[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-google-s-greatest-rival-might-just-be-a-duck":3},{"message":4,"data":5},"Blogs retrieved successfully",{"blog":6,"latest_blogs":56},{"id":7,"author_id":8,"title":9,"slug":10,"content":11,"short_summary":12,"featured_image":13,"status":14,"meta_title":9,"meta_description":15,"canonical_url":16,"keywords":16,"blog_type":17,"is_featured":18,"word_count":19,"published_at":20,"created_at":21,"updated_at":22,"deleted_at":16,"author":23,"categories":29},362,3,"Google’s Greatest Rival Might Just Be…A Duck","google-s-greatest-rival-might-just-be-a-duck","\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">For decades, Google has maintained a massive hold over the global search engine market. It holds over 90% market share as of May this year, with Bing a distant second at below 5%. It’s so dominant that society has made the brand a term for looking something up online.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cfigure data-type=\"image\" data-align=\"left\" style=\"display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;\">\u003Cimg class=\"max-w-full h-auto rounded-lg\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Fblog-images\u002F098776-20260612113121-ROpvhaPh.webp\" data-align=\"left\">\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>Source: \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.merriam-webster.com\u002Fdictionary\u002Fgoogle\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>\u003Cu>Merriam-Webster\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">However, not all are content with Google being the only search engine they need. We can spend the entire day listing every criticism, but the sad truth is that it’ll remain the search engine of choice for many regardless. It’s just too convenient to leave for another.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">At least, that’s what past me would’ve said. But recently, another search engine has been gaining enough steam to challenge the Big G’s dominance. Okay, that’s probably a stretch given the disparity in market share, but its approach to AI search has got everyone talking. And by that, I mean it does so by not using AI at all.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">So, who would be bold enough to challenge the status quo? It’s a duck.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">More specifically, DuckDuckGo.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 1.5em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">What the Heck’s a DuckDuckGo?\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">It’s understandable if DuckDuckGo is a new name to you. I’ve heard of it several times over my time in the SEO industry, but I passed it off as a no-name search engine. Bing and Yahoo were far more familiar. Unbeknownst to my then-ignorant self, it was biding its time.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Its founder, Gabriel Weinberg, knew that his search engine needed to be different from the competition. The last thing you want to hear is your search engine being “another Google.” A few failed ventures later, he came up with DuckDuckGo’s unique selling point: respecting the user’s privacy by not storing user data. (1)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Data privacy wasn’t much of an issue back then as it is now, so it was anyone’s guess if this selling point would even sell. That changed with the Edward Snowden leaks, inspiring users to seek alternatives to Google. For the rest of the 2010s, DuckDuckGo would be integrated into nearly every browser as a search engine option. (1)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Then, DuckDuckGo got another big break recently when it reported a tripling in usage. Most of these new users, if not all, are reportedly frustrated with Google not offering an easy opt-out of AI search. Its advertising campaign even urged people who don’t like where Google’s headed to “come to the Duck side.” (2)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cfigure data-type=\"image\" data-align=\"left\" style=\"display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;\">\u003Cimg class=\"max-w-full h-auto rounded-lg\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Fblog-images\u002F654454-20260612113158-2Y7VDD83.webp\" data-align=\"left\">\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>Source: \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fx.com\u002FDuckDuckGo\u002Fstatus\u002F2060487564210094164\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>\u003Cu>DuckDuckGo\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem> on X\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">For the record, DuckDuckGo has its own AI platform called \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"http:\u002F\u002FDuck.ai\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Duck.ai\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">. But unlike Gemini, it’s separate from the AI-free search engine. This grants users the freedom to choose whether to use AI or old-fashioned search.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 1.5em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Is This Even a Big Deal?\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Bigger than you might think.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">I understand that it’s hard to wrap this David-vs-Goliath scenario around your head. As of this writing, DuckDuckGo has a global share of only 0.7%—a drop in the bucket compared to Google’s 90%. Even if the uptick starts now, it’ll take years of concerted efforts before it can match the search engine giant. (3)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">But this move isn’t about getting a bigger slice of the market (for now, at least). It’s sending a message to the industry and the general public.