SEO is evolving, and not in a way that many anticipated just a couple of years ago.

SEO is now widely considered a legacy marketing tactic, similar to other traditional marketing such as print, TV, and billboards. Yes, it’s still valuable, but it has taken a backseat to a newer search tactic: AI Search.

AI Search, less frequently referred to AI Visibiltity, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), Answer Engine Optimization, and AI SEO—is the equivalent of SEO for Google, but for AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. With tools like ChatGPT leading the AI search charge, traditional SEO tactics are being overtaken by AI Search.

Recent trends underscore this shift. ChatGPT now accounts 80.1% of AI search traffic, while traditional search engines like Google are experiencing a consistent decline in usage.

In response, Google first introduced “AI Overviews,” which would provide a ChatGPT-like answer. More recently, Google introduced “AI Mode,” a feature that integrates conversational AI into its search website. This extends AI Overviews with the ability to ask Google AI clarifying questions, again like in ChatGPT.

The net result is that fewer people need to click through multiple links in search results, hunting and hoping to find the answer somewhere. After all, if you’re like me, you don’t want a list of websites that may have the answer; you just want the answer. AI Search provides that.

These developments are a move from traditional SEO to novel AI Search. While SEO focuses on optimizing content for search engine algorithms, AI Search emphasizes creating content that AI models can easily interpret and present in their responses. These may sound the same, and the difference is subtle. Applying AI Search means crafting content that is not only keyword-rich but also contextually relevant and structured in a way that AI can parse effectively.

For digital marketing agencies, this shift presents both challenges and opportunities. Adapting to AI Search requires a reevaluation of content strategies, focusing on creating authoritative, concise, and structured content that AI models are more likely to feature in their responses. Similar to SEO, this means using clear headings, bullet points, and FAQs to enhance content readability.

The good news is that if you’ve been doing SEO for a while, you’re probably in good shape for what’s to come. But you should brush up on the nuances and learn how AI Search is different than SEO.

~ Erik

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