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Content Optimization: the Old SEO Playbook is Obsolete. Here are the Alternatives

Benjamin O'Daniel

Content optimization used to be a fixed – and very profitable – task in SEO. Old articles that had been ranking for a long time were updated and expanded. The result: Google rankings almost always improved – and with them, SEO traffic, leads, and sales.

In some companies, entire teams work solely on optimizing SEO content. These are often large magazines, meaning editorial or informational content. However, this classic SEO task is now at a dead end.

Because no matter how much you optimize your articles: Google’s AI answer (AI Overviews) always appears at the top. Therefore, position 1 is unattainable. Soon, the AI Mode will also come to Germany. Then Google will look like ChatGPT, and the question of whether one should produce classic SEO content becomes even more pressing.

But does this mean we no longer need to work on content? From our perspective, the opposite is true. There are many areas for content optimization. We discuss these alternatives in our podcast – and here in this article. We need new strategies, new KPIs, and new approaches.

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SEO Content Optimization: the Current Situation (as of 2025)

Typical Processes

Experienced SEO managers monitor their Google rankings. For example, if an article drops from position 1 to 3, they take action. Other articles might get stuck in the top 20, thus not making it to the very top. Such content is also usually “re-optimized”. The common approach is to make the article more comprehensive, i.e., to add more aspects, to give more consideration to specific long-tail keywords, and to strengthen internal linking. Such updated articles often quickly moved up in the rankings again. For example, Hubspot also worked this way, as the SEO manager described in an interview here (2022).

Current Workarounds

Since Google introduced AI Overviews, two workarounds have been discussed in the SEO industry. Firstly, it’s about being cited as a source on the right side. Here, the previous content optimization rules are applied. However, being cited as a source leads to significantly fewer clicks. Instead, pure visibility (impression) is then used as a KPI. One is generally visible. The second workaround aims to optimize for keywords where no AI Overviews appear. However, AI answers are being displayed for more and more keywords. With the upcoming AI Mode, this tactical evasive maneuver is also obsolete.

We are also Affected by the Current Development.

We ourselves ranked #1 on Google with this article on “Content Optimization”. However, since AI Overviews have been introduced, the article has been receiving fewer and fewer clicks. This is also logical, because Google ultimately summarizes our content. The user no longer needs to click. So, we are also faced with the question of what to do with our content.

Our answer to this: We go a step further. Everything that is answered in the AI Overviews no longer needs to be discussed by us. We focus on what is not yet discussed. So, we add new insights and our own experiences to our article. We call this approach First-hand-Experience Content.

Besides the goal of SEO traffic and source visibility, there are many other traffic metrics that we can measure:

  • Clicks via LinkedIn
  • Clicks from our newsletter
  • Clicks via our podcast show notes
  • Clicks via the homepage and our magazine

And also clicks from Google. Because we now deliver more than the general answer provided by AI. The dilemma lies in the fact that many marketing managers think in the category of “SEO Content”. But content delivers on many levels.

Content Optimierung Beispiel

A brief side note: It is possible that we will lose our top position. Because we have completely rewritten this article. This is a risk we are willing to take. Outdated content that is barely clicked – a top position there is not worth much.

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There is much more Content that Can be Optimized.

Webinar Content

In our consulting, we also always analyze lead content. For example, webinar landing pages. Here we see a lot of optimization potential. Most webinars are simply uninteresting. General information is presented that users can find out themselves with a little research on ChatGPT and Google. Also, many webinars are held only once, focusing solely on the number of participants. In contrast, we recommend holding webinars more frequently and analyzing the dwell time and bounce rates. Subsequently, the charts and statements can be improved at these points.

Case Studies

Case studies and interviews are very important for building trust in the customer journey. However, many of these case studies are too promotional and superficial. Furthermore, there are numerous opportunities to utilize individual aspects across the entire website or on other platforms. Therefore, these formats also belong in the list of content optimization. Instead, poor conversion rates are accepted – and if in doubt, the Google Ads budget is increased. From our perspective, this is wasted money.

Optimize Content for GEO or LLMO – these are the Two Perspectives

GEO Texts

When and how do AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot, and AI Mode consider your website content? The industry is discussing whether and which “GEO texts” are needed. The requirements here are similar to SEO, for example, regarding heading structure and comprehensibility. We consider this valid because many AI systems activate search and then access articles that rank high in classic search engine results. However, from our perspective, one must question which content is still being optimized.

Unique Texts

What we also see in our web analysis: Articles with personal experience and expertise, covering many unknown aspects, are clicked more frequently in AI systems. From a user’s perspective, this is also logical: After all, here you get more than the common answer. So, here again, one faces the question of how much content to write for users – and how much for AI systems. For many years, we have advocated for building bridges here and carefully weighing what is more important in each case.

These Episodes also Deal with Content Optimization for SEO.

Benjamin O'Daniel
SEO and GEO expert Benjamin O'Daniel is responsible for all strategic content topics. He analyzes the existing visibility of companies, whether it be Google rankings or mentions in AI systems such as ChatGPT, Copilot, AI Mode, or Perplexity. Benjamin O'Daniel focuses on content and sources or links. He analyzes existing content, from landing pages and product pages to blog articles. He develops content strategies and roadmaps, content templates, and concrete suggestions for content optimization. Benjamin O'Daniel is a lecturer in the Online Editing program at TH Köln, where he is responsible for the Content Marketing seminar.