Is AI search overhyped?
If you have spent any time on social media in the last three years, you wouldn’t be faulted for believing that SEO is breathing its last
This week’s newsletter is sponsored by North Star Inbound and Semrush Enterprise & AI Optimization
If you have spent any time on social media in the last three years, you wouldn’t be faulted for believing that SEO is on its last legs. The headlines scream about AI agents and a future where search engines are less like a library and more like a conversation. Most people I know who are passionate about SEO know this is far from the truth, but their managers and executives panic every time they see one of those updates in their feeds or on the news, and pressure their SEO teams to adapt or quit.
Sponsored by Semrush Enterprise & AI Optimization
Search isn't dying. It’s expanding. After analyzing 260B+ clickstream sessions, data showed that users run parallel journeys between Google & ChatGPT based on intent.
No cannibalization, just more discovery paths.
Smart brands know: visibility across all search formats is what accelerates growth. While others debate GEO vs SEO, you could be capturing both.
Optimize for everywhere your customers search with Semrush Enterprise and AIO.
Many SEO teams are struggling to resist the pressure to onboard AI visibility tools they know aren’t necessary, as compliance often becomes the path of least resistance. Others resist, finding that their leadership overlooks them in favor of someone who shares their panic.
In fact, things are not that dire if we look at the actual lack of change that has happened in the search behaviors of the majority of users in the world.
A year ago, I was a guest on Lenny’s podcast, where we discussed how to approach SEO in an AI age. A year on, my thoughts and recommendations remain essentially unchanged.
Search traffic is down because of clicks not impressions
Yes, traffic is down, but that’s because of the enormous changes and efficiency that Google has added to search results. But traffic is not down because users have suddenly stopped searching, which would be truly fatal for this channel.
Given the innovations in search and the addition of new tools, searches are, in fact, up. (I am including all prompt activity as searches.)
Yet, for those of us who have long championed a user-centric approach to SEO, the past year has been more of a confirmation than a revolution. The fundamental principles of why search users find value in what we do haven't been upended by AI. They have been reinforced.
In 2018, I was a guest on the Y Combinator podcast; most of what I shared at that time remains an enduring strategy for SEO even in today’s AI-injected SEO paradigm. Some changes should be adopted for an AI reality, but even those are not coming as fast as the social buzz claims.
AI Overviews is a search UI improvement
Over a year ago, we discussed Google’s SGE and how it would change everything. The concern was that AI's instant answers would render websites and traditional SEO obsolete. Google formally launched this feature as AI Overviews in May of 2024, and it did upend search traffic, but from a user standpoint, it is an evolution, not a replacement.
In the core thesis of Product-Led SEO, the most potent form of SEO is a product or service that, by its very nature, creates a valuable experience for the user. When you build a tool, a resource, or a solution that people actively use a search engine to find, you are doing SEO. AI overview and even AI mode are a UI change, not a channel metamorphosis.
SEO still relies on the same core signals that a product-led SEO strategy prioritizes: authority, relevance, and, most importantly, user experience. The AI-generated answers are not conjured out of thin air; they are synthesized from the same high-quality sources that have consistently ranked well. The best SEO has always been about understanding user intent and providing a compelling answer or, even better, a compelling product. AI raises the bar for what a "good" result or answer looks like.
Weak SEO tactics are obsolete
What has changed is that the traditional, keyword-driven model, which focuses on gaming algorithms with thin content, is no longer as effective. That model, which has been in decline for years, is what AI truly threatens. A piece of content written solely to rank for a keyword, without providing genuine value, is precisely the kind of thing that AI can summarize and render obsolete.
A product experience that solves a problem, whether it’s an ecommerce category page, a list of used vehicles for sale, or a helpful programmatic approach to software buying, is not easily replaced by a conversational AI. The LLM may provide an answer, but the user still needs to go to the product to do the work.
This is why focusing on the “why” behind your SEO strategy is more critical than ever. It's a waste of time to chase the latest AI fad if your underlying strategy isn't sound.
Build what users want
The tactical changes, the keywords you choose, and the wrapper in which those keywords are inserted into a site are irrelevant if you're not building something that Google would want to send users to.
The core question remains the same: "Is there a reason that Google should send search users to you?" If you answer that you have a compelling product that directly addresses their needs, then you are already future-proofed against the vast majority of AI changes.
Prepare for change, but it won’t happen overnight
AI will advance, and search interfaces will expand to more surfaces, but the adoption of this experience is not going to arrive at the lightning pace that many believe it will. ChatGPT ushered in an AI revolution almost three years ago, but for the most part, users are still typing queries into a search bar, even if they are longer and end with question marks.
So, while the world obsesses over the minutiae of AI algorithms, we should be focused on what has always mattered: creating scalable, search experiences and products. This is what SEO has always been about: building a flywheel where the product itself drives organic traffic.
Be creative and strategic
This kind of work is not easy, and it requires strategic thinking and a deep collaboration with product and engineering teams. It's this deep, cross-functional effort that AI can't replicate because it lacks the creativity of humans empathizing with a customer pain point and building search solutions to meet the user.
The lack of creativity in many SEO strategies before the introduction of AI has been replaced by AI capable of churning out generic, keyword-littered content at scale. When everyone can generate a basic blog post with a couple of prompts, the sites that win are those that can create a product-driven experience that others cannot.
AI can't create a unique data set or replicate a product's specific utility. This inherently means that the value of unique and proprietary content increases.
As I have written before, the rise of AI may make SEO more important. If it is not the role of SEO to ensure that a website is as visible in the new interfaces as they were in the old, then whose job is it?
Do not be fooled by the constant clamor about AI revolutionizing search overnight. The fundamental principles of building for the user, creating genuine value, and having a sound long-term strategy remain the most important aspects of SEO.
The future of search is not a game of cat and mouse of keyword optimization vs Google. Real SEO is a strategic approach to building the best possible search experience for users who are seeking what you offer.
This was true a decade ago, and it will still be true a year from now. Focus on what matters: the user, and the results will follow. Don't waste your time chasing a moving target that isn't even the right one.
Brought to you by North Star Inbound—the sales enablement SEO agency.
Drive High Intent Leads with SEO.
What happens when you combine best-in-class SEO with conversion optimization?
BigRentz's traffic increased by 186% (85k), added 1950 conversions in 12 months.
Self Financial's traffic increased by 50k/month, and added 685 new customers.
Lastly, Secure Data added 1968 phone calls.
North Star Inbound’s SEO strategies earn leads, conversions, and revenue..
Book a call for a free content audit and 10% off any engagement.
Intrigued? [Learn more here]