The Future of SEO: Why It Still Matters in the Age of AI

In the era of AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and even Google’s own AI overviews, many business owners are wondering: “Is SEO worth it?” After all, if these tools are answering people’s questions outright, rather than sending them to websites like a traditional search engine does, what is the value in showing up in search results?

The reality is that search still drives business value. The landscape is changing, but search isn’t gone. Neither is SEO. In fact, SEO isn’t just alive; it has evolved into a foundational strategy for succeeding in the generative AI era. 

So what is the future of SEO, and why does it still matter?

Why Search Still Drives Business Value

The use of AI engines has indeed increased (nearly 5x over the last two and a half years), but it hasn’t been at the expense of regular search. 

Despite the popularity of LLMs (large language models) like ChatGPT, traditional search still dominates the web. According to a recent study (published in August of 2025), 95% of Americans still regularly use traditional search engines like Google. Moreover, research found that ChatGPT leads to more Google searches, not fewer. People are likely switching between platforms depending on their questions and context, and they may be using both types of search engines to complement each other and explore topics more deeply.

Of course, AI is also being integrated into traditional search. Google’s AI Overviews are the most prevalent example, now appearing in around half of all Google searches. These AI Overviews often answer users’ questions directly rather than sending traffic to the websites from which they draw information. However, these trends alone don’t paint the full picture. 

For example, AI Overviews are most likely to appear for informational searches, when consumers are looking to be educated on a topic and are less likely to make a purchase decision. On the flip side, transactional and commercial searches see far fewer AI overviews. These types of keywords offer businesses an opportunity to attract website visitors who are more likely to become customers and to provide them with valuable resources and solutions.

Instead of completely ditching SEO, it’s important to embrace the change and adapt your strategy to the new landscape. This way, you can continue to attract and serve your customers, wherever they may be searching.

Understanding GEO/AEO/LLMO vs. SEO

You may have heard the terms “GEO” (generative engine optimization), “AEO” (answer engine optimization), and “LLMO” (LLM optimization). Each of these acronyms describes the strategy of maximizing your website’s visibility in AI engines like ChatGPT. Spoiler alert: it’s just good SEO.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a disruption to online search. A few years ago, the industry buzzed about the ways voice search would revolutionize SEO. Before that, it was mobile search. However, these changes didn’t bring about the downfall of SEO. Rather, SEO techniques evolved so that brands could continue to meet consumers where they are. 

GEO and SEO should not be thought of as mutually exclusive. In fact, traditional search technologies power LLMs, allowing them to retrieve the most accurate and up-to-date information. This means that if (and when) AI engines continue to gain popularity, the core functionality behind search engines will remain relevant. 

Additionally, A recent study found that more than half of AI Overview citations come from pages that rank organically in search results, and this number is on the rise. This trend makes sense. Google’s ultimate goal is to give its users the best possible experience by providing the highest quality answers to their questions; the best sources for those answers will often be the same, whether the answer comes in the form of a website link or an AI response.

At the end of the day, evolving with the changing digital landscape means meeting your customers where they are, whether that’s in traditional search, AI Overviews, ChatGPT, or anywhere else. 

Adapting Your SEO Strategy

So how do you optimize your website for AI engines? 

The key is understanding how users are searching, what they are searching for, and how LLMs are answering their questions. Here are a few strategies to gain visibility and authority with AI engines. 

1. Build your brand, authority, and reputation

EEAT (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) has been a foundational pillar of SEO for years, as Google has prioritized serving high-value, trustworthy content to its users. In the age of AI, it’s more important than ever to position your brand as a trusted authority worth citing. 

In traditional SEO, this often meant getting links back to your website, showcasing your expertise on your website, and keeping content fresh and up-to-date. These tactics are still critical, as are brand mentions (even without links back to your site), reputation, and a consistent online presence.

Ensure your brand has a well-rounded online presence. Create social media pages, and pay attention to online reviews about your business. Depending on what makes sense for your industry, consider participating in Reddit discussions and engaging in PR efforts to increase your brand’s visibility. If your brand is a local business, ensure contact and address information are consistent across all citations.

2. Answer your customers’ questions 

Consumers are using AI tools to get answers to increasingly complex questions, and your website can only be cited if you provide answers to those questions. 

Research what questions your customers are asking, and answer them clearly and thoroughly. For example, if you’re writing a blog, answer the main topic directly, and then consider what follow-up questions your customers might have. You can even ask these questions to LLMs yourself and see how they respond. Doing so will give you an idea of what these tools are looking for and how you can provide a helpful answer.

Break longer content into easy-to-digest sections with clear headings, answer questions succinctly, and include relevant frequently asked questions in a question-and-answer format.

3. Create unique content

To increase the chances that an AI engine will cite your website over another, create content that can’t be found anywhere else. 

Lean into what makes your brand unique and how you provide value for your customers. Include original research, statistics, and quotes wherever possible. These types of information can’t be found elsewhere, so if an AI engine wants to include them, they will have to cite you.

4. Make your website easy for AI engines to understand

LLMs have the daunting job of ingesting and understanding billions of webpages, articles, books, and other data sources. They rely on clarity and being able to extract information quickly. That’s where technical SEO comes in. 

First and foremost, if you want to be eligible to be cited in AI results, make sure AI bots can access your website. Ensure they are not blocked by robots.txt, and optimize your site structure for crawlability.

Next, use all of the tools at your disposal to give search and AI engines information about your website. Implement metadata, such as title tags and meta descriptions, and structured data, such as schema markup. Schema markup standardizes the format for providing information about a company, webpage, or content, eliminating any ambiguity for search and AI engines.

Optimize media, such as images and video, with descriptive alt text, and compress files to improve your page speed.  

Wrapping Up

AI engines are shaking up the way people look for information online, and they’re not going away. But traditional search engines aren’t going away, either. 

Investing in a good SEO strategy today means positioning your brand to rank in traditional search engines and gain visibility in LLMs.

Is your business ready to adapt and invest in a well-rounded SEO strategy? Contact me today for a free consultation.