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">That message: traditional SEO still has a place among AI search. Not to mention the move comes at a pivotal moment in AI development in general.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">This isn’t just DuckDuckGo trying to be unique in the search engine market. Its decision to keep traditional search alive comes as more people grow frustrated with AI. A Gallup study of Gen Z users published in April revealed that negative sentiment toward AI has increased amid its growing adoption.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cfigure data-type=\"image\" data-align=\"left\" style=\"display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;\">\u003Cimg class=\"max-w-full h-auto rounded-lg\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Fblog-images\u002Fgen-zers-feelings-about-ai-have-worsened-over-past-year-20260612113317-VY00vKQa.webp\" data-align=\"left\">\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>Source: \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fnews.gallup.com\u002Fpoll\u002F708224\u002Fgen-adoption-steady-skepticism-climbs.aspx\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>\u003Cu>Gallup\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">These numbers are only from the U.S. According to a global survey by Melbourne Business School, less than half are willing to trust AI. In advanced economies like the U.K. and most EU member states, the figure is lower at two in five. (4)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">I probably don’t need to tell you what people worked up about AI. From erroneous results to the ecological impact of AI data centers, it’s understandable why anger and anxiety toward the technology are on the rise. We haven’t forgotten the time that AI suggested adding glue to pizza to “keep the cheese from sliding off.”\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">DuckDuckGo’s no-AI search is a breath of fresh air for the AI-fatigued, and that’s on top of its promise not to track user search data. If you’re adamant about sticking to old-fashioned SEO, the duck is certainly a good place to continue doing so. The downside is that the lack of AI might affect the accuracy of search results.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">It’s as if DuckDuckGo had been blessed by Lady Luck. First, the Snowden leaks pushed it to major market exposure. Now, AI fatigue contributed to a spike in new installs.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 1.5em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Is Ranking for DuckDuckGo Even Worth It?\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">As it stands, DuckDuckGo is still a minor search engine compared to the likes of Google or Bing. As much as I’m all for optimizing for traditional search, I can’t advise relying solely on it. You’d still want to appear where most of your customers are.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">If you plan to optimize for this search engine on top of the bigger ones, it’s worth noting that DuckDuckGo works a bit differently from the usual. For one, its target audience consists of users who want their privacy on the Internet respected. Any brand that’s in the business of doing exactly that (e.g., IT services) may benefit from ranking here.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">More importantly, performing DuckDuckGo SEO requires doing Bing SEO. Despite getting results from a plethora of sources, it primarily gets them from Bing through the latter’s API. We’ll discuss the basics of Bing SEO in depth in another article, but you can get started by heading to its\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bing.com\u002Fwebmasters\u002Fhelp\u002Fhelp-center-661b2d18\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cu>Webmaster Tools Help Center\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"> to learn more. (5)\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Due to DuckDuckGo’s privacy model, most analytics platforms like Ahrefs may not provide reliable data from it. However, they still track Bing searches.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Overall, don’t treat DuckDuckGo as your primary SEO approach. Many people still depend on Google despite its aggressive AI push. Consider maintaining your SEO on Google while doing DuckDuckGo SEO as a secondary.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 1.5em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">What Does All This Mean Moving Forward?\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Right now, the status quo stays. Google is still too big to be dethroned by its competitors, at least in the short or medium term. That said, recent events should make the Big G wary.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">DuckDuckGo’s quiet but steady climb has put it in a good position, being considered as a non-AI alternative. At its current pace, there may come a time when traditional SEO might become commonplace once more. Only time can tell for sure.