The Future of SEO: AI and Strategies for LLM-based SEO

The future of SEO is to see it as a philosophy of brand discovery, not a package of "tricks". The brand comes first because, done well, it sustains organic traffic, improves conversion and reduces Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC).

The work starts with the marketing strategy and SEO strategy (with well-defined inbound marketing and content marketing), moves on to the tactical - architecture, content optimization, user experience, SEO techniques - and only then goes to the channels.

The future is not just Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), it also includes SEO for LLMs (Large Language Models) and, above all, the orchestration of searches on multiple surfaces, which requires a digital presence prepared for the new form of search and for different user intentions.

Today, it's expensive to be on everything, but with Artificial Intelligence (AI) it's feasible to produce quality content at scale, without giving up human voice and governance.

What you'll see in today's content:

• What the future of SEO looks like and how to apply it in practice
• Why the brand should be the priority in SEO
• How to link strategy, tactics and channels in SEO
• How to organize searches in Web, Video, Local, Social, Marketplaces and AI
• What GEO is and how to prepare content to be cited by LLMs
• How AI makes it possible to increase organic presence without losing quality
• How to put together a 90-day SEO roadmap and what to do at each stage
• How to measure SEO by pillar and channel and turn data into decisions
• Key learnings about the future of SEO and how to prepare your strategy for AI and LLMs

Happy reading!

What does the future of SEO look like and how can it be applied in practice?

The future of SEO is to see it as a living brand discovery system. Instead of chasing tricks, we think in three layers that talk to each other:

(1) strategy: promise, positioning and point of view;

(2) tactical execution: information architecture, content, data and user experience (UX);

(3) channel orchestration: website/blog, YouTube, Local/Maps, Social, marketplaces and generative layers (SEO LLM).

The goal is no longer to "rank a page" but to be found, remembered and cited on any search surface.

How this appears in your daily life (real example for educational marketing): imagine someone searching for "best postgraduate course in distance learning digital marketing". The person:

• reads a comparative guide on Google (Web),
• watches a review on YouTube,
• checks ratings and timetables on Maps,
• saves a carousel on Instagram/TikTok,
• and receives an AI-generated summary bringing it all together.

Your brand only enters this conversation if there is a well-structured canonical page (with content optimization), coherent video, local pages, activations on Social and citable blocks (short summary + table + source) to favor LLM SEO.

This is content marketing orchestrated with inbound marketing and SEO strategy within marketing strategy.

Why does it matter now and what does it change for your SEO strategy?

• Liquid and multimodal journeys. Search is fragmented: Google, YouTube, TikTok, marketplaces and forums coexist with the new form of search (multimodal). Without a consistent digital presence, your brand becomes an extra.
• AI without a "secret hack". To appear on AI resources, there is no magic meta tag: SEO techniques, useful content and UX are essential. Producing content with AI is great, as long as there is human review, sources and editorial responsibility.
• Organized authority wins. Brands that structure pillar themes and citable formats (short definitions, lists, tables, FAQs) tend to be referenced by people and mechanisms. When supported, use rich content (schema.org). The result is more quality organic traffic, which really moves the business needle.

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Why should the brand be the priority in SEO?

How to make the brand the main acquisition channel and why "SEO starts with the strategic"?

When someone finds your company through search, they compare, hesitate and look for signs of trust.

This is where the brand reduces friction, guides the decision and powers the rest of the digital marketing operation (from content marketing to inbound marketing ).

Without this base, any tactical gain in organic traffic tends to be short-lived; with it, each piece of content, video and local page yields more because the audience already recognizes who is talking.

How can we make the brand the main acquisition channel?

When acquisition depends more and more on paid media, it's not always a sign that organic doesn't work, it's often a sign of a lack of brand.

In a scenario of fragmented journeys (Google, YouTube, networks, maps and AI-generated responses), the brand acts as a mental shortcut: it reduces doubt, shortens the comparison and takes the friction out of the click.

In practice, it's the difference between being "just another result" and being the obvious choice for those who already recognize you.

From a digital marketing point of view, solid branding improves your organic traffic because it speaks to user intent and gives context to your content marketing and inbound marketing assets.

This translates into a coherent digital presence: those who have heard of you tend to click more, trust you more and convert with less friction.

A strong brand reduces the cost of convincing at each stage of the consumer journey. In organic, this shows up as:

• More clicks (higher CTR - Click-Through Rate) on results with your name.
• More conversions (trust and familiarity).
• More brand searches, which stabilize the volume of organic traffic.

How to start SEO strategy and how to implement it step by step?

When we say that SEO starts with strategy, we're talking about clarity of direction before any publication.

