AI search is here - what it actually means for SEO
Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT search, Perplexity - the search landscape is shifting. Here's what's actually changing, what isn't, and what to do about it.
The sky is not falling
Every few years, something happens in search that triggers a wave of “SEO is dead” articles. AI search is the latest. And like every time before, the truth is more nuanced than the headlines.
Yes, Google’s AI Overviews are changing how results look. Yes, ChatGPT and Perplexity are handling some queries that would have gone to Google. No, this doesn’t mean organic search traffic is disappearing.
What’s actually changing
The queries most affected by AI answers are informational - the kind where someone wants a quick fact. “What temperature do you cook salmon at?” doesn’t need ten blue links. An AI summary handles it better.
But commercial and transactional queries - “best CRM for small business,” “plumber near me open now,” “buy running shoes online” - still need pages. AI can summarise. It can’t sell, build trust, or process a transaction. Not yet, anyway.
What isn’t changing
People still search. The volume is still enormous. The intent behind commercial queries hasn’t changed - someone looking for a service still needs to find a provider, evaluate them, and make contact. That funnel hasn’t been disrupted.
What to do about it
Focus on the queries where a page is still the best answer. Build content that AI models want to cite, not content that AI can replace. And make sure the page someone lands on is so clearly the right result that no summary could substitute for it.
That last part, incidentally, is what SXO has always been about.