What Still Works from Traditional SEO

Good news: you don't have to start from scratch. Many SEO fundamentals remain essential for GEO. Let's identify what carries over and why.

The Foundation Still Matters

Traditional SEO built on principles that remain valid:

• Quality content wins — Both search engines and AI reward valuable content
• Technical accessibility — Content must be crawlable and accessible
• Authority signals — Credibility matters for both SEO and GEO
• User intent — Understanding what people are looking for

SEO Practices That Still Work for GEO

1. Quality Content Creation

Why it still works:

• AI training data includes high-quality web content
• RAG systems retrieve from search results (quality affects ranking)
• User engagement signals quality to both systems
• Good content gets cited and linked

Keep doing:

• Write comprehensive, valuable content
• Answer questions thoroughly
• Provide unique insights and perspectives
• Update content to keep it current

2. Keyword Research and Targeting

Why it still works:

• Users still search using words and phrases
• RAG systems formulate search queries from user questions
• Keywords help content match user intent
• Topic relevance is determined partly by terminology

Evolution for GEO:

• Think concepts, not just keywords
• Include semantic variations naturally
• Focus on answering questions, not stuffing keywords
• Consider how AI might phrase queries about your topic

3. Technical SEO Fundamentals

Why it still works:

• AI systems often rely on search engine indexes
• Crawlability determines discoverability
• Page speed affects user experience
• Mobile optimization is standard

Still essential:

• Fast page loading
• Mobile responsiveness
• Clean URL structures
• Proper indexing
• HTTPS security

4. On-Page Optimization

Why it still works:

• Title tags help identify page topics
• Meta descriptions appear in search results
• Heading structure aids comprehension
• Image alt text provides context

Continue doing:

• Descriptive, accurate title tags
• Compelling meta descriptions
• Logical heading hierarchy
• Alt text for images

5. Content Structure and Formatting

Why it still works:

• Headings help both users and AI understand content
• Lists and tables are easy to parse
• Clear paragraphs improve readability
• Structured content is easier to cite

Maintain:

• Clear H1, H2, H3 hierarchy
• Bulleted and numbered lists
• Short paragraphs
• Scannable formatting

6. Internal and External Linking

Why it still works:

• Links help discover related content
• External links signal credibility
• Internal links establish topic clusters
• Link context provides semantic information

Keep linking:

• Link to authoritative sources
• Build internal link structures
• Use descriptive anchor text
• Maintain a logical site architecture

7. E-E-A-T Signals

Why it still works:

• Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness
• These signals influence both Google and AI citation decisions
• Credibility assessment is core to both systems

Continue building:

• Author bylines and credentials
• About pages and company information
• Citations to authoritative sources
• Transparent business practices

8. Fresh, Updated Content

Why it still works:

• Search engines value recent content for timely topics
• AI systems consider freshness in retrieval
• Outdated information erodes trust
• Regular updates signal active maintenance

Keep updating:

• Review content regularly
• Update statistics and dates
• Add new information as it emerges
• Note when content was last updated

SEO Metrics That Remain Relevant

Still valuable metrics:

Metric	Why It Still Matters
Organic traffic	Indicates discoverability
Rankings for target keywords	Affects RAG retrieval
Backlinks	Signal authority
Page speed	User and crawl experience
Indexation	Prerequisite for visibility
Click-through rate	Indicates relevance

The SEO-to-GEO Transition

Think of GEO as SEO+ rather than a replacement:

1. SEO gets you discovered — Content must be findable first
2. GEO gets you cited — Additional optimizations for AI
3. Together they maximize visibility — Cover both channels

The relationship:

Traditional SEO → Discovery in search results
                        ↓
AI systems use search results for RAG
                        ↓
GEO optimizations → Citation in AI responses

Case Study: Content That Works for Both

Consider a guide on "How to choose a CRM":

Good for SEO:

• Targets "how to choose CRM" keyword
• Comprehensive coverage (2,500+ words)
• Clear heading structure
• Internal links to related content
• Updated date shown

Also good for GEO:

• Specific criteria with explanations
• Comparison tables with concrete data
• Expert author credentials
• Citable facts and statistics
• Clear, direct answers to common questions

The same content can serve both purposes with intentional optimization.

Summary

In this lesson, you learned:

• Traditional SEO fundamentals remain essential for GEO
• Quality content, technical SEO, and E-E-A-T still matter
• Keyword research evolves to include semantic understanding
• On-page optimization and content structure carry over
• SEO gets you discovered; GEO gets you cited
• The best approach combines both for maximum visibility

In the next lesson, we'll explore the key differences when optimizing for AI versus traditional search engines.