It's about aligning the business, value proposition and audience (Ideal Customer Profile - ICP) with the marketing strategy and SEO strategy, defining pillar themes and the message you want search to confirm.

From there, tactics (architecture, content optimization, content marketing and inbound marketing) and channels come in to serve the thesis, not to generate random volume.

In practical terms, this means mapping user intent by topic, choosing the right format (definition, table, how-to, comparison, local page) and defining evidence (data, cases) to support each assertion.

Before "blogging", answer:

1. What is the brand promise that the search must confirm?
2. Which pillar topics need to associate your brand with a solution?
3. What evidence (cases, data, research) backs up your authority?

When this basis is clear, content and channels stop being random and become means of reinforcing the brand's thesis.

How do you link strategy, tactics and channels in SEO (in the right order)?

If you've ever found yourself publishing "8 posts a month" and still feel that nothing has changed in the sales funnel, the problem is rarely "lack of posts". It's almost always a lack of direction.

The professional path inverts the logic of volume: first strategic clarity (promise, ICP, pillar themes), then tactical (architecture, content, data, UX) and finally channels (website/blog, YouTube, Local, Social, marketplaces and SEO LLM).

When this order is lost, you get disjointed content, low retention and wasted budget, even with peaks in organic traffic.

Correct order: Strategy → Tactics → Channels. A common mistake: starting with the channel (e.g. "we need 8 posts a month") and adapting the strategy later.

What goes into each layer of SEO and how do they connect?

If strategy is the direction, tactics is the how and channels are where people find you.

The three layers feed back into each other: strategy defines the promise and pillar themes; tactics transforms this into architecture, content marketing, content optimization and user experience; and channels distribute and return signals (CTR, retention, brand searches) to adjust the next cycle.

The table below summarizes who does what and how to measure without falling into the trap of volume for volume's sake.

Table 01: Layers of the new SEO (with deliverables and KPIs)

How to design site architecture based on user intent?

Architecture is not a spreadsheet of URLs; it is the map that connects real questions to pages that solve them, in the right format (definition, how-to, comparison, location).

In this section, we start from the user intent map to define canonical pages and satellite assets, apply structured data where there is a resource (gaining rich content) and organize interlinks so that humans and engines - including SEO LLM - find, understand and want to cite your content.

The result: more qualified organic traffic and less wasted effort.

Map intent (informational, comparative, transactional, local). For each cluster, define a canonical page (the "master piece") and satellite assets (comparisons, checklists, videos, FAQs). The aim is to respond like a manual - short at the top, detailed below.

• Use the concept of user intent to choose the format (definition, table, how-to, review, local page, etc.).
• Apply structured data when there is a compatible resource: rich content (FAQ, HowTo, Product, Event, Article, Review...).
• Signpost EEAT (experience, expertise, authority, reliability): author, date, sources, evidence.

How to organize searches in Web, Video, Local, Social, Marketplaces and AI?

In real life, your customer doesn't do a "single search" - they zigzag between Web, YouTube, Maps, social networks, marketplaces and even AI-generated answers.

For your brand to appear and be chosen along this path, you need to orchestrate coherent signals on each surface: Web (canonical pages, structured data), Video (responsive scripts with chapters), Local (Company Profile + local pages), Social (native formats and social proof), Marketplaces (complete sheets and reviews) and SEO LLM (citable blocks with summary, table and source).

Below, you'll see where purchasing journeys begin, which formats win by intent and what to measure so as not to waste budget while maintaining a digital presence consistent and empathetic.

Where do shopping journeys really take place today?

People don't search in just one place. In practice, they combine them:

• Google (links, images, news and generative summaries),
• YouTube (tutorials, reviews, "how to"),
• Visual and multimodalsearch (Lens/Multisearch), the new form of search,
• Social networks as a discovery and verification mechanism (e.g. TikTok),
• Marketplaces (Amazon and the like),
• Local/Maps (for "near me").

Which formats work best for each search intent?

Choosing the right format is what makes the user feel that you have "read their mind".

People in discovery want quick definitions and examples; in evaluation, they need clear comparisons; in task, they expect step-by-step; in location, they look for social proof and practicality; and in purchase, they demand complete factsheets and trust.

The table below maps out intent → where it usually starts → format that tends to win → what to measure, to guide your prioritization without waste.

Whenever supported, use structured data to enable rich content and think about citable blocks (summary + bullets + source) to favor LLM SEO, all aligned with the user's intent map.

Table 02: Intention × Starting channel × Winning format

How does Local/Maps impact conversion and what to set up in your Company Profile?