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>","Google has remained the undisputed king of search engines for decades. But that may change with one unfamiliar search engine's challenge to the AI-powered status quo.","https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Ffeatured-images\u002Fmylene2401-pool-5173672-1280-20260612112624-8ghaGXc3.webp","published","Google remains the king of all search engines, but recent events have shaken up the market. There’s an up-and-coming rival right now—and it’s a duck.",null,"blog",true,1070,"2026-06-12T03:35:00.000000Z","2026-06-12T11:35:13.000000Z","2026-06-12T11:35:37.000000Z",{"id":8,"name":24,"email":25,"about":26,"avatar":27,"created_at":28,"updated_at":28,"deleted_at":16},"Jonas Trinidad","jonas@nobsmarketplace.com","","https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fblog-authors\u002F2023\u002F05\u002Fjonas-trinidad.jpg","2025-10-26T11:10:22.000000Z",[30,34,38,44,50],{"id":31,"name":32,"slug":17,"created_at":28,"updated_at":28,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":33},1,"Blogs",{"blog_id":7,"category_id":31},{"id":8,"name":35,"slug":36,"created_at":28,"updated_at":28,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":37},"SEO","seo",{"blog_id":7,"category_id":8},{"id":39,"name":40,"slug":41,"created_at":42,"updated_at":42,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":43},14,"Platform","platform","2025-10-26T11:10:29.000000Z",{"blog_id":7,"category_id":39},{"id":45,"name":46,"slug":47,"created_at":48,"updated_at":48,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":49},13,"SEO Marketing","seo-marketing","2025-10-26T11:10:27.000000Z",{"blog_id":7,"category_id":45},{"id":51,"name":52,"slug":53,"created_at":54,"updated_at":54,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":55},16,"Educative Content","educative-content","2026-02-10T11:18:29.000000Z",{"blog_id":7,"category_id":51},[57,79,103,116],{"id":58,"author_id":59,"title":60,"slug":61,"content":62,"short_summary":63,"featured_image":64,"status":14,"meta_title":60,"meta_description":65,"canonical_url":16,"keywords":16,"blog_type":17,"is_featured":66,"word_count":67,"published_at":68,"created_at":69,"updated_at":70,"deleted_at":16,"author":71,"categories":76},363,9,"Google Says Authentic Coverage Wins in AI Search","authentic-mentions-and-ai-visibility","\u003Ch1>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Google Says Authentic Coverage Wins in AI Search\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh1>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">One point in Google’s new guide on generative AI features speaks directly to anyone doing digital PR or link building. Google confirms that its AI features can show what is being said about products and services across the web, in blogs, videos, and forum discussions, the same way regular Search does. Then, in the same breath, it adds a warning: seeking inauthentic mentions across the web is not as helpful as it might seem, because core ranking systems focus on high-quality content while other systems block spam, and the AI features depend on both.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The two halves of that statement are easy to misread on their own. Taken together, they describe the line Google draws between coverage that helps and coverage that does nothing, and the line is the same one that separates earned editorial mentions from manufactured ones.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">AI features can see what the web says about you\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Google is explicit that AI features, like regular Search, can surface what is being said about a brand across the web. A product mentioned in a credible blog review, discussed in a video, or referenced in a forum thread is the kind of signal Google’s systems can pick up and use when assembling an AI answer. What people say about a business, not only what the business says about itself, is part of how AI features understand and represent it.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">For a brand, that means visibility in AI answers is shaped partly by its reputation across third-party sites, which is the same dynamic that has always driven authority in regular Search. The conversation happening about a business on credible sites feeds into how both Search and AI features treat it.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The line between earned and manufactured\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The warning is the other half, and it is where Google draws the distinction. Seeking inauthentic mentions does not work, because two different systems stand in the way. Core ranking focuses on high-quality content, so low-effort mentions on low-quality sites carry little weight. Separate spam systems actively block manipulation, so manufactured mentions risk being filtered out entirely. Google says its AI features depend on both systems, which means the AI layer inherits the same quality and spam judgments that have governed Search for years.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Google’s point is narrower than a blanket claim that mentions do not matter. The manufactured kind, the bought-in-bulk placements on sites that exist only to sell them, do not move the needle, because the systems are built to discount exactly that. The mentions that count are the ones a brand earns because it did something, made something, or said something that gave people a reason to reference it.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">There is a durability angle here too. Tactics that try to slip past the spam systems tend to work for a while and then stop working, often taking a site’s standing down with them when the systems catch up. Earned coverage does not carry that risk, because it is not trying to evade anything in the first place. A mention on a real publication keeps its value whether or not Google tightens its filters, which makes it the more stable foundation in a landscape where the filters only get sharper over time.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The content that earns authentic coverage\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">A big part of the same guide is about creating non-commodity content, and Google draws a sharp line there too. Commodity content, the guide’s example being something like a generic “7 Tips for First-Time Homebuyers” post, is based on common knowledge, could come from anyone, and adds little that is not already online. Non-commodity content, like Google’s example of “Why We Waived the Inspection and Saved Money: A Look Inside the Sewer Line,” brings a first-hand, expert, or experienced take that goes beyond the ordinary.