How I’m Thinking About SEO in the World of LLMs

Spoiler: It’s not about stuffing keywords anymore. It’s about staying worth the click.

A few years ago, SEO felt pretty straightforward.

Pick a keyword. Write a blog. Use it a few times in your headers. Hope Google likes you enough to show your article on page one.

But today? That playbook barely scratches the surface.

People don’t just search. They ask. They type full questions into ChatGPT. They use voice. They scroll threads instead of results. And many times, they get their answers without ever landing on your site.

Which means that old-school version of SEO I first learned about? It’s not gone, but it’s definitely grown up.

Here’s how my thinking is evolving.

The click is no longer a guarantee

Even if your blog ranks, it doesn’t mean people will actually visit it. Large language models can summarize your content and deliver the answer right in the search result or chat window. Which is efficient for the user—but kind of brutal for us.

That’s why I’m learning to focus on value beyond the click. I want my content to feel so clear, thoughtful, and useful that someone actually wants the full experience, not just the summary. Something they'd bookmark. Or share. Or remember.

It’s not about keywords. It’s about questions.

When I started out, I would Google things like “best social media calendar 2024.”

Now? I ask things like “How do I stay consistent with content without burning out?”

And that’s how people are searching too. They’re asking real questions. They want help, not headlines.

So when I create content, I don’t start with a keyword. I start with a person. A specific one. What are they struggling with? What do they actually want to know?

Experience matters more than ever

There’s this framework in SEO that keeps coming up—E E A T. It stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust.

It might sound like Google-speak, but it actually hits the heart of what good content is. Especially now, when AI can write decently about anything.

But AI doesn’t have firsthand experience. It can’t say “this is the email flow I used” or “this launch didn’t go the way I expected.”

So I’m learning to lead with what I’ve actually lived. Projects I’ve worked on. Tools I’ve used. Strategies I’ve tested. Because that’s what helps content feel grounded. And that’s what builds trust.

AI can write fast. But it can’t sound like you.

Yes, AI can crank out hundreds of articles in seconds. It can even optimize them.

But it doesn’t have a voice. It can’t bring humor or vulnerability or perspective from working with real people in messy teams on tight timelines.

So that’s what I’m choosing to protect. The things that make writing feel real. That little Rashmi-ness that AI can’t replicate.

SEO isn’t just about Google anymore

Today, good content doesn’t just rank. It travels.

Someone might find it through ChatGPT. Or a TikTok voiceover. Or a LinkedIn carousel. Or a Slack channel at work.

So now, when I create something, I ask myself: could this work in more than one place? Could someone quote this in a slide deck? Could it live beyond my blog?

If yes, I’m doing something right.

Final thoughts

SEO hasn’t died. It’s evolved. And honestly, I kind of love that.

Because we don’t need to write for algorithms anymore. We need to write for people. Real ones. The kind who are tired of fake promises and copy-paste advice and just want help that feels human.

That’s how I’m thinking about SEO now. Less tactics. More truth. Less gaming. More giving.

And honestly, if AI could write it better than me—I probably shouldn’t write it at all.