I adapted this article from Danny Sullivan’s keynote, originally covered by Search Engine Land

Search is changing fast with AI Overviews, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), and new acronyms popping up every month. But Google’s Danny Sullivan reminds us of one simple truth: “good SEO is good GEO.”

In other words, the basics still matter. If your content is clear, unique, and helpful for people, you don’t need to panic about AI taking over search results. Whether it’s called SEO, GEO, or semantic search, the core job stays the same—help people find and understand information.

How Google Search Works

  • Crawl: Google visits pages across the open web to discover content.
  • Index: It stores what it finds in a massive “library” so it can look things up fast.
  • Rank: When you search, many ranking systems decide which pages are most helpful (there isn’t just one system).

What Ranking Systems Look At (examples)

  • Relevance signals: Does the keyword appear on the page? Where? Is it overused?
  • Freshness: Newer content matters more for newsy topics.
  • Search types, such as Images, local results, reviews, and crisis info, all use different signals.
  • Location: Your location and the business/page location matter for local searches.

Why Search Is Hard

  • New searches: ~15% of daily searches are brand new (trending events create new questions).
  • Words are messy: People use different words for the same thing; Google tries to connect them.
  • Context matters: “Can I get medicine for someone else at a pharmacy?” means something different than the exact words shuffled.
  • Vague queries: People often type half-ideas—Google still tries to understand the intent.

How Google Improves Results

  • Constant testing Involves Lab tests, side-by-side reviews with people, and live experiments.
  • Many updates are made, including thousands of small launches a year, as well as bigger “core” and “spam” updates.
  • Goal: Reduce spam, surface more helpful results, and adjust to new search behaviors.

How Search Has Evolved

  • From desktop to mobile, then “always on”. Expectations rose: fast, readable, simple.
  • New ways to search: Circle to Search, Google Lens (photo/video questions), “multimodal” help (show a video; get a text explanation).
  • Users want more formats, including short videos, forums, and social experiences, for “real-world tips”.

AI Overviews (what & why)

  • What they do: Provide a quick summary with links to dive deeper.
  • How they work: They “fan out” your long query into related sub-queries, then combine insights—so links may differ from regular blue links.
  • What Google sees so far: More searches, more complex questions, a broader variety of sites visited, and people spending longer on the sites they choose.

AI Mode & Web Guide

  • AI Mode: A more conversational search experience (ask, refine, follow-ups).
  • Web Guide (experiment): Still “blue links,” but grouped into helpful sections so you can scan smarter.

Practical Takeaways for Creators (SEO, GEO, “AI/semantic” friendly)

  • Make content for people first. Clear, practical, unique. That naturally aligns with SEO/GEO/semantic needs.
  • Uniqueness wins: Don’t just repeat commodity info; add original angles, data, visuals, steps, or experience.
  • Great page experience: Fast, readable, mobile-friendly; helps new visitors find the “main thing” quickly.
  • Use richer media, such as images, short clips, and diagrams, to help both readers and multimodal search.
  • Measure outcomes, not just traffic: Track sign-ups, leads, sales—engaged visits may be fewer but more valuable.
  • Control previews if needed: The usual meta/robots tools still work.

Myths to Drop (stop doing these)

  • There’s no “magic length.” Write as long or short as needed.
  • Real expertise matters, not labels. Adding an “expert reviewed” tag for the show won’t help. What counts is actual expert knowledge in the content itself.
  • Doing things “for Google” only: If it doesn’t help visitors, don’t add it.

Simple Content UX Tips

  • Give the main answer fast. Then add details, story, and extras for those who want them.
  • Recipes/example pages: Put the recipe/instructions up front; extras (story, tips) can follow or be jump-linked.
  • Consistent layout: New visitors should understand your page in seconds.

Measuring & Growing (mainly for WordPress)

  • Track what matters: Use any analytics you like to watch conversions and engagement.
  • Build direct relationships: Encourage email sign-ups, followers, or a community to diversify your online presence beyond search traffic.

On Traffic & Clicks in an AI World

  • Some quick facts: Direct answers (like “Super Bowl time”) may reduce clicks—that’s normal for pure facts.
  • Where to focus: Unique, in-depth, experiential content still needs a click—and tends to get more engaged visitors.
  • Watch quality, not just CTR: If impressions go up and CTR changes, check whether conversions and time on site are improving.