When the search has local intent, people want to solve something now and close by.

The algorithm of the local ecosystem takes into account three simple forces: relevance (how well you meet what was searched for), distance (how close you are) andprominence (reviews, photos, mentions).

In practice, this calls for clear categories and descriptions, consistent NAP, recent reviews with replies, real photos and local pages on the site that reinforce the proposal.

If you look good on Maps and deliver context on the local page, friction drops and conversion goes up.

But if your business has stores, clinics, offices or regional service, your organic strategy needs the Local pillar:

• Completecompany profile on Google (categories, description, photos, opening hours),
• Local pages on the website, with consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone),
• Active collection of reviews and public responses.

What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and how do you prepare content to be cited by LLMs?

When someone asks a question on an AI engine (Google withAI Overviews/Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity etc.), the system "reads" pages and decides what to summarize and quote.

It favors clear, verifiable content that is consistent with the question, not far-fetched texts.

This is why GEO is not a substitute for SEO: without real traceability, structure and usefulness, there is nothing to generate. GEO is about extending the fundamentals of SEO to the generative layer, making your content easy to understand, summarize and reference.

How to produce "citable" content (in practice)

• Summary block at the top (70-100 words) that directly answers the question + 2-4 actionable bullets + source.
• Comparative tables with explicit criteria (what counts, who it's for, pros/limits) and a short verdict.
• Coherent headings (H2/H3/H4) and clean semantics; each section must deliver what it promises in the title.
• Explicit and up-to-date data: figures, dates, methodology, author/bio and update date.
• Reliable supporting links (official documentation, studies) and interlinks to related internal pages.
• Structured data when there is a compatible resource (FAQ/HowTo/Product/Event) to enable rich content.
• ImpeccableSEO techniques: useful titles and targets, performance, mobile-first and accessibility.

Quick example: if the question is "What's the difference between course X and Y?", deliver an X vs. Y table with objective criteria, a verdict for each profile and links to the canonical pages. This increases the chance of LLM SEO using your content as a reference.

Image: The future of SEO with AI and LLM SEO: how to prepare your strategy for the new digital landscape

How does AI make it possible to increase organic presence without losing quality?

If your marketing team feels they "can't cope" with producing for blog, video, social, local and updating everything, AI comes in as a co-pilot, not a magic shortcut.

It reduces the time it takes to produce content and transform formats, but quality, brand voice and strategic prioritization remain human.

And this is where an SEO professional makes all the difference: they connect business objectives to search strategy, prioritize topics by intent and impact, ensure editorial governance (sources, review and update), translate data (impressions, CTR, conversion, local signals) into decisions and integrate Web, Video, Local and SEO LLM into a coherent narrative - avoiding shallow content, duplication and the risks of AI "hallucination".

The aim is to gain scale safely: more good pieces, coherent with the SEO and content marketing strategy, not just more volume.

How to use AI in content without losing quality?

AI speeds up research, variations by channel and maintenance; editorial judgment remains human. Guide your team with clear policies:

• Data origin and fact-checking (what is a primary source? how do you validate it?).
• Mandatoryhuman review (two people signal risk/precision before publishing).
• Transparency: author, date, sources and update note visible.
• Update/removal criteria: when to update, when to redirect, when to deindex.
• Voice and limits: style guide; topics that will not be generated by AI (e.g. opinion, diagnoses, sensitive content).

What steps does AI most help with on a daily basis?

• Research & briefing: clustering SERPs, capturing real questions, mapping gaps and generating outlines with hypotheses.
• Transcoding: turning a guide into a video script (with chapters), carousel and FAQ, while maintaining the user's intent.
• Standardization: create templates (summary, table, bullets) for pillar and satellite content; gain consistency.
• Continuous updating: identify key pages that have lost traffic/CTR, suggest passages to be rewritten and broken links.

Table 03: Today vs. with AI

How to put together a 90-day roadmap for SEO and what to do in each phase?

A 90-day roadmap gives you the focus and cadence to get the strategy off the ground without getting lost in the volume.

Think of three interlocking acts: Foundation (1-30) to prepare the base and signal authority; Distribution & Evidence (31-60) to gain traction with content and evidence; and GEO & Continuous Optimization (61-90) to consolidate citable standards and adjust for performance.

Below, see what to do, why to do it and how to observe each stage.

Days 1-30: How to build the foundation?

Objective: prepare the ground for growth without reworking. Successful look: architecture and pillar pages published; technical/UX base up to date; local presence organized.

