The Evolution of SEO: Why Traditional Search Is Dying — A Conversation with Stefano Galloni

For more than two decades, search engine optimization has been built on the same pillars: keywords, backlinks, content, and domain authority. But something fundamental is shifting. Google’s algorithm is no longer the only gatekeeper of online visibility. AI-powered answer engines, like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude, are fundamentally changing how information is discovered and trusted.

SEO is not dead, but the rules are being rewritten.

To understand this evolution from inside the field, we sat down with Stefano Galloni, Head of SEO and consultant with over ten years of experience in search strategy, visibility engineering, and reputation shaping. Galloni’s recent work explores a new frontier: how to optimize content not just for Google, but for large language models and generative search systems.

This is not the same SEO you’ve heard about before.

Q: Stefano, let’s start from the beginning. For you, what is SEO today?

Stefano Galloni:
For years people have thought SEO was just “put keywords and get backlinks.” And yes — those things matter. But they are not the core anymore.

SEO today is about being the most “influenceable and referenceable” source in the ecosystem.
In practice, that means:

  • Your content must be used by search engines to build answers.

  • Your brand must be understood by AI systems as credible.

  • Your presence across the web must be coherent and referential.

Search is no longer about who shouts the loudest — it’s about who the machine remembers.

Q: When did this shift start?

Galloni:
It began when Google progressively moved toward zero-click search.
Users ask a question → Google gives the answer directly → no website visit needed.

Then came LLMs (Large Language Models), which don’t just link pages — they reassemble knowledge.

We jumped from:

  • Search engines as indexers
    to

  • AI engines as interpreters

This is why I say that classic SEO is dying. Not because it stops working, but because its dominance ends.

Q: So how do AI systems decide which sources to trust?

Galloni:
This is the question nobody asks — but it’s the only one that matters now.

LLMs “trust” sources that:

  1. Have consistent identity across the web

  2. Are cited naturally, not just linked

  3. Match real-world reputation signals (press mentions, interviews, citations, community presence)

This is why content farms fail.
They are visible but not trusted.

LLMs evaluate “credibility weight,” not just relevance.

That’s the new game.

Q: And how should websites adapt to this?

Galloni:
Stop writing to rank.
Start writing to be referenced.

Ask yourself:

  • “Would an AI use this content to explain something?”

  • “If my brand disappeared tomorrow, would the web lose information?”

If the answer is no → your content is replaceable → invisible in GenAI search.

Your goal is no longer to be seen.
Your goal is to become part of the answer.

Q: What mistakes do most SEOs still make?

Galloni:
They optimize for Google as it was, not for search as it is becoming.

Common mistakes:

Mistake Why it fails now
Writing purely SEO-formatted articles AI detects templated structure → treats it as noise
Focusing only on backlinks LLMs evaluate semantic credibility, not link count
Producing content without identity If nobody remembers your brand, AI won’t reference you
Ignoring branding The future is name recognition, not keyword matching

SEO today is identity architecture, not just technical.

Q: For someone starting today, where should they actually begin?

Galloni:
Start with this roadmap:

  1. Define your core claim — what are you the authority of? (One sentence.)

  2. Build referential content — content meant to be quoted, not ranked.

  3. Create stories — no one remembers data, everyone remembers narrative.

  4. Shape presence across the web — interviews, mentions, community activity.

  5. Test if your brand is known to AI systems.

And yes — we built a tool for that last part.

Q: Let’s talk about that tool — AI-Proof. Why did you create it?

Galloni:
Because we needed to answer a simple question:

“Does AI recognize your brand, or do you exist only to Google?”

So we built Seoxim AI-Proof — a visibility and citation diagnostic for AI search.

It tells you:

  • Whether AI systems already know your brand

  • Whether they cite your content

  • Whether your identity is “trusted” or “forgettable”

Most sites fail the first test — they exist but are not known.

Q: Final question — where is SEO going in the next 3–5 years?

Galloni:
SEO becomes Reputation Engineering.

Brands will compete not just for search ranking, but for memory space inside AI systems.

Your web presence becomes your model presence.

The future winners are those who understand this now — not in three years.

SEO used to be about traffic.
Now it’s about being part of the collective knowledge network.

If you are not referenced, you are not real.

Call to Action (as agreed)

To learn more about Stefano’s work or to request strategic consultation:

→ Personal website: https://galloni.net
→ AI-Proof Visibility & LLM Trust Analysis: https://seoxim.com