Ensuring continuous discoverability with agentic AI for SEO

In our Rethinking SEO in the age of AI article, we briefly explored how AI might move beyond simple prompt-and-response interactions. One emerging direction is agentic AI. Systems that can take action, not just generate answers. While this space is still evolving, we’re already seeing early signs of tools that can identify gaps, suggest improvements, and adapt to changing trends with minimal input. If these capabilities continue to develop, they could reshape how we think about maintaining continuous discoverability in SEO.

Key takeaways

  • Agentic AI for SEO represents a shift from traditional visibility and ranking to being trusted and understood by AI systems
  • The web’s structure remains stable, but interaction through AI agents changes how content is accessed and consumed
  • SEO must evolve to focus on being structured, reliable, and adaptable for AI interpretation
  • Challenges include data quality, integration complexity, and balancing automation with human judgment
  • The future of discoverability in an agent-driven web emphasizes collaboration between AI and human insight, expanding SEO’s role beyond just ranking

Understanding the coexistence of web and AI agents

Before understanding agentic SEO, let’s first look at the role of AI in shaping the web. Is it staying the same, or quietly changing?

For a long time, the web has been more than just a collection of pages. It has functioned as an interconnected graph of entities. Websites representing people, businesses, ideas, and concepts, all linked together through content, context, and trust. This structure, often referred to as the open web, has remained relatively stable for decades. Humans created content, users discovered it through search or links, and meaning was formed through exploration.

What seems to be shifting now is not the structure itself, but how that web is accessed and consumed.

Earlier, discovery was largely a direct interaction between humans and websites. You searched, clicked, read, compared, and formed your own conclusions. Today, AI systems are increasingly stepping into that journey. They sit between the user and the web, interpreting, summarizing, and sometimes even deciding which information to surface.

This is where the idea of AI agents begins to emerge. Not just as tools that generate responses, but as systems that can navigate the web, retrieve information, and potentially act on it. Early examples, such as experiments in natural language interfaces like NLWeb, hint at a web that can be interacted with more conversationally, without losing its openness and interconnectedness.

Some refer to this shift as the beginning of an “agentic web.” But it’s important to see it less as a complete transformation and more as a layer forming on top of the existing web. The open web still exists, content is still created by people, and links still matter. What’s evolving is how that content is discovered, interpreted, and used.

And that shift in interaction is where things start to get interesting for SEO.

Read more: Yoast collaborates with Microsoft to help AI understand Open Web

What will SEO mean in agentic web?

If AI agents are starting to reshape how people interact with the web, it naturally raises a follow-up question: where does that leave SEO?

For years, SEO has largely been about helping users find your content. You optimized for rankings, improved visibility on search engines, and relied on users to click, read, and navigate. But if AI agents begin to mediate that journey, not just retrieving information but interpreting and acting on it, then SEO may need to expand its role.

Not necessarily replace what exists, but build on top of it.

From ranking pages to being selected by systems

In a more agent-driven environment, discoverability may no longer depend solely on where you rank, but also on whether your content is selected, trusted, and used by AI systems.

That introduces a subtle but important shift:

  • It’s not just about being visible
  • It’s about being understandable, reliable, and usable by machines

AI agents don’t browse the web the way humans do. They:

  • Parse structured and unstructured data
  • Look for clear signals of authority and accuracy
  • Combine information from multiple sources before presenting it

So instead of optimizing only for clicks, SEO may also involve optimizing for inclusion in AI-generated responses and workflows.

What stays, what evolves, what gets added

Let’s ground this a bit. Traditional SEO doesn’t disappear. Many of its fundamentals still apply, but their role may shift.

What stays relevant

  • High-quality, original content
  • Clear site structure and internal linking
  • Strong technical SEO foundations
  • Authority and trust signals (E-E-A-T)

These remain essential because AI systems still rely on the web as their source of truth.

What evolves

  • Keywords → Intent modeling: Less about exact-match phrases, more about covering topics deeply and contextually
  • Rankings → Presence across surfaces: Visibility may extend beyond SERPs into AI summaries, assistants, and agent outputs
  • Clicks → Influence: Users may not always visit your site, but your content can still shape their decisions

What gets added

  • Structured, machine-readable content: Schema, clean formatting, and semantic clarity become even more important
  • Content designed for extraction: Clear answers, definitions, step-by-step explanations
  • Topical authority at the entity level: Being recognized as a trusted source for a subject, not just ranking for a keyword
  • Freshness and adaptability: Content that evolves as trends and information change

So, what does SEO really become?

It starts to look less like a discipline focused purely on rankings and more like one focused on continuous discoverability.

Or, as Alex Moss puts it in his article The Same But Different: Evolving Your Strategy For AI-Driven Discovery, the web itself may be evolving into two parallel experiences:

This has created a split from a completely open web into two – the ‘human’ web and the ‘agentic’ web… SEOs will have to consider both sides of the web and how to serve both.

That framing makes the shift clearer.

Your content still needs to rank. But it also needs to work at a second layer of the web, where AI systems interpret, select, and sometimes act on information before a human ever sees it.

So now, your content needs to be:

  • Understood without ambiguity
  • Trusted enough to be referenced
  • Structured well enough to be reused

In that sense, SEO doesn’t disappear in an agentic web. It stretches.

From helping users find information…

to helping systems choose it.

Role of agentic AI in SEO

If the web is gradually being experienced through both humans and AI agents, then it’s worth asking what role these agents might begin to play in SEO itself. Not as a replacement for SEO teams, but as a new layer within how SEO work gets done.

What we’re starting to see is a shift from SEO as a set of periodic tasks to something more continuous, assisted, and adaptive. Some early tools already hint at this. They don’t just analyze data, they suggest actions. In some cases, they even implement changes. If this direction continues, agentic AI could become less of a tool you use and more of a system you collaborate with.

Let’s break down where this role might start to take shape.

How agentic AI may reshape SEO workflows

Shift Traditional SEO approach (how it typically works today) With agentic AI (emerging direction)
Audits → Always-on optimization SEO teams run audits at set intervals (monthly, quarterly) using tools such as site crawlers.

Issues such as broken links, missing metadata, or slow pages are identified and then manually fixed over time.

Improvements often depend on when the audit is conducted.

Systems continuously monitor site performance, flag issues as they arise, and may suggest or implement fixes in real time.

Optimization becomes ongoing rather than dependent on manually scheduled audits.

Reacting → Anticipating Actions are usually triggered by visible changes.

For example, a drop in rankings leads to an investigation, or an algorithm update prompts content revisions.

SEO is often a response to what has already happened.

AI systems analyze patterns in search behavior and performance data to detect early signals.

This could mean identifying emerging topics, shifting intent, or declining engagement before it significantly impacts performance.

Manual execution → Guided systems Tasks such as keyword research, clustering, content optimization, and internal linking are performed manually or with tools.

SEO specialists interpret the data and execute changes step by step.

AI assists with these tasks by identifying keyword opportunities, grouping topics, suggesting optimizations, and even applying specific changes.

SEOs shift toward guiding strategy, reviewing outputs, and setting priorities.

Static content → Adaptive content Content is created, published, and revisited occasionally.

Updates are often triggered by performance drops, outdated information, or scheduled content refresh cycles.

Content evolves more dynamically.

Systems can recommend updates based on performance, refine sections for clarity, or restructure content to better match user intent and AI consumption patterns.

