SEO is Dead. Long Live SEO

Search Engine Optimisation is dead. Alas, we knew ye so well. 

We had a good run.  Over thirty years. What a time to be alive.

The Search Box Isn't Where You Think It Is

For 30 years, I've optimised websites for that little search box on Google.com. We all have. We've played the ranking game, chased algorithms, and celebrated when we hit position one.

But here's what changed while we weren't paying attention: that search box multiplied. It's not just on Google anymore. It's in ChatGPT. It's in Perplexity. It's on TikTok. It's in Claude. People are even searching for local restaurants on Instagram instead of Google Maps.

Your customers aren't just "Googling" anymore. They're searching everywhere. And if you're only optimised for Google, you're invisible to most of these new search channels.

Welcome to Search Everywhere Optimisation - SEO 2.0 if you want to be fancy about it. It's a fundamental shift we've been preparing for at KickstartSEO, and it's why our approach has evolved beyond traditional tactics.

The Great AI Crawler Panic (And Why It Matters Now)

You know that panicked scramble when everyone rushed to block AI crawlers from their websites?

Turns out that was the digital equivalent of boarding up your shop windows to prevent window shoppers. Proper own goal, that one.

If you blocked AI crawlers, here's your wake-up call: unblock them. Now. Today. Before you finish reading this. Because while you're "protecting" your content from AI, you're actually protecting yourself from being found by the next generation of search.

Let's address the elephant in the room. Last year, businesses everywhere freaked out about AI "stealing" content. Blogs everywhere screamed about protecting intellectual property. Developers rushed to update robots.txt files with blocks for GPTBot, Claude-Web, and every other AI crawler they could name.

Everyone thought they were being clever. Protecting their content. Maintaining their competitive advantage.

They were actually committing digital suicide.

Here's what those businesses didn't understand: these AI crawlers aren't your competition - they're your new distribution channels. When someone asks ChatGPT for recommendations, when Perplexity answers a question about your industry, when Claude suggests service providers - they can only recommend businesses they can access.

Block AI crawlers = Block AI traffic. Simple as that.

Meet the New Search Engines (They're Not What You Think)

Traditional SEO focused on one thing: Google rankings. But Google isn't the only game in town anymore. Let me introduce you to the new players:

AI Overviews (AIO) - Google's Answer Box on Steroids

Google's AI Overviews now dominate search results. They directly answer questions without requiring a click. But here's the thing - Google's AI pulls this information from websites it can access and understand. If your content is locked away or poorly structured, you're invisible even if you rank number one below the AI overview.

We've been tracking AI Overviews closely and helping clients optimise for this new reality since they launched.

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) - Making AI Recommend You

ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity - these aren't traditional search engines. They're answer engines. When someone asks them for recommendations, they search the web in real-time (yes, they do that now) and synthesise answers from accessible content.

If you've blocked these AI crawlers, congratulations - you've made yourself invisible to millions of users who've replaced Google with AI assistants. This is where The Norman Advantage comes in - our AI strategist understands how these systems think and what they're looking for.

Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) - Beyond Keywords

"Hey Siri, find me an emergency plumber who can come right now."

That's not a keyword search. That's a conversation. AEO means optimising for natural language queries, not keyword matching. Your content needs to answer real questions in plain English, not repeat "emergency plumber Bedford" seventeen times.

Visual Engine Optimisation (VEO) - Where Your Customers Actually Are

YouTube is the second largest search engine. TikTok is where Gen Z researches purchases. Pinterest drives more sales than most people realise. Instagram replaced Yelp for restaurant discovery.

Each platform has its own search algorithm. Each requires different optimisation strategies. Ignoring them because they're "not Google" is like ignoring email because you prefer phone calls.

The Platforms Your Competitors Are Ignoring (Your Opportunity)

While everyone else fights for Google rankings, smart businesses are dominating these overlooked search channels:

Reddit - Google now features Reddit discussions prominently. Real conversations from real users. Are you part of those discussions, or are your competitors answering questions about your industry?

