10 New SEO Terms Changing the Game

Term

What It Means

Why It's Changing SEO

1. AI Overviews / Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

The AI-generated summary that appears at the top of Google's Search Engine Results Page (SERP), replacing traditional Featured Snippets for many queries. GEO is the practice of optimizing content to be cited in these summaries.

The goal shifts from ranking #1 for a blue link to being the source cited in the AI Overview, potentially leading to a zero-click result for the user.

2. E-E-A-T

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google expanded its classic E-A-T to include "Experience" (firsthand or real-world knowledge).

It emphasizes that content must not just be factually correct, but also backed by proven, real-world knowledge and credible authors, challenging generic, AI-only generated content.

3. Zero-Click Search

A search query that is fully answered on the SERP (via an AI Overview, Featured Snippet, Knowledge Panel, or other SERP feature) without the user needing to click on any website link.

It forces SEOs to focus on brand visibility and "position zero" optimization, as traditional organic traffic may decrease for informational queries.

4. Entity-First Indexing

A focus on concepts, people, places, and things (entities) and the relationships between them, rather than just strings of keywords.

SEO shifts from keyword stuffing to establishing your website as a definitive authority on a topic or entity, proving your content is comprehensive and contextually relevant.

5. Core Web Vitals (CWV)

A set of three specific metrics measuring real-world user experience: LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), FID (First Input Delay), and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift).

CWV and page experience are now direct, measurable ranking factors. Good UX is non-negotiable for organic success.

6. Semantic Relevance

How well your content aligns with the overall meaning and intent of a user's search, often going beyond the exact keywords used.

Modern search algorithms use natural language processing (NLP) to understand the full context. You must cover a topic comprehensively using related terms and subtopics.

7. Topical Authority

Establishing your website as the go-to resource for an entire subject area by producing comprehensive content on all its subtopics (often organized using Pillar Content and clusters).

It’s more effective than only targeting individual, high-volume keywords, as it proves to search engines that you are a genuine authority on a whole topic.

8. Conversational Keywords

Longer, more natural-sounding queries that mimic how a person speaks, especially when using voice search (e.g., "what is the best coffee grinder for beginners" instead of "best coffee grinder").

Optimization requires a focus on long-tail queries, question-based content, and a more natural writing style to capture voice and AI search users.

9. Site Reputation Abuse (SRA)

A specific Google spam policy targeting websites that leverage their strong domain authority to host low-value, third-party content solely for ranking manipulation (often called "Parasite SEO").

It has led to increased manual actions and a greater need for internal editorial oversight to ensure all published content, regardless of the author, meets high-quality standards.

10. Visual & Video SEO

Optimizing images and video content (with file names, alt text, transcripts, and structured data) to rank in Google Images, YouTube, and in the growing image/video carousels on the main SERP.

As search becomes more multimodal (combining text, images, and video), optimizing visual assets is crucial for winning screen real estate and attracting traffic from non-traditional search paths.