Generic UX → Contextual journeys Most users experience the same content and navigation structure.

Personalization is limited or rule-based, such as basic recommendations or segmented landing pages.

Experiences become more contextual.

Content, navigation, and recommendations can adapt based on user behavior, intent, or journey stage, creating more relevant and engaging interactions.

Technical maintenance → Intelligent infrastructure Technical SEO involves periodic checks for issues such as crawl errors, indexing problems, and schema gaps.

Fixes are prioritized manually based on impact and resources.

AI systems continuously monitor technical health, automatically prioritize issues, suggest fixes, and, in some cases, implement them.

Structured data, internal linking, and site architecture can be dynamically optimized.

A quick example: structuring content for machines, not just humans

If agentic systems rely on structured, connected, and machine-readable content, then this isn’t entirely new territory for SEO.

In many ways, we’ve already been moving in this direction through structured data and schema. What’s changing is how important and foundational it may become.

For example, features like schema aggregation in Yoast SEO bring together different pieces of structured data across a site and connect them into a more unified graph. Instead of treating pages as isolated units, they help search engines better understand how entities, content types, and relationships fit together.

This might seem like a technical detail, but it reflects a broader shift.

If AI agents are parsing, combining, and interpreting content across multiple sources, then clarity and connection at the data level become more important. Not just for visibility in search results, but for how content is understood and reused.

So while agentic AI may feel like a new layer, some of the foundational work, like structuring content, defining entities, and building semantic relationships, is already part of modern SEO. It just becomes more critical in this context.

So, where does this leave SEO teams?

If there’s one pattern across all of this, it’s not replacement, but redistribution.

Agentic AI may take on:

  • Repetitive tasks
  • Data-heavy analysis
  • Continuous monitoring

Which leaves humans to focus more on brand-building aspects like:

  • Strategy and positioning
  • Editorial judgment and brand voice
  • Deciding what should be done, not just what can be done

In that sense, agentic AI doesn’t redefine SEO overnight. But it does start to reshape how it’s practiced.

Understanding the risks and challenges of agentic AI for SEO

So far, agentic AI might sound like a natural evolution of SEO. But, as with most shifts in technology, it may also come with trade-offs.

Not because the technology is inherently problematic, but because it introduces new dependencies, new layers of complexity, and new decisions for SEO teams to navigate. In that sense, adopting agentic AI isn’t just about adding a new capability. It may also involve rethinking how much control to delegate and where human judgment continues to play a critical role.

Here are some of the challenges that could emerge as this space evolves:

1. High technical and integration complexity

Agentic systems are unlikely to operate in isolation. They may need to connect with your CMS, analytics tools, and multiple data sources.

This could introduce challenges such as:

  • Managing integrations across platforms
  • Ensuring consistent and reliable data flow
  • Defining clear workflows across systems

For many teams, this might not be plug-and-play. It could require time, experimentation, and coordination across different roles.

2. Data quality and dependency

Agentic AI may be heavily dependent on the quality of data it receives. If the data is:

  • Outdated
  • Incomplete
  • Poorly structured

Then the outputs could reflect those gaps.

At scale, even small inconsistencies might influence multiple recommendations or decisions. Which is why maintaining clean, reliable data sources may become even more important in an agent-driven setup.

3. Risk amplification and the need for governance

One of the strengths of agentic AI is speed. But that same speed might also amplify unintended outcomes.

Without clear guardrails:

  • Content updates could introduce inaccuracies
  • Technical changes might lead to issues like broken links or indexing errors
  • Best practices may not always be consistently followed

This is where governance frameworks and approval checkpoints may become essential, not to slow things down, but to keep them aligned.

4. Hallucinations and accuracy considerations

AI systems can sometimes generate outputs that sound plausible but aren’t entirely accurate.

In an SEO context, this might look like:

  • Misinterpreted data
  • Inaccurate keyword insights
  • Fabricated or blended information

The challenge is that these outputs can be difficult to spot at a glance. This suggests that validation and source-checking may remain an ongoing part of the workflow.

5. Limited understanding of nuance

SEO often goes beyond data and structure. It includes tone, context, and intent. Agentic systems may not always fully capture:

  • Brand voice and positioning
  • Legal or compliance nuances
  • Subtle differences in user intent

This could result in outputs that are technically sound, but not always contextually aligned. Human input may still play a key role here.

6. Balancing automation with human judgment

A broader question that may arise is how much to automate.

  • Too much automation might: Reduce control over strategy or brand
  • Too little might: Limit efficiency and scalability

Most teams may find themselves balancing the two. Using agentic AI to extend their capabilities, while still guiding direction and decision-making.

7. High initial investment and learning curve

While agentic systems may offer long-term efficiency, getting started could take time. This might involve:

  • Learning how the systems work
  • Setting up workflows and integrations
  • Aligning outputs with business goals

There’s also a level of uncertainty here. The technology is still evolving, and so are the tools built around it. Which means costs, capabilities, and best practices may continue to shift.

For many teams, adoption may not be immediate. It could happen gradually, through testing, iteration, and figuring out what actually works in practice.

8. Zero-click experiences and shifting traffic patterns

As AI systems become more involved in surfacing information, zero-click experiences may become more common.

Users might:

  • Get answers directly within AI interfaces
  • Interact without visiting the original source

This doesn’t necessarily reduce the importance of SEO, but it may shift how success is measured. Visibility and influence could become just as relevant as traffic.

What discoverability might look like in an agent-driven web?

Agentic AI may open up new possibilities for how SEO is done. But alongside that, it may also introduce new considerations.

It could require:

  • Stronger data foundations
  • Clear governance and review processes
  • A thoughtful balance between automation and human input

In many ways, the goal may not be full automation. It may be a better collaboration.

Even if agents take on more execution, the responsibility for direction, accuracy, and trust is likely to remain human. And maybe that’s the more interesting shift here. Not whether AI agents will “take over” SEO, but how they might reshape what good SEO looks like.

If discoverability is no longer just about ranking, but also about being selected, interpreted, and reused by systems, then the role of SEO starts to expand. It becomes less about optimizing for a single interface and more about preparing content to exist across multiple layers of the web.

So the question isn’t just:

“How do we rank?”

It might slowly become:

  • How to stay understandable across multiple LLMs?
  • Do we remain trustworthy enough to be referenced?
  • How do we design content that works for both humans and machines?

We don’t have all the answers yet. And maybe that’s okay.

Because this isn’t a fixed destination. It’s something that’s still taking shape.

And as it does, SEO may continue to evolve alongside it. Not disappearing, not being replaced, but adapting to a web that is becoming more dynamic, more layered, and a little less predictable.

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Why your product is your most important SEO asset

For a long time, we defined SEO success by rankings and traffic. If you reached the top of the search results and brought people to your site, you did your job. That approach worked when discovery was linear, and search engines were the primary gatekeepers. But modern search behavior does not stop at discovery. Users want clarity, reassurance, and confidence before they make decisions. With so many options to choose from, users want to understand what a product does, how it compares to alternatives, and whether it fits their needs.

There is a shift in SEO, one that pushes closer to product thinking and long-term value creation. Search engines reward content and experiences that help users make informed decisions, not just pages that match keywords. That means SEO can no longer exist solely in the acquisition channel. SEO must support the entire journey, from first touch to post-purchase experience.

