During his presentation at WordCamp US, Danny Sullivan, director of Google Search, emphasized the relevance of SEO (search engine optimization) and GEO (geographic optimization), stating that “good SEO is good GEO.” This comment underscores the need to consider both aspects in Google’s future search strategy. However, despite the relevance of SEO, Sullivan warned that this practice could be “depreciated,” suggesting that the future of searches on Google might focus more on providing direct answers than on traditional rankings.
A short course is no longer enough to learn SEO
Sullivan’s intervention took place in a context where several digital publishers expressed their concern about the effective decrease in organic click-through rates. Blogger Angie Drake pointed out that her click-through rate has dropped since the launch of the AI Overviews feature, despite the fact that impressions of her content have increased. Drake questioned Google about what measures will be taken to compensate publishers who have been harmed by this change, indicating that her sponsors are particularly concerned about this metric.
During the session, Sullivan also shared statistics and observations about current SEO trends and the impact of artificial intelligence, highlighting the need to adapt to a new way of searching for information online. Although SEO remains relevant today, Sullivan seems to agree with the opinions of experts like Michael King, who points out that SEO is in a phase of transition.
For those who wish to delve deeper into the topic, a link to the full video of Sullivan’s presentation is provided, where both SEO and GEO are discussed in detail, as well as other key points about the evolution of search on Google.