Short answer: SEO remains the foundation of online visibility in 2026, but rankings and traffic no longer tell the whole story. Businesses also need to make their expertise useful in generative search experiences (GEO) and help relevant website visitors take a logical next step (CRO).
The traditional route still exists: someone searches in Google, clicks a result and visits a website. It is simply no longer the only route.
Google provides answers through AI Overviews and AI Mode. ChatGPT and Perplexity can use and cite current web sources. This creates two additional questions: is your organisation recognised as a relevant source, and do you create enough value from the visitors who do reach your website?
Three disciplines now come together: SEO makes information discoverable, GEO helps make expertise usable and recognisable in generative search experiences, and CRO improves what happens after the click. They do not replace one another; they reinforce one another.
What changes for SEO in 2026?
SEO is not disappearing because of AI. Google says that existing SEO principles remain relevant to AI Overviews and AI Mode. A page still needs to be crawlable, indexable, technically sound and relevant. There are no separate technical requirements or special AI schema needed to be eligible.
What is changing is how information is found and presented. For complex questions, generative search experiences can investigate multiple subtopics and combine information from several sources. A page therefore needs to do more than match one keyword: it should cover a subject clearly, credibly and usefully.
Google recommends creating unique, valuable content for people rather than publishing a near-identical page for every keyword variation. That is consistent with sustainable SEO: answer relevant questions, add genuine expertise and build on a strong technical foundation.
Sources: Google Search Central on AI features and Google’s guide to AI search experiences.
From isolated keywords to questions and business problems
A traditional query might be “SEO agency Netherlands”. In an AI environment, someone might ask:
How can a technical B2B company generate more enquiries from Google when its current website mainly contains product information?
This richer question includes context, audience, problem, constraints and a desired outcome. Modern keyword research should therefore be combined with customer questions, search intent, commercial obstacles, industry knowledge and sales insights.
The goal is not to ignore keywords. It is to understand the problem behind the query and provide the best answer and next step.
What GEO is—and what it is not
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization. The term refers to improving the visibility of brands and information in generative search and answer environments such as Google AI Mode, ChatGPT Search and Perplexity.
GEO is not a magical replacement for SEO. Google explicitly states that good SEO also supports visibility in its AI features. In practice, GEO uses the same strong foundations, with extra attention to clear answers, sources, freshness, entities, topical coherence and demonstrable expertise.
Content for modern search environments should be:
- technically accessible and connected through logical internal links;
- clearly written and sufficiently comprehensive;
- supported by unique experience, examples or analysis;
- transparent about authorship, sources and update dates;
- aligned with real questions from potential customers.
GEO is not about producing as much AI content as possible
Generic articles add little value when hundreds of websites say the same thing. AI can assist with research and structure, but Google warns that scaled content without added value may violate its spam policies. Human expertise, review and original examples remain essential.
Read more: Google on responsible use of generative AI for web content.
Why trust and E-E-A-T matter in practice
Google uses E-E-A-T as a framework for quality: experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust. It is not a single score that can be increased directly, but its underlying principles are practical.
Explain who created the information, what conclusions are based on, when content was updated and which experience or sources support it. Publish genuine cases and results when they become available, without inventing statistics or testimonials.
Authority is not built through volume alone. It grows through a coherent combination of strong service pages, useful articles, clear positioning, evidence and reliable technical execution.
Why CRO is becoming more important at the same time
AI results can answer informational questions before someone visits a website. Not every query therefore needs to produce a click, making the commercial quality of the visits you do receive more important.
Conversion optimisation identifies where relevant visitors drop off and which improvements have the greatest expected impact. This includes positioning, information hierarchy, proof, calls to action, forms, mobile usability, performance and the wider customer journey.
More traffic does not automatically mean more results. A simplified example: 10,000 visits converting at 0.5% generate 50 enquiries; 5,000 visits converting at 2% generate 100. This is an illustration, not a forecast. Actual performance depends on traffic quality, proposition, market and measurement.
Good CRO is broader than A/B testing
With sufficient traffic, experiments can be useful. At lower volumes, statistically reliable A/B tests are often impractical. Meaningful improvements can still be guided by analytics, user research, qualitative analysis, usability and behavioural principles, and established CRO practices—without guaranteeing a conversion increase.
SEO, GEO and CRO as one system
- SEO helps search engines find, understand and rank your content.
- GEO broadens the focus to the usefulness of your expertise in generative search experiences.
- CRO helps relevant visitors build confidence and take an appropriate next step.
Together they form a logical path: discoverability → recognisable expertise → relevant visits → trust → conversion → learning and improvement.
This is why VDW prefers to connect websites, SEO, GEO and CRO from the outset. Each can also be delivered separately, but together they offer a fuller view of what is limiting digital growth.
Technical accessibility for AI systems
In addition to search engines, some AI services use their own crawlers. OpenAI uses OAI-SearchBot to make websites discoverable in ChatGPT Search. Perplexity uses PerplexityBot so pages can appear and be linked in its search results.
Review your robots.txt, firewall and bot protection settings deliberately. Allowing access makes discovery possible, but does not guarantee inclusion, ranking or citation. See OpenAI’s guidance for publishers and Perplexity’s crawler documentation.
Do you need an llms.txt file?
Google does not use llms.txt as a special requirement. It does not replace crawlability, site architecture, internal links or strong content. Treat it as an optional convention rather than a ranking or citation shortcut.
Structured data is useful, but not an AI shortcut
Structured data can help search engines understand visible content. Use Article, Organization, BreadcrumbList, Product or LocalBusiness where appropriate, and make sure the markup matches what visitors can see. A single schema property cannot guarantee an AI citation.
How to build content that keeps working in 2026
Answer the main question quickly
Provide a clear answer near the top instead of making readers work through generic marketing copy.
Then add useful depth
Explain how something works, when it matters, who it suits, what the limitations are and which next step makes sense.
Add first-hand expertise
Use practical experience, processes, original analysis and genuine case material to make content distinctive and verifiable.
Support factual claims
Link to primary or authoritative sources when relevant. Distinguish facts from experience, interpretation and expectation.
Build content clusters, not a content pile
Choose subjects where you want to establish demonstrable expertise. Connect a central service page to deeper articles about questions, costs, processes, security, implementation and real examples.
Seven actions your organisation can take now
- Review the technical SEO foundation. Are important pages crawlable, indexable, fast and internally accessible?
- Review relevant AI crawlers. Are OAI-SearchBot or PerplexityBot blocked intentionally or accidentally?
- Map commercial questions. Which real problems and considerations do potential customers have?
- Improve existing content. Update thin or outdated pages before producing many new ones.
- Add evidence and expertise. Use real experience, examples, author information and reliable sources.
- Analysis conversion. Which pages attract relevant traffic but rarely lead to a next step?
- Measure beyond rankings. Track qualified leads, appointments, conversions, branded search and relevant referrals from AI platforms.
The future is not SEO versus GEO versus CRO
Strong SEO has limited value when relevant visitors cannot move forward. CRO has limited value when nobody finds the website. And strong expertise performs poorly when search and AI systems cannot technically access or understand it.
Modern visibility is therefore not about maximising traffic. It is about being present at relevant moments, building trust and helping people move forward.
Find where your website is missing opportunities
VDW assesses your website across SEO, GEO, CRO and usability. You receive a written analysis with three clear improvement priorities, without an obligatory sales call.