Key takeaways

  • SEO now focuses on user clarity and informed decision-making rather than just rankings and traffic.
  • Businesses should adopt an approach that integrates product understanding and user intent into keyword research.
  • Technical SEO remains crucial; a well-structured site improves visibility for both users and AI systems.
  • Product content, including descriptions and FAQs, serves as a powerful SEO asset that should be optimized.
  • Schema markup is essential for AI systems to accurately interpret product information, enhancing visibility and recommendations.

Technical SEO has always been product thinking

Technical SEO has always mattered, and it’s been tied to product quality, or at least product page quality. Site speed, internal linking, structured content, and clear navigation all shape how users experience a product online.

A fast, well-structured site helps users and AI platforms better understand your products. That means better visibility in search engines and AI recommendations alike. Good SEO looks at the system as a whole, prioritizes changes based on impact, and focuses on removing friction, which are the same principles that guide good product decisions.

Think like a product marketer, not just an SEO

Ranking for keywords does not automatically mean you are reaching the right audience or communicating the right value. Product marketers spend time understanding who the product is for, what problem it solves, and why someone should choose it over alternatives. SEO benefits enormously from that same approach.  

Keyword research is not just a targeting exercise. It reveals how people describe their problems, what they care about, and what information they need before making a decision. Applying those insights to product descriptions, category pages, and supporting content pulls SEO closer to real user intent. 

This is how SEO moves beyond traffic and starts contributing to the full customer journey: awareness, consideration, conversion, and, just as importantly, retention.  

Your product is your most underrated SEO asset

Many SEO strategies still treat content as something separate from the product. Blogs live in one place while product pages are left to focus purely on conversion.  

But products are content. Product names, descriptions, specifications, FAQs, reviews, and even post-purchase information all reflect the real information users are looking for. This content often holds far more SEO value than a generic blog post. Still, most brands do not optimize it with the same level of care.

When product pages are clear, well-structured, and written in the language customers actually use, they become powerful discovery assets.

AI is changing how products are discovered and bought

Users are turning to AI platforms to ask for recommendations, evaluate options, and understand differences between products.  

ChatGPT now supports direct purchases through integrations with platforms like Shopify, using OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol. That means users can discover and buy products directly within an AI conversation without ever visiting a product page on a website.  

For businesses, this changes what visibility looks like. SEO is no longer just about ranking in search results. SEO is about making sure your products are understandable, trustworthy, and accessible to AI systems that act as intermediaries.  

And the scope of that is broader than it first appears. Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) extends AI-mediated commerce well beyond the checkout, covering the full lifecycle from product discovery through to order management, post-purchase support, and loyalty. That means the journey SEO needs to support has grown significantly. It is not just about being found and bought; it is about being the kind of brand an AI agent would confidently recommend, follow up with, and return to. Read more about ACP and UCP and what they mean for SEOs.

Why schema matters more than ever

If AI systems are going to recommend and sell products, they need structured information to rely on. Schema provides that structure. It tells search engines and AI platforms what a product is, how much it costs, whether it is available, how it is reviewed, and how it fits into a broader catalog.  

Without structured data, products become harder for machines to interpret and surface. With it, they become eligible for richer visibility across search engines, LLMs, and emerging shopping experiences.  

This goes beyond the basics. Pricing, availability, reviews, FAQs, shipping details, and even compatibility information all contribute to how well an AI agent can evaluate and surface your products. Third-party reviews on platforms like Trustpilot also play a role. Agents use external signals to validate brand credibility before making a recommendation. If that structured data is incomplete or inconsistent, your products risk being entirely invisible to agent-mediated discovery. 

Conclusion

The rules of SEO have not been torn up but extended. Product thinking, structured data, clear content, and technical rigor have always mattered. What has changed is the audience you are optimizing for. Alongside the human visitor, you now have AI agents evaluating, recommending, and, in some cases, completing purchases on a user’s behalf. The businesses that will thrive are those that make their products easy to understand, easy to trust, and easy to surface, whether a person or a machine is doing the searching. 

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The forgotten funnel: how brands can nurture post-conversion

Most SEO strategies are built with one goal: getting people through the door. That usually means driving traffic to the website, ranking for high-volume keywords, and bringing in new users. But what happens after someone signs up or makes a purchase? That part of the funnel often gets ignored. SEO doesn’t stop at acquisition. It can and should be used to support retention, improve onboarding or post-purchase experience, and make your product or offering easier to understand. So let’s break down the opportunity in post-conversion content, why it matters for SEO, and how to identify and optimize it effectively.

Key takeaways

  • A lot of SEO strategies overlook post-conversion content, even though this type of content is great for an improved user experience.
  • Post-conversion content can include help docs, knowledge bases or product guides serving as long-tail SEO assets.
  • Engaged users generate positive signals, aiding in SEO through branded searches and reduced churn.
  • Identify post-conversion content by analyzing support tickets, customer interactions, and internal search queries.
  • Creating valuable guides and linking related content boosts retention and makes SEO efforts more effective.

Most brands stop too early

SEO strategies (understandably) love to focus on the top of the funnel: traffic, rankings, and new users. However, conversion isn’t the finish line. After someone signs up or makes a purchase, they’re still searching. They’re still learning, and they’re still deciding if they want to stick with you.  

This is where SEO can step in to support:  

  • Onboarding flows or post-purchase journeys  
  • Help docs
  • Community content
  • Knowledge bases

All of these are searchable, indexable, and incredibly useful. Not just for users, but for long-term organic growth.

The opportunity in post-purchase content 

Once someone starts using your product or receives their purchase, they often turn to Google (or your internal search) for answers about setup, usage, sizing, care, troubleshooting, or returns, depending on your business and industry. This is where content such as help centers, knowledge bases, product explainers, FAQs, or how-to guides comes into play. If they’re structured well, optimized for real user queries, and regularly updated, they become long-tail SEO machines.  

Another overlooked asset is community forums or customer reviews/Q&A sections. Real user questions and real answers lead to long-tail keywords and user-generated content that basically maintains itself.  

SEO benefits of retaining users and reducing churn

Retention isn’t just a product or support goal, but an SEO goal too. Engaged users generate more branded searches, click through internal content more often, share links, leave reviews, and make repeat purchases, creating positive engagement signals.

Reducing churn means people stay in your ecosystem longer, giving your website content more opportunities to show up, get linked, and build authority.

How to identify high-value post-conversion content 

This part isn’t guesswork; you already have the answers. The key is to tap into the real questions and friction points your users experience after they convert. Here’s how to do it: 

1. Support tickets

Look at the most common questions that indicate that something is not working or that users don’t understand something. If the same issue keeps popping up, that’s a signal you need better documentation or that your current documentation is not easy to find.  

How to use it
Turn top support issues into searchable help documents, step-by-step tutorials, or even short videos embedded in your knowledge base or product pages.  

2. Customer interactions

Your customer-facing teams hear things you won’t get from tickets. They will understand why certain products, features, or steps in the buying journey cause confusion. 

How to use it:  
Create content that supports onboarding or post-purchase usage, expands on underused products, features, or clarifies key steps in getting value from what was purchased. Pull direct language from how customers describe problems and try to use it to your advantage. They’ll likely use the same language to search for a solution.  

3. Internal search queries

Pro-tip: If you have a WordPress website, you can read our guide on how to optimize your internal search.

Your internal site or knowledge base search is one of the best indicators of intent. What users search for after logging in or visiting your site tells you exactly what they are struggling with.  

