Antifragile SEO - SEO Benelux October 10, 2025

I’m not your savior, SEO isn’t dying, but it’s changing.
SEO used to pride itself on fast change, but predictability became addictive.

Then AI disrupted content creation, everyone’s fighting for scraps.
Despite panic, many sites still look like 2015.

SEO’s problem: built for SERP optimization, not real user satisfaction.

Result: the industry made itself fragile, dependent on Google and shortcuts.

Antifragility = thriving amid uncertainty.
In SEO, this means focusing on user engagement signals instead of just rankings.

What drives antifragility:

Navboost – Google’s behavioral ranking system: tracks clicks, dwell time, bounce-backs, etc. (rolling 13-month data).

CrUX (Chrome User Experience Report) – Measures Core Web Vitals and engagement from real Chrome users.

Both show: user behavior = ranking fuel.

What drives user engagement signals:
- Strong, recognizable brand
- Perfect intent match & satisfaction
- Excellent Core Web Vitals
- Related, high-quality content
- E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust)
- Positive UX and interaction
- Simply being the best option for the user

Update KPIs to focus on:
- Dwell time & bounce rate
- Time on page/site
- Scroll depth
- Interactions
- Pages per session
- Page speed / CWV performance

Classic SEO still matters, but must integrate all things that impact user engagement signals.

Team Up
- Don’t work alone: pair SEO + product experts + UX designers + testers + ...

Strategy framework
70-20-10 model:
- 70% = proven tactics
- 20% = new tactics
- 10% = experiments

SEO should include all organic channels, not just Google.

Takeaways
- Review your KPIs — focus on user satisfaction.
- Improve user engagement across all touchpoints.
- Broaden SEO beyond Google: be present wherever organic visibility exists.
- Test: Plan, do, check, act.

1. Sander Tamaëla In SEO since 2003, freelancer for 13+ years Technical background Enjoy a good swim , bike and run ( mostly in that order) Photo: Dennis Rutten

2. I'm not going to be your saviour Divine icons created by bsd - Flaticon

3. Before we start Who has been in SEO for 10+ years ? Grandpa icons created by Boris farias - Flaticon

4. We always told ourselfs : SEO changes fast ! Storm icons created by meaicon - Flaticon

5. Reality Predictability became addictive Drugs icons created by Victoruler - Flaticon

6. But then AI came along to take your job Job description icons created by surang - Flaticon

7. NEW: The Panic Guru . Guru icon created by Vitaly Gorbachev - Flaticon

8. NEW: The Panic Guru . Or opportunistic sham ? Guru icon created by Vitaly Gorbachev - Flaticon

9. Your content creation hours are gone Content creation icons created by Freepik - Flaticon

10. And everybody fighting for the remains Fight icons created by DinosoftLabs - Flaticon

11. LLM's changed everything ! Depression icons created by GOWI - Flaticon

12. Did they ? Accident icons created by surang - Flaticon

13. Did Google organic bring you less sales ? Sale icons created by Freepik - Flaticon

14. Jul-Sept 2025 vs 2024

15. Have we forgotten what really matters ? Alzheimer icons created by Freepik - Flaticon

16. Source: https :// www.zalando.nl /herenschoenen/ Yes, this is 2025…

17. Source: https :// www.booking.com / city / it / rome.nl.html Yes, this is 2025…

18. https :// www.bedandbreakfast.nl /nl/l/2759794/ amsterdam Same type of page: Content guides the user

19. Source: https :// www.sistrix.com /blog/ Source: https :// netgrade.de / Yes, this is 2025…

20. Source: jouwpagina.nl Yes, this is 2025…

21. seoFriendlyLabels display: none Yes, this is 2025…

22. 30km away .. Yes, this is 2025…

23. … and we gave the internet cloaking , spun content, clickbait , squeeze pages … among others

24. Speed, convenience, shortcuts and easy money. Alzheimer icons created by Freepik - Flaticon

25. We made ourselves fragile Broken glass icons created by surang - Flaticon

26. We praised Google They where here to make money too

27. SEO has never been marketing or focused on people

28. SEO has never been marketing or focused on people It was SERP optimization

29. https :// xkcd.com /2347/

30. https :// xkcd.com /2347/ SEO: Most revenu, but sustainable ? E-com website

31. We need to up the ante Fragile Quick solutions , Google first. Collapses easily Fears a Google update Robust Can stand a storm / update But might not grow Antifragile Puts the user first Proven tactics Tests new tactics