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The two ideas reinforce each other. The content that earns authentic mentions is usually the non-commodity kind, because people link to, quote, and discuss things that offer something new, not summaries of what they could find anywhere. A first-hand review, original research, a real case study, or a useful tool gives other people a reason to reference it. Recycled, commodity content does not, which is also why it struggles to earn coverage in the first place.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Google is specific about where the value comes from. Its systems look across a variety of sources, so a viewpoint that stands out has an advantage, and the guide tells site owners to create content themselves based on what they actually know, drawing on in-depth experience rather than recycling what is already online. It even warns against publishing content that a generative AI model could have produced, which is a pointed thing for Google to say. Filling a site with generic, machine-generatable text is not a path to standing out in machine-generated answers.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Where this leaves link building and digital PR\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">For anyone investing in link building and digital PR, Google’s framing is clarifying rather than discouraging. The work that survives the quality and spam filters is the earned kind: coverage on credible publications, references from sites with real audiences and editorial standards, mentions that exist because the content or the brand deserved them. Earned coverage of that kind feeds both Search ranking and the AI features built on top of it.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fnobsmarketplace.com\u002Flink-building\">\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Link building\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"> and \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fnobsmarketplace.com\u002Fdigital-pr\">\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">digital PR\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"> done properly mean earning placements on sites that Google’s systems already trust, which is precisely the kind of signal the guide says AI features depend on. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fnobsmarketplace.com\u002Fguest-posting\">\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Guest posting\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"> on publications with real editorial standards and audiences works for the same reason. Chasing volume on low-quality sites is the approach Google is warning against, and it has been a losing strategy in Search for years, well before AI features inherited the same judgment.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The earned, authentic coverage that has always signaled trust is the same coverage that feeds AI visibility now, on one more surface. For brands deciding where to put their effort, the move is to earn real coverage rather than chase mentions the systems are designed to ignore.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>","Google’s new guide confirms that AI features draw on what’s being said about products and services across the web, but warns that seeking inauthentic mentions does not help, because quality and spam systems filter them out. The coverage that counts for AI visibility is earned, not manufactured.","https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Ffeatured-images\u002Fai-search-velvet-rope-1-20260612132740-ucXyumTR.webp","Google’s new guide says AI features show what’s said about you across the web, but inauthentic mentions get filtered out. Earned coverage is what counts.",false,983,"2026-06-12T13:20:22.000000Z","2026-06-12T13:21:59.000000Z","2026-06-12T13:27:49.000000Z",{"id":59,"name":72,"email":73,"about":16,"avatar":74,"created_at":75,"updated_at":16,"deleted_at":16},"Rasit Cakir","rasit@nobsmarketplace.com","https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Frasit.webp","2026-01-26T11:10:22.000000Z",[77],{"id":8,"name":35,"slug":36,"created_at":28,"updated_at":28,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":78},{"blog_id":58,"category_id":8},{"id":80,"author_id":8,"title":81,"slug":82,"content":83,"short_summary":84,"featured_image":85,"status":14,"meta_title":81,"meta_description":86,"canonical_url":16,"keywords":16,"blog_type":17,"is_featured":18,"word_count":87,"published_at":88,"created_at":89,"updated_at":89,"deleted_at":16,"author":90,"categories":91},361,"Keywords are Dead—and the New Gemini Nailed the Final Nail","keywords-seo-gemini","\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Remember when the SEO industry advised people to get good keywords for their content? When it also suggested ranking for long-tail keywords over short-tail ones because of low competition? Yep, those were the days.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">So when this year’s Google I\u002FO rolled around, it dawned on me. Keywords are \u003Cem>dead\u003C\u002Fem>.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Make no mistake: entering keywords on search engines still works. However, they no longer play a key role in search as they did in the past decade or two. User behavior has drastically changed as users have begun asking full questions rather than simple words and phrases.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Does that mean things like keyword research are also dead? Far from it. Let me explain.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 1.5em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Move Aside, Moore’s Law\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">In 1965, a guy from Intel named Gordon Moore calculated how a chip’s computing power would grow over the next several decades. He projected the growth rate to double yearly, with chips getting smaller but containing more transistors than their predecessors. You’re already seeing this in action, from storage drives to smartphones.