How to use it:  
Identify top queries that return poor results or no results. Create or improve content that answers those questions. Optimize titles, headers, and metadata so the right article appears first. 

4. Feature usage or product engagement data

Low usage doesn’t always mean low interest; it might mean unclear setup, poor discoverability, or hidden value.  

How to use it:  
Look at features or products with low adoption but high impact. Interview users who use them and reverse-engineer what made it work for them. Then build content that guides others to the same outcome.  

Types of high-value content to create

  • Feature walkthroughs or product usage guides: clear, step-by-step guides and how-tos with screenshots or GIFs.
  • Setup checklists: especially for more complex products
  • Integration or compatibility guides
  • Advanced use case tutorials
  • Other explainers and tactful guides for common mistakes

These pieces not only improve user experience but also target long-tail search queries, reduce support load, and strengthen retention. 

Below are examples of great post-conversion content:

An image from the Microsoft website, highlighting their Educator center and product guides.
Microsoft combines training hubs, such as the Educator Center, with help content and community resources to support users throughout their post-purchase journey.
An image of 3 articles from Nike's product care content section
This example comes from Nike’s website, which mainly focuses on product care and styling tips to help customers use and maintain their products.

Internal linking strategies that keep users engaged 

Post-conversion content shouldn’t live in isolation. It should be linked, surfaced, and reused across your entire ecosystem.  

Ways to keep users moving:  

  • Link between related help documents 
  • Add “next steps” CTAs to knowledge base articles 
  • Include product education content in lifecycle emails
  • Use breadcrumbs, related content widgets and in-context links

Done right, this turns your post-conversion content into an internal SEO web that improves engagement and makes users more confident in using your products.  

Why supporting existing users is good SEO and good business 

If your SEO strategy only focuses on acquisition, you’re leaving money (and traffic) on the table. Post-conversion content helps users get more value from your products, reduces friction, and builds long-term loyalty, all while creating indexable, intent-driven pages that search engines can surface at key moments.  

Want to take action? Start by auditing your post-conversion content. Map out the key moments after signup or purchase, and ensure users receive support at each step. Surface help docs, feature guides, and tutorials where they are needed most and connect them with clear, intentional internal links.  

SEO isn’t just about discovery. It’s about usability. It’s about confidence. It’s about making sure your users stay, not just show up. If you want to build long-term, defensible growth, that’s where you should be focusing. 

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The Yoast Perspective 2026: 7 things we learned from the SEO industry 

SEO in 2026 is expanding, not changing. Traditional search still matters, but now SEO also includes AI-driven discovery, social platforms, and chatbots. The principles are the same, like clarity, structure, authority, and relevance, but the platforms are multiplying. We surveyed 59 SEOs to see how they’re handling these changes.

Some have less than a year of experience. Others have been in the field for over a decade. Their answers show an industry figuring things out. A few are ahead of the curve, but most are still catching up.

The best SEOs aren’t just reacting to AI. They’re using it to strengthen what already works: technical foundations, high-quality content, and real authority. Others are stuck debating whether SEO should even keep its name. 

Here’s what stood out, and where Yoast fits into the conversation of what SEO means in 2026.  

You can find the full results, with more questions and deeper insights from Yoast’s principal SEOs, Carolyn Shelby and Alex Moss, in a downloadable PDF. Sign up below!

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1. SEO isn’t dying, but evolving 

51% of respondents consider SEO to be “evolving”. 33% say it’s “thriving”. Only 10% think it’s “declining”. 

This is an interesting divide, but it’s not random. In the results, those with 10+ years of experience say SEO is thriving, while newcomers say it is not. It might be that experts know the landscape better and see change as a constant. 

Alex Moss’s take: “SEO has always adapted to changes in the SERP, and now it’s adapting again. The traditional SERP is gone, but SEO isn’t.” 

Carolyn Shelby’s take: “SEO is evolving, but not because its fundamentals are breaking. The interfaces between users and information are changing. Search is no longer confined to ten blue links, but the need for structured, relevant, trustworthy content hasn’t diminished.” 

The Yoast Perspective: We think SEO isn’t going anywhere, but there are changes happening. Traditional search from Google and Bing still drives traffic, but AI-driven discovery from LLM-powered assistants shapes perception and discovery. Therefore, the best SEOs don’t choose sides in this fight; they are mastering both directions. 

state of seo graph showing 50,9% saying evolving

2. Keep the name Search Engine Optimization 

39% say SEO should be relabeled “Search Everywhere Optimization”. Only 32% want to keep “Search Engine Optimization”. 

Big support for relabeling SEO, and even among veterans, 41% prefer Search Everywhere Optimization. Of course, this doesn’t mean that we should do this. 

Alex Moss’s take: “The term ‘SEO’ will stay. The role will widen to include AI and other disciplines, but the name doesn’t need to change.” 

Carolyn Shelby’s take: “The term ‘SEO’ still holds shared meaning, credibility, and market recognition. There’s no strong evidence that rebranding the discipline itself is necessary or beneficial. Responses favoring ‘Search Everywhere Optimization’ reflect where SEO outcomes now surface, not a fundamentally different practice.” 

The Yoast Perspective: We at Yoast don’t think the term SEO is broken. Yes, there is a lot of change happening, especially in search, with AI overviews, chatbots, and social media platforms, but what about the core SEO work? You still have to focus on technical foundations, content quality, brand building, and authority.  

‘Search Everywhere Optimization’ might describe where SEO happens, but it doesn’t change what SEO is. The name ‘SEO’ still works, but we just need to explain how it applies to AI and social platforms. 

seo label graph showing 28.6% saying search everywhere optimization

3. Good SEO is LLM optimization 

64% agree LLM optimization is essentially the same as traditional SEO. 59% aren’t even actively optimizing for LLMs. 

You might call this laziness, but you could also call it efficiency. It oftentimes comes down to the same thing. 

There’s also the 9% who strongly disagree with this statement. These respondents say LLMs prioritize synthesis over rankings, so focusing on structured data and brand mentions makes more sense for them. Of course, they are not wrong, but they don’t contradict what others have said. LLMs don’t require new tactics; they just reward the same SEO principles more strictly.

Alex Moss’s take: “If you’re undertaking good SEO, you’re already optimizing well for LLMs. The tactics don’t change—just the audience.” 

Carolyn Shelby’s take: “The same practices that make content discoverable and trustworthy for search engines also make it usable for LLMs. The confusion arises when people treat LLMs as a completely separate system. In reality, LLM visibility rewards clarity, relevance, and authority—all long-standing SEO principles.” 

LLM optimization isn’t a separate discipline because it’s SEO for AI. The same principles apply: clarity, structure, and authority. The difference? AI systems are less forgiving of mediocre content, so the bar for quality is higher. 

llm optimization is the same as traditional seo graph showing 51.8% agree

4. Rankings still matter, but not like they used to 

52% say rankings are “equally important” as before. 30% say they’re “less important”. 

This is a sensible shift. Google’s AI overviews and other zero-click results mean visibility does not equal traffic. For AI systems, rankings are still an authority signal.  

Alex Moss’s take: “Traditional rankings are still important because agents still search the web to ingest information. If you aren’t visible there, it’s less likely an agent will identify and select you into their responses.” 

Carolyn Shelby’s take: “Rankings still matter, but they are no longer the end goal. They are a proxy for visibility, not a guarantee of impact.” 

