SEO Reloaded: Adapting the Old SEO Rules in the New AI World | Aleyda Solís
Welcome to a new episode of The Search Session! I’m Gianluca Fiorelli, and I’m joined by Aleyda Solís, an internationally renowned SEO consultant and speaker.
What will we cover in this episode? Quite a lot.
Aleyda guides us through how AI is transforming the SEO landscape, drawing insightful parallels to the early days of search and offering practical strategies for navigating today’s uncertainty with clarity and curiosity.
She shares her excitement about this new era, while reassuring newer SEOs that it’s okay to feel unsure—emphasizing that SEO isn’t dead, it’s evolving. The key, she explains, is to build on what we already know and adapt it to new frameworks shaped by AI-driven search. From chunk-based content strategies to optimizing for new interfaces, she illustrates what meaningful adaptation looks like.
She also gives us a look into how she leverages LLMs—using them to speed up analysis, surface patterns, and enhance productivity without having to reinvent the wheel.
Drawing on her experience with both enterprises and startups, she emphasizes the importance of clear communication, strategic flexibility, and setting realistic expectations. Aleyda also reflects on the lessons she wishes she had learned early in her career—like the importance of focusing on the user, the marketing, and the outcome.
There’s a lot to unpack—so settle in and enjoy the conversation.
Transcript
Gianluca Fiorelli: Hi, and welcome to this episode of The Search Session! Today, we have yet another amazing guest—someone I know very well. In fact, for this introduction, I wanted to get a little creative, so I asked ChatGPT to help craft something special. Here’s what it came up with:
Meet Our Guest: Aleyda Solis
Gianluca Fiorelli: This guest embodies what happens when international SEO meets high-energy espresso and bullet-time precision. Born in Nicaragua, she brings Latin American warmth to the cold, technical world of crawling, indexing, and rendering.
She’s the founder of a boutique consultancy Orainti, the creator of LearningSEO.io, curator of the must-read The SEOFOMO Newsletter, and host of the Crawling Mondays YouTube channel. She’s basically the Neo of search—only with more coffee and more languages than Neo.
While the rest of us are still stuck debugging the hreflang, she’s out there forecasting how AI will transform the SERP like it’s the next Matrix sequel. She doesn’t just follow the white rabbit—she teaches it technical SEO best practices!
I think you already know who our guest is by now. Hi Aleyda, how are you doing?
Aleyda Solís: Hello, Gianluca! Thank you so much. You have to send me that prompt—the one you used for that answer. It was so fun! Especially because The Matrix is actually one of my favorite movies, so that was very cool. Really, really cool.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yeah, yeah! That’s exactly why I did it. I know your taste in sci-fi, it’s pretty evident from your Instagram profile that you drink a lot of coffee, and it’s always there in your stories, so… yeah, it was a pretty easy prompt to come up with. I’ll definitely send it to you.
How SEO Feels in 2025
Gianluca Fiorelli: So, let’s kick off the conversation with a classic question I ask all my guests: How has SEO been treating you in these past few months?
Aleyda Solís: I have to say—it’s exciting. Very, very exciting. I haven’t felt this particular mix of excitement and uncertainty. I cannot help to say that there's this layer and feeling of uncertainty, which is completely natural and normal when stepping into something new. And that’s exactly what’s happening right now with the shift we're experiencing due to AI search.
There’s definitely a big overlap in the core principles we’re working with. But the way those principles are applied, the way users behave, and the kind of output we get—it’s all changing because of how different the LLM interfaces are. That difference has real implications for things like metrics, user expectations, and more.
We’re clearly entering a new era of zero-click behavior, and it's something we’ll all need to learn to navigate. But honestly, it reminds me a lot of how I felt when I first started learning SEO back in 2006 or 2007. It wasn’t just that so much was unknown—it was also about how we learned back then.
There was a strong sense of community and interaction. I remember the SEOmoz blog comments, I remember WebmasterWorld, and that early Twitter era—those were the reasons I became so active on Twitter. It was a way to follow other SEOs, see the tests they were running, learn from their insights, and get inspired to run my own experiments. That’s how I started validating things, spotting opportunities, and diving deeper.
I feel like we’re in a similar moment now. There are so many unknowns and so many unwritten aspects of this new AI search reality that we’re entering. Of course, unfortunately, there’s a lot of buzz, a lot of hype, and manipulation on certain things. But all of that also highlights how critical it is for those of us who’ve been in the industry for a while and who’ve already gone through similar shifts to share our experiences. We need to advocate, to clarify, and to tackle these challenges with a bit of common sense, right?
I’m really happy to see this wave of technical SEOs who have gone through the patents, are testing all the time, are accessing JSON files and analyzing what’s being shared. This kind of proactivity—validating, testing, gathering data we already have access to in order to identify new behavior and test accordingly—that’s a level of productivity that’s always been essential in SEO.