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">But AI was like “I’ll do you one better” and turned the graph from this…\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cfigure data-type=\"image\" data-align=\"left\" style=\"display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;\">\u003Cimg class=\"max-w-full h-auto rounded-lg\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Fblog-images\u002Fthis-graph-of-moores-law-shows-the-regularity-of-improvements-in-transistors-over-a-20260612024519-bNSyjxiE.webp\" data-align=\"left\">\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>Source:\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.researchgate.net\u002Fpublication\u002F239580581_BETTERFORECASTS_BETTERPLANSBETTERRESULTS_Enhance_the_validity_and_credibility_of_your_forecasts_by_structuring_them_in_accordance_with_the_five_different_ways_people_view_the_future\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem> \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>\u003Cu>Vanston, J. H. (2003)\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">…to this.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cfigure data-type=\"image\" data-align=\"left\" style=\"display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;\">\u003Cimg class=\"max-w-full h-auto rounded-lg\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Fblog-images\u002Ffireshot-capture-119-a-new-moores-law-for-ai-agents-ai-digest-theaidigestorg-20260612024545-wrMJeZYg.webp\" data-align=\"left\">\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: center;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>Source: METR Time Horizon 1.1 (c\u002Fo\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ftheaidigest.org\u002Ftime-horizons\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem> \u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>\u003Cu>AI Digest\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>)\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Yes, you’re looking at a hard spike in AI’s capabilities. According to estimates, AI models in 2027 would be capable of completing a workday’s worth of coding tasks. By 2028, it’ll be a full workweek. By 2029, it’ll be a full work month.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">What does this have to do with search? One of the key announcements in the latest Google I\u002FO was the latest iteration of its AI model, known as Gemini 3.5 Flash. It boasted the model as the first of its kind to combine “frontier intelligence with action.” Barring the AI jargon, it can process far more data and deliver far more accurate results in far less time.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">While mainly designed for developing AI agents, Gemini 3.5 Flash is also integrated into AI search. Elizabeth Reid, Google VP for Search, wrote in\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fblog.google\u002Fproducts-and-platforms\u002Fproducts\u002Fsearch\u002Fsearch-io-2026\u002F#powerful-ai\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>\u003Cu>The Keyword\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">:\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cem>“It’s [Gemini 3.5 Flash] more intuitive than ever, dynamically expanding to give you space to describe exactly what you need. Designed to anticipate your intent, it also helps you formulate your question with AI-powered suggestions that go beyond autocomplete. And you can search across modalities, using text, images, files, videos, or Chrome tabs as inputs.”\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Glossing over the irony of the blog called \u003Cem>The Keyword\u003C\u002Fem>, the model further proves a change that has been going on since AI search was introduced. Keywords aren’t the only method people can use in search anymore.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">On top of the new model, Google also integrated AI Overviews and AI Mode into a seamless search system. No need to head to the latter separately. After getting your answer through AI Overviews, you can use the text box at the end to type a follow-up query.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 1.5em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Keyword Search Has Limitations\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Keywords weren’t just how we’ve been using search for the longest time. Search engines that predate Google like AltaVista and Infoseek relied on exact keyword matches to return accurate results. Over time, the system outgrew the confines of keyword search, allowing search engines to work with context aside from exact matches.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Despite working for us from the start, keyword search still has limitations. For starters, it has a high chance of returning irrelevant results, also called false positives. For example, searching for “aids” will return information about HIV\u002FAIDS.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cfigure data-type=\"image\" data-align=\"left\" style=\"display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;\">\u003Cimg class=\"max-w-full h-auto rounded-lg\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Fblog-images\u002Ffireshot-capture-125-aids-google-search-wwwgooglecom-20260612024642-Z4Igzd8M.webp\" data-align=\"left\">\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Semantic search made this possible, which is a key element for building AI search models. Without it, Google would’ve returned results about “medical aids” or “hearing aids,” among other things. If it were way earlier, it would’ve produced any result with the word “aids.”