The Yoast Perspective: We need to stop obsessing over ranking number one, so start tracking visibility and presence. Check whether you are cited in AI-driven answers, and try to be mentioned in industry discussions. AI visibility and citations are the new rankings.  

how important are rankings as a kpi in 2026 graph showing 51.9% saying equally important

5. Organic traffic is still king, but for how long? 

55% say “organic traffic” is their top metric. Yet 49% cite “reducing organic clicks” as their biggest challenge. 

We see this as the great paradox of 2026. Traffic is down, but the value of that traffic could be up. You might get less traffic, but the clicks that do happen have a better intent.  

Carolyn Shelby’s take: “As AI reduces the need for some visits, success looks like being represented correctly rather than merely visited. Visibility in AI overviews doesn’t always drive clicks, but it builds legitimacy. Being included signals that you’re a credible source, even when users don’t click.” 

Our advice:

  • Work on AI visibility, as this is the new SEO metric. Just as rankings show your visibility in traditional search, citations in AI overviews show your authority in AI-driven discovery. Track it alongside rankings and traffic 
  • Keep an eye on branded search volume to learn whether people are looking for you by name 
  • Monitor citations to see if others are referencing your content online 
what are the most important seo metrics in 2026 graph showing 54.5% choose organic traffic

6. Content saturation is a big threat 

39% say “competing with AI-generated content” is their top challenge. Only 4% cite a “talent gap.” 

We know AI can write bad content. But it’s a bigger challenge when AI writes good enough content at scale. This will flood the web with noise, making it hard to penetrate. 

Alex Moss’s take: “AI-generated content is artificial. Humans connect with stories, not regurgitated lists.” 

Carolyn Shelby’s take: “AI doesn’t change what good content is, but just raises the bar. Mediocrity doesn’t just rank lower; it disappears.” 

Our advice: 

  • Focus on building your EEAT, because AI can’t fake real-world expertise and authority 
  • Prioritize quality over quantity, as a single great piece of content can beat ten average ones 
  • Use AI, but be careful and always use it as a tool, not as a replacement 
biggest challenges in seo in 2026 graph showing 49% choose reducing organic clicks

7. Most SEOs are ignoring a fast-growing search channel 

Traditional search (Google/Bing) is still #1. But TikTok search ranks #5, lower than Amazon. 

This might be something of a blind spot for many. Younger generations use TikTok and other video platforms for entertainment, recommendations, tutorials, and even B2B advice.  

Alex Moss’s take: “Social platforms influence how LLMs perceive freshness and authority. Ignoring them means missing out on signals that AI systems value.”

Carolyn Shelby’s take: “You don’t need to rank on TikTok, but you do need to be discoverable there. LLMs scrape social platforms for real-world signals.”

The Yoast Perspective: SEO now includes social platforms like TikTok. You don’t need to rank there, but you do need to be discoverable, because LLMs scrape these platforms for fresh, authoritative content. A great video channel can boost your authority in AI responses.  

Our advice: 

  • Repurpose content for video platforms like TikTok and YouTube  
  • Check brand mentions in these platforms 
  • Improve your video SEO in general 
which search channels are you prioritizing most in 2026 graph showing traditional search engines at number one

What Yoast’s experts really think 

The data shows trends, but the real wisdom comes from Yoast’s SEO leaders, Carolyn Shelby and Alex Moss. Here is a small peek at the insights they share about the various debates:

On “Search Everywhere Optimization”:  

Alex: “The term ‘SEO’ will stay. The role will widen, but the name doesn’t need to change.”

Carolyn: “Rebranding risks fragmenting understanding. ‘SEO’ is already well-established outside the industry.” 

On the future of SEO metrics: 

Alex: “As we move from being seen to being selected, visits don’t hold the same value they used to. The business goal should be the most important metric.”

Carolyn: “Visibility in AI overviews doesn’t always drive clicks, but it builds legitimacy. Being included signals that you’re a credible source.” 

On rankings vs. influence:  

Alex: “Rankings still matter because agents search the web to ingest information.”

Carolyn: “Rankings are a proxy for visibility, not a guarantee of impact. Focus on presence.” 

On the role of SEOs in 2026: 

Alex: “100% all three: marketers, brand builders, and SEO specialists. Brand and marketing have become intertwined with SEO as our role expands.”

Carolyn: “A blended mindset is essential. SEO can’t operate in isolation from brand, product, or communications.” 

Do you want to read the full story? 

These insights are just a small taster for you. In the full Yoast SEO report, you’ll find much more:  

  • Includes the full answers to all 25 questions 
  • In-depth commentary from Yoast’s SEO experts, Carolyn Shelby and Alex Moss 
  • Learn which metrics really matter in 2026  
  • Why backlinks are losing ground to citations 

Sign up and download it right away!

The post The Yoast Perspective 2026: 7 things we learned from the SEO industry  appeared first on Yoast.

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5 ways to improve your AI brand visibility (Using Yoast AI Brand Insights)

AI is changing search and rewriting the rules. If your brand isn’t visible in AI-generated answers, you have a bigger problem than just traffic. You’re missing out on trust, credibility, and customers who now expect AI to recommend the best options everywhere.

We see that traditional SEO isn’t enough anymore. Today, it’s possible to rank #1 on Google and still be invisible in the AI responses people now often turn to for recommendations.

Yoast AI Brand Insights is a great tool that shows you exactly how your brand appears in AI-generated answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google Gemini. It tracks sentiments and benchmarks against competitors. What’s more, it doesn’t just help build your AI visibility, but also helps control your brand’s narrative.

Key takeaways

  • AI visibility matters; brands absent in AI responses lose trust and customers.
  • Yoast AI Brand Insights helps track brand mentions, sentiment, and credibility across AI platforms.
  • Modern SEO now focuses on AI visibility, moving beyond traditional search engines.
  • To improve AI brand visibility, brands should publish authoritative content and optimize for AI citations.
  • Active participation in online communities enhances brand visibility on AI platforms.

Why modern SEO is about AI visibility

People are no longer just searching on Google. Every day, more people are asking AI tools and Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity for recommendations. Unlike classic search engines, these tools don’t just list links; they curate answers by combining trained knowledge with information they’ve learned from the web.

AI platforms combine information from multiple sources to provide a single, context-aware, and custom answer. People even start treating these AI answers as personal advice, not just generic search results. This will happen more and more as search engines like Google increasingly integrate AI into their search results. As a result, the boundaries between traditional search and AI-generated answers are blurring.

AI search is a blind spot for most

Classic SEO tools track rankings, but they don’t track how your brand appears in AI answers. This leads to blind spots where your competitors might be all over the AI recommendations in your market without you realizing it.

What’s more, you might rank well on Google, but you could be invisible to a growing audience if AI systems ignore your brand. Your competitors can appear more often or more positively in AI recommendations. Or there’s negative sentiment in AI responses that can harm your reputation without you even knowing.

Controlling the narrative of your brand

AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini piece together your brand’s story from scattered sources, like reviews, news articles, social media, and your own content. If these send mixed signals, the answers an AI gives will too. That’s why you need to send a unified, consistent message. This is one of the most effective ways to reinforce your narrative across every platform.

Repeat your main message, whether that’s “affordable luxury” or “sustainable innovation,” everywhere, from your site content to press releases and from social media to external interviews.

Quickly address misinformation and respond to inaccurate reviews by publishing clarifications online. By doing this, you prevent the AI from amplifying outdated or incorrect details.