I believe this because in the past 10 years or so, we haven’t experienced a shift as massive as this one. Especially in the last five years, we’ve seen a wave of online courses, more documentation, and much more communication from Google, as an official channel.
As a result, there's a whole cohort of SEOs or newer SEOs who’ve grown up in this more structured environment. They may not have experienced the earlier days, in which not everything was written.
There was a lot of uncertainty back then—many unknowns—and being proactive was essential. So for those newer SEOs who might be feeling a bit insecure right now, that’s perfectly okay. My message to that group—those who haven’t yet experienced a shift this big—is: it’s completely fine. If, for any reason, you’re not ready to dive fully into these changes, or if the current direction doesn’t quite align with where you want to go, there are many ways to pivot and evolve.
I remember talking about this in the context of the Penguin update. Back then, we saw a lot of link builders who suddenly started to become content marketers. Later, some even moved into digital PR. That came a bit after, but the point is—there are always new paths forward.
So I’m also glad to see that there are still specialists in the industry or in digital marketing who understand what’s really happening—who grasp the underlying principles, and can translate them into strategies that help businesses and clients succeed. That’s us too. It’s part of our responsibility, I believe, not to let other professions see this like an opportunity and step in with overly simplistic takes like, “This is how it's done”, or “SEO is dead.”
No, no, no. That’s not the case; that’s not true. This is about applying what we already know to a new platform, a new interface. It’s about revamping, updating, and adapting the metrics and frameworks we use so that we keep the ROI high, to make it impactful, and to achieve goals in these other ways.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yes, totally—I completely hear you. That comparison to our early days really resonates. Back then, we were basically burning through websites just to test everything. We had to experiment, even if we didn’t fully understand what “black hat” meant at the time. I mean, how else could you fine-tune your knowledge, strategy, and tactics without pushing the limits of what was possible?
I agree—maybe the younger generation of SEOs isn’t quite used to that level of experimentation. Not all of them, of course, but many haven’t had to operate at that edge. I think it’s something they should try—to experiment, to build their own small, even tiny websites where they can test things.
And speaking of this current state of uncertainty—I really want to thank you. You’ve been one of the most vocal people out there when it comes to educating others, not just within the SEO community but also business owners and stakeholders who aren't necessarily SEO specialists. You’ve helped explain what’s changing, how to respond, and what to expect.
How Aleyda’s Guiding Clients Through Uncertainty
Gianluca Fiorelli: So, shifting to the business side of things—how are your clients, or even the businesses that are just now approaching you, experiencing and navigating this new era?
Aleyda Solís: Yes—so, I typically work with two types of clients. On one side, I have enterprise-level clients who usually already have in-house SEOs. I collaborate with those teams to help tackle specific challenges or projects they need support with. That’s generally why they bring me in.
In the case of these larger enterprise teams, they were actually some of the first to reach out for help navigating the impact of AI. They wanted to develop use cases, present clear data, and communicate the broader context and relative importance of what’s happening. There’s been so much noise—so many analyses from major platforms, tools, and even investors who have certain biases or vested interests in the AI space—claiming that SEO is no longer relevant or that everything is shifting completely.
So, I’ve been helping my clients assess the real picture: looking at their actual AI-driven traffic, measuring their current market share in that space, and contrasting it with their ongoing SEO performance and showing them the organic search trend.
I’ve also had the fortune of working with clients in sectors that haven’t been hit as hard by AI Overviews—at least, not yet.
I work with a lot of e-commerce businesses, marketplaces, and SaaS companies—businesses that are very transactionally driven. These companies typically don’t rely heavily on broad, top-of-the-funnel queries to drive meaningful conversions or revenue. But still, those broader queries are important, so the question becomes: How do we adapt to this shift? What should we prioritize? What activities, efforts, or plans need to be reconsidered or reshaped based on how things are evolving? And equally important—how do we set the right expectations?
Because, in the end, the hype can backfire. You might say, “AI is the next big thing,” or “SEO is dead”. And I can say, “Okay, I can help you with that strategy—I need these resources for that.” But what if, six months from now, Google still hasn’t fully transitioned to an AI Mode-first experience—because they need to thoroughly validate that their ad business continues to perform well within the new interface and make sure they don’t lose money?
I really believe that’s what they’re testing right now. It’s not necessarily about a UX-type test; it’s primarily about ensuring they don't lose revenue.
At the end of the day, money leads the way—unfortunately, that’s just the reality of how things work, not only in our industry but in the world in general. So, yes, if Google is ready and moves forward with AI-first search, great—we’ll be prepared. But that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re there yet.
