Let’s be real. The way we search is changing—fast. With search entering an era dominated by artificial intelligence, every week seems to bring a new update. ChatGPT is answering questions better than your go-to friend, Google’s launching AI mode, and tools like Perplexity are suddenly getting bookmarked. AI-powered platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity are pushing traditional engines like Google and Bing to create rich, new experiences for users, marketers, and brands to adapt to.
With all this change, marketers are left wondering if SEO is still relevant in the age of AI.
So, What’s Actually Changing in Search?
For a while, search felt predictable. Google dominated, and the SERP was a familiar mix of ads, carousels, and quick answers. The layout changed, but the experience didn’t. Then came generative AI, and enabling a whole new search experience.
Now, search isn’t just about links. AI platforms are synthesizing across multiple sources, understanding preferences, and delivering succinct, conversational answers. It’s not just faster—it’s smarter.
And it’s changing how users search. Gen Z is skipping Google and turning to TikTok and Instagram to find what they need.1 Even Google is evolving, rolling out AI Overviews and rethinking what their SERP looks like. While Google still reigns supreme—driving 34x more traffic than AI platforms combined2—change is clearly in the air.
So, what does this mean for marketers? Here’s the good news: SEO isn’t going anywhere. But how we show up needs to change.
How Brands Should Adapt to AI-Enabled SEO
First, don’t panic. Traditional search is still dominant, and AI-enabled search experiences are still maturing. But now is the right time to start preparing—so you’re ready as adoption accelerates. Here’s what our experts recommend:
1. Understand Where You’re Showing Up
Even if you haven’t done anything yet, your brand is already appearing in AI-powered search results. Visibility isn’t easy to track—but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it.
Don’t stress if the data isn’t perfect yet. Tools like SEMrush, seoClarity, and Profound can give you directional insights. And at Ovative, we’re building custom AI referral dashboards that help our clients understand their presence across platforms.
2. Double Down on Foundational SEO—But Smarter
Good SEO still matters. If your site isn’t crawlable, indexable, or fast—AI won’t find it. But now, you need to think about how your content gets chunked, cited, and summarized.
Your content doesn’t need to just rank—it needs to answer. That means:
- Your content needs to be granular and helpful.
- EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust) still matters—a lot.
- Your technical SEO should be tight (think crawlability, speed, schema).
Bottom line? Great content paired with smart technical strategy will always win.
3. Approach Search Holistically
AI-enabled search leans heavily on structured data like feeds, product catalogs and site copy. It doesn’t care if it’s from SEO, Merchandising, Feeds, or Site teams—it pulls from everywhere, and your strategy should reflect that.
Winning brands work holistically across teams to build site experiences that are connected and answer real questions with clarity and depth.
4. Start Testing Into AI Search
Things are changing fast. The best way to keep up? Test into it. Whether it’s optimizing for Google’s AI Mode or exploring how your brand appears in Perplexity, now’s the time to test, learn, and build a roadmap for the future.
5. Rethink How You Measure Success
Here’s the truth: some users may never even land on your site. So what now?
It’s time to think beyond clicks and rankings. With AI platforms serving answers directly, your brand’s value might not come from a click—but from a mention, citation, or purchase made without ever landing on your site.
Start tracking new KPIs like Share of Voice, impressions, citations, and sentiment. You may not have all the data today, but you can start building the measurement frameworks you’ll need tomorrow.
Bring Your SEO Strategy Into the AI Era
Search isn’t dying—it’s evolving. And honestly? It’s more interesting than ever. Whether we call it SEO, AEO, GEO, or something else, what matters most is helping your audience find what they need—and trust you to deliver it.
If you’re curious where your brand stands in this new era, or want help making sense of it all, connect with our search experts today.