• Define 3-5 pillar themes and their canonical pages.
• For each theme, create satellite assets: comparison, checklist, case study, video (1 long + 2 short) - integrated by internal links.
• Implement schema when there is a compatible resource (FAQ, HowTo, Product, Event, Article).
• Audit UX/performance (Core Web Vitals, mobile-first, accessibility).
• Structure Site: Company Profile, pages by city/unit, consistent NAP, review playbook.

Days 31-60: How to distribute and collect evidence?

Objective: to gain traction and trust in the pillar themes. Successful look: interlinks working, pillar contents with citable blocks, first public evidence.

• Publish and interlink canonicals ↔ satellites ↔ videos.
• Create citable blocks (summary + bullets + source) in pillar content.
• Generate internal PAA (People Also Ask) (questions in H3/H4 with answers of 70-120 words).
• Build authority proofs (original data, cases, testimonials, certifications).

Days 61-90: How to apply GEO and optimize continuously?

Objective: consolidate citable standards and adjust for performance. Successful look: standardized tables/FAQs, pages with better CTR/retention, presence in generative responses.

• Standardize comparison tables and FAQs with scannability.
• Update pages with low CTR or retention.
• Maintain an editorial review routine and update sources/dates.
• Map queries where your brand doesn't appear in generative summaries and reinforce the clarity of answers in canonical ones.

How do you measure SEO by pillar and channel and turn data into decisions?

If you measure everything, you end up deciding nothing. Good metrics need to point to a clear next step.

Always think about this trio:

(1) are we being found?

(2) are we being chosen?

(3) does this turn into business results?

The panel below is designed to link number → decision and avoid vanity metrics.

What to measure, by pillar and by channel and the decision that each metric triggers?

• Brand:brand searches (Search Console), share of search, qualified mentions, direct traffic.
→
• Decision: if it drops for 3-4 weeks, reinforce brand campaigns and publish studies/cases that generate recall.
• Organic Web:Organic traffic (GA4), impressions, CTR, median position (Search Console), conversions
• .
→
• Decision: if impressions rise and CTR falls, rewrite titles/targets and improve the summary block; if position falls, review quality, internal linking and user intent of the page.
• Video (YouTube): average retention, watch time, thumbnail CTR, clicks back to the site.
→
• Decision: if retention < 35% halfway through the video, re-record initial hook and add chapters.
• Local: profile views, actions (calls, routes, messages), response rate/time to reviews.
→
• Decision: if average score < 4.3, activate review collection routine and respond within 48 hours; update categories/photos and link to local pages.
• Generative layer / GEO: presence/citation in AI answers, consistency of summaries, alignment of the quotable block with FAQs.
→
• Decision: if summaries ignore your brand, reinforce tables/FAQs and clarity of answers on canonical pages.
• Business: MQLs/SQLs, CAC, LTV, payback, funnel speed.
→
• Decision: if CAC rises with stagnant organic, prioritize pillar topics with higher intent and optimize conversions (social proof, CTAs, forms).

How to set up a minimum panel that generates action (traffic light)?

• Traffic light by pillar topic: Green (growing), Yellow (stable), Red (falling). → Action: topics in red receive content updates and interlink reinforcement.
• Top 10 pillar pages: CTR below theme? → Action: update title/target, summary block and test short FAQ (H3/H4) with 2-3 real questions.
• Videos by theme: retention < 35% in the middle of the video? → Action: new hook in first 10s, chapters and final screen with next step.
• Local: average score < 4.3? → Action: review process + response within 48 hours; real photos; UTM on profile buttons to measure impact on the site.

What do you take away from this and what's the next step in your SEO?

If you've made it this far, you've already realized that the future of SEO isn't about hacks, but about how your brand will be found: strategy before tactics, brand as a priority and orchestration between Web, Video, Local, Social and generative layers. AI comes in as a co-pilot to give scale, but the direction remains human.

Brand as channel. SEO as orchestration. AI as a multiplier. By prioritizing brand, organizing authority themes, producing citable blocks and orchestrating formats by intent, you build a resilient digital presence - capable of appearing on Google, YouTube, multimodal searches, Local and AI-generated responses.

Suggested next step: choose 3 pillar themes, publish 1 canonical page per theme with summary block + comparison table + FAQ in H3/H4, and derive 1 long video + 2 short ones per theme.

In 90 days, reassess CTR, retention and conversions per pillar and strengthen what works.

Key learnings about the future of SEO and how to prepare your strategy for AI and LLMs

The future of SEO requires treating search as an orchestration of brand discovery: start with strategy (promise, positioning and pillar themes), translate it into tactics (information architecture, useful content, UX and structured data where appropriate) and only then distribute it across channels (Web/Blog, YouTube, Local/Maps, Social, marketplaces and SEO LLM layer).

