It’s undeniable that search engine optimisation has evolved dramatically, especially over the last 5 years or so. The incorporation of AI summaries and queries into search engine results has driven unprecedented industry upheaval and the need for marketers and SEO providers to pivot to meet these new challenges and user expectations.

AI search results on Google and other modern search tools are here to stay, and meeting the needs of these is now intrinsic to successful SEO.

There is a LOT of misinformation and confusion around AI and SEO; sadly, much of this is promoted (intentionally or otherwise) by marketers and tech companies. But contrary to what so many of them would have you believe, SEO is NOT dead.

The opposite is true. SEO is the cornerstone of AI searches.

Let’s cut through some of the hype, the buzzwords, and the gimmicks, and get to the heart of the matter.

KEY INSIGHTS

SEO is the foundation and cornerstone of generative engine optimisation and AI optimisation. They can not exist or function without SEO.

In our professional and experienced opinion, AI SEO tools should be avoided at all costs for an array of reasons. You need to know that you are getting what you are paying for and whether your chosen SEO provider uses these tools for the campaigns they conduct on your behalf.

Unrivalled in terms of transparency and integrity, SEOcycle is an Australian-owned white-hat SEO agency based in Sydney. We offer economical, tailored SEO (including built-in AIO and GEO) solutions for B2B and B2C businesses of all sizes, in all industries.

Understanding the Jargon…

SEO = Search Engine Optimisation. Focused on search engines and aims to achieve higher ranks for organic searches in Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc., to attract organic traffic. Basic actions include:

Solid keyword research
High-value backlinking
Site optimisation
Technical SEO
Clear headings and metadata
High-value, original human-written content (landing pages, blog posts)

SEO is the FOUNDATION of all other types of optimisation.

AEO = Answer Engine Optimisation/AIO = Artificial Intelligence Optimisation. AEO i sfocused on answer engines and strives to be chosen as the direct answer on snippets and voice search using Siri, Alexa.

Focused on AI-assisted content, AIO also uses AI to optimise and create content (e.g. Google search results summaries). AI-generated answers pull content directly from the internet and present it without users being required to select or click any links.

Basic strategies include:

Add Q&As or FAQs to landing pages
Clear, concise, structured text-based answers
Use bullet points
Add schema markup to your website

GEO = Generative Engine Optimisation. Focused on generative AI, it strives to be referenced by AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity.

Basic strategies include:

Clear, logical content organisation
Create high-value, relevant, authoritative content
Use natural language and in-depth articles
Content must be original and ideally human-created

Content on your website should not be written by tools like ChatGPT or Copy.ai. These tools can be used to generate ideas, outline articles, and improve grammar/punctuation (e.g. Grammarly is a good tool for this), but content generated this way is, at best, generic and bland. Google can identify it, and it may be penalised by dropping ranks.

A high-value website, which will rank better in search engines for SEO, AIO, and GEO, and appeal best to human audiences, will be human-written. An experienced content writer/ghostblogger will have the research skills, writing prowess, and passion for their craft to deliver content that is original, unique, and stands out, informs, entertains, inspires, motivates, and converts without using AI.

(It’s also worth noting that a growing proportion of human audiences are actively pushing back and increasingly rejecting AI-generated content of all kinds, including the written word. This is particularly notable in conversations occurring more loudly and with greater frequency on X, for example. Having genuine, human-written content on your website, your blog, and your social media posts is going to set your brand apart in all the best ways.)

THE DANGERS OF AI AUTOMATED SEO

Some digital marketers and agencies have moved to using AI tools to deliver SEO/GEO/AIO campaigns for their clients. This can be a huge red flag.

AI SEO tools are used to automate keyword research, technical website audits, content drafting/creation, and GEO/AEO. They make life a lot easier (and a lot less actual work) for providers, but are their clients really getting what they’re paying for? Quite possibly (or even probably) not.

Moreover, their clients may be none the wiser, continuing to pay a premium for what are arguably (and sometimes objectively) substandard SEO services.

Some of these AI SEO tools have up to 50% poor reviews, based on everything from extremely substandard customer service to ultimately damaging their online visibility and brand reputation due to algorithmic penalties.

Reliance on AI SEO tools (especially when they are used exclusively for SEO campaigns) can pose severe risks to businesses. Google actively penalises black-hat SEO techniques; these tools tend to exploit such an approach, and while fast initial results may seem impressive, these unethical practices will ultimately be flagged, and penalties will be incurred. Is it really worth the risk?

Potential issues include:

generic, plagiarised, or unoriginal content
scaled content abuse (spam)
factual hallucinations and inaccurate data
plunging website click-through rates
loss of authenticity
poor E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness) scores
over-optimisation

Other Limitations and Risks of AI SEO Include:

AI bias in training data reflects and amplifies biases in outputs – and search results that fail to accurately represent the diverse content available.

Potential reliance on outdated, inaccurate, or incomplete data, poor SEO performance, misleading insights, and minimal effectiveness.

Lack of human oversight and creativity reduces engagement and content quality.

Security and privacy concerns and impacts on user trust.

How your chosen provider approaches their SEO and AIO services matters. ASK before you sign on with them (or choose an SEO provider like SEOcycle that does not require a lock-in contract).The onus is on the provider to be truthful and transparent; any provider with integrity (and your business’s best interest as their priority) will openly and happily disclose how they work.

Don’t You Deserve High Quality Comprehensive SEO Services Delivered with Transparency and Integrity?

SEOcycle is the answer.

At SEOcycle, we have significantly adapted our processes and techniques to meet the evolving needs of AI – and we are achieving great results for our clients for both organic SEO and AI penetration.

Always committed to remaining on the cusp of algorithmic updates and emerging industry trends, we have been delivering comprehensive up-to-date SEO solutions to clients of all sizes, across dozens of industries and hundreds of niches, since 2012. These include both our own clients as well as clients of several other web development and marketing agencies (with solutions delivered by us for them and their clients on a white-label basis).

We naturally incorporate AIO and GEO into our SEO strategies; they are, after all, intrinsic to each other, not separate entities.

What makes us stand out?

Alongside bespoke website design and web development services, SEO is our core focus here at SEOcycle. Unlike many (most?) other providers out there, we do not approach this niche area of digital marketing from a wider marketing perspective; our expertise is highly specialised, and we have committed technical resources and a dedicated, in-depth methodology and level of insight that a lot of digital marketers rarely achieve.

Our solutions also work successfully with wider marketing campaigns.

We also strive to build strong, lasting relationships with our clients (and we are very proud to have some clients who have been with us continuously for more than ten years). Unlike many large digital corporations, our customer service is personalised, convenient, with easy and reliable communication and utmost transparency. You always communicate directly with our owner/CEO, Rod, or, for written content creation/blogs, co-owner/head writer Alana.

We DO deliver weekly SEO reports.

We take no shortcuts.

We do not use automated AI SEO tools.

We do not lock our clients into long-term contracts.

We do not disappear or “go silent”.

We do not overcharge – our services are designed so that no matter how large or small your business is, you can afford the SEO solutions you require.

We also offer:

Contact us now to explore how partnering with us for SEO/AIO can help your business thrive online.