Search is changing—are you ready?
Search engines as we know them are evolving fast, and artificial intelligence (AI) is leading the charge. Every time you opt for an AI search tool instead of Google, you’re helping shift the landscape. Even calling Google a "traditional search engine" feels wild these days.
AI-driven search experiences—like Google's AI Overviews and chat-based search tools—are changing how users find information. For businesses and marketers, this means one thing: the SEO you’ve been doing isn’t gone, but it’s definitely different. The strategies that worked in the past won’t guarantee visibility in an AI-first world.
So, what does that mean for your search strategy? Let’s break it down.
The Google SERP isn’t what it used to be
Remember the old-school Google search results page? A few ads, pages and pages of blue links, and a simple path to organic traffic. Those days are fading.
Now, Google’s "AI Mode" delivers direct answers, summaries, and AI-generated overviews—without users needing to click a single link. This is great for users looking for quick answers, but for businesses? It’s a traffic killer, especially for informational and commercial queries.
Here’s what’s happening:
- AI Overviews are answering user questions immediately
- Fewer people are clicking through to websites
- Commercial and research-based searches are the most affected (think product comparisons, reviews, and how-to guides)
For marketers, this means SEO success isn’t just about ranking—it’s about visibility in AI-generated results.
Keywords still matter, but intent is everything
Google isn’t disappearing—it’s evolving. And AI is pushing search behavior in new directions.
Once upon a time, you’d pick a handful of high-traffic keywords, write content around them, and wait for the clicks and traffic to roll in. But AI-powered search engines are better at understanding intent than ever before, and are delivering precise, context-rich answers.
Here's what that means:
- Long-tail, niche queries are more valuable than ever
- AI search tools provide an answer on the first try, reducing repeated searches
- Keyword stuffing? Dead. Structured, well-researched, expert content? Thriving.
Instead of focusing only on traffic-driving keywords, shift your focus to authority-building, specific, and conversational content—content AI can confidently pull into its results.
Users are finding answers before they even visit your site
AI search means people are getting what they need without clicking a single link.
For marketers, this creates a big question: If users never leave the search results page, how do you stay relevant?
How to stay visible in AI search:
- Get into AI Overviews—If Google is pulling content into AI snippets, you want your site to be the source.
- Structure your content for AI readability—Clear, concise answers with bullet points, numbered lists, and direct explanations are key.
- Use schema markup—AI-driven search thrives on structured data—help it understand your content.
- Boost your authority—Google still values E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). The more authoritative your content, the better your chances of being featured.
Sound familiar? If you're in SEO it should from when Google evolved it's traditional SERPs to highlight featured snippets back in the day. So, if you’re already investing in high-quality content and SEO best practices, you’re not starting from scratch—you’re just optimizing for AI.
Conversational search is changing the game
More users are asking AI-powered assistants instead of searching traditionally. Tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are leading the way in conversational search. We’ve all asked the ChatGPTs of AI a query that we would likely never try within Google. This shift is changing the game for everyone—how we search, how we try to populate, how we consume information, and how we put out information. You name it.
This shift means:
- More searches are happening in natural language (instead of short, keyword-heavy phrases)
- AI-generated responses are replacing traditional web searches
- Search results are more contextual, less keyword-driven
To adapt, your content needs to match how people actually talk—not just how they type. (Remember optimizing for Voice Search?!)
What to do now:
- Answer real user questions. Use conversational language and direct, helpful answers.
- Create in-depth content. AI prefers authoritative, well-structured, expert-driven insights.
- Optimize for featured snippets. The closer your content matches AI-generated responses, the better your chances of being pulled into results.
The Impact of AI on Google and Other Search Engines
While Google is leading the charge with AI-powered search experiences, other search engines are also evolving. Bing, for example, has integrated AI-powered chat functionality to provide direct, conversational answers. Search engines like Perplexity AI and You.com are pushing the boundaries of how users interact with search, emphasizing real-time information retrieval, personalized results, and AI-driven recommendations.
Additionally, AI is reshaping ranking factors. Google’s Helpful Content Updates have signaled a shift toward prioritizing brand authority, user experience, and content relevance over traditional keyword-based ranking. AI-powered search engines now assess the quality and intent behind content more effectively, making it essential for businesses to provide value-driven, user-first experiences that can answer their questions directly. Is your content doing these things? Time to audit.
Another significant trend is AI’s role in multimedia search. Search engines are increasingly using AI to analyze and understand images and videos making visual search optimization crucial for businesses looking to maintain visibility—keep adding pertinent alt text, take the extra time to add any additional schema mark-up, and now add visuals to the list of things to think about when optimizing for SEO (if you haven't been already).
The Future of SEO: Adapting to AI
What you’ve been doing isn’t gone, it just has to become more, different. People are searching differently and getting information differently than they were even a year ago. AI is making search smarter, more personalized, and less reliant on traditional ranking factors.
To thrive in this new era, businesses should know that:
- SEO is evolving. Ranking on Google isn’t enough. You need to rank in AI-generated search results, too.
- AI search rewards clear, authoritative content. Create content that answers real user questions in a structured, AI-friendly format.
- Leverage structured data, schema markup, make the crawl as easy as possible .
- Conversational search is the next frontier. Write content the way people actually speak.
- Monitoring your brand’s visibility in AI-powered search experiences as much as possible is key.
- AI should be used as an ally, not enemy. Use AI-powered tools to improve keyword strategy, content ideation, and optimization.
You’ve Got This—Now Go Optimize!
AI is reshaping search in ways that make traditional SEO strategies less effective. It hasn’t killed SEO. However, those who adapt and embrace AI-driven approaches will continue to thrive. The key is to focus on relevance, authority, and AI optimization techniques to ensure visibility in the new era of search.
Are you ready for the AI-driven future of search? The time to adapt is now.
There are a lot of really incredible people within this space—this is only a fraction of the information out there. If you’re looking to dive in deeper, give Wil Reynolds, Lily Ray, Rand Fishkin, Mike King, Tom Critchlow and so many others a follow. They have been instrumental within the Digital Marketing space in making the early days of Digital Marketing and AI digestible.
Worried about how AI is impacting your search visibility? Let’s chat. Our team can help you adapt your SEO strategy to thrive in an AI-first world. Get in touch today.