LinkedIn - B2B buyers search here first. Your profile, posts, and articles need to be optimised for LinkedIn's search algorithm, which works nothing like Google's.

TikTok - Yes, people search TikTok for business recommendations. "Best coffee shop in Leeds" gets searched thousands of times. If you're not there, you don't exist to an entire generation.

AI Assistants - Millions of people have replaced Google with ChatGPT or Perplexity. These AIs search the web to answer questions. Can they find you?

Amazon - For products, most searches start here, not Google. Amazon SEO requires completely different tactics than Google SEO.

Local Apps - Nextdoor, local Facebook groups, community apps - they all have search functions. They all drive customers. They're all ignored by traditional SEO. Meanwhile, Google Business Profile optimisation has become crucial for local visibility across all these platforms.

Why Blocking AI Crawlers is Commercial Suicide

Let me spell this out clearly, because this is critical:

When someone asks ChatGPT: "What's the best marketing agency for small businesses in the UK?"

ChatGPT searches the web in real-time. It looks for accessible, credible sources. It synthesises an answer from what it can find.

If you've blocked ChatGPT's crawler, you won't be in that answer. Ever. Even if you're genuinely the best option.

Your competitor who allows AI access? They'll get recommended. They'll get the enquiry. They'll get the client.

This isn't theoretical. It's happening right now, thousands of times per day. Every AI query that doesn't include you is a lost opportunity.

The Technical Foundations That Matter More Than Ever

Forget what you've heard about titles and meta descriptions being old-school. In the Search Everywhere era, they're more critical than ever.

Page Titles and Meta Descriptions: These aren't just for Google anymore. AI tools use metadata to interpret content, improving indexing, sharing, and response accuracy. Every AI system that crawls your site uses these as primary understanding signals. A well-crafted meta description might be quoted verbatim by ChatGPT when recommending your business.

JSON-LD: From Optional to Essential: The data speaks for itself - JSON-LD adoption has grown to 41% of websites, up 7% year-over-year according to the HTTP Archive's Web Almanac. Why? Because Google uses JSON-LD to generate visually rich snippets in search results, and AI systems rely on it to understand context.

Think of JSON-LD as context on steroids. It explicitly tells AI what things are - not just text about plumbing, but a plumbing SERVICE offered by a LOCAL BUSINESS in BEDFORD with specific OPENING HOURS and RATINGS.

The structured data landscape has undergone significant transformation in 2024, driven by the rise of AI-powered search, the growing importance of machine-readable content, and the need to ground large language models in factual data. If you're not using structured data, you're invisible to the AI systems that increasingly drive traffic.

Does Blogging Still Matter? (Spoiler: More Than Ever)

"Is blogging dead?" I hear this every week. Meanwhile, 82% of bloggers claim their blog drives at least some results according to Orbit Media's research.

Here's why blogging matters MORE in the Search Everywhere era:

Content Depth Beats Content Snippets: While AI can generate quick answers, businesses that share in-depth success stories, failures, and lessons learned create content that feels more practical, credible, and engaging. AI summaries provide general information - blogs provide the nuance and depth that builds real authority.

First-Hand Experience is Gold: Google claimed that experience, expertise, authority, and trust (E-E-A-T) were at the center of its quality rater guidelines—the rules its human reviewers use to qualify good content. The Google API leak that circulated in 2024 referenced "OriginalContentScore" as a ranking factor.

Your blog is where you demonstrate genuine experience. It's where you share the stories, case studies, and insights that AI can't manufacture. It's your proof of expertise in action.

Blogs Feed the AI Ecosystem: Remember those AI crawlers we told you to unblock? They need content to recommend. Quality blog posts that answer real questions become the source material for AI recommendations. No blog = no AI visibility.