\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">A single keyword or key phrase isn’t usually enough to express a user’s curiosity. Searching for, say, “best running shoes under $500” isn’t as thorough as “I need a good pair of running shoes under $500 that won’t hurt my feet.”\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cfigure data-type=\"image\" data-align=\"left\" style=\"display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;\">\u003Cimg class=\"max-w-full h-auto rounded-lg\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Fblog-images\u002Fpicture44-20260612024703-ryS8qaMa.webp\" data-align=\"left\">\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">If you try the latter in a search engine that uses exact matches, the results will likely contain any of the keywords but not necessarily all. And while later search engines have been made to use multiple keywords in a query, understanding context remains an issue.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Lastly, as mentioned earlier, keywords aren’t the only way we use search engines anymore. There’s a vast range of modalities from voice to even real-time vision, the latter of which is proven with the announcement of two new models of\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fblog.google\u002Fproducts-and-platforms\u002Fplatforms\u002Fandroid\u002Fandroid-xr-io-2026\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cu>intelligent eyewear\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">. The first of these, audio-enabled smart glasses, is scheduled for a fall 2026 release.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">We’re all too familiar with voice search at this point, having used Alexa or Siri at the palm of our hands or in the comforts of home. But it’s the later models that have people talking. It’s believed to feature the ability to run a search just by looking at whatever’s in front.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">This is convenient, as keywords don’t always accurately describe what you’re looking for.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 1.5em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Keyword Research Still Matters\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">With AI all but taking over, the question on marketers’ minds is whether keyword research has been rendered pointless. But you should know that keyword research has long moved away from exact matches as a goal. Yes, even when AI was still in its experimental stages.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Yes, we published a\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fnobsmarketplace.com\u002Fblog\u002Fwhat-is-keyword-research-and-why-it-matters-in-seo\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cu>guide on keyword research\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"> three years ago and talked about stuff like long-tail keywords, short-tail ones, etc. We even recommended looking for untapped ones as ranking opportunities. While that post is still a good read today, it’s less a matter of \u003Cem>what \u003C\u002Fem>keyword people are using and more about \u003Cem>why\u003C\u002Fem> they’re using it.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">To that end, keyword research can be helpful in determining the search intent behind every query. We’ve discussed search intent a couple of times in this blog, but as a refresher:\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cstrong>Informational: \u003C\u002Fstrong>Finding an answer to the query or learning about a topic\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cstrong>Navigational:\u003C\u002Fstrong> Searching a particular website or page within the domain\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cstrong>Commercial:\u003C\u002Fstrong> Comparing products and services among multiple brands\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cstrong>Transactional:\u003C\u002Fstrong> Finding out how to purchase a specific product or service\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">However, even these need to be updated because of the way AI search works. According to\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fxpert.digital\u002Fen\u002Fquery-fan-out\u002F\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"> \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cu>Konrad Wolfenstein\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">, industry influencer and award-winning business innovator, AI works by generating subqueries and collating them in a summary. Examples include:\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cstrong>Semantic expansion: \u003C\u002Fstrong>Searches for synonyms and other alternative terms\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cstrong>Intent-based variants: \u003C\u002Fstrong>Evaluates the user’s intentions with the query\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cstrong>Conversational and follow-up: \u003C\u002Fstrong>Draws up responses in case of a deep dive\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cstrong>Entity-based reformulations: \u003C\u002Fstrong>Looks for relevant brands, products, locations, etc.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">\u003Cstrong>Regional and contextual: \u003C\u002Fstrong>Accounts for the user’s location, date and time, etc.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Understanding how AI searches for results is crucial if you want it to mention your brand or link to your content. Fortunately, the platforms often used for keyword research can still be helpful. Just don’t focus too much on the numbers.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 1.5em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">Time to Think Outside the Keyword\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\">If keywords are still your primary means of ranking, you may want to change that. AI search will only grow more sophisticated in understanding queries, leaving exact match keywords in the dustbin of SEO history. Instead, think about how a user will search for your content—and how AI will present it to them.