Over the past few days, one topic has been dominating SEO conversations on X.

It’s not about a single update.
It’s not about one keyword.
It’s not even about rankings.

It’s something deeper:

Google is turning into a generative system — not just a search engine of results.

And that changes everything.

When the SERP Stops Being a List

For twenty years, SEO was built around an implicit metric:

“How much traffic can I earn by ranking above everyone else?”

But the question is shifting.

With AI Overviews, synthesized answers, and the rise of zero-click search, Google is no longer simply guiding users toward websites.

More and more often…

it answers directly.

The problem is that, as many are noticing, these answers don’t always include clear citations.

And when sources disappear, one thing becomes inevitable:

search becomes extraction, not discovery.

Citations: The New Invisible PageRank

For years, authority was measured through links.

Now we are entering a different phase:

  • it’s not enough to be indexed

  • it’s not enough to rank first

  • you need to be cited

Because in generative systems, the true unit of value is no longer the page.

It’s the source.

The future of SEO isn’t just ranking.

It’s citability.

Entities and Semantic Trust: The New Infrastructure

Google no longer reads only text.

It interprets entities.

It builds graphs.

It assigns semantic trust over time.

This means the most important SEO work in 2026 is not tweaking a title tag.

It’s building a coherent digital identity:

  • who you are

  • what you represent

  • why you are a reliable source

  • where you are cited

  • how you are connected inside the knowledge graph

SEO is becoming closer to a discipline of computational reputation.

The Self-Preferencing Problem

Another theme exploding on X is the growing perception that Google increasingly favors its own assets:

  • internal listicles

  • YouTube

  • Shopping

  • first-party results

When the engine becomes publisher, referee, and distributor at the same time, the line gets thinner.

And the only real defense is not fighting the algorithm.

It’s becoming inevitable as a source.

SEO Today Means: Becoming the Answer

In 2019, optimizing for blue links was enough.

In 2026, the question is different:

“If a model has to answer… will it choose me?”

That is the new battlefield.

And it cannot be won with keyword stuffing.

It is won with:

  • strong entities

  • real citations

  • semantic trust

  • reconstructable content

  • distributed authority

Conclusion: SEO Isn’t Dead — It Has Grown Up

We are not witnessing the end of SEO.

We are witnessing the beginning of a harder SEO:

less mechanical,
more epistemological.

It is no longer just about “ranking.”

It is about being recognized.

Search is changing shape.

And those who understand citability before everyone else will become the infrastructure of the generative web.

❓ FAQ

1. Is Google really removing citations from AI Overviews?

In many cases, yes. Across X and the SEO community, there is increasing concern about answers that appear without visible sources, raising attribution issues.

2. What does “citability” mean in SEO?

It is the ability of a content piece or brand to be directly cited by generative systems — not only ranked in traditional results.

3. How do you build semantic trust in 2026?

Through strong entities, presence on authoritative sources, real editorial citations, and content structured to be understood and referenced by AI systems.