The short answer
Search is splitting between classic results and AI-written answers. The ten categories below cover both: the fundamentals that still decide rankings, and newer areas such as AI citations and AI agents that are changing how people find information.
SEO used to be mostly about ranking in a list of links. Today many searches end on an AI answer, and AI assistants and agents are starting to read and use websites directly. This guide groups what matters into ten categories. Some are established, some are still early, and the maturity of each is stated on its page.
1. AI search visibility
Being cited in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. It builds on normal SEO. See AI search visibility.
2. AI crawler control
Deciding which AI bots may train on your content and which may cite it, using robots.txt. See AI crawler control and build your file with the Robots.txt Generator.
3. Agentic optimization
Making a site readable and usable by AI agents. It is early, and the advice that holds up is plain, accessible HTML. See agentic optimization.
4. Brand authority and mentions
Trusted mentions beyond your own site. AI engines tend to lean on a handful of well-known sources, but the mix changes quickly. See brand authority.
5. Structured data and entities
Schema markup is valuable for rich results, but a controlled test found it did not by itself raise AI citations. See structured data and what is schema markup.
6. Technical SEO and Core Web Vitals
Crawlable, fast, error-free pages. This is the base everything else rests on. See technical SEO.
7. Product feeds and AI shopping
AI shopping assistants lean on structured product data such as GTINs, prices and availability. See product feeds and AI shopping.
8. Local SEO and AI maps
Your Google Business Profile, reviews and consistent business details drive local results. See local SEO.
9. Video and visual search
YouTube, images and camera-based search are growing parts of how people find answers. See video and visual search.
10. Content quality and trust
Helpful, original content that stays clear of spam rules. Using AI to write is not penalised in itself, but mass-producing thin pages is. See content quality and trust.
Where to start
If you only have an hour, follow the website launch SEO checklist. It covers the fundamentals in categories 5, 6 and 10, which support all the others.
Frequently asked questions
Is traditional SEO still worth doing?
Yes. AI answers lean heavily on pages that already rank well, so good SEO is the foundation for AI visibility too.
Which category should I start with?
Technical SEO and content quality. If search engines cannot crawl your pages, or the pages are not useful, nothing else will help.
Are the AI-era categories proven?
Some are, some are not. Each category page shows a maturity label, from Mature to Early, so you can see how settled the advice is.