Support your brand’s most important attributes with structured data. Add the awards your brand won, or its unique selling points, so you can give the AI platform an all-encompassing framework to reference.

Remember, consistency is about repeating your most important brand aspects everywhere. Shape the narrative in such a way that the AI has no choice but to reflect the brand the way you want it to project.

Yoast AI Brand Insights is here to help

Yoast AI Brand Insights is a helpful tool that tracks how your brand appears in AI answers. It provides a clear, actionable view of your brand’s visibility, sentiment, and credibility across major AI platforms.

Yoast AI Brand Insights helps you:

  • Understand if and how your brand is mentioned in AI responses
  • Track sentiment and see if AI platforms describe your brand positively or negatively
  • Identify the sources to see what AI references when mentioning your brand
  • Benchmark against competitors to see how you stack up

We didn’t build this to get you some data, but to turn that AI black box into actionable insights.

the main interface of yoast ai brand insights showing the analysis and the AIVI metrics
The main page of the Yoast AI Brand Insights shows your main metrics, and you can delve deeper into your analysis by going to Analysis details

Understanding the AI visibility metrics

Using the Yoast AI Brand Insights metrics helps you measure and improve your brand’s visibility in AI platforms. To make the most of it, you have to understand what metrics mean and why they matter.

AI Visibility Index (AIVI)

The AI Visibility Index (AIVI) scores (on a scale of 100) how visible your brand is on AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini. It consists of the following metrics:

  • Mentions, or how often your brand is cited in AI answers
  • Citations, or the number of authoritative sources referencing your brand
  • Sentiment, or the rate of positive vs. negative keywords associated with your brand
  • Rankings, or the relative position of your brand mentions compared to your competitors

The higher the AIVI score (on a scale of 0-100), the more visible your brand is in AI search results for the tracked terms. If you find that your score is low, you should focus on getting more mentions and citations. You should also work on positive sentiment around your business.

You build your relevance by publishing authoritative content. Try to get featured on relevant sites and monitor and improve negative sentiment around your brand. Learn more about how AI shapes brand perception.

The AIVI score in Yoast AI brand insights is showing a score of 62 out of 100 for a website
The higher the AIVI score (on a scale of 0-100), the more visible your brand is in AI search results for the tracked terms

Mentions

The Mentions section tracks the specific queries for which your brand appears in AI responses. So, if someone asks, “What is the best low-cost CRM system for small businesses?” and your brand is in the results, that is a mention.

It’s not hard to understand why this is important. More mentions generally lead to greater visibility. If you don’t show up for the terms and queries relevant to your brand, you need to start improving your content.

Use the built-in AI-generated brand queries to find high-intent questions and write content that answers those questions thoroughly. These could be blog posts or FAQ pages, or whatever makes sense. Also optimize for conversational queries, such as “Is brand X good for startups?”

The mentions screen in Yoast AI brand insight shows the number of mentions the brand shows up for, and it also shows changes over time
The mentions section tracks the specific queries for which your brand appears in AI responses

Sentiment

Sentiment measures the percentage of negative vs. positive words in the query results associated with your brand. So, if the AI describes your brand as “innovative” or “reliable”, that counts as positive sentiment. However, if they use terms like “overpriced” or “unreliable”, that’s negative sentiment.

Positive sentiment helps build trust, while negative sentiment can drive potential customers away. That’s why you should always actively address negative sentiments online. Don’t leave those bad online reviews unresponded to. You can also publish testimonials on your site to amplify positive voices, and you can do the same in your marketing messaging by talking about “a brand loved by thousands” or “award-winning” products.

Keep an eye on trends in your online sentiment and catch and fix issues early.

brand and competitor sentiment in shows the sentiment surrounding your brand or a competitor's, including a percentage of how positive that sentiment is
Sentiment measures the percentage of negative vs. positive words in the query results associated with your brand

Citations

Citations refer to the sources that AI platforms explicitly reference when generating an answer, not the brands mentioned within those sources. For example, if Gemini answers a query about “the best credit cards” and cites a New York Times article about best credit cards, that New York Times page is the citation. Even if the article includes brands like American Express or Chase, the citation is attributed to the publisher, not to the individual brands.

That said, appearing in those cited sources still matters a great deal. If your brand is consistently featured in relevant, high-authority publications like The New York Times, it increases the likelihood that AI systems will surface your brand in their responses over time. In other words, you may not receive a direct citation, but you benefit from being part of the content that AI platforms trust and rely on.

Over time, your brand (say, American Express or Chase) becomes more likely to be included in AI responses to queries like “best credit cards,” especially if it consistently appears in trusted sources.

AI platforms use citations to validate their answers. Citations from top sources, such as industry publications, enhance credibility. Find where there’s a natural match between your customers and their audience, and publish the type of content people will want to link to.

Citations refer to the sources that AI platforms explicitly reference when generating an answer

5 Ways to improve your AI brand visibility

Now that you understand the metrics, here’s how to use insights from Yoast AI Brand Insights to improve your AI visibility.

Optimize for AI citations

AI platforms like Gemini, Perplexity, and ChatGPT use citations to validate their responses. So, citations increase the likelihood of your brand being included and trusted in AI-generated answers

Try to get featured on relevant, authoritative sites and publish guest posts on industry sites, news sites, or educational domains. Get mentioned in roundup articles, like “Top 10 tools for doing X”. Ask customers to write reviews on platforms like Capterra, G2, and Trustpilot. All of these tactics can act as proof that your brand is a well-trusted source. Remember, it must be relevant citations.

Make sure your content is structured so the AI can read it easily. Use clear, hierarchical headings and bullet points to make the content easy to scan. Add FAQs and publish direct answers to common questions. It is also a good idea to add schema markup to help the AI crawlers understand your content.

Don’t forget to update old content regularly. The AI platforms prioritize fresh, up-to-date information when retrieving sources, so refresh your content regularly to stay relevant.

Monitor and improve brand sentiment

By mentioning your brand, the AI platforms also shape how people see it. If those sentiments in the AI’s answers are negative, it can hurt your trustworthiness and cost conversions. This could signal the need for a broader reconsideration of business strategy priorities.

Once you find AI platforms associate your brand with negative terms (like “slow customer service”), respond to this issue publicly. For instance, you could contact customers on review sites to resolve complaints. You can also publish case studies and testimonials to steer the AI towards positive perceptions.

In your monitoring, you’ll also find the positive terms AI platforms associate with your brand, such as “trusted” or “innovative”. Use these terms in your marketing, in your site content, and on social media.

The weekly scans in Yoast AI Brand Insights track sentiment shifts for your queries over time. If sentiment drops, investigate the cause, like a recent PR issue or a product recall.

Benchmark against competitors

AI visibility is also about how you compare to the competition. If they are mentioned more often or in a better light than you, they will appear more often in recommendations made by AI platforms.

See how your brand stacks up against competitors. Use Yoast’s Competitor ranking tab to see which brands show up a lot in AI answers. Analyze their content strategy. Do they publish more case studies? Are they active on review sites?

This tool shows how AI describes your brand compared to others in your market. For example, if you’re a coffee company like Taylor’s of Harrogate, you might find that Lavazza is consistently labeled as “the Italian espresso expert.” Now you know exactly what to highlight, whether it’s your heritage, roasting process, or sustainability, to stand out. Use these insights to sharpen your messaging and compete more effectively.

