Why am I not showing up in search in 2025?
Ryan Goloversic
🟩 Published by Ryan Goloversic • June 15, 2025
How is AI changing SEO?
Google’s new SGE (Search Generative Experience) is here, and it’s changing how search works. If you’re still optimizing for the old list-of-links version of Google, you’re falling behind. As of 2025, SEO isn’t just about rankings anymore. It’s about relevance, structure, and synergy with AI.
In many ways, SEO stays the same. Google still aims for relevance, trust, authenticity, and authority. A popular acronym is E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust. It’s a simplified frame to help people understand what these complex algorithms are actually looking for.
Think of SGE as the gatekeeper for SEO. Gemini is Google’s AI, and with so many agencies now using AI to produce content, Google has to filter for human signal—along with the usual authority signals. These come from how your site is structured, how information is laid out on each page, and how original, helpful, and authentic your writing is.
If your content is just an AI copy of a copy, Google’s AI will ignore it at best—or flag it at worst
What Is Google SGE?
SGE is how Google uses its AI to filter search results. It looks at your brand’s digital footprint to match the best content to the searcher’s digital profile.
Yes—Google really does know everything about you.
SGE evaluates how often you publish, how helpful and original your content is, how long users stay on the page, and whether you go beyond text.
Did you make a video? Did you demonstrate real experience? That matters now.
Some signals carry more weight than others.
Take schema: it’s a technical signal—code that talks directly to Google’s bots and helps them crawl your site more efficiently.
It’s not a game-changer on its own, but in high-trust verticals like law or finance, it can tip the scales.
That said, if you’re publishing a weekly blog that genuinely helps your target customer and makes a clear path to your service—that signal will carry more weight.
It’s not about one trick. It’s about the balance of signals—and the strongest one is still the structure of your site and the person behind the keyboard.
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SGE is blend of search and generative AI. When someone types a query, Google generates a full AI-powered answer, then cites websites it trusts.
That means if your content isn’t structured clearly, rich with context, and technically optimized, you’re not just missing Page 1—you’re not even in the conversation.
How SGE Changes SEO Forever:
- Content must be organized semantically—topic clusters, not blog sprawl
- Authority and clarity matter more than ever—fluff dies in AI summaries
- Technical structure wins—schema, speed, UX, and content all affect visibility
- Sites must work as ecosystems, not just stand-alone pages
At Rygo Labs, we specialize in building that structure—SEO that feeds SGE.
The Synergy Layer: SEO x Design
One of the most overlooked parts of SGE optimization? Web development.
Because if your content is great but your site architecture sucks, Google’s AI can’t parse it.
That’s why we often work alongside web teams like WiseBear Creative—to ensure your UX, code, and design don’t block your visibility.
What to Do Next:
- Reassess your site architecture
- Build content clusters, not random blogs
- Optimize for humans and machines
- And work with an SEO team that actually understands what Google is becoming
→ Ready to future-proof your visibility? Check our SEO architecture process here
SGE Case Studies
Epic Boardsports - Cocoa Beach, FL → Google SGE Optimization Case Study
Industry: Watersports (Wingfoil, SUP)
Service: SEO + SGE Optimization
Challenge
Epic had no search visibility for wingfoil services. Customers didn’t even know they offered lessons. The site wasn’t structured for how AI interprets authority or context.
Solution
We spent a few months publishing blog content built around E-E-A-T signals—experience, expertise, authority, and trust. Then we updated Epic’s key lesson service page with SEO and SGE-optimized content, structured for how Google’s AI and tools like ChatGPT read clarity and trust. That page ranked on the first page, second listing, within 4 hours of going live, and Epic now shows up in multiple AI-generated answers when real customers search or use chat assistants..
Results
- Ranked #1 in SGE (Gemini) within hours
- ChatGPT recommended Epic in cold queries
- Real walk-ins and calls from new wingfoil customers
“We’re creating content that speaks to the new AI systems, so they see you as the trusted expert and recommend you.”
Change comes fastÂ
A lot of businesses are starting to feel it—AI has changed everything. Honestly, I was fully against it at first. But here’s the thing: we have to adapt. And it’s going to change faster than anyone’s ready for. Now that I’m deep in this new search landscape, I can see something clearly—some core truths haven’t changed. The more helpful your content is to the person searching, the more likely you are to show up. The shift? You now have to be helpful not just to people, but to the AIs that gatekeep visibility.
“Why isn’t my content showing up in AI search?”
That’s the new version of “why am I not ranking?” It’s not just about page one anymore. If you’re not cited in Google’s SGE or being referenced by Gemini, you’re not even being considered. We see this constantly—teams pumping out blog content, but getting ignored because their structure doesn’t make sense to the machine. It’s not that the copy is bad. The system just can’t read it.
“Do I need to rewrite everything for SGE?”
Probably not. But you do need to rethink how your site is organized. Content without context doesn’t perform anymore. If your blog posts, service pages, and clusters aren’t mapped intentionally, Gemini skips right over you. Structure is the unlock. The best SEO in 2025 isn’t about rewriting—it’s about reconnecting the parts you already have and making them speak to each other.
“Is blogging still worth it now that AI answers everything?”
Yes—but not the kind of blogging that was popular five years ago. Spammy lists and shallow posts are dead. But if your content reinforces authority, supports a specific service, and fits into a broader site architecture? That still wins. We’ve had clients hold the featured snippet and the SGE citation because their blog wasn’t filler—it was signal.
“What should I fix first?”