In fact, the level of impact or the pace of this shift may not even be the same across all sectors. It depends a lot on the nature of the business and user behavior. For instance, take e-commerce: Google has said they’ll start testing the new AI Mode for shopping experience later this year. But what if they decide to delay it? What if it never gets released in the way we expect?
That’s why it’s so important to be honest and transparent—setting the right expectations with clients is crucial. At the same time, we should be preparing those “what if” scenarios in parallel: preparing for new lines of work and reprioritizing efforts.
In many cases, this shift has actually helped me drive some much-needed reprioritization. For example, it's a clear reason why we can’t over-rely on JavaScript-rendered content—because most LLM-based systems don’t yet render JavaScript the way Google does. It’s also reinforced the importance of building strong topical authority—covering key topics from multiple angles, genuinely helping the customer, and providing them the best user experience, addressing their doubts regarding the business or the products.
And that’s also why we need more resources allocated in that direction—or why we now need to align SEO efforts more closely with community management, social media management, and digital PR. Citations are starting to play a bigger role again, and all of this connects.
So, I believe that with a bit of common sense and a solid understanding of the context—this might happen, or it might not, depending on how far Google pushes into this new UI and mode of search—we can move forward accordingly. We can start providing the right data to contextualize what’s happening and guide strategy from there.
Now, it’s a bit different with my startup clients. With them, I’m often speaking directly with a co-founder, so the conversations are much more straightforward. There’s less need for extensive presentations or layers of documentation—it's more about jumping into Analytics, showing first-party and third-party data directly on screen, and saying, “This is the reality.”
Of course, these clients typically don’t have the same level of resources as large enterprises. So, we look at what’s possible with a “minimum viable” setting that still prepares them for change. Based on the data we have, we prioritize what we can realistically do, or what we should be doing if we expect much more straightforward ROI and benefits, as smaller players tend to expect. The reality and the resources that these types of players have are definitely different than the bigger ones, even if they’re well-funded startups.
Gianluca Fiorelli: That’s more or less what I also do and recommend. One thing I often suggest—especially to clients who are more hesitant, particularly in the B2B or niche markets—is to consider reprioritizing some efforts to better align with what’s coming, while still maintaining a strong focus on the current landscape.
Because right now, traditional organic search is still the primary source of traffic for most businesses.
So what I usually propose is: let’s run an experiment. Let’s choose one product line or service that’s less critical to your business—something lower risk—and use that as a test case. We can work on improving topical authority, optimizing for chunks and answers, and applying all these classic techniques that are now being discussed as ways to better align with LLMs, AI Overviews, and AI Mode.
By doing this, we can gather solid insights, build our own case study, and truly learn from the process. Then, based on what we find, we can gradually refine and roll out a broader strategy across the rest of your product or service areas.
Aleyda Solís: Yeah, that’s a great approach, indeed.
Dealing with AI Overviews and Traffic Decoupling
Gianluca Fiorelli: And then, of course, there are those clients—and you're lucky not to deal with them directly—who are already affected by the impact of AI, especially from AI Overviews. I’m sure you’ve also had businesses reaching out for help in this area. Even if it's not your usual client base, what would you suggest to them?
Aleyda Solís: Yes—this is the thing. We’re witnessing a much bigger shift, and honestly, it goes beyond SEO. At the end of the day, our role as SEOs is to consult, advise, and provide actionable strategies for online businesses to connect with their audiences when they search.
But some of these businesses might or might not be websites that rely on traffic monetization models like ads or affiliate revenue. And even though I don’t work directly with them, it really hurts to see what they’re going through.
The term “traffic decoupling,” coined by Darwin Santos, an awesome SEO in the US, captures this perfectly.
It’s about higher impressions because of more engagement—with AI Overviews, AI Mode, conversational-type engagement, and multi-turn. So, higher impressions, but fewer—or less—traffic, fewer clicks.
And many voices out there say, “Okay, what is important at the end of the day is the revenue, is the actual impact—not necessarily the traffic.” And yes, that’s true—if your business model doesn’t depend on traffic. But unfortunately, there’s an entire share of businesses, an entire industry that relies on that.
Larger brands and companies are already making licensing deals with these platforms to access to their information. But for smaller players and independents, it’s a very different reality. Unfortunately, they don’t have that much of a voice.
If all of the intent—or all of the goal—when referring actual users, and for the balance to work, is to provide information that is transactionally driven—so it motivates the user to go to the website to complete the final outcome they want—but when it comes to purely informational needs, the user doesn’t need to leave the interface, doesn’t need to go to your website, then what are the incentives for you to continue creating information? Great information, expert information, and firsthand experience information that is helpful in the future?
It’s a chicken-and-egg type of situation. What will happen in the future if the incentive disappears, because the user won’t go to your website anymore? And it’s tragic.
I believe that’s why a different type of framework, a different type of partnership or program, is needed—something that could even be facilitated by LLMs.