32. What makes Antifragile ? Vault icons created by Smashicons - Flaticon

33. What makes Antifragile ? Everything that influences user engagement signals   Vault icons created by Smashicons - Flaticon

34. Tell me about Navboost ?

35. Navboost Big impact on your pages being and staying in a top 10 position All SERP signals, like Dwell time CTR Bounce rate Bounce backs / pogo sticking Stored for (rolling) 13 months Hard to measure because of that

36. Entering the top 10! Exit icons created by Freepik - Flaticon

37. Entering the top 10! Dropping out after days … Exit icons created by Freepik - Flaticon

38. Entering the top 10! Dropping out after days … Exit icons created by Freepik - Flaticon Navboost

39. Anyone seen Rand do his SERP click experiment?

40. Anyone seen Rand do his SERP click experiment? Navboost

41. Initial boost Behavioral feedback loop Adjustment

42. Chrome User Experience Report ( CrUX ) Core Web Vitals LCP, FCP, INP, FID, CLS Chrome user data, logged in users (opted-in) Individual pages to origin data Connection type Broken down by country Stored per form factor (mobile, desktop, tablet) Stored per URL (Chrome data, so not per keyword) Stored for (rolling ) 28 days

43. Goes for each CWV metric

44. Since we are in Belgium https :// rtwt.nl / limburger Blackhat , ranks pages over night

45. Since we are in Belgium https :// rtwt.nl / limburger Blackhat , ranks pages over night Manipulates CrUX data on scale

46. But we can also do this white hat style Cyber icons created by Minh Do - Flaticon

47. CrUX data & Navboost

48. Navboost & CrUX are user engagement signals

49. User engagement signals : Good for the user and can move the needle

50. What has an impact on user signals ? Target icons created by Freepik - Flaticon

51. What i mpacts user signals? Being a recognizable brand Perfectly matchin g intent + needs are met Core Web Vitals Covering related content (with the best content) E-E-A-T Engaging with a website Being better than the competition Target icons created by Freepik - Flaticon

52. In general, being the bes t. Success icons created by Wichai.wi - Flaticon

53. In general, being the bes t. For the user. Success icons created by Wichai.wi - Flaticon

54. Review your KPI's Kpi icons created by Uniconlabs - Flaticon

55. Optimize for user satisfaction Bounce rate/dwell time Time on site/page Scroll depth Interactions Pages visited Page speed / CWV Kpi icons created by Uniconlabs - Flaticon

56. That's not saying you don't need classical SEO Search engine optimization icons created by Eucalyp - Flaticon

57. But don't do it alone . Depression icons created by Freepik - Flaticon

58. Do it with experts Client icons created by Uniconlabs - Flaticon

59. You dont need a copywriter You need a copywriter and a product expert

60. You don’t need a designer You need a designer, a UX expert and testing

61. Is that antifragile ? Stable icons created by HAJICON - Flaticon

62. Proven tactics New tactics

63. 70% Safe bets Optimize user engagement signals Build a (niche) brand Great content Tech fundament of website … 20% Proven extensions Structured data ( expansion ) New content formats Interactive content … 10% Experiments AI content LLM content types Zero click optimization Digital PR micro- campaigns Voice search optimization …

64. 70% Safe bets Optimize user engagement signals Build a (niche) brand Great content Tech fundament of website … 20% Proven extensions Structured data ( expansion ) New content formats Interactive content … 10% Experiments AI content LLM content types Zero click optimization Digital PR micro- campaigns Voice search optimization … Kidding !

65. That's it ?

66. Make SEO All organic channels

67. Content atomization / slice and dice

68. Wrap up Review your KPI's Focus on the user and improve user engagement 70-20-10 strategy Broaden SEO to all organic channels ChatGPT is small, but growing . Put it in the 10% bucket

69. Thanks ! Still fear the future ? A handy flowchart!

70. Sander Tamaëla https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandertamaela/ [email protected] [phone] Photo: Dennis Rutten