Structure. Always structure. We don’t start with keywords—we start with architecture. That means aligning content relationships, cleaning up internal links, using semantic headings, and going deeper on core topics. Once the bones are right, the content works harder, AI understands faster, and you don’t just show up—you get chosen.
Real Results Across Industries & Borders
HydroFlyer – British Columbia, Canada
Industry: eFoil Manufacturing
Service: SEO Content + LLM Optimization
Role: Rygo Labs is the digital marketing lead for HydroFlyer
The team at The HydroFlyer had a solid foundation but needed to show up in search results to educate new eFoilers on their unique take on the sport. We spent six months building their E-E-A-T signals around two targeted search intents. They are now directly cited in AI-generated answers from Google Gemini for multiple beginner eFoil questions. This gives us the ability to introduce new riders to their innovative approach—positioning HydroFlyer as a gateway into the eFoil family.
We’re targeting both beginner questions and intermediate watermen looking to make a name for themselves—challenging them to join the movement and stake their claim in a new, sport-defining era of eFoiling.
Featured Snippets vs AI Results
HydroFlyer doesn’t just show up in AI-generated answers—they also hold the featured snippet for queries like “What is the safest eFoil?” in traditional search.
It’s rare to earn both. Featured snippets reflect how well your content matches Google’s relevance model. AI results reflect how well your brand is understood by Gemini and other LLMs. HydroFlyer hits both—and that’s exactly what we design for.
Mailboxes by Bob – Detroit, MI
Industry: Mailbox Installation & Security
Service: Content Architecture + Local SEO (in partnership with WiseBear Creative )
Mailboxes by Bob now appears in Google’s AI-generated results for mailbox security in Detroit. This outcome reflects a focused content structure targeting high-intent local searches and optimizing for both Gemini and traditional ranking signals.
WiseBear’s development team is uniquely skilled at building websites that support long-form, structured content—exactly what modern SEO and SGE visibility require. Their clean UX and technical execution made it easy for our SEO system to surface this client in Gemini’s AI answers—right alongside national sources like USPS.
Why Our SGE Strategy Is Different
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Many agencies treat SGE like a content trend. We don’t. We build structured SEO systems that are engineered to perform across both Google’s traditional algorithm and Gemini’s AI-generated results.
We’re not just copywriters. We’re SEO architects, mapping content into signal-rich site structures that AI systems actually understand and actually helps your customers.Â
- We’ve helped brands in British Columbia, Florida, and Michigan show up in real SGE answers—backed by screenshots, not theory.
- We work directly with developers to ensure your content structure isn’t just optimized—it’s usable, crawlable, and clean.
- We don’t guess. We test. Everything we recommend comes from live queries in Gemini, ChatGPT, and AI-first results.
This isn’t about chasing page 1—it’s about building a presence that your customers, Google Gemini and LLMs can’t ignore.
1. How do you actually get listed in Google’s AI answers?
It’s not luck—it’s structure. Google’s AI looks for content it can understand, trust, and cite. That means building topical clusters, publishing consistently, and organizing your site so Gemini knows exactly what you’re about. When your content is helpful to people and clearly mapped for AI, you become the obvious answer. We’ve seen it happen over and over: the sites that show up in SGE are the ones that treat SEO like a system—not a guessing game.
2. What’s the difference between showing up in SGE and ranking on page one?
 Page one means you’re part of the search results. SGE is the answer itself. To show up there, your site has to feel authoritative, easy to understand, and contextually aligned with the question being asked. It’s less about ranking tricks and more about clarity and consistency.
3. Can a small or local business show up in SGE?
Yes—of course. In some ways, it’s almost easier for small businesses. When you clearly communicate what makes you different or serve a specific geographic area, Google’s AI actually has more to work with. It loves matching specific questions to specific providers. We’ve seen it happen consistently—especially when the content is helpful, structured around real questions, and tightly aligned with your services. AI doesn’t just favor big brands; it favors clarity, usefulness, and structure.
4. Why isn’t my content showing up, even though I’ve “done SEO”?
Because most SEO from the last decade was surface-level—titles, meta tags, keywords. That might have worked before, but AI sees deeper now. Systems like SGE look at how your pages relate, how thoroughly you cover a topic, and whether your site shows real care. And honestly? The fundamentals that worked in 2016 still matter—but the system is smarter at telling who’s genuinely trying to help and who’s just publishing noise. Structure matters. A site that goes deep into a subject, maps its content intentionally, and builds true topical authority becomes undeniable—and AI treats it that way.
5. What’s the first thing to look at when optimizing for SGE?
Start with your content structure. Are your pages organized around real questions? Is your site easy to navigate? Do your posts connect to your core services in a way that actually helps the customer? Did you say something useful, original, and true? Did you contribute something real?
You have to give, not take.
That’s the part most businesses miss. SGE doesn’t reward filler—it rewards clarity, relevance, and intent. Most of the wins we’ve seen come from rethinking layout, topic depth, and signal-rich writing—not just writing more, but building something that’s actually worth being recommended.
Ryan Goloversic
Ryan “Rygo” Goloversic is a senior SEO strategist, brand consultant, and the founder & CEO of Rygo Labs—an agency trusted by law firms, watersports brands, partner agencies, and service-based businesses across the U.S. and Canada. With over a decade of hands-on experience, he builds content systems that scale trust, traffic, and long-term growth—and currently serves as the lead strategist for WiseBear Creative, a national branding and web agency.
He’s also a globally recognized kiteboarder and Airush team rider. His marketing career began in video, where he built the largest retail-based SEO and YouTube program in watersports with MACkite. When he’s not leading SEO campaigns or consulting teams, you can find him in the gym or competing on the KPLxGKA world tour.