I remember very early on, when Microsoft released what later became the Copilot experience, they shared how they wanted to explore the opportunity to split the revenue from ads shown in conversations with the websites featured there.
That could definitely be a good alternative, for example. But yes, unfortunately, this is a much bigger challenge—a bigger issue than just one that affects SEOs. This is about the survival of entire business models, and of an entire industry—and even more than that, really.
We, as SEOs, are somewhat in the middle of all this, but the implications go far beyond us. It's crucial that platforms act with responsibility and that they provide the data needed for informed decision-making.
One of the biggest issues we face right now is the lack of well-filtered, segmented, clear, and straightforward data, not just from Google, but from all LLM platforms.
Take ChatGPT, for example. Right now, it’s essentially the first pure LLM platform sending traffic. But they haven’t lifted a finger to provide any kind of reporting—nothing like a “Search Console” for website owners or businesses to see how their content is being used. And yet, they’re using that content to generate answers. Thank you very much, right?
So yes, there’s that. And I believe it's essential that these platforms—not just Google, but all of them—step up and take responsibility. Otherwise, in a few years, there may be no original, human-generated content left for them to learn from, because the incentive to create it will be gone. And that would be truly tragic.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yeah, totally, and it can also be dangerous—like the mad cow disease, where AI starts ingesting AI-generated content to produce AI synthetic answers. It becomes a loop, until everything is substantially returning to the matrix and the matrix on the Internet. So, not real content anymore.
How Aleyda Uses AI in Her Workflow
Gianluca Fiorelli: But shifting from that big-picture issue to something more practical—how you personally use AI in your work.
You recently shared a very nice, very good, and well-done ChatGPT prompt for assessing whether content is correctly “optimized,” let’s say, for LLMs. You looked at things like the chunks, the sentiment, and other relevant factors.
I imagine that you create this kind of tool not only to share with the public but also for yourself. How do you use AI in your daily work, both through tools and your own custom prompts?
Aleyda Solís: Yeah, so I try to leverage AI to facilitate and accelerate a lot of the legwork and analysis, for sure—while also taking into account privacy implications and so on. That’s why I believe that downloadable versions of LLMs with an MCP setting, would be ideal for this.
And then, also, some additional integrations—many of the tools we already use are now offering these—can help do that directly within their interface, without having to do your own more complex, trickier technical configurations independently.
I believe we’re really only at the beginning here—we’re just starting to see the early stages of this shift. And it’s only going to move forward from here.
What I try to avoid, in general, is reinventing the wheel. I’ve seen many of these LLM-powered tools essentially recreate what existing tools already do—tools I already have access to, and in many cases, already pay for. So... what’s the need?
A lot of my AI use is really about identifying patterns across data I’ve already analyzed, or data I’ve obtained, validated, and filtered using the tools I’m already working with. For example, Keyword Insights is an amazing tool for establishing topic clusters, and so on.
So I won’t be using a newer version of an LLM that I create from scratch for that—no. There are already top-notch tools out there for that, right?
What I do instead is take the information I obtain from those tools to identify patterns more easily, to prioritize what matters most in my own context—rather than starting the whole thing from scratch using an LLM.
That’s what I do. And yes, I have my own sheets with different prompts that I tend to reuse, let’s say, to run this type of analysis.
I’m also really enjoying the integrations that tools like Screaming Frog, for example, now offer through the APIs of LLMs. I believe that’s the right way to think about it—rather than trying to use LLMs as standalone interfaces, which often aren’t built or designed for these kinds of specific SEO use cases and activities.
It’s much easier when tools support LLM integration and give us the flexibility to interact with them conversationally—so we can explore the data more efficiently and prioritize what really matters in our specific scenarios.
Best Practices for SEO in the Age of AI
Gianluca Fiorelli: If you had to give, let’s say, three key recommendations to SEOs—thinking about how we’re moving into a new world, but recognizing that this new world isn’t fully here yet.
As you said, it’s not about replacing SEO with AIO or GEO. It’s still SEO—just in a new interface. Just like we have SEO for local search, SEO for news, SEO for marketplaces, we’re now starting to have SEO for AI search.
And being SEO, there are still many core principles that remain important—even in the AI-driven space.
If you had to name a few of those best practices that people should not forget, what would they be? You already mentioned JavaScript—how important it is to pay attention to how content is rendered. What are some other things you believe we should still keep in front of us, like a Post-it note on our screens, when we are working?
Aleyda Solís: Yeah—so, one thing to highlight is the importance of creating content with real thought around its semantic relevance to the topics we’re targeting.
I have to say, it really bothered me when I saw those early comparisons people were making—thankfully, not so much anymore—between traditional SEO and this idea of switching to GEO or AI search optimization. Like, comparing keyword density to actual relevant semantic optimization? Really? At least among the SEOs I know, no one had been optimizing based on keyword density in a long time.