E-E-A-T: Still the Foundation (And Getting Stronger)

Google's E-E-A-T isn't going anywhere. In fact, it's becoming MORE important as AI floods the internet with generic content.

According to a 2024 SEMrush study, pages with strong E-E-A-T signals saw a 30% higher chance of ranking in the top 3 positions compared to those with weak signals. That's not a small difference - that's the difference between visibility and obscurity.

Let's be clear about what E-E-A-T actually means in 2025:

Experience: Does content also demonstrate that it was produced with some degree of experience, such as with actual use of a product, having actually visited a place or communicating what a person experienced? This is Google directly stating that first-hand experience matters.

Expertise: Not just knowing about something, but demonstrating deep, practical knowledge. This is where our 30 years in business becomes a competitive advantage AI can't replicate.

Authoritativeness: The higher the quantity, quality, and relevancy of backlinks, the more authoritative your site is perceived to be. This hasn't changed - who links to you still matters.

Trustworthiness: Trustworthiness is informed by experience, expertise, and authoritativeness. But it's also about protecting visitors from potential harm and giving them confidence in your website/content. This is the most important factor of all.

The crucial point: With AI-generated content flooding the internet, Google has doubled down on identifying content that demonstrates genuine human experience and expertise. Your E-E-A-T signals are what separate you from the AI content farms.

Is Website Optimisation Irrelevant? Not Even Close

Let's address the elephant in the room: if search is everywhere, does optimising your website even matter anymore?

The answer is a resounding yes - but for different reasons than five years ago.

Your website is still your digital headquarters. It's the one piece of online real estate you completely control. While you need to be discoverable everywhere, those discoveries need to lead somewhere. That somewhere is your website.

Think of it this way: being found on TikTok, ChatGPT, or Reddit is like having great word-of-mouth. But when people want to do business with you, they still come to your website to verify you're legitimate, understand your services, and ultimately convert.

Here's what's actually happening:

Your website needs to work for multiple audiences now:

• Traditional searchers still using Google (remember, that's still 90%+ of search)
• AI crawlers that need to understand your content to recommend you
• Social proof seekers who found you elsewhere and are checking you out
• Voice assistants pulling information for direct answers
• Mobile users who demand lightning-fast, thumb-friendly experiences

The technical foundations haven't become less important - they've become table stakes. Site speed, mobile responsiveness, secure connections, proper structure - these aren't optional anymore. They're the minimum requirement to play the game.

What's changed is that optimising ONLY your website isn't enough. It's necessary but not sufficient. You need your website optimised AND presence across other platforms AND structured data that AI can understand AND content that demonstrates real expertise.

The honest truth: Businesses with poorly optimised websites will struggle even more in the Search Everywhere era. Because now you're not just losing to competitors on Google - you're invisible to AI assistants, failing social proof checks, and missing voice search opportunities.

But businesses with well-optimised websites that ALSO embrace Search Everywhere? They're unstoppable.

From Content Strategy to Context Strategy

For years, we've all been told "content is king." Create more content. Publish regularly. Build authority through volume.

But here's the shift nobody's talking about: Search Everywhere Optimisation isn't about content anymore - it's about context.

AI systems don't just read your words; they understand relationships, credibility, and relevance. They know if you're genuinely an expert or just claiming to be. They can cross-reference your claims against thousands of sources instantly.

Context strategy means:

• Who you are matters - Your genuine expertise and track record
• Where you publish matters - Being present where your audience actually searches
• How you connect matters - Internal links, citations, structured data all build context
• When you publish matters - Timing and relevance to current events
• Why you're credible matters - Real experience beats keyword optimisation

Think about it: Google's AI Overviews don't just pull from any content - they pull from contextually relevant, authoritative sources. ChatGPT doesn't recommend random businesses - it recommends ones with established context and credibility.

You can't fake context. You can't keyword-stuff your way to contextual relevance. You can't trick AI into thinking you're an expert when you're not.

