AI has definitely changed SEO—and SEO is still a very powerful tool that can help you grow your business. Both things are true.
While AI has changed SEO, it doesn’t mean it has killed SEO or that it’s going away. It’s not. It’s still working (just differently now). You just need to be aware of the changes and know what’s happening, so you can continue to use SEO (and AI) as tools to grow your business.
You’re seeing AI Overviews.
One big change that AI is having on SEO is that when you go to Google and search, you might see an “AI Overview.” This is Google’s search generative experience (SGE), a search engine feature that uses AI to provide answers to your questions.
This means your search is doing more than finding information—now it’s providing contextual answers. How? It uses AI to review multiple sources and generates a direct and conversational response, instead of just showing you a list of links.
As far as SEO goes, this is affecting click-throughs.
Some folks get the answer they need from AI (although there are often problems with the accuracy of these answers), and they no longer click on links in order to do their own exploration.
Previously, you would see links to the actual pages. Now, AI does some of the processing for you. This is causing a decrease in the number of clicks, or visits, websites are getting.
Personally, as a Googler, do I like getting an answer right away? Yes!
Are clicks to my website lower than they were before? Also yes.
But this is the way technology changes—and we need to change with it. How do we adjust? By knowing what’s going on, how it works, and what we can do.
Know this:
1. Other search engines are gaining more power.
Google is no longer the only game in town. ChatGPT specifically gets its information from Bing. So if Bing finds your website favorable, you’re more likely to show up in one of ChatGPT’s answers. It’s worth exploring being hooked up to Bing.
2. Content is still king.
You still need really good content. You can even use AI to help you write the content. But keep in mind, AI-generated content is facilitating a ton of low-quality content online so it’s important to separate yourself. Your content has to be high-quality, and it has to connect. (This is why I’m still having my writer create my blog posts.)
You still have to say something. You need to have an opinion. And you have to back that up. If everybody starts using AI to write content, without any fresh, human ideas, we’re all going to sound the same. There will be no nuance. And nobody wants that.
Just as important as having a visually-unique web presence is having authentic content that speaks to, and attracts, your ideal clients. As much as I love technology, I’m also a fan of preserving human connection.
3. Your “authority” matters more now.
Authority matters more than it did in the past. Half of your SEO is what you do on your own site, but the other half comes from having good quality, reputable sites linking to your site and that establishes authority. Authority helps your rankings.
You do need to spend time getting quality backlinks—and they have to be quality links. Think guest posting, getting on your industry association’s resources list, and creating partnerships that give you an additional presence.
The way forward?
Good, informative, high-quality content on your website is still going to help you. Though it may not result in you showing up before the AI Overviews and getting lots of clicks, it may be the reason you’re part of AI’s answer. Search engines are still going to ‘rank’ you based on good SEO practices. All of the principles having a smartly-structured website and good quality content still matters. SEO can still be part of your marketing; you just need to understand what’s going on and continue to follow best practices.
