SEO in the Age of AI

TL;DR

LLMs like ChatGPT are changing how people search for information but they haven’t replaced Google for commercial searches. The biggest impact is on informational content (how-to guides, quick facts), not on the searches that generate leads and revenue for your business. Traditional SEO fundamentals still matter because Google dominates search traffic and because LLMs typically reference sites that already rank well in Google.

You don’t need a separate “AI SEO strategy”, but there are smart content practices that help both Google and AI understand your site: clear structure, comprehensive topic coverage, and content broken into logical sections.

The businesses seeing the best results aren’t chasing new acronyms; they’re maintaining strong SEO foundations while being strategic about content creation, focusing on commercial intent keywords and structuring content so it’s easy for both humans and machines to parse.

Bottom line: keep doing good SEO, be smarter about content structure, and don’t panic about traffic drops on blog posts that never converted anyway.

What is AEO and does it really matter?

Over the past 18 months there’s been a flood of new acronyms thrown around in the SEO world, such as AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation), GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation), LLMO (Large Language Model Optimisation), and a dozen variations.

They sound shiny, but here’s the reality:

• Search engines still need to understand who you are and what you do
• Your website is still the source of truth for that
• Clear content, on-page optimisations, technical accessibility and authority signals still matter
• Businesses still acquire customers by showing up for commercial intent searches

Whether a user sees results via Google, Bing, or an AI assistant, they can’t reference you if your site doesn’t clearly articulate your services, locations, proof, and expertise.

Does ranking higher on Google help you appear in AI tools?

While LLMs don’t crawl the web in the same way Google does, several credible industry analyses have shown that websites already ranking well in Google are more likely to be referenced or surfaced within AI generated results.

• Search Engine Journal: Google Says You Don’t Need AEO or GEO To Rank In AI Overviews
• explains that Google’s AI Overviews mainly pull from pages already ranking in organic results, reinforcing that traditional SEO signals and rankings still play a key role.
• Aleyda Solis: ChatGPT Uses Google SERP Snippets For Answers
• provides practical examples showing that ChatGPT responses often reference content taken directly from top Google search snippets, highlighting the connection between ranking visibility and LLM answers.
• SparkToro (Rand Fishkin): We’ve Learned More About How To Appear In AI Answers
• reviews data indicating that high authority domains with strong organic visibility are far more likely to appear in AI sourced responses, particularly within Google’s AI powered experiences.

To date, industry commentary continues to show that:

• LLM generated traffic remains marginal
• Google still dominates commercial intent discovery
• AI references usually mirror existing organic visibility

What are the impacts of AI on SEO right now?

We’re seeing the biggest impact in informational searches, not commercial ones.

Examples:

Users asking LLMs instead of Google

• “How do I clean mould off a fence?”
•  “What’s the best dog food for sensitive stomachs?”
•  “How to calculate land tax?”

Google showing AI Overviews for FAQs

Even when users do still search in Google, AI overviews often answer the question without a click.

This means traffic drops may occur, but the drop is often at top of the funnel, in low intent sessions, not in lead generating searches.

This is why analysing traffic shifts by page type and query intent matters.

How we identify the difference

When we review traffic declines, we look at:

• content type (FAQ, blog, service page, location page)
• intent (informational vs commercial vs transactional)
• keyword ranking movement
• conversion alignment
• SERP features replacing clicks

This prevents unnecessary panic about traffic that was never going to convert anyway.

What we’re doing about it for our clients

For clients with significant website traffic, brand visibility or stakeholder oversight, we are:

1.  Creating content plans based on real search demand
   • Not thought leadership
   • Not guesswork
   • Not topics no one is looking for
2. Using tools like Surfer SEO for structure
   • recommended headings
   • word count ranges
   • keyword usage
   • topical completeness
3. Keeping our primary focus on commercial intent keywords.
   These are the keywords that:
   • have measurable search volume
   • generate enquiries and revenue
   • are least affected by AI summaries

What has NOT changed

Here’s the part most people forget:

~90 percent of global search behaviour still happens on Google.

And to show up there, you still need:

• technically sound site structure
• crawlable pages
• clear service descriptions
• proper metadata and headings
• unique content that reflects what you actually deliver
• internal linking
• location relevance (where applicable)

AI hasn’t replaced SEO; it has simply widened the surface area where visibility matters. It’s an evolution.

SEO and AI now work together, not against each other

We use AI ourselves for drafting, ideation, data extraction and outlining, but the strategy still comes from:

• knowing what users actually search for
• understanding buyer intent
• prioritising revenue outcomes

The businesses that win aren’t the ones chasing acronyms. They’re the ones with:

• strong SEO foundations, and
• smart adoption of AI where it enhances, not replaces

Quick comparison table

The takeaway for business

If you only remember three things, make them these:

1. SEO is still essential; it hasn’t been replaced.
2. Currently, AI mostly affects informational traffic, not leads.
3. The strongest results come from combining both.