Honestly scared about how AI is changing SEO - is traditional SEO dead or what?

I’ve been studying this transition obsessively. Here’s what the data actually shows:

The good news: Your SEO work isn’t wasted. Research analyzing 25,000 searches found that websites ranked #1 on Google appear in AI answers about 25% of the time. Your rankings ARE translating to AI visibility.

The evolution:

What I’m seeing work:

1. Restructure content - Break massive guides into specific Q&A sections
2. Track AI visibility - Use tools like Am I Cited to see where you’re showing up
3. Optimize for query fan-out - AI systems run multiple related searches, so cover all angles

The companies panicking are the ones who ignored this for 2 years. You’re not too late.

From a technical SEO perspective, here’s what I’m prioritizing:

Technical fundamentals that transfer to AI:

• Clean HTML structure (AI parses this)
• Schema markup (helps AI understand entities)
• Fast page load (still matters for crawling)
• Mobile optimization (AI systems use mobile-first data)

New technical considerations:

• Checking what AI crawlers are hitting your site (GPTBot, PerplexityBot, etc.)
• Ensuring key content isn’t hidden behind JavaScript toggles or accordions
• Making sure PDFs and gated content are properly accessible

The companies saying “SEO is dead” are usually the ones who did keyword stuffing and link buying. Quality SEO has always been about serving users - AI just amplifies that.

Enterprise perspective here - we’re treating this as evolution, not revolution.

Our investment allocation shift (2024 vs 2026):

• Traditional SEO: 80% -> 60%
• AI/GEO: 5% -> 25%
• Content restructuring: 15% -> 15%

Why we’re NOT abandoning traditional SEO:

1. AI systems depend on Google rankings - If you don’t rank, AI often won’t find you
2. SEO delivers 550% ROI - Still outperforms paid search significantly
3. Not all queries trigger AI - Plenty of traditional searches still happen
4. Local and transactional - These still heavily favor traditional results

What we ARE changing:

Every new piece of content now has an “AI optimization checklist” alongside our SEO checklist. It’s additive, not replacement.

The biggest mistake I see is companies treating this as either/or. It’s both/and.

Running an SEO agency, I’ve had this conversation with 50+ clients in the past 6 months.

The mindset shift I recommend:

Stop thinking “SEO vs AI optimization.” Start thinking “visibility across all search surfaces.”

The new job description includes:

• Track rankings on Google (still important)
• Track citations in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude (newly important)
• Track mentions in AI Overviews (critically important)
• Monitor brand sentiment in AI responses (emerging importance)

Tools we’re now using:

• Traditional: Ahrefs, SEMrush (still essential)
• AI-focused: Am I Cited for tracking AI visibility
• Combined dashboards to see the full picture

The SEOs who thrive will be the ones who embrace measurement across all platforms. The data is out there - you just need to look at it.

I’m going to push back a bit on the doom and gloom.

We’ve been in “SEO is dead” cycles before:

• 2008: “Social media will replace search”
• 2012: “Mobile will kill websites”
• 2016: “Voice search will eliminate SEO”
• 2020: “TikTok is the new search engine”

Each time, SEO evolved and stayed relevant.

What I think happens:

• AI search adds complexity, doesn’t replace
• Traditional rankings become MORE important as AI relies on them
• New skills get added to the SEO toolkit
• The field becomes more specialized and valuable

My hot take: In 5 years, SEOs who learned AI optimization will be earning 40% more than those who didn’t. It’s an opportunity, not a threat.

Small business owner here (e-commerce, about $2M revenue).

This thread is helpful but overwhelming. What should someone like me actually DO?

We don’t have a dedicated SEO team - just me and a VA who handles content. Budget is limited.

What I’ve done so far:

• Made sure our product pages answer common questions clearly
• Added FAQ sections to key pages
• Started tracking if we show up in ChatGPT for our product category

What I’m seeing: We’re showing up in Perplexity sometimes but never in ChatGPT. No idea why.

Any suggestions for small players who can’t hire GEO specialists?

Let me add some predictions based on current trends:

By end of 2026:

• AI Overviews will appear in 80%+ of informational queries
• “GEO Specialist” will be a common job title
• Traditional SEO tools will all have AI visibility modules

By 2027-2028:

• ChatGPT may actually surpass Google query volume
• AI visibility will be weighted equally to Google rankings in marketing reports
• The distinction between SEO and GEO will blur into “Search Optimization”

Skills that will matter:

1. Understanding how LLMs process and cite content
2. Multi-platform visibility tracking
3. Content structure optimization for extraction
4. Brand sentiment management in AI responses
5. Technical understanding of AI crawlers

The career path isn’t dying - it’s getting more interesting.

Cutting through the noise with what’s actually working for us:

Content changes:

• Every H2 is now a question format where possible
• First paragraph always contains a direct answer
• Added “Key Takeaway” boxes that AI can easily extract
• Tables and structured data everywhere

Results after 4 months:

• Traditional rankings: Stable (no decline)
• AI citations: Up from 0 to appearing in ~15% of relevant queries
• Traffic from AI sources: Now 8% of total organic (was 0%)

The 80/20: You don’t need to reinvent everything. Just restructure your top 20 pages and see what happens. Test, measure, iterate.

This thread has been incredibly valuable. Feeling much less scared now.

My takeaways:

1. Traditional SEO isn’t dead - it’s the foundation AI builds on
2. The shift is additive - learning GEO doesn’t mean abandoning SEO
3. Structure matters more - AI needs extractable, clear answers
4. Measurement is key - can’t improve what you can’t track
5. First-mover advantage - the window to establish AI visibility is open now

My action plan:

• Start tracking AI visibility with Am I Cited this week
• Audit our top 10 pages for “AI readability”
• Add FAQ schema and direct answers to key content
• Set up monthly AI visibility reviews alongside SEO reports
• Pitch leadership on dedicated AI optimization budget for Q2

The 550% SEO ROI stat plus the data showing Google rankings matter for AI visibility is exactly what I needed to hear. Not abandoning what works - building on it.

Thanks everyone. This community is gold.