Don’t forget to check your weekly competitor analyses to see if your AI visibility is improving. Double down on the strategy that works for you. The tool also includes an historical view. This lets you look back at earlier analyses by selecting a past date, helping you compare visibility and sentiment across different points in time.

Dive deep into the details for the various queries in Yoast AI Brand Insights, and use the knowledge to improve your strategy
For each tracked query, Yoast AI Brand Insights gives specific insights into how your brand performs versus the competition

Answer brand-specific questions

AI platforms are very good at answering specific questions, such as “Is brand X reliable?” or “What’s the best tool to do Y?” You’re missing out on a lot of potential customers when your brand isn’t in these answers.

Yoast AI Brand Insights suggests queries you should monitor based on your input, such as “Is [Your Brand] good for small businesses?” In addition, do deep research into the common questions asked in your industry using tools like AnswerThePublic, AlsoAsked, or simply by checking Google’s People Also Ask section.

With the insights gathered, publish blog posts, FAQs, or landing pages and directly answer those brand-related queries. Support the content with properly structured data, such as FAQ and how-to schema, to give AI platforms more tools to understand your content.

In Yoast AI Brand Insights, track which questions get the most mentions from AI platforms. Don’t forget to keep your content up to date to keep it accurate and relevant.

Yoast AI Brand Insights lets you customize the queries you want to track in the LLMs like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google Gemini
During the setup, Yoast AI Brand Insights generates five highly relevant queries based on your input. You can change them if you like

Track progress with the AI Visibility Index

Improving the AI visibility of your brand isn’t a one-time task, but a recurring effort. Luckily, Yoast’s AI Visibility Index gives you an easy-to-understand metric that you can use to track your progress over time.

Run your first scan to establish the starting point for your AI Visibility Index. Note which areas, like citations or sentiment, are strongest and weakest.

Yoast AI Brand Insights runs weekly scans. Please review them to track progress. Check the historical view, but remember these cannot be viewed together. Select the week before and then reselect this week to spot changes. Look for trends, such as improvements in sentiment or a sudden increase in citations.

If your score doesn’t improve, revisit the strategies above, such as optimizing for citations and improving sentiment. Be sure to experiment with new tactics and publish original research to secure more earned media.

How to influence LLMs to mention your brand

Imagine this: A potential customer asks ChatGPT, “What’s the best CRM for small businesses?” If your brand isn’t mentioned in the answer, you’ve lost a customer before they even knew you existed.

LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity don’t just pull answers out of thin air. They rely on data, citations, and patterns to generate responses. If your brand isn’t part of those patterns, it’s far less likely to be mentioned, no matter how well you rank on Google.

Publish authoritative content

LLMs are looking for well-structured, factually accurate content. These AI platforms love sources that provide unique insights or expert opinions, so be sure to focus on that.

Start with original research. Publish surveys, case studies, or industry reports with unique data. For example, “2026 State of [Your Industry] Report: Key Trends and Insights” positions your brand as an authority and gives AI platforms a reason to cite you.

Use the proven inverted pyramid structure in your content. Start with the most important information, like key findings and conclusions, follow with supporting details, and end with background information. This makes it easier for AI to extract, digest, and use your content.

Don’t forget to optimize for facts. Include statistics, quotes from experts, and actionable insights. For example, instead of “Our tool is great for marketers,” say “Our tool increased conversion rates by 30% for 500+ marketers in 2025, according to our latest case study.”

For example, HubSpot built its authority by publishing ultimate guides, like “The Ultimate Guide to Inbound Marketing.” These guides became go-to resources for marketers, earning backlinks from industry blogs, news sites, and even competitors. As a result, HubSpot is now frequently cited in AI responses about marketing tools.

Get mentioned on relevant, high-authority sites

LLMs trust reputable sources like industry publications, news sites, and review platforms. The more your brand is mentioned on these sites, the more likely it is to appear in AI responses. Please keep in mind that relevance is key here. For instance, if Yoast gets mentioned in Gardeners’ World or Home and Garden, it will do little to nothing for our brand. Find the most important and relevant sources and focus on those.

Pitch stories to journalists or industry blogs. For example, try to get featured in “Top 10 [Your Industry] Tools in 2026” lists.

Encourage customers to leave reviews on G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, or Google Reviews. Don’t forget to respond to (negative) reviews to show engagement and transparency.

If possible, try to reach out to sites like HubSpot, Search Engine Journal, or industry-specific blogs and ask to write for them. Be sure to include a bio with your brand name to reinforce recognition.

Optimize for conversational queries

LLMs are designed to answer natural language questions. This means you have to optimize your content for conversational queries. Conversational queries are things like “What’s the best CRM for startups?” rather than “best CRM”.

In your content, you should use question-focused headings. For example, answer the question “Is [Your Brand] good for small businesses?” directly in the first paragraph to make it clear and easy to understand.

LLMs often answer long-tail questions, so you should target long-tail keywords. For example, instead of “project management tool,” target “best project management tool for remote teams in 2026.”

In support of all of this, create FAQ pages with schema markup to help AI better understand your content.

Build citations

Build up a network of high-quality mentions that reinforce your brand’s authority. The more high-quality, relevant citations you have, the more likely LLMs are to mention your brand.

Publish assets like ultimate guides, templates, or tools that others want to reference and link to. For example, “The Ultimate Guide to [Your Industry] in 2026.”

Reach out to bloggers, journalists, and influencers to reference your content. For example, “We noticed you mentioned [Competitor] in your article. Here’s why [Your Brand] might be a better fit.”

Get featured in press releases, podcasts, or webinars. For example, “[Your Brand] Announces Groundbreaking Feature for [Industry].”

Make sure AI crawlers can reach your site

It’s important to ensure that AI crawlers can discover and index your content. If your site is invisible to them for whatever reason, your brand won’t appear in AI responses.

Your site should be technically sound, but you can also help LLMs in other ways. Make sure your site loads fast and is mobile-friendly. Use clean URLs, good meta tags and descriptions, and alt text for images. Also, use schema on your site to help AI crawlers understand what your site is about and how it all ties together.

In Yoast SEO, you can activate an llms.txt file. This proposed standard helps point AI crawlers to your most important content. Also, check whether your robots.txt file inadvertently blocks AI crawlers from accessing your content.

the llms.txt file in Yoast SEO helps AI crawlers find your content quicker
The llms.txt file in Yoast SEO helps point AI crawlers to your most important content

Be active in online communities

LLMs are trained on and can retrieve information from forums, social media, and community platforms such as Reddit, Quora, and LinkedIn. It can improve your brand’s visibility on AI platforms if you participate there.

Answer questions on Quora and Reddit. Provide valuable, non-promotional answers that naturally mention your brand. For example, “As a [Your Industry] expert, I recommend [Your Brand] because…”

Join discussions on Slack, Discord, or niche forums. Share insights and link to your content when relevant. Post thought leadership content on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. For example, “Here’s why [Your Industry] is changing in 2026, and how [Your Brand] is leading the way.”

The future of brand visibility is AI-driven

We’ve seen that AI is changing how people discover brands. There’s a simple rule: if your brand isn’t visible in AI responses, you are missing out on an ever-growing audience.

Luckily, Yoast AI Brand Insights gives you the tools to:

  • Track mentions, sentiment, and citations across AI platforms
  • Benchmark against competitors to identify gaps
  • Optimize for high-intent queries to capture more attention
  • Monitor progress with the AI Visibility Index

Plus, we have more tips to help you optimize your content for AI LLM comprehension using Yoast’s tools.