This is why blocking AI crawlers is so damaging. You're not just hiding your content; you're hiding your context. And without context, content is just words on a page that nobody will ever find.

The businesses winning at Search Everywhere aren't necessarily creating the most content. They're creating the richest context - genuine expertise, real connections, authentic authority that any system can recognise.

The Death of SEO Tricks (and Good Riddance)

Here's what doesn't work in Search Everywhere Optimisation:

• Keyword stuffing (AI recognises natural language)
• Link schemes (AI evaluates genuine authority)
• Thin content (Every platform rewards depth)
• Gaming single algorithms (Too many to game)
• Blocking crawlers (Digital suicide)

The only strategy that works everywhere? Being genuinely helpful. Creating comprehensive, accessible content that actually answers questions. Building real authority that any system can recognise.

Your Search Everywhere Action Plan

Right, enough theory. Here's what you need to do:

1. Audit Your Crawler Blocks (Today, Not Tomorrow)

Check your robots.txt file. Remove blocks for:

• GPTBot (ChatGPT)
• Claude-Web (Claude)
• PerplexityBot (Perplexity)
• Any other AI crawlers you've blocked

This is urgent. Every day you wait is traffic lost.

2. Structure for Machines AND Humans

• Use clear headings that answer questions
• Include FAQ sections with natural language
• Add schema markup for rich snippets
• Write comprehensive content that covers topics fully

3. Identify Where YOUR Customers Search

Not every platform matters for every business. A plumber needs different channels than a software company. Map out where your specific customers look for solutions.

4. Create Platform-Native Content

Don't just copy-paste across platforms. Each has its own language:

• LinkedIn wants thought leadership
• TikTok wants entertainment that educates
• Reddit wants genuine contribution, not promotion
• AI assistants want comprehensive, factual information

5. Build Genuine Authority

Fake expertise gets exposed quickly now. AI systems can cross-reference credibility. Platform algorithms recognise authentic engagement. Build real authority through genuine expertise.

The Reality Check

While you've been protecting your content from AI, your competitors have been embracing it. They're getting recommended by ChatGPT. They're showing up in Perplexity answers. They're being suggested by Claude.

Every day you maintain those crawler blocks is a day you're invisible to the future of search.

Still worried about AI "stealing" your content? That ship sailed when you published it on the internet. The only question now is whether AI will recommend your content or your competitor's. Your choice.

This isn't about abandoning Google SEO. Google still matters. But it's no longer the only thing that matters. Search Everywhere Optimisation means being findable wherever your customers look for answers.

The Bottom Line

Traditional SEO - optimising for Google - still matters. It's still important. It's still driving customers to businesses every day. But it's no longer enough on its own.

SEO is evolving to include everywhere people search. Google remains the foundation (they still dominate with 90%+ market share), but now we need to build on that foundation. Search Everywhere Optimisation doesn't replace Google SEO - it expands it to include all the new places customers are searching.

The search box is everywhere now. The question is: are you?

If you're still blocking AI crawlers, you're not protecting your content - you're protecting your competitors from competition. Time to tear down those walls and join the new search economy.

Don't Panic (But Don't Wait Either)

If all this sounds overwhelming, relax. Google isn't going anywhere. Your current SEO still works. This is about adding new channels as they become important, not abandoning what's working. Think of it as future-proofing, not emergency repair.

If you're a KickstartSEO client, here's the good news: we've already been moving you in this direction. Norman's been quietly preparing your content for AI search. We've been structuring your pages for answer engines. Your SEO fitness programme already includes these new exercises.

If you're not a client yet, maybe it's time for a chat? Check out our SEO services to see which programme fits your needs, or jump straight to a free website evaluation to see where you stand. Every big opportunity begins with a little conversation.

What we do now affects what results we get in the future. Norman is ready. Are you?

Because in 2026, if you're not optimised for everywhere, you're optimised for nowhere.

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