SEO Is No Longer About Ranking, It’s About Being Chosen

SEO is no longer about your position in Google, it’s about being selected

I have been working in SEO since 2005.
Not through theory, not through courses, and not through trends.
Through real work in the field, trial and error, successes and failures, and many websites that taught me the hard way how search really works.

I was there when a single strong link could move a site dozens of positions.
I was there when a small change in a title tag made a real difference.
And I was there when one Google update erased years of work overnight.

From that experience, learned the hard way, one thing is clearer today than ever.
SEO is no longer about ranking. It is about being chosen.

Not where you appear.
But whether a search engine or an AI-based system chooses you as a source.

In the past, first place was the goal

Today, being chosen is the game.

In the past, the process was relatively straightforward.
Google displayed a list of links, users clicked, and traffic went to whoever was at the top.

If you were first, you won.
If you were not there, you were almost invisible.

Today, the reality is completely different.
Google provides answers, not just links.
AI systems summarize information for users.
Many searches end without any website visit at all.
Even well-ranked sites are seeing CTR decline.

This is not a temporary glitch It is a structural change

Search has changed, but much of SEO is still stuck in the past

To this day, I see websites operating as if it is still a decade ago.
An almost obsessive focus on keywords.
Success measured only by traffic volume.
Content written to satisfy an algorithm instead of conveying knowledge.
A constant search for shortcuts.

But the real question today is very different.
Why should a search engine or an AI system choose you?

Not show you.
Not rank you.
Choose you as a source.

Selection is based on trust and identity, not tricks

Search engines stopped counting words a long time ago.
They are trying to understand context, meaning, and identity.

They evaluate who stands behind the website.
What the site truly specializes in.
How consistent it is over time.
Whether others treat it as a source.
And whether it has a presence beyond the website itself.

This is no longer about optimizing individual pages.
It is about building digital credibility.

Keywords are an outcome, not the starting point

Keywords have not disappeared, but they are no longer the foundation.
They are the result of doing things right, not the strategy itself.

Today, when I start an SEO project, I do not ask which keywords we want to rank for.
I ask which domain we want to lead.
Which questions we want to be the answer to.
And whether the site looks like a collection of pages or a true knowledge source.

Modern SEO starts with topical authority, not spreadsheets

What experts are saying, and what I see in practice

One of the biggest shifts in SEO is the move from opinions to observation.
Less about what we think should work, and more about what actually works.

When you follow leading experts over time, a clear pattern emerges.
Trust, authority, identity, and context.

From my experience in the field, this is accurate.
Sites with technically correct content but no depth or identity weaken after updates.
Sites with real expertise, even if they are not technically perfect, remain stable.

Pages that add no new value to a topic disappear.
Pages based on real work, documentation, and experience remain visible even as search evolves.

Not every site is evaluated as a whole.
Individual pieces of information are selected independently.
Those who understand this and build content accordingly are one step ahead.

What experts in the field are emphasizing

Lily Ray

Lily Ray has been talking for years about trust and quality, especially for sensitive websites. She consistently shows that sites affected by major updates do not fall because of one technical mistake, but because of accumulated lack of credibility.

From my experience, this is precise. Sites that look good on paper but lack depth and identity weaken. Sites with genuine expertise survive even when the rules change.

Kevin Indig

Kevin Indig focuses on the shift from keywords to entities and on contributing real value to knowledge. Not repeating what already exists, but adding perspective, experience, or insight.

In my testing, this is very clear. Pages that duplicate information disappear. Pages that contribute something new remain visible, even as AI becomes dominant.

Cindy Krum

Cindy Krum has been discussing entity-first indexing for years and how Google breaks websites into information units. Not every website is evaluated as a whole. Each piece of information stands on its own.

In practice, this means one page may be selected while another page on the same site is ignored. Those who understand this and build focused content are ahead.

Duane Forrester

Duane Forrester speaks about search as something that extends beyond Google. AI systems, assistants, and additional platforms are already selecting information sources.

I see this from the client side as well. Fewer questions about traffic volume, more questions about why we are not being mentioned.

Andrea Volpini

Andrea Volpini focuses on semantic SEO and the relationships between entities. The connections between concepts, brands, and people are just as important as the page itself.

This aligns with what I see. Sites with a clear semantic structure and a well-defined area of expertise gain more stability.

Barry Adams

Barry Adams speaks extensively about source authority, especially in content and news ecosystems. If you are not perceived as a credible source, you are simply not chosen.

Again, practice confirms this. Publishing is not enough. You must be a source.

What I believe will truly matter in 2026

Izzik Fayzak, SEO Consultant

After nearly twenty years in SEO, and based on what I see in real projects, three things will be critical.

Fact-based research before writing. Content that is not based on experience, testing, and documentation does not survive. Articles that describe what should happen decline. Articles that show what actually happened remain.

Clear identity before optimization. A well-structured site is not enough. It must be clear who stands behind it, what they specialize in, and why their perspective matters. Sites without identity dissolve into the noise.

AI seeks credibility, not perfection. From my testing, AI systems do not necessarily choose the most polished page. They choose consistency, clarity, and confidence. Less noise, more meaning.

SEO is becoming a profession of responsibility

SEO is no longer a technical game.
It is a profession that requires responsibility for accuracy, for information, and for the identity you build over time.

Those looking for tricks will keep chasing updates.
Those building trust will remain relevant.

Summary

SEO no longer asks how to reach first place.
It asks why anyone should choose you at all.

Those who understand this now will remain relevant in 2026 and long after.