Over the past several years, the digital marketing landscape has transformed more rapidly than it did over several decades. Brands no longer compete only for rankings but for relevance in an environment where algorithms, AI, and human behavior intersect. With millions of pieces of marketing generated daily, it is more essential than ever to understand how to cut through the noise by leveraging both search engine optimization (SEO) and answer engine optimization (AIO). The real question for marketers today is not whether to optimize, but how to align strategy with the way search itself is being redefined.
From Agency Origins to Industry Signals
Unframed Digital is a digital marketing agency founded by a CEO whospent over a decade in digital marketing and strategy. Yet its real relevance lies not in its founding story, but in the vantage point it provides into how marketing strategy must adapt in the age of AI. As technological tools evolve at a rapid pace and consumer expectations shift, agencies that thrive are those that anticipate change, rather than react to it.
“The last few years in marketing have been equal parts exhilarating and relentlessly chaotic,” says Maggie Swift, co-founder and CEO of Unframed. “The digital ecosystem has just been evolving at such a rapid pace that the ‘old way’ is no longer tenable.”
To be clear, the “old way” is the manual way, where meetings included your run-of-the-mill brainstorming sessions, data sets painstakingly inputted into a spreadsheet, research that required hours of internet blackholes, reporting was fragmented, and campaigns consisted mostly of tactical reaction rather than strategic foresight. Brands had their tried-and-true marketing channels; consumers settled into a life of scrolling, funny memes, and economic expenditure.
“Once generative AI hit, everything changed,” explains Swift. “Not only do you have 10+ new LLM channels to optimize for, you are also up against marketing departments that can create content, produce campaigns, and analyze data at unimaginable speeds.”
Over the past few years, Unframed Digital has concentrated heavily on performance search channels like SEO and AIO. This emphasis reflects a larger industry truth: search is no longer just about being found, but about being understood. Strategy and execution must now converge around how customers discover, evaluate, and trust information online, but in the fastest way possible.
Lessons From Constant Change
One of the largest challenges Unframed Digital has faced as an AIO/SEO agency is the constant need to adapt to algorithm updates, user and consumer search behavior, and AI integration. These shifts expose a deeper reality: marketing teams that treat adaptation as a “project” will always lag behind. The ones that succeed embed continuous learning into their culture.
“You can’t be a marketer in this day and age without the ability to adapt and always learn,” emphasizes Swift. “Future-proof marketing is less about tools and more about building organizations that can not only absorb disruption but greet it with open arms.”
SEO vs. AIO: Complementary, Not Competing
In years past, SEO was the primary goal, with visibility measured by those coveted 10 blue links on a search engine results page. That framework is incomplete today. With AI systems like ChatGPT now shaping discovery, optimizations must also consider how LLMs interpret and deliver information.
While SEO is the foundation, AIO requires content to be structured a bit differently.
“It’s now more important than ever to have FAQs, how-to guides, glossaries, and digestible TL;DR summaries.” Swift explains. “Content must be optimized for zero-click searches, featured snippets, and knowledge graphs.”
The takeaway for marketers: SEO excellence is no longer the finish line; it’s the baseline for success in AIO.
Human-First as a Competitive Edge
Perhaps the most important shift is philosophical. Unlike many AIO and SEO agencies that prioritize algorithms first, Unframed Digital’s approach is human-first. To the team, optimization isn’t about chasing rankings; it’s about designing digital experiences that naturally earn visibility because they are useful, trustworthy, and human-centered.
Thought leaders in this space recognize that traffic is a vanity metric unless it translates into trust, engagement, and business outcomes. The future of SEO and AIO is not about tricking machines but about proving value to people in ways machines can recognize.