To be cited by generative models, offer "citable" blocks (short summary at the top, clear lists/tables, objective FAQs, sources and dates), reinforcing EEAT with author and evidence. AI is a copilot, not a shortcut: use it for research, briefing and continuous updating without sacrificing human review and editorial governance.

In 90 days, focus on: (1-30) foundation with canonical pages by theme and technical/UX basis; (31-60) distribution + evidence (cases, data) and interlinks; (61-90) standardization of tables/FAQs and adjustments by CTR/retention, including presence in generative responses.

Always measure by pillar and channel: "are we found?", "are we chosen?" and "does it turn into business results?".

If SEO today is about orchestrating discovery, the sales funnel has also changed, becoming more non-linear, with comings and goings between Web, Video, Local, Social and AI-generated summaries.

To turn attention into preference and preference into demand, it's worth understanding how LLM SEO reconfigures each stage of the sales funnel.

What does the future of SEO look like and how can it be applied in practice?

The future of SEO is to see optimization as a living system of brand discovery, not a set of tricks. The ideal structure unites three connected layers:

1. Strategy: defines promise, positioning and point of view;
2. Tactics: translates strategy into architecture, content and user experience;
3. Channels: distribute content across Web, Video, Local, Social, Marketplaces and generative layers (SEO LLM).

The focus is no longer on "ranking pages" but on "being found and cited" on all search surfaces.

Why should the brand be the priority in SEO?

Because it is the brand that sustains organic traffic and conversion.
When the public recognizes and trusts the brand, pages, videos and content have higher CTR, better retention and more conversions.
A solid brand reduces the cost of acquisition (CAC), reinforces inbound marketing and turns SEO into a sustainable acquisition channel.

How do you connect strategy, tactics and channels in SEO?

The correct sequence is:
Strategy → Tactics → Channels.

• Strategy defines the brand's thesis and pillar themes.
• Tactics transforms this thesis into architecture, content and UX.
• Channels (website, blog, YouTube, Local, Social and SEO LLM) distribute and collect performance signals.

Ignoring this order leads to disconnected actions and superficial results.

How do you orchestrate Web, Video, Local, Social, Marketplaces and AI searches?

Today, searches are multichannel and multimodal. A user can watch videos, consult Maps, search on Google and read AI summaries - all in the same journey.
That's why it's essential to create coherent signals in each environment:

• Web: canonical pages and structured data;
• Video: objective scripts and chapters;
• Local: complete forms and evaluations;
• Social: native content and social proof;
• AI: citable blocks (summary + bullets + source).

Consistency between channels strengthens authority and improves SEO performance.

What is GEO and how do you prepare content to be cited by LLMs?

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the evolution of traditional SEO.
It aims to make content easy to read, understand and cite by language models (LLMs).
Content that can be cited must have:

• Initial summary block (70-100 words);
• Clear and objective bullets;
• Comparative tables and verdicts;
• Up-to-date data, sources and authorship;
• Clean semantic structure and structured data (Schema FAQ/HowTo/Article).

These elements increase the chances of being cited in AI-generated responses.

How does AI help scale SEO without losing quality?

AI acts as a co-pilot, automating parts of the process - research, briefing and format adaptation - while the curator and brand voice remain human.
It allows you to scale quality content while maintaining consistency and editorial governance.
With clear guidelines, AI reduces execution time without compromising the accuracy, authenticity and consistency of the content.

How do I put together a 90-day roadmap for SEO?

A 90-day plan ensures focus and cadence:

• Days 1-30 (Foundation): define pillar themes, create canonical pages, adjust UX and structured data.
• Days 31-60 (Distribution and Testing): linking content, creating citable blocks and publishing cases and testimonials.
• Days 61-90 (Optimization and GEO): standardize tables, review CTR and retention, adjust responses for LLM SEO.

In 90 days, it is possible to validate hypotheses and reinforce what performs best.

How do you measure results and turn data into decisions?

The ideal metric needs to generate action.
Think of the trio: being found, being chosen, generating results.

• Brand: brand searches and mentions;
• Web: impressions, CTR, conversions;
• Video: retention and engagement;
• Local: ratings and interactions;
• AI (GEO): citations and consistency of summary blocks.

The focus is on avoiding vanity metrics and connecting each number to a practical decision.

What role does AI play in the future of SEO?

AI is a multiplier, not a substitute.
It expands the capacity for creation and analysis, but it is human planning that guarantees coherence and purpose.
The combination of strong branding, structured content and AI applied with governance defines the SEO of the future - strategic, reliable and scalable.