The Impact of AI on SEO

The search landscape is undergoing a seismic shift, driven by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs). This transformation is more than a technological evolution; it represents a strategic inflexion point demanding a fundamental rethink of search marketing.

Marketers often ask me, How is AI impacting SEO? While the answer is directional and tied to today’s realities, it will inevitably evolve as the search ecosystem continues to change. The search landscape isn’t just shifting—it’s being redrawn entirely.

"The search landscape isn’t just shifting—it’s being redrawn entirely, driven by the rise of AI and large language models."

The answer lies in understanding how AI is fragmenting the search landscape, reshaping user behaviour, and creating new opportunities and challenges for marketers. Crucially, AI's impact extends beyond SEO to influence the entire digital advertising ecosystem, including paid search, programmatic advertising, and social ads. Thriving in this environment requires a comprehensive understanding of how AI is redefining search.

The AI Revolution in Search: Fragmentation of the Landscape

Redefining Search Interactions

AI has redefined how users interact with search, creating two primary modes of engagement, each with distinct experiences for users and marketers:

Search

• Users input keywords into a search engine and receive a ranked list of sources to explore.
• This mode allows users to retain control over how they evaluate information.

Prompt

• Users input conversational queries into AI tools to receive synthesised, contextualised answers.
• This mode reduces cognitive effort but limits exposure to diverse options.

Comparison Table: Search vs. Prompt

Platforms Shaping the Landscape

AI has diversified search beyond traditional engines like Google. The new landscape encompasses multiple platform types, each with unique characteristics:

• Search Engines: Platforms like Google, Bing, YouTube, Yandex, and Naver remain foundational to search.
• Social Search: Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest are increasingly important for discovery, particularly among younger demographics.
• Answer Engines: Tools like ChatGPT, Google AI Overview, and Perplexity provide synthesised answers, reshaping how users seek information.
• AI Agents: Solutions like Gemini and Claude autonomously manage tasks such as summarising content, scheduling, or completing transactions.
• Copilots: Tools like GitHub Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot enhance productivity through contextual suggestions and content generation.
• Browser-Enabled AI Answers: Integrated tools within browsers like Safari and Arc allow users to receive answers directly.
• Embedded AI Solutions: Platforms like Notion integrate AI capabilities to streamline tasks and offer search within their environments.

Changing User Behaviour: From Search to Prompt

The Fragmentation of User Intent

User behaviour has shifted dramatically, driven by generational preferences, technological advancements, and platform proliferation:

• Generational Shifts: Younger generations, such as Gen Z, increasingly prefer platforms like TikTok and Instagram for discovery, prioritising immediacy and context over traditional ranked search results.
• Platform Diversification: Social Media search grew by 4% in 2023, while traditional search engines experienced a 12% decline during the same period (Hubspot). Tools like ChatGPT are becoming primary search engines for certain demographics.
• Contextualised Expectations: Users demand fast, personalised, and contextual responses aligned with their intent.

Search is no longer a linear journey; instead, it resembles a mosaic of interactions tailored to diverse intents and platform capabilities.

"Search is no longer a linear journey; it resembles a mosaic of interactions tailored to diverse intents and platform capabilities."

Implications for Marketers

Fragmented user behaviour presents both opportunities and challenges:

• Reduced Visibility: AI-driven zero-click results mean fewer users click through to websites. Marketers must adapt to ensure their content is featured prominently in synthesised AI responses.
• Trust in AI: Marketers must provide accurate, up-to-date data for AI to process while ensuring alignment with brand messaging.
• Loss of Control: As AI systems aggregate and evaluate data, direct influence over content presentation diminishes. This necessitates strategic alignment with AI algorithms.
• Increased Platform Complexity: Marketers must optimise for a broader array of platforms, each with distinct behaviours and algorithms.

The Disruption of Digital Advertising

Evolving Advertising Ecosystems

The integration of AI into search doesn’t just impact organic search and SEO; it sends ripples through the entire digital advertising landscape. Search marketing has long been a foundational component of many advertising strategies, and as search behaviours shift, so too will the frameworks for advertising.

Siloed Data and Advertising Challenges

As search interactions become more siloed, so does consumer data. Currently, a few major platforms hold the majority of proprietary data sets that fuel the advertising ecosystem. This is supported by a background data trading economy, which exchanges consumer data to enhance targeting and optimisation capabilities.

However, as AI-driven search and prompts gain traction, consumer data may become more fragmented across platforms, disrupting the digital advertising status quo. This shift could challenge existing models in search ads, programmatic advertising, YouTube campaigns, and social media ads.

Future Implications for Marketers

• Adapt to Siloed Data: As AI systems become information gatekeepers, marketers must prioritise providing structured, high-quality data to ensure their visibility in AI-generated recommendations. This includes leveraging schemas, APIs, and data partnerships.
• Broaden Platform Focus: Diversify strategies to include platforms like social search engines, AI answer engines, and embedded AI solutions. These emerging tools play a growing role in shaping customer journeys.
• Personalised Advertising: AI enables hyper-personalised ad targeting, but it also demands a deeper understanding and compliance with privacy laws. To navigate this environment effectively, marketers should focus on transparency and build trust.
• Prepare for Attribution Challenges: Fragmentation in user journeys will complicate attribution. Marketers need innovative approaches to measure ROI across platforms and ensure they can demonstrate the impact of their strategies.

Certainties in the Future of Search

As search evolves, some truths are clear. The demand for information will grow, shaped by shifting behaviours, technological advancements, and AI’s increasing role. These certainties provide a roadmap for marketers:

1. Information demand will continue to rise.
2. Search behaviour will fragment across multiple platforms.
3. Social platforms will play an increasingly significant role in search.
4. AI will dominate the search landscape, driving innovation and complexity.
5. Zero-click results will rise, reducing traditional web traffic.
6. Informational web traffic will decline.
7. SEO strategies must adapt to platform-specific and stage-specific needs in the customer journey.
8. AI systems will rely on accurate, up-to-date marketer information to stay relevant.
9. AI agents will eventually complete many transactions autonomously.

Answering the Question: How is AI Impacting SEO?

The question posed at the beginning—How is AI impacting SEO?—can now be definitively answered: AI is fundamentally reshaping SEO by altering user behaviour, fragmenting search platforms, and shifting the dynamics of visibility, trust, and control in digital marketing. Its influence extends beyond SEO to transform the entire digital advertising ecosystem.

"Marketers who adapt to these sweeping changes will lead the way, while those who fail to evolve risk being left behind in an increasingly fragmented and competitive environment."

To remain relevant, marketers must embrace these changes and position themselves for success in an AI-driven world. The search landscape is no longer about surviving incremental shifts; it demands a complete rethinking of strategies and execution. Marketers who adapt to these sweeping changes will lead the way, while those who fail to evolve will left behind in an increasingly fragmented and competitive environment.