SEO in the Age of AI : The Unexpected Climax

SEO in the Age of AI – where it all started

One fine day ChatGPT entered the world.

Until then people depended on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo for information.  

Google was the no 1 in search engine market share with a whooping 90%.

But after ChatGPT and other AI models are introduced, the dependency is diversified.

People started using AI models – chatgpt, gemini, meta, grok, etc.

ChatGPT receives 66 million search-type queries per day, highest among the other models.

How has AI changed Search?

AI is simulating mundane tasks and reducing repetitive tasks.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is performing multiple tasks – it is pulling out the information, summarizing complex queries, and generating text.

On the other side, Google’s AI is replicating what a traditional user does on a google  – search, collect, curate and prepare a new piece of content.

And all this is being done instantly, saving them a lot of time.

That’s how AI created a huge buzz. People started seeing it as a threat to SEO market.

What is the Impact of AI in SEO?

The AI disruption brought two new trends in SEO that continued for a while.

SEO for AI

As people began to use AI models more frequently, the companies and brands also started thinking differently.

They believed – appearing in AI Overviews and citations are more impactful than appearing in traditional search results.

The advocacy for AI visibility and AI optimization just took off all over.

New methods were promoted – tracking AI visibility & brand visibility, and adding LLMs.txt file to websites and more.

People launched courses and conducted webinars.

New terms were coined – LLMSEO, AISEO, ChatGPT SEO etc.

However, none of these companies (OpenAI, Google, Perplexity) have confirmed that there is a direct way for optimizing AI.

AI for SEO

Earlier – to appear in search engines, people followed foundational SEO principals – writing blogs, on page SEO, mobile optimization, site structure, internal linking, back-links etc.

Content was always the top priority with fresh perspectives, good research and providing solution.

But now the dependency on AI tools like ChatGPT made people a bit lazy.

People started using AI like a substitute rather than a assistant.

In the hustle, SEO lost its essence – reduce in quality, relevance and providing value.

The realization part

AI depends on data – the data available to it during the training. Also the data available to the public on the internet.

This means – It fetches the same and rewrite it.

In SEO context, if everybody depends on AI to write blogs , it is going to be the same content everywhere.

People noticed AI content couldn’t perform well in search engine rankings because the same content is being replicated.

It is plagiarism.

Now there is a realization that AI can generate but cannot originate.

Now companies and brands are going back to basics.

• Write for people, not for algorithms
• Be original, don’t replicate.
• Provide value, don’t manipulate.
• Showcase real expertise, not the duplicate.

Therefore SEO in the age of AI is a blessing in the disguise.

Conclusion

SEO in AI age is about being true to your own vision and mission.

It is about providing original content – writing for humans, not for search engines and AI’s

Recent SEO hires from AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic reaffirm the importance of foundational SEO.

Note: Beginners SEO Guide covers both foundations of SEO and AI role in SEO to cut through the noise and provide clarity.