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>","Google revealed a lot at the recent annual I\u002FO conference, including the latest and most advanced version of its Gemini AI. Its debut also sealed the fate of a well-known measure of SEO success.","https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Ffeatured-images\u002Froonznl-laptop-5175029-1280-20260612023553-J5V6N5QL.webp","The latest version of Google Gemini is more than just an update—it’s a statement. Exact match keywords are obsolete. Learn why in this piece.",1145,"2026-06-12T10:48:00.000000Z","2026-06-12T02:48:47.000000Z",{"id":8,"name":24,"email":25,"about":26,"avatar":27,"created_at":28,"updated_at":28,"deleted_at":16},[92,94,96,101],{"id":31,"name":32,"slug":17,"created_at":28,"updated_at":28,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":93},{"blog_id":80,"category_id":31},{"id":8,"name":35,"slug":36,"created_at":28,"updated_at":28,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":95},{"blog_id":80,"category_id":8},{"id":97,"name":98,"slug":99,"created_at":48,"updated_at":48,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":100},11,"Content","content",{"blog_id":80,"category_id":97},{"id":51,"name":52,"slug":53,"created_at":54,"updated_at":54,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":102},{"blog_id":80,"category_id":51},{"id":7,"author_id":8,"title":9,"slug":10,"content":11,"short_summary":12,"featured_image":13,"status":14,"meta_title":9,"meta_description":15,"canonical_url":16,"keywords":16,"blog_type":17,"is_featured":18,"word_count":19,"published_at":20,"created_at":21,"updated_at":22,"deleted_at":16,"author":104,"categories":105},{"id":8,"name":24,"email":25,"about":26,"avatar":27,"created_at":28,"updated_at":28,"deleted_at":16},[106,108,110,112,114],{"id":31,"name":32,"slug":17,"created_at":28,"updated_at":28,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":107},{"blog_id":7,"category_id":31},{"id":8,"name":35,"slug":36,"created_at":28,"updated_at":28,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":109},{"blog_id":7,"category_id":8},{"id":39,"name":40,"slug":41,"created_at":42,"updated_at":42,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":111},{"blog_id":7,"category_id":39},{"id":45,"name":46,"slug":47,"created_at":48,"updated_at":48,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":113},{"blog_id":7,"category_id":45},{"id":51,"name":52,"slug":53,"created_at":54,"updated_at":54,"deleted_at":16,"pivot":115},{"blog_id":7,"category_id":51},{"id":117,"author_id":59,"title":118,"slug":119,"content":120,"short_summary":121,"featured_image":122,"status":14,"meta_title":118,"meta_description":123,"canonical_url":16,"keywords":16,"blog_type":17,"is_featured":66,"word_count":124,"published_at":125,"created_at":126,"updated_at":127,"deleted_at":16,"author":128,"categories":129},360,"Google Names the AI SEO Hacks That Don’t Work","google-debunks-ai-seo-hacks","\u003Ch1>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Google Names the AI SEO Hacks That Don’t Work\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh1>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Google’s new guide on optimizing for generative AI features does something Google does not do very often: it names specific tactics and tells site owners to stop bothering with them. Tucked into the guide is a section called “Mythbusting generative AI search: what you don’t need to do,” and it reads almost like a list of what the AEO and GEO hype has been selling for the past two years, from special files to chunked content to copy rewritten for machines. Google’s position on all of it is that none of these tactics are necessary to show up in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and that the effort is better spent on fundamentals.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">For a marketplace built on the idea that most of this work has no shortcuts, the list is satisfying to read. Here is what Google says you can stop doing.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">llms.txt and the myth of special files\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">One of the most popular ideas in the AEO space has been the llms.txt file, a proposed text file that site owners add to tell AI systems how to find and read their content. Plenty of tools and guides have pitched it as a way to get an edge in AI search. Google’s guide addresses it directly: you do not need to create new machine-readable files, AI text files, markup, or Markdown to appear in generative AI search. Google may discover, crawl, and index many kinds of files beyond HTML, but as the guide puts it, that does not mean the file is treated in any special way.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Adding an llms.txt file does not give a page special standing in AI answers, because Google pulls content into AI features from its regular index, built by crawling the web the way it always has. A separate file aimed at AI systems is not part of that process, and the time spent creating and maintaining one does nothing for visibility in AI Overviews or AI Mode.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Chunking content into pieces nobody needs\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Another common piece of advice has been to “chunk” content, breaking pages into small, self-contained blocks on the theory that AI systems parse tiny pieces more easily. Google’s guide pushes back on this too. There is no requirement to break content into tiny pieces for AI to understand it, because Google’s systems can already handle the nuance of multiple topics on a page and how they relate to each other.