In my view, mature, sophisticated SEO—the kind we’ve already been practicing in 2025—has a lot of overlap with the concepts, principles, and criteria needed for AI-driven search. We’re already creating content that’s useful to users, that connects with their intent, and meets their needs.
What we probably need now is simply to broaden our thinking a bit—to better understand how to target these new behaviors and types of queries.
Take chunk-level retrieval, for example. It’s not like we weren’t already trying to structure our content in a semantically meaningful way. We were already aiming to organize paragraphs to focus clearly on single concepts or entities in order to make them better understood by the user.
What’s changed is that now we have a much stronger incentive to do this even better. Because we’re no longer just trying to rank entire pages for a certain number of queries, where the whole page is relevant.
Now, it’s about paragraphs, chunks, or passages within those pages that can be extracted and used in answer synthesis. These could be used for informational queries, transactional queries, or even queries that don’t directly align with the page’s primary intent or topic.
For example, with some of my e-commerce clients, I'm seeing that a lot of the prompts that are generating traffic to a few PDPs are very informational queries, for which they would never have ranked traditionally.
And even on my own websites, I’m seeing this shift. Traditionally, my homepage is ranking in SERPs for things like my name, “SEO consultant,” “international SEO consultant,” “e-commerce SEO consultant”—terms that describe me broadly. Which makes sense.
But now, in AI-driven search, I’m seeing prompts that generate traffic to my homepage asking things like, “What are the best SEO newsletters to keep up with the news?” or “Suggest a free way to learn SEO with a well-structured roadmap.”
And I can definitely see why and how I was cited there—as the author of both LearningSEO.io and SEOFOMO, with a link, a mention of my name, and the user likely clicking through to land on my homepage accordingly. Right?
So this really opens up the opportunity to rethink how we approach targeting and structuring content—how we optimize information so it's better surfaced in these new and different ways. It’s not just about page-level optimization anymore.
That doesn’t mean we weren’t already being sophisticated—thinking in terms of topical clusters, addressing user needs from different angles, or optimizing for semantic relevance. We were doing all of that already.
But because of how traditional search engine retrieval systems and interfaces worked, we focused our strategies in slightly different ways. Now, with AI search, the mechanisms are changing, and so we need to adapt accordingly.
That’s why I created the AI Search Content Optimization Checklist—to help guide this shift. It walks through all these considerations, with both good and bad examples, to help SEOs better optimize content for this evolving landscape.
So it becomes much easier to understand—and for people to realize—that this isn’t necessarily rocket science. These are practical, actionable ways to move forward.
Gianluca has access to the checklist too, and I’m more than happy to share it with anyone who hasn’t seen it yet. It’s very straightforward and easy to implement.
And honestly, some of the recommendations are things we were already doing. Take “optimizing for citation-worthiness” for example. That’s not new—we already aimed for that in traditional search by showing authorship, highlighting credentials (for E-E-A-T), including citations and links to studies or stats, and showcasing expertise.
Or think about “optimizing for multimodal support”. We’ve been optimizing content with videos and images for years. What’s changed is that now these elements are being integrated directly into AI-generated answers. The implications are different, and expectations may shift—but again, it’s not completely new ground.
Most of what now plays a role in AI search is something we’ve already been doing—just in a different way, with different expectations, because of the limitations and characteristics of traditional search results.
Now we’re simply taking this to the next level, adjusting it to fit new types of frameworks—because the expectations, the goals, and the behaviour of the user is different.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yes, I often use the example of product description pages and the FAQ module on PDPs. Before AI search, we typically created FAQs on product pages for two main reasons: one was for SEO—to help disambiguate one product page from another, especially when products were quite similar. And the other was for conversion rate optimization—to provide more information and keep users engaged on the page, increasing the chances they’d eventually click the “Buy” button.
But now, that same module offers us a new opportunity—just as you were saying. It allows our product pages to be surfaced for informational queries in LLMs' answers, which is a big deal.
It’s a great strategy—because you're now showcasing your products from the very first stage of the customer journey, which is wonderful for me.
Aleyda’s Process: Starting a New Client Engagement
Gianluca Fiorelli: And now, talking about how you work—let’s say a new client comes to you and you start working with them. What are the key questions you always ask at the beginning of an engagement? And what are the very first things you usually go and check on their website?
Aleyda Solís: Yes—so the first step is understanding their business: their business model, what they stand for, their unique selling proposition, what they do, what they don’t do, who their audiences are, who their competitors are, and how they differentiate themselves.
That foundational understanding is absolutely critical—even before starting any keyword research, competitor analysis, or anything purely SEO-related.
This is critical to understand how to assess the data you gather and what you should prioritize or not.
