI success?

It's tricky right now because we don’t have a “Search Console for ChatGPT,” and AI Overviews or AI Mode traffic isn’t broken out in GA4. So yes, the tooling is limited, but we’re adapting.

Here’s how to tweak your reporting for AI visibility:

• Set up LLM referrers: First, ensure that you’ve set up large language model (LLM) referrers in GA4 or your preferred analytics platform to capture traffic, engagement, and conversions from LLMs, where possible.
• Include self-attributed reporting: Next, build self-reported attribution into your contact forms or CRM. Ask people directly how they found you. It’s one of the only ways to connect offline intent with AI exposure.
• Invest in LLM tracking tools: I encourage you to invest in AI visibility tools that track metrics like share of voice, citations, and competitive visibility. While these tools have limitations such as prompt bias and a lack of personalization, they still provide directional insights.

6. Should we invest in GEO, or is it just chasing a fad?

Both can be true. A lot of what’s being labeled as Generative Engine Optimization overlaps with what SEO teams have been doing for years. 

This includes: 

• Creating original, data-driven content with unique perspectives
• Featuring recognized authors and trusted brands. 

GEO improves AI visibility, but it’s not a new concept. Fundamentally, if you’ve been investing in SEO, brand building, and content marketing, you’re already doing GEO. If you haven’t, now’s the time because it definitely matters for AI search.

7. Should recipe, food, or travel bloggers block AI crawlers?

That’s a really hard one. I know some people in the travel space are already blocking AI crawlers because they see their content as original and don’t consent to it being taken and reused for free, and I totally understand that perspective.

However, there’s a trade-off: blocking AI crawlers limits your visibility in AI search. It puts bloggers in a kind of prisoner’s dilemma. If you wall off your content, you might protect it, but you also risk becoming invisible in the platforms where people are now searching.

Also, not all crawlers respect those blocks, so there’s no guarantee. But if you truly want to keep your content for your audience and rely on other channels for traffic, that’s a valid business choice.

That said, I think most companies and creators won’t go that route. If the majority of consumers are getting their answers from LLMs, it’s hard to justify removing yourself from that ecosystem completely.

8. How do you deal with stakeholders obsessed with GEO who don’t understand SEO?

The first step is education, but with an open mind. Acknowledge that search is changing, and have honest conversations about what it really takes to appear in AI search. 

At Amsive, we’ve been using Venn diagrams to show the overlap between SEO and GEO, which is approximately 90%. 

It can be frustrating when clients assume you're not prepared for the future of search just because you're not overhyping the newest trend. But that’s why it’s important to stay proactive. 

Share insights, provide resources, and demonstrate that you're deeply informed about how these models work.

I actually presented on this at MozCon recently, and I’ve recorded a version that might help you explain GEO to your clients.

9. Why does this year’s “SEO is dead” narrative feel more credible to some people, and how should practitioners respond?

SEO has “died” at least 150 times in the last 25 years, but I get why it feels different this year. Part of it is that SEO means different things to different people. If your version of SEO was about driving traffic or tweaking on-page elements to improve rankings, then yes, that model is changing.

But that’s a narrow definition. At Amsive, our approach to SEO has always centered on EEAT, brand reputation, strategic mentions, and original content, not mass-producing generic blog posts with AI and calling it a strategy.

The core tactics that matter, such as building trust, authority, and visibility, remain essential. However, it’s time to turn the dial up on digital PR, social media, and other channels that influence how people and platforms perceive your brand.

Visibility isn’t just on Google anymore. SEO is evolving to platforms like LinkedIn, X, and BlueSky. Basically, anywhere people find and engage with your content. 

10. Do you think the U.S antitrust ruling will create real competition in search, or will AI engines simply replace one monopoly with another?

I don’t think the antitrust ruling will lead to meaningful competition. It’s unclear how much of Google’s index they’ll actually have to share, and I doubt competitors will be able to recreate what Google’s built, even with access.

We’ve seen Google face competition before from the likes of Facebook, TikTok, and Amazon, but they always pivot. Now it’s Gemini, AI Overviews, and AI Mode. 

Most people are used to searching on Google. In fact, recent research from SparkToro shows search volumes on Google haven’t declined with the rise of AI. People are adopting LLMs like ChatGPT as an additional tool, not a replacement.

Honestly, I think Gemini’s already better than ChatGPT. Google has a long history of staying dominant, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

11. What’s one 2025 search trend you think was overhyped, and what should we be paying attention to instead? 

There’s been a wave of people claiming they’ve cracked the secret to ranking in ChatGPT, but when you dig into it, it’s just basic SEO. They use good titles, keyword-friendly URLs, and align content with search intent. Nothing new.

Many of these “GEO tactics” are disguised in jargon to create confusion and a sense of urgency. However, I’ve seen repeatedly that when I follow established SEO best practices, my content appears in LLMs without requiring any special action.

One tactic I do see working, but that I consider borderline spam, is the rise of self-promotional listicles. 

Companies publish blog posts like “Top SEO Agencies,” rank themselves #1, then list competitors below. Currently, LLMs are not sophisticated enough to detect manipulation, so these posts are often picked up.

But that doesn’t make it trustworthy or sustainable. Even if it works today, it erodes user trust and invites future penalties. 

12. What algorithm updates can we anticipate in 2026?

Normally, I’m not excited about core updates because they cause a lot of chaos, often hitting innocent businesses. But this time, I actually am. 

Right now, I’d say spammers are winning, both in AI search and traditional Google results. Even in features like preferred sources and top stories, we’re seeing a flood of low-quality content.

Google’s been so focused on AI that spam has outpaced enforcement. But that won’t last. Historically, when things get messy, Google responds with major algorithm updates such as those in March and May 2024, which were the biggest ever.

I’d expect something similar soon. They’re paying close attention to these new GEO tactics, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a huge update that devalues manipulative AI content and scaled spam.

I also think we might see new spam policies targeting things like self-promotional listicles that rank a company #1. Google’s created highly specific penalties in the past, and I could easily see them cracking down on that kind of behavior.

13. Are there any niches or industries you believe will be most impacted by search changes in 2026? 

I think publishers, especially news and media sites that rely heavily on upper-funnel, informational content, are already seeing the biggest impact. 

These businesses rely on traffic to fund their operations, and with AI search occupying a larger portion of search results, we’re seeing significant click drops in Search Console for these sites.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. If anything, this should be a wake-up call to diversify audience acquisition and engagement strategies. 

Here are a few tactics:

• Encourage employees to build a personal brand: Some publishers are encouraging their journalists to build personal brands, essentially becoming influencers. That means creating videos, launching social campaigns, and speaking directly to audiences, not just publishing text. It may not be for everyone, but it’s working, especially with younger audiences.
• Diversify where your content lives: People are increasingly staying within social platforms like Threads, LinkedIn, BlueSky, and X. You need to meet them where they are because they’re not always clicking out.
• Create content that’s highly shareable and socially engaging: Even if organic clicks decline, you can compensate with stronger visibility and traction across other platforms.

The fundamentals haven’t changed. Create content people want to read and distribute where your audience spends time. Invest in LLM tracking tools to understand AI visibility, and develop brand strategies that naturally earn mentions and citations.