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Google does add a sensible caveat: shorter content can work well sometimes, depending on the audience and the subject. But the guide is clear that there is no ideal page length for generative AI search, which takes the air out of the idea that there is an optimal chunk size to engineer toward. Writing for a reader, at whatever length the topic needs, does more than slicing a page into fragments for a machine that does not need them.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Rewriting your copy for the machines\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">A third hack has been rewriting content in a special way for AI systems, stuffing in synonyms and long-tail variations so a page matches every possible phrasing. Google’s guide says this is unnecessary. AI systems can understand synonyms and the general meaning of what someone is looking for, and they can connect a searcher to content that does not use the exact words in the query. The guide spells out the implication: you do not have to worry that you are short on long-tail keywords or that you have not captured every variation of how someone might phrase a search.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">For anyone who has been told to rewrite human-friendly copy into something tuned for machines, this is permission to stop. The content that reads well for people is the content Google’s systems are built to understand, which means the editing effort is better spent making a page clearer and more useful than making it legible to an algorithm that already reads plain language fine.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The structured data myth resurfaces\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The last of the technical hacks is overfocusing on structured data. The belief that adding schema markup boosts AI visibility has been one of the stickiest ideas in the space, and Google addresses it plainly: structured data is not required for generative AI search, and there is no special \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fschema.org\">\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">schema.org\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"> markup that needs adding. Google does recommend continuing to use structured data as part of an overall SEO strategy, since it still helps a page become eligible for rich results, but it draws a firm line against treating schema as an AI ranking factor.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">This matches what the data has already shown. The Ahrefs study we covered recently tested whether adding schema actually causes more AI citations and found that it does not, even though schema is roughly three times more common on AI-cited pages. The correlation was real, but the cause-and-effect story fell apart under testing. Google saying the same thing in its own guide should settle the question: schema earns its place for rich results and clarity rather than as a lever for AI citations.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">The fundamentals Google keeps pointing to\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Strip out the hacks and the guide keeps returning to the same short list: valuable, non-commodity content built on real experience, a clean technical foundation that lets pages get crawled and indexed, and the authority signals that core ranking has always rewarded. The myth-busting section is really an argument for spending time on those things instead of on markup tricks that do nothing.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">None of it is as flashy as a new file format or a clever schema trick, but it is the work that actually moves AI visibility. \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fnobsmarketplace.com\u002Flink-building\">\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Link building\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"> and \u003C\u002Fspan>\u003Ca target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"text-primary-blue-600 hover:underline\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fnobsmarketplace.com\u002Fdigital-pr\">\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">digital PR\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"> build the third-party authority that makes a page a strong candidate for AI features, the kind of signal Google’s systems actually weigh, unlike an llms.txt file. Thorough, well-structured content gives Google something substantial to retrieve and cite, and neither needs a special format, a chunk size, or a schema trick to work.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Google publishing this list is useful beyond the specifics, because it hands site owners a way to tell real advice from hype. Anyone selling an AI-optimization tactic that Google explicitly says is unnecessary is selling something the guide already tells you to skip. The fundamentals are unglamorous and they take longer, but they are the only part of the AI search picture that has survived scrutiny.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>","Google’s new guide on generative AI features includes a list of popular AI optimization tactics that do not work, including llms.txt files, chunking content into tiny pieces, rewriting copy for AI systems, and overfocusing on structured data. Google points back to content quality and technical fundamentals instead.","https:\u002F\u002Fwebsite-cdn.nobsmarketplace.com\u002Fuploads\u002Ffeatured-images\u002Fgoogle-trash-ai-hacks-20260611110747-viRIGeVE.webp","Google’s new guide debunks popular AI optimization hacks like llms.txt files, content chunking, and rewriting copy for AI. The fundamentals still win.",1040,"2026-06-11T10:52:10.000000Z","2026-06-11T10:54:20.000000Z","2026-06-11T11:07:53.000000Z",{"id":59,"name":72,"email":73,"about":16,"avatar":74,"created_at":75,"updated_at":16,"deleted_at":16},[]]