As I was writing my recent articles on Google search and AI, I began to pay attention to something that I always believed to be important in SEO: ranking position.
The number one position had been a clear-cut objective for a long time in SEO. The website that came up at the top of Google had a greater chance of receiving clicks and traffic. However, as I was researching the changes in Search, I began to think that ranking isn't the whole picture anymore.
Google Search is now providing information in more ways than ever before. AI Overviews can respond to a question before a user clicks on a website. The search can proceed as a conversation in AI Mode. Users are also able to search with an image, file, or other information types, rather than just keywords.
I have a new perspective on SEO visibility.
A site can be high in position and not get as much traffic as it could if Google shows a lot of information directly in the search experience itself. However, a business can show up in the AI-generated answer, visual search result, or recommendation without being #1 in the ranking.
This doesn't mean that rankings are not still relevant to me. They are still a key metric of SEO. But I don't want ranking number one to be the only thing I consider.
Visibility Is Becoming Bigger Than Rankings
Nowadays, I don't just look at the rank of a website when I do research on a topic. I also consider whether the brand is mentioned in AI answers, if the content is being referenced, if there is a bit of information about the business, and if it can be found in various forms of search.
The AI Overviews and AI Mode feature are where this comes into play. The search results page is no longer a list of websites. In addition to the organic results, a user might have to see an AI-generated response, images, videos, business information, and shopping results before landing on a webpage. This is an example of how a website can be visible even if it didn't get the same kind of click as a traditional search.
Clicks are Still Important, But Not Everything
As a digital marketer, I still care about clicks. To a business, the key metrics are traffic, leads, and conversions. But I also think there is value in being seen even when a user does not immediately click.
For instance, if a user searches for a product or service, and a brand is included in an AI response, that brand has already successfully entered the user's consideration. This also occurs if a brand is included in an image search result or a local search result. This is where it begins to matter more for a brand to show its presence.
When a user first encounters a business, he or she isn't ready to click. They might recall the name and look it up when they want to; they might go to the website directly, or they might check out reviews and other information first.
Search is Turning More Multimodal
I saw during my research that the search isn't limited to keywords anymore. People are now able to begin a search with images, documents, and other information. This transforms the concept of optimization. While traditional keyword research is still relevant, it can no longer portray the entire search journey. Images, original information, product details, business information, and the overall content of a website can all help search engines understand what the site is about and make it easier to discover.
My Personal View
I believe that the #1 ranking is not going away. I still want websites that I work on to get as high rankings as possible.
I think it is just that my perception of success has changed. But while researching Google's AI Search changes, I started looking at visibility differently. In my earlier research on Google's AI Search monitoring, I noticed that AI Mode is not only answering a search and stopping there. It can continue monitoring information from websites, forums, social posts, and other sources and notify users when something changes.
A brand being seen in various aspects of the search experience is preferable to simply one ranking position. There's a lot that can be learned from organic rankings, AI visibility, brand mentions, local visibility, image visibility, clicks, and conversions.
Search is getting more difficult, but that doesn't make SEO less important. I believe the definition of "SEO visibility" is expanding. Being the top search result isn't the sole definition of the future of SEO. It's the idea of being seen wherever the user goes in their search process.