It’s equally important to understand their current constraints—whether technical, content-related, or resource-based—as well as their priorities and ongoing campaigns. This ensures you're aware of anything that could impact what you are already doing. What they know they can’t change due to existing constraints, limitations, and others. So, you don’t want to propose something that won’t be meaningful or doable anyway.
And finally, it’s essential to know what “success” looks like for them. For the decision-makers who will ultimately evaluate your work, you need to understand what level of technical details they expect, so you can speak to them in the same language. What are the data sources that they see, and what information do they need to keep up with the project, so they see what you see?
Unfortunately, what happens many times is that a project might be a success, but decision-makers see it differently, simply because of the information they have access to. And even if you communicate your side, they may not fully understand it. You’re not on the same page.
So, making sure you're communicating in a way that aligns with their expectations and that they can understand is absolutely critical.
Then, of course, you need to understand all the different people and departments involved—every stakeholder. That means identifying how much they already know about SEO, what their current perception of SEO is, and whether you’ll need to do a bit of internal evangelization to shift that perception. Sometimes, a little bit of training is needed, too, especially if it’s their first SEO project.
And based on all that, I’ll often choose to communicate—and even overcommunicate, if needed—through the platforms they already use. In my experience, that’s key to reducing friction and lowering the burden on their end. I want to eliminate any obstacles, so I’ll adapt to their tools and workflows and just be there, wherever they are.
Then, when it comes to the first analysis—depending on the type of project, its goals, expected outcomes, and existing constraints—I start by collecting and analyzing the necessary data. I also have a couple of people helping me with that initial legwork so we can move faster.
And then, when delivering the action plan or recommendations, everything should absolutely be backed by data. But the way we explain those recommendations shouldn’t focus solely on the issues identified. Instead, the emphasis should be on what solving those issues will achieve—the goals that will be met, the issues that will be tackled, and the value that those solutions will deliver based on what we’ve identified.
That’s something I always discuss with the people who collaborate with me—those helping with data collection and making recommendations: “How we communicate is just as important as what we communicate.” Because it directly impacts how the outcomes are perceived and how the importance of our work is understood.
Let me give an example. The other day, we were working on defining some rules around a category system—new sections and areas of a website that were going to be surfaced or indexed, based on search behavior opportunities the client wasn’t yet covering. These were specific facets that hadn’t been indexed on the site before.
Then, someone I collaborate with flagged a scenario involving the implementation of some navigation updates to facilitate crawlability for those pages. They said this new navigation is linking to quite a few ‘noindex’ pages. So I went and took a look—and yes, it was true. There were quite a few 'noindex' pages being linked to.
Not because these pages were canonicalized to the parent categories, but rather because they didn’t have specific products to showcase for those particular facets at the time. There were business rules in place—if a facet doesn’t have products, it gets ‘noindexed’ temporarily. It’s a temporary behavior.
So it’s not just about making sure these pages don’t get indexed when they’re empty—it’s also about avoiding misleading users or directing crawlability to pages that don’t provide value at that moment.
And I explained this to the person I was working with. I said: “The real issue here isn’t that you’re linking to a ‘noindex’ page. The actual problem that they are going to understand is that you’re linking to a page without products.”
The ‘noindex’ status is a result of that, not the root issue. The actual issue the client will have is: “Why are you linking from the main navigation to a category, or a facet, or a listing that doesn’t have products? It’s bad UX—bad user experience. It doesn’t make sense. You end up wasting a lot of SEO-relevant concepts or criteria in ways that don’t bring any real value.”
But the key is this: the actual issue needs to be communicated in a way the client will care about—the one that connects directly to conversions, revenue, or the overall business impact.
Unfortunately, it often takes a while for SEOs to really make that mental shift. Even if they understand it, they might not yet communicate that way. But once you do make that shift, it changes everything.
It makes a huge difference—really mastering this kind of communication, prioritization, and business alignment. And that only comes after years of experience working directly with clients.
In my opinion, it’s what can make or break a project. It’s also what separates a consultant—or an SEO specialist, whether in-house or external—who truly performs and succeeds from one who doesn’t.
So this type of communication, prioritization, thinking, and connecting what you find, what the actual business and what they are going to care about makes a lot of difference.
For example, when we’re talking about negative outcomes—like AI Overviews causing traffic drops in certain parts of the site—the key is asking: “Is this affecting actual performance? Is it impacting conversions? Revenue? ROI? Is it or not yet?”
If not, maybe it’s just a vanity metric in this new landscape. Not everything that looks like a drop is a problem. But if it is hurting performance, then great—now we can ask: “What are the alternatives? How can we move forward? What other types of topics, pages, or platforms can we invest in? What can we enhance to move forward?”
