SEO Best Practices for Global Brand Success: How to Stay Visible in a World Reshaped by AI

A futuristic faceted globe with vibrant red, blue, and teal regions encircled by geometric shapes and rings, symbolizing digital interconnectedness.

I. Search Has Changed, but SEO Has Not Died

There is a growing belief that SEO is becoming irrelevant because people are “searching less on Google” and more through AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. The truth is simpler: people are not abandoning search. They are expanding how they search.

Search is no longer a list of blue links. It is a blend of engines, models, platforms, and algorithms that interpret meaning at scale. Google still matters. LLMs now matter too. TikTok and YouTube influence discovery. Amazon shapes product intent. AI-powered answers are built on top of the content brands create.

SEO has not died. It has evolved into an interpretative discipline. Today, SEO is the foundation of how brands become discoverable across every environment where people look for information—not only in search engines, but also in AI-generated responses. Global brands that understand this shift are already shaping the next era of visibility.

...People are not abandoning search. They are expanding how they search.

II. The New Search Ecosystem: A System of Interpretation

What used to be a Google-dominated landscape has turned into a multi-layered discovery system with far more nuance and complexity than most brands are prepared for. People now search across overlapping environments, each with its own logic, signals, expectations, and ranking criteria:

• Search engines like Google and Bing, still the backbone of high-intent discovery in most markets

• LLM search like ChatGPT Search, Claude Search, and Perplexity, which process information through summarization and reasoning rather than indexing

• Generative engines that synthesize answers, compare solutions, and provide recommendations without showing traditional lists

• Platform-native search like TikTok Search, YouTube Search, and Amazon Search, where users discover products, tutorials, reviews, and cultural context directly from creators or the community

These systems do not operate separately. They constantly interpret one another, borrow from shared data ecosystems, and evaluate authority signals using different but overlapping criteria. A brand that is invisible in one layer becomes harder for the others to trust. A brand that communicates clearly and consistently is more likely to surface everywhere.

The implication is straightforward: SEO now means making your brand understandable across all interpretation layers. Visibility today is not about ranking in one engine. It is about being legible to every system that tries to interpret who you are, what you offer, and why you matter.

III. Why SEO Matters More Than Ever

Three core truths define modern SEO:

1. LLMs rely on structured, authoritative content Models like ChatGPT and Perplexity interpret your website, not crawl it the way Google does. They summarize meaning, prioritize clarity, and depend heavily on authoritative sources. According to SEMrush’s 2024 State of Search Report, pages with strong structural clarity and rich entity definitions are 34 percent more likely to appear in AI-generated snapshots. Ahrefs’ 2024 study on AI-overviews reinforces this: content with high topical depth and strong internal linking is disproportionately favored in model-generated answers. Shallow content gets ignored. Ambiguous content gets misinterpreted.

2. Search engines still drive most commercial-intent traffic globally Despite the rise of LLM search, Google remains the backbone of discovery for high-intent queries. Across industries like B2B SaaS, fintech, hospitality, and enterprise retail, Google accounts for over 63 percent of all website traffic (SEMrush Traffic Analytics 2025). Ahrefs reports that 94 percent of keywords generating commercial-intent traffic still originate from traditional search engines rather than AI chat interfaces. Even users who begin in ChatGPT often return to Google to validate claims or compare solutions.

3. SEO is now the foundation for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) GEO is not a separate discipline. It is SEO extended into the world of AI-driven answers. Generative engines pull from strong SEO signals: structured metadata, clean content hierarchy, entity-based clarity, and authoritative references. In Ahrefs’ 2024 LLM Source Attribution Study, 72 percent of LLM-cited URLs already ranked in the top 10 Google results, confirming that models lean on well‑optimized content.

In other words: the content that wins in search is the same content AI uses to answer questions, compare brands, and recommend solutions. SEO feeds both ecosystems—one with links, the other with interpretation.

IV. Global SEO Is Not About Translation — It's About Relevance

Expanding globally does not mean duplicating English content into multiple languages. It means understanding how different markets think, search, and decide.

