The days when traditional SEO strategies such as keyword optimization, backlink building and technical correctness were sufficient to remain visible in search engines are coming to an end. The advance of artificial intelligence is radically changing the rules of the game — and online retailers are facing new challenges.
Google in particular, traditionally the most important source of traffic in e-commerce, has paved the way into a new search era with the introduction of its Search Generative Experience (SGE). A recent report by Onlinehändler-News makes it clear that the first companies are already experiencing significant traffic losses because users are now receiving their answers directly within Google — without even clicking on a website. In addition to traditional SEO, LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization) is becoming more important.
The search engine is becoming an answer machine. Instead of ten blue links, users are increasingly seeing generated answer boxes, product suggestions and summaries directly on the search results page. This means for e-commerce providers:
This not only changes customer behavior — the classic touchpoints along the customer journey are also shifting. Those who are visible early on remain present in the decision-making process. Those who are overlooked by AI lose out on important conversion opportunities.
In this new world, it is no longer enough to write good content just for humans and traditional search engines — it must also be understandable and attractive for AI systems. To be successful, SEO strategies in e-commerce must be complemented by LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization). This new discipline aims to design content in a way that it can be better understood, processed and recommended by LLMs such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini or Claude. The aim is to prepare content that appears particularly relevant and trustworthy for AI models — similar to how content used to be optimized for Google, it is now being optimized for the next generation of response engines.
In concrete terms, this means for online retailers:
One exciting aspect is that companies can indirectly influence AI models by specifically placing content where these systems prefer to “read”. Platforms such as Reddit, Quora or topic-specific forums and specialist portals play a major role here.
Content that generates a lot of interaction there (comments, upvotes, likes) often ends up in training data or is used in real-time research by AI systems.
For e-commerce, this means:
What we are currently experiencing with Google & Co. is just the beginning. AI will not only have an impact on search and visibility, but also on overall purchasing behavior. The term agentic commerce describes this next evolutionary stage:
Intelligent, AI-based agents are taking on more and more tasks for customers — from product searches and comparisons to the final purchase decision.
Instead of manually navigating through stores and category pages, customers are delegating their wishes to digital assistants that suggest suitable offers based on personal preferences, budgets, ratings, and experience. These agents not only use search engines, but also a wide variety of data sources, product feeds, communities and testimonials.
For e-commerce providers, this means:
We can already see these requirements emerging in many projects. The companies that invest in clean data models, flexible architectures and AI-enabled commerce setups today will be the winners of this new agentic commerce world tomorrow.
AI is fundamentally changing the way users search online. Therefore, content optimization methods must also be adapted to meet not only SEO but also LLMO requirements. Those who do not adapt now will experience a considerable loss of visibility in the coming years. For e-commerce companies in particular, it is vital to develop new strategies that appeal to search engines, AI systems and real users alike.
In projects, we see how important it is to closely coordinate SEO, content strategy, platform selection and technical setup.
Successful companies integrate AI SEO into their digital strategy at an early stage and invest in building up expertise and flexible, data-driven approaches. AI SEO is just the beginning: with the advent of agentic commerce, the customer journey will continue to shift. In the future, intelligent AI agents will take over product searches and purchase decisions for customers. Those who prepare their data, interfaces, and services for this early on will remain visible and relevant in the long term.
The good news is that although the changes are complex, they also offer great opportunities. Those who master AI-optimized visibility early on can secure competitive advantages — and open up new channels before others even react.