I think, unfortunately, a lot of SEOs are still very tactical. It’s all about the checklist. And if something’s not on that list, they won’t assess it, or they won’t think bigger or differently about it.
But it’s exactly this kind of business-oriented thinking—being able to find solutions in different ways, in different scenarios, and under different constraints—that really enables us to succeed.
That mindset is so necessary right now, especially with the shifts we’re experiencing in the industry. Because moving forward, there won’t be just one way to achieve results. There will be many ways. And success will come from knowing how to navigate that growing diversity—because the landscape is evolving quickly, and so must our approach.
Gianluca Fiorelli: I might also add—not all checklists out there are as good as yours, to be honest! So it really depends on what kind of checklist we’re talking about. Some SEO checklists are very tactically focused and don’t go much beyond that.
What Aleyda Wishes She’d Known in 2006 About Productivity, Testing, and Outcomes
Gianluca Fiorelli: But speaking of SEO, let’s do a sort of Back to the Future moment. Imagine going back to 2006 or 2007, when you were just starting out in SEO. With all the experience you have now, what’s something you wish someone had told or recommended to you back then?
Aleyda Solís: Oh, I would have loved if someone had really instilled in me the importance of productivity and testing. That it’s okay if things don’t work out at first—just test!
I wish someone had encouraged that mindset of running pilot projects—like you mentioned earlier—or building out different scenarios based on available resources and constraints. The idea that you say: “If this works well, we’ll go in this direction. If not, we’ll pivot and go that other way.”
It’s not about being right or wrong. And honestly, I still think that’s a challenge in the industry today. I remember back when I was starting, there were constant debates like: “Is this a ranking factor or not?” And even not that long ago, we were having those same conversations—like around E-E-A-T, for example.
Whether authorship was officially a ranking signal or not, I honestly didn’t care that much if it was a specific ranking signal within the Google algorithm or not. What mattered to me was that it helped clarify the user’s concerns about the authority of the content.
I knew it was straightforward for me to implement—thankfully, I’ve worked with real businesses that have actual experts writing their content. So, for me, it was a low-effort, high-impact tactic.
Because it’s so easy to recognize how users take these signals into account—how they influence trust, credibility, and engagement—I always felt confident it would play a role. Even if not as a direct ranking signal, I believed it had some impact somewhere in the system.
And sure enough, later on, with Google document leaks and all of that, we got more evidence supporting its relevance.
But even before that, I used to think: “Why are we having these endless, pointless debates about whether something is or isn’t a ranking factor, instead of focusing on what really matters?’
I wish someone had told me early on to adopt that mindset—think about the user, think about marketing, think about revenue and outcomes. Don’t get fixated on the trees, but see the whole wood instead.
That mindset is really important—especially in this sector. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about opinions; it’s about data.
Go look at your data. Go look at what’s actually happening. Many people may have had success with certain tactics or strategies, but that doesn’t mean those same things will work in your context. Context plays a huge role in everything.
So go to your data. Be proactive. Test things. Validate things for yourself. And once you have data that supports a strategy or approach within your own scenario—great, move forward with confidence.
That doesn’t mean someone else is wrong. It just means their solution worked in their context. And that’s fine.
We really need to move past this idea of SEO being about who's right or wrong. The reality is: it depends. As our friend Chris Green would say, “It depends.”
And the key is not just to leave it at that generic “it depends,” but to keep it grounded—down-to-earth, validated by data, and clearly contextualized. That’s what gives us real insight. That’s what allows us to move forward effectively.
Quickfire Questions: Getting to Know Aleyda
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yes, totally. And I've just checked the clock, and we've been talking for almost an hour! I’d love to keep going, but let’s wrap it up here. Before we finish, though, I want to ask you a few quick questions—just so our viewers and listeners can get to know you a bit better, not just as Aleyda Solis the SEO. Agree?
Aleyda Solís: Yes, of course!
Gianluca Fiorelli: Great! Let’s start. Earlier in the intro, we mentioned The Matrix. You're a big fan of sci-fi, right? So let’s talk about TV shows. What series would you recommend our viewers check out—right after they finish watching The Search Session?
Aleyda Solís: So, if you like science fiction, I cannot recommend Foundation enough. The third season is coming out this July, and I seriously can't wait. I'm actually rewatching season one right now, and I plan to go through season two again before season three drops. It's an outstanding series—one of the best sci-fi series out there.
Now, I will say this: it starts off a bit slow—it’s a slow burn. But give it time.
That said, I understand not everyone is into science fiction. If you're more into fantasy or something with a tech edge, the Andor series is fantastic. The setting might be fictional, but what you see—how a revolution begins, how political power can devolve into dictatorship—is portrayed in a very real, grounded way. And coming from a place that’s experienced its fair share of revolutions and dictatorships, and so on.