A real example from Galápagos Creative’s work with Deliverect shows this clearly:

• The Middle East market cared about reliability during peak demand.

• France focused on labor optimization and operational balance.

• North America wanted clarity around integrations and software performance.

• LATAM prioritized cost-efficiency and reducing chaos in-store.

Instead of pushing generic restaurant SaaS topics everywhere, we built market-specific content pillars aligned with each region’s behavior, challenges, and cultural context.

That is global SEO done right. Not translation. Interpretation.

V. Creating LLM-Optimized SEO: How to Help Models Understand You

LLMs reward clarity, structure, and originality. To build content that works across both search engines and generative engines, brands need four core elements:

1. Entity clarity Explicitly define what your brand is, what you sell, how it works, and who it is for.

2. Structured meaning Use clean hierarchy, straightforward phrasing, and tight sections.

3. Market context Include examples, problems, and use cases relevant to each region.

4. Original insight over generic filler LLMs devalue content that could have been written by anyone.

The clearer you are, the more likely you are to surface in both search engines and AI-generated responses.

VI. Technical SEO: The Foundation Global Brands Cannot Ignore

Technical SEO becomes more important—not less—as your brand expands across markets, because every structural weakness becomes amplified once your content exists in multiple languages, regions, and device environments. What feels like a minor issue in one market can turn into a systemic failure when scaled internationally. Search engines and LLMs both rely on clean signals, consistent architecture, and explicit hierarchy to interpret which version of your content belongs to which audience.

Key components include:

• Correct hreflang implementation to avoid cross‑market conflicts and help search engines select the right version for each user.

• International sitemaps that clearly list every language and regional variation.

• Subfolders or domains chosen strategically based on market maturity and authority needs.

• Global performance optimization via CDNs to ensure fast load times regardless of geography.

• Mobile‑first design for markets where mobile dominates browsing behavior.

Technical SEO is invisible when done well and painful when neglected. In a global context, neglect usually appears as ranking drops, misaligned content delivery, or inconsistent visibility across key regions—all of which slow down market expansion considerably.

Search engines and LLMs both rely on clean signals, consistent architecture, and explicit hierarchy to interpret which version of your content belongs to which audience

VII. Local Authority: Backlinks Must Be Regional, Not General

Authority does not translate across borders. A backlink from a high-profile site in the UK does nothing for your visibility in Mexico.

Global authority requires:

• partnerships with local industry groups

• participation in regional events and professional communities

• local publications and analysts referencing your brand

• region-specific case studies and customer stories

Search engines and LLMs interpret authority contextually.

VIII. Monitoring a Global Ecosystem: Different Markets, Different Signals

Global SEO requires ongoing feedback loops, not one-time dashboards. The signals you monitor in France will look different from those in Canada, Brazil, or the UAE.

You should track:

• regional impressions through Search Console

• keyword movement for each country

• LLM answer visibility through prompt testing or algo monitoring tools

• conversion differences by market

• bounce rate variations across languages

IX. Closing: Global SEO Is About People, Not Just Algorithms

SEO in the age of LLMs demands cultural awareness, narrative clarity, and strategic precision. It rewards brands that take the time to understand how each market thinks, searches, and interprets meaning instead of assuming a one‑size‑fits‑all model will scale.

The future of global SEO is in the hands of brands that:

• think locally and anchor their strategy in real market insight

• write clearly so both humans and models can interpret them without friction

• understand market nuance and adapt their narrative to each region’s expectations

• communicate with intent rather than volume, shaping meaning instead of adding noise

When you create meaning people can find, understand, and trust, you do not just become visible. You become relevant. That relevance becomes a multiplier, reinforcing both search authority and LLM visibility across regions. It strengthens brand equity, improves conversion quality, and builds a level of trust that algorithms alone cannot manufacture.

And relevance is what drives true global growth, because global discovery is not about reaching everyone. It is about resonating deeply with the people who matter in every market you enter.