Ready to take control of your AI brand visibility?

AI is the future of search, and brands that adapt early will win the race for AI visibility. Don’t wait for your competitors to take the lead.

Start by running your first scan in Yoast AI Brand Insights. Identify your weak spots, implement these strategies, and watch your AI visibility grow.

The time to act is now, so start your brand’s future in AI today.

The post 5 ways to improve your AI brand visibility (Using Yoast AI Brand Insights) appeared first on Yoast.

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Three new tasks, better navigation, and a bug fix in the Yoast SEO Task List 

We launched the Yoast SEO Task List in December to give you a clear, actionable to-do list for your site’s SEO. In this update, we’ve added two new tasks, improved how you navigate to fixes, and resolved a bug that was showing tasks in the wrong language. 

A quick recap: what does the Task List do? 

The Task List scans your site and surfaces specific content that needs attention, ranked by priority with an estimated time to fix. Instead of guessing what to work on next, you click a task and Yoast takes you directly to the right place to make the improvement. Think of it as a personal SEO assistant that knows your site. 

What’s new in this update 

New task: improve your meta descriptions 

Meta descriptions are the short snippets that appear under your page title in Google search results. They don’t directly affect rankings, however they have a significant impact on whether someone clicks your link. The Task List will now flag recent posts where the meta description is missing or could be stronger, and point you to where you can fix it. Premium users can use the AI Generate button to write one in seconds. 

New task: delete your sample page 

Every new WordPress site comes with a default “Sample Page” that most people never delete. It adds no value and can create unnecessary noise for search engines. The Task List will now remind you to remove it if it’s still there. It’s a two-minute job that’s easy to overlook. 

New task: set social sharing images  

Available with Yoast SEO Premium, Yoast WooCommerce SEO, and Yoast SEO AI+

When someone shares your content on Facebook or X, the image that appears alongside it can make a real difference to whether people click. The Task List will now remind you to set a custom social sharing image for your posts and pages, so your content looks its best every time it gets shared. 

Go directly to the right place in the editor 

Previously, clicking a task would open the post editor and leave you to find the right section yourself. Now, Yoast takes you to the exact part of the editor you need: the SEO tab, the readability panel, or the meta description field. Less scrolling, faster fixing. 

Bug fix: tasks now appear in your language 

We fixed a bug where task descriptions were showing up in the site’s language rather than the logged-in user’s language. If you manage a multilingual site, or your personal language settings differ from your site’s default, tasks will now display correctly for you. 

Also in this release 

  • We’ve added a new Yoast tab to the WordPress Plugins screen that groups all your installed Yoast plugins in one place. This requires WordPress 7.0+. 
  • We fixed a bug where alt text changes made via the inline image editor in How-to and FAQ blocks weren’t saving correctly to the frontend. Thanks to @param-chandarana for the report. 

What’s coming next 

We’re continuing to expand the Task List with improvements that surface high-impact changes specific to your content. Users of paid plans will see additional tasks in upcoming releases.

Update to Yoast SEO 27.4 to get these improvements automatically, or download the latest version from the WordPress plugin directory. 

The post Three new tasks, better navigation, and a bug fix in the Yoast SEO Task List  appeared first on Yoast.

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See how your brand appears in AI-generated answers, for free

Eligible Yoast customers can now run a free Yoast AI Brand Insights scan and get a personalized report showing how ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini see your brand. Your brand is part of the AI conversation whether you’re monitoring it or not. Yoast AI Brand Insights, part of the Yoast SEO AI+ plan gives you visibility into what AI tools say about you, how often you appear, and whether the picture they paint matches reality. To help you see that for yourself, we’re offering eligible customers a free, one-time scan

What you’ll see

  • Your AI Visibility Index: a clear score showing how present your brand is across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini 
  • Sentiment analysis: whether AI describes you positively, neutrally, or in a way that needs attention 
  • Competitor benchmarking: how often your competitors appear alongside you, so you know where you stand 
  • Citation tracking: which sources AI is drawing on when it talks about your brand 

How it works

Add your brand details, set your location, and generate your queries. Your personalized report is ready in minutes.

Current customers can locate Yoast AI Brand Insights inside their MyYoast account

Who is eligible

Existing customers on one of the following plans can log in and try a brand scan for free today.

  • Yoast SEO Premium 
  • Yoast WooCommerce SEO 
  • Yoast SEO Google Docs add-on 

Look out for your invitation inside the product the next time you log in. 

Claim your free scan for the Yoast AI Brand Insights tool from your MyYoast. 

The post See how your brand appears in AI-generated answers, for free appeared first on Yoast.

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SEO unplugged podcast: Agentic commerce with Alex Moss

SEO unplugged podcast: Agentic commerce with Alex Moss

AI isn’t just shaping decisions anymore – it’s starting to make them. That’s the world of agentic commerce, where autonomous agents act before humans even weigh in. In these scenarios:

  • Products are evaluated in entirely new ways
  • Brand signals take on a different meaning
  • “Optimized for people” is no longer enough

On the latest episode of the SEO Unplugged podcast, our colleague Alex Moss joins as a guest to break down what agent-first commerce actually means, how AI agents assess products and services, and what brands should be rethinking now to stay ahead.

First upcoming events

WordCamp Asia 2026
April 09 – 11, 2026

Team Yoast is Attending, Sponsoring, Yoast Booth at WordCamp Asia 2026! Click…


The post SEO unplugged podcast: Agentic commerce with Alex Moss appeared first on Yoast.

Read more at Read More

Get discovered podcast: How Yoast is rethinking SEO in the Age of AI

Get discovered podcast: How Yoast is rethinking SEO in the Age of AI

When the team behind one of the world’s most widely used SEO plugins starts rethinking what it optimizes for, it’s worth paying attention. In this episode of Get Discovered, host Joe Walsh speaks with our colleague Alain Schlesser, Principal Architect at Yoast, about how we’re evolving our approach toward AI visibility tracking – and what that signals for the future of SEO. With Yoast powering over 13 million WordPress websites, this shift reflects the changing ways people discover content online.

First upcoming events

WordCamp Asia 2026
April 09 – 11, 2026

Team Yoast is Attending, Sponsoring, Yoast Booth at WordCamp Asia 2026! Click…


The post Get discovered podcast: How Yoast is rethinking SEO in the Age of AI appeared first on Yoast.

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The SEO Update by Yoast – April 2026

The SEO Update by Yoast – April 2026

Don’t miss the next SEO Update by Yoast

Search is changing fast – make sure you’re not falling behind.

Sign up for the next SEO Update by Yoast and get expert-led clarity on what’s happening in SEO right now and what it means for your strategy.

Join Carolyn Shelby and Alex Moss as they unpack the most important SEO news, algorithm shifts, and industry developments – so you can focus on what actually moves the needle.

Who should sign up?

This update is ideal if you:

  • Want expert insight into recent SEO changes and trends
  • Need help refining or validating your SEO strategy
  • Have SEO questions you’d like answered live

Event details

  • Level: Intermediate
  • Duration: 1 hour
  • Live Q&A with our SEO experts
  • Free registration
  • Recording available after the session

First upcoming events

WordCamp Asia 2026
April 09 – 11, 2026

Team Yoast is Attending, Sponsoring, Yoast Booth at WordCamp Asia 2026! Click…


The post The SEO Update by Yoast – April 2026 appeared first on Yoast.

Read more at Read More