So yes, Andor isn’t the typical space opera. It’s not cartoonish, but it’s really great, and I know you loved it too, Gianluca—so I highly recommend it as well.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yes, totally! And speaking of Nicaragua—your home country—what memories come to mind from before you moved to Spain to study? Are there any that you always go back to when you need something comforting or grounding?
Aleyda Solís: Oh, the heat! It’s so hot. Every time I come back and also from time to time, I remember what it was like going to school in that weather—attending classes in, I don’t know, 32°C, 33°C (that’s about 90°F), every day.
I laugh sometimes when I see schools here in Spain shutting down because of the heat, authorities saying, ”We’re not prepared for this heat.”. But back home, that was my everyday. At university, we actually had air conditioners, so it was better. But during school, we only had basic fans—nothing that really helped. Imagine a classroom with 30 students and just a few fans... they did nothing to cool us down, so we spent the whole afternoon like that.
And then there was PE class at 3:00 PM... in 32 °C with high humidity? Thanks, but no thanks!
But yes, the heat is definitely the first thing that comes to mind. And of course—the food. We have some absolutely delicious, original corn-based Nicaraguan dishes that are just top-notch. I’m always looking forward to tasting them again whenever I go back.
And of course—my family, my friends, the people I love—that’s always a big part of it, obviously. But it’s funny: the first thing that hits me every time I go back is the heat. As soon as I step out of the airport—boom—that wave of warmth just hits you.
Even in December! I’ve gone back a few times for Christmas, and I always have this moment where I’m still on the plane thinking, “Okay, I need to take off my hoodie or jumper before getting out of the airport.” You know how cold airports and flights can be with the air conditioning.
But it doesn’t matter—I'm wearing just a light shirt, I arrive at 9 PM, and still, the moment I step outside it’s like a wall of heat smacks me in the face. And I just think, “Yes, I’m home. I am definitely home.”
Gianluca Fiorelli: Okay, last question. Since we’re talking about travel—and I have to say, it always makes me smile when I see one of your Instagram posts of a coffee machine somewhere. I know that means you’re about to board a flight! So, let’s talk destinations: of all the countries and places you’ve visited, which one stands out the most?
Aleyda Solís: I think it was when I went to Japan. I’ve been twice, and honestly, I was just blown away. It’s so different from my home country, and also from Spain, where I’ve been living for almost 20 years.
The culture, the tech, the food—the combination of it all is just mind-blowing. On one hand, you see this incredible technological advancement, and on the other, there's this deep respect for tradition and care for everything old. That contrast really struck me, especially coming from a place so different.
The only downside is the language barrier. I remember the first time I visited—around 2014 or 2015—I felt a bit lost because not many people spoke English back then. That made things a little challenging. I returned in 2019, and although I had mixed feelings, I absolutely loved it.
The food is amazing. The way people speak to you—with such kindness and respect—it’s really something special. I’m definitely looking forward to going back.
Another place that’s really impressed me—and where I always look forward to returning—is Australia. I’ve been there quite a few times, maybe five or so, and I just love it.
Whenever I have an event there, I always try to stay a little longer—to really see a bit more of it. It’s just... what a country! Unfortunately, it’s so far away, but still—what a country. It has a bit of everything.
That’s what I love about it: the mix of cultures, the natural beauty, and of course... koalas, kangaroos, and all those unique animals you just don’t find anywhere else. So yes, I’d say Japan and Australia are definitely my top two.
Gianluca Fiorelli: And the people in Australia are amazing too—so open and welcoming.
Aleyda Solís: Very, very friendly—indeed!
Gianluca Fiorelli: Well, thank you, Aleyda. I think now our audience knows a bit more about you beyond just SEO. It was a real pleasure having you as my guest today, and I truly hope we can do this again in the future.
Aleyda Solís: Thank you! I really appreciate it. I’ve enjoyed our conversation so much.
Gianluca Fiorelli: And to everyone watching—before we wrap up, don’t forget to ring the bell, subscribe to the channel, and give a like to this wonderful conversation with Aleyda. That way, you’ll be notified when new guests pop up on The Search Session.
Bye-bye!
Podcast Host
Gianluca Fiorelli
With almost 20 years of experience in web marketing, Gianluca Fiorelli is a Strategic and International SEO Consultant who helps businesses improve their visibility and performance on organic search. Gianluca collaborated with clients from various industries and regions, such as Glassdoor, Idealista, Rastreator.com, Outsystems, Chess.com, SIXT Ride, Vegetables by Bayer, Visit California, Gamepix, James Edition and many others.
A very active member of the SEO community, Gianluca daily shares his insights and best practices on SEO, content, Search marketing strategy and the evolution of Search on social media channels such as X, Bluesky and LinkedIn and through the blog on his website: IloveSEO.net.
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