Chad Lewine, Owner of Chadworks: Expert in Website Design, SEO, and Digital Marketing.

AI companies want you to think that traditional SEO is going to go away. I don't believe that's the case. There will always be a need for multiple results for a majority of search queries. Of course, queries like "what's the name of our galaxy" will always only have one answer, and AI may take over these kinds of keyphrases, but I hope not entirely. At that point, what we'd be looking at is a Google encyclopedia without the option to check other sources. I don't think that's going to vibe with the general public.

Searching on Google

Search queries like "best restaurant near me" will always fluctuate and need multiple results to give the user what they're looking for, which is a list of the best restaurants - not just a single answer. These restaurants (or directory platforms) still need to put in the work to get their web pages to show up when people query for their topics. This is an example of how I believe SEO will indefinitely be necessary and will not be totally eclipsed by AI.

We should also consider human psychology and how that affects search behavior. Search behavior is infinitely diverse, and if AI is calling the shots, it may not be able to give everyone what they want. How often have you searched a keyphrase, scanned the first several results, and discovered that you need to adjust your query to get closer to what you're looking for? If you only get exactly what you search for, you may not find what you really want. (However, I counter this as a positive in some cases later in the article.)

I'd also venture to say that AI-driven search algorithms aren't replacing traditional search algorithms but rather fine-tuning them. This goes back to my questioning how an AI-driven - or any - search algorithm is going to find anything if it's not optimized to be found. We also have evolving trends, seasonal interests, and niche topics that require dynamic and constantly monitored SEO efforts that AI alone cannot completely address.

AI & SERPS

I think a happy medium would be keeping regular SERP pages and altering them to add “AI generated” or “AI curated” results, at least for the foreseeable future. This will help users figure out what’s happening and determine what they like best. Maybe the ability to switch or mix search results would be a good feature Google and other search engines could implement.

Searching on Other Websites

I've been discussing searching on Google, but what about searching within other sites like Amazon or even smaller ecom websites? I know for a fact that platforms like WP Engine are working on AI-driven features for ecom websites that will definitely help the user find what they're looking for, even if they aren't quite sure. This gets us into the semantic web and semantic search where the AI is smarter than the human querying, and knows what they want or might want, even if that query wasn't as clear as it could be.

Example: searching REI for "cold weather with faux fur" could bring up a whole outfit that fits the description. In the past, you would have to click on categories or stumble through precise search terms to find what you're looking for. I think this kind of AI-driven searching is going to be a net positive for the customer.

Will Traditional SEO Become Obsolete?

I don't think so. SEO means "search engine optimization." Even if AI takes more of a hold, If you don't optimize your site for search, how is that AI robot that's serving up results even going to find your website? As long as there is curiosity beyond the first results or "result zero," there will always be some level of search engine optimization and search engine positioning happening in the market.