Much like the meta keywords tag of the past, schema markup is frequently misused in attempts to game the algorithm.
Neither search engine is investing in expanding its support for Sschema beyond the basic types and attributes they currently recognize.
Instead, both focus on extracting information directly from pages through:
Advanced language analysis (i.e., small and large language models).
HTML5 elements like tables, lists and headings.
The future of SEO lies not in explicit semantics like schema markup but in implicit semantics. Think clear, on-page content that is consistently validated by multiple trusted sources.
10. Entity optimization is foundational but not as simple as you think
Entity optimization goes far beyond simply adding schema markup to webpages or obtaining a Knowledge Panel for a person or corporation – it’s just the beginning.
True entity optimization involves creating a highly confident understanding of the entity, which is essential for search algorithms.
This confidence is often overlooked but is crucial for search engines to accurately grasp every attribute of the entity and its relationships with other entities, such as persons, corporations, products, services, webpages, books, topics and cohorts.
To build this understanding, you must create a detailed and accurate network of relationships and attributes for your entity.
Maintaining this confidence means ensuring that this web of relationships remains stable as your digital footprint evolves over time.
Additionally, you must ensure that your representation of related entities aligns with their actual attributes and relationships, reinforcing the interconnectedness across the web.
Dig deeper: How to optimize for entities
11. Credibility is about N-E-E-A-T-T, not links
Google is increasingly capable of identifying the creators of content and the corporations that publish it.
As a result, it evaluates and applies credibility signals related to notability, experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness and transparency (N-E-E-A-T-T) across three levels:
The content itself.
The content creator.
The content publisher.
12. You cannot ignore conversational assistive search
People now rely on both traditional search and conversational assistive interfaces.
This means your SEO strategies must adapt to the conversational and multimodal nature of platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity and SERP features such as AI Overviews and Bing generative search.
Conversational, multimodal search is the future.
Fabrice Canel from Bing highlights the “bridges” between these platforms that move users seamlessly from one to another, depending on the task.
For instance:
ChatGPT now integrates Bing search.
Bing answers follow-up questions with generative AI.
AI Overviews dominate the top of Google’s SERP.
Google’s new Learn About experiment pushes multimodal search even further.
This shift is happening now, so you must optimize for these new platforms today before it’s too late.
13. Think beyond Google: Diversify your SEO strategy
Supply creates its own demand.
Assistive chatbots haven’t replaced search. They’ve expanded the ways we can leverage information gathered from the web, using algorithms to solve user problems.
As AI transforms the search and assistive engine landscape, Google’s dominance is waning.
AI-powered on-SERP features (i.e., Google AI Overviews and Bing generative search), along with off-SERP platforms (e.g., ChatGPT, Perplexity, Meta, Alexa, Siri, etc.), are becoming crucial for reaching audiences.
With billions of users across these platforms, ignoring them would be a missed opportunity.
This shift to a conversational, multimodal, and multichannel experience requires optimizing your content, corporate brand entities and key subject matter experts for all the BigTech algorithms.
Furthermore, AI bots are integrating more deeply into everyday tools like CoPilot+ PCs, Zapier, Canva, Gmail and Excel – creating new opportunities for those with a broad, beyond-Google SEO approach.
Dig deeper: Search everywhere optimization: 7 platforms SEOs need to optimize for beyond Google
Critical SEO shifts you can’t ignore in 2025
Search has expanded far beyond Google SERPs, and this shift is irreversible. While content-level SEO remains essential, it’s no longer sufficient alone.
As AI increasingly integrates into everyday platforms and tools, Google’s dominance is diminishing. Search now spans multiple modalities and channels.
People are engaging in search, research and assistance across text, voice, images and video using a variety of platforms.
Although the number of ways to engage potential customers has grown, Google and Bing still control the web’s indexing, keeping things relatively straightforward.
By maintaining strong, consistent content online, you can influence how search engines interact with your brand.
However, relying solely on Google is a mistake; Bing, which powers ChatGPT and many of Microsoft’s platforms, also plays a crucial role.
To thrive in today’s landscape, you must implement a universal strategy that optimizes your content, brand entities and subject matter experts for all the major search algorithms.
Doing so will ensure your survival and position you for success, as these new technologies offer vast opportunities for visibility and customer acquisition across the entire funnel.
In my next article, I will present a practical 13-point roadmap for navigating the future of AI-driven search and assistive engines, providing actionable steps to help you adapt to SEO’s new reality and capitalize on the evolving digital ecosystem.
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