Is Classic SEO Outdated in the AI Era?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has long been the foundation of online visibility, helping websites rank higher on Google and other search engines. But with the rapid rise of generative AI, the way people search for and consume information is changing. Instead of clicking through multiple links, users now often get instant answers from AI-powered chatbots. This shift raises an important question: Is traditional SEO becoming obsolete, or is it simply evolving?

In this article, we’ll explore how AI is reshaping search behavior, why classic SEO tactics may feel outdated, and how a new form of optimization is emerging for the AI era.

AI is Changing Search Behavior

GenAI—whether through smart search engine answers or AI chatbots—has dramatically altered how people find information. More users are getting what they need without ever leaving the search results page, a trend known as the “zero-click” search. For example, Bain’s research shows that 80% of consumers rely on these zero-click results at least 40% of the time.

This aligns closely with findings from SparkToro. In a 2024 study, Rand Fishkin analyzed Google search behavior using clickstream data. The study found that for every 1,000 Google searches in the EU, only 374 led to clicks on external websites. In the US, the number was slightly lower at 360. This highlights a growing trend: a significant portion of searches no longer result in clicks to external sites.

In other words, for well over half of all searches, users either find their answer directly on Google or refine their query without clicking on any website.

This zero-click trend has been accelerating, showing that consumers are often satisfied with on-page snippets, knowledge panels, and other instant answers. AI-powered summaries—like Google’s AI Overviews—pull information from multiple sources to provide a direct response at the top of the search results. As a result, users can get comprehensive answers without needing to visit a website, unless they want more details.

Analyses warn that as AI summaries become more widespread, organic website traffic could decline significantly. When Google’s AI-generated answers dominate the results page, click-through rates (CTR) for traditional organic links are expected to drop sharply.

A study by Search Engine Land on Google’s earlier AI search module, Search Generative Experience (SGE), examined 23 websites and estimated that Google’s generative AI could reduce organic traffic by anywhere from 18% to 64%.

In short, generative AI has made search more convenient by delivering quick answers, but it has also reduced the need to visit websites, challenging the traditional SEO model that relies on users clicking through search results for information.

Traditional SEO vs. AI-Driven Search

As search behavior shifts, traditional SEO tactics are becoming less reliable. For years, businesses have optimized for Google’s algorithm—researching keywords, tweaking meta tags, and building backlinks—all to rank on page one and earn valuable clicks.

But if users aren’t clicking as much, a high ranking no longer guarantees traffic. Google’s search page is no longer just “ten blue links”; it now features answer boxes, AI summaries, maps, and other rich elements that often appear before organic results. Even a #1 ranking might sit below an AI-generated response, attracting fewer clicks than before.

Moreover, AI-powered search is rewriting the rules of SEO. Organic traffic strategies may be less effective as AI delivers instant, conversational answers. In this AI-first search landscape, high rankings alone don’t ensure visitors if users find what they need without clicking through.

SEO experts have observed that Google’s algorithm signals, like keyword optimization and link-building, are becoming less impactful when AI-generated snippets pull attention away or when AI assistants (like Siri, Alexa, or ChatGPT) fetch answers directly.

We’re also seeing new habits emerge—users increasingly turn to AI chatbots for informational queries, bypassing traditional search engines altogether. This reinforces the idea that classic SEO strategies are losing their edge.

It’s not that Google’s algorithm has stopped working—it’s that the competition for attention has shifted. SEO used to focus on ranking in search results; now, it’s about appearing in AI-generated answers. While some may see this shift as the end of SEO, it’s more of an evolution—one that demands a new approach to visibility in the AI era.

SEO in the AI Era: Evolved, Not Obsolete

Despite the challenges, SEO is far from dead—it’s evolving. The need for optimization hasn’t disappeared; it has simply expanded beyond the old playbook. Even as AI takes a bigger role in answering questions, it still relies on content from the open web to generate those answers.

Generative AI models don’t create information from thin air. They either pull from their training data or, increasingly, use live sources through techniques like retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). RAG-enabled AI systems can query real-time data and recent documents to provide up-to-date answers, functioning like advanced search engines under the hood.

What This Means for Content Creators

SEO still matters—perhaps more than ever. If you want your website’s information to be included in AI-generated answers, you must ensure that AI can find, trust, and use your content effectively.

In the AI era, SEO best practices are shifting. Technical SEO and content quality are more important than ever because AI bots crawl websites much like search engine bots do. Making your site fast, structured, and easy to parse helps both Google and AI systems retrieve your content accurately.

Using structured data and schema markup can also increase the chances that AI models correctly interpret and surface your content. Experts emphasize that SEO is crucial to the success of RAG systems, as these systems rely on high-quality, crawlable content to fetch reliable data.

Freshness and accuracy matter too—AI tools prioritize content that is current and trustworthy. Keeping your site updated and correcting misinformation can improve its visibility in AI-driven results. Google’s search advocates have reinforced that strong SEO alignment—clear, relevant content with proper metadata—enhances how AI systems retrieve and present your information.

The Shift from SEO to AEO

The game of visibility is still on, but the rules now account for both human search algorithms and AI retrieval algorithms. Some experts now refer to this shift as “Answer Engine Optimization” (AEO)—the practice of optimizing content specifically for AI-generated answers and voice assistants.

AEO involves many classic SEO elements—creating relevant, high-quality content and structuring it for easy consumption—but with a new goal: feeding the answer engines. This means:

We can think of this evolution as SEO shifting from Search Engine Optimization to Smart Engine Optimization—where the goal is not just ranking high in search results, but being included in AI-driven answers.

Whatever we call it—AEO, AI-era SEO, or something else—the core idea remains the same:

To stay visible and valuable in an AI-dominated search landscape, we must optimize our digital content for both traditional search engines and AI answer engines.

So, is SEO outdated in the age of AI? The answer isn’t so simple. Traditional SEO—focusing solely on climbing Google’s rankings—is losing some of its past impact as user behavior shifts and AI-driven search grows. However, SEO itself is far from obsolete. Instead, it has evolved into a broader strategy that ensures content is discoverable not just in search listings but also in AI-generated answers.

GenAI has changed how people search, but it still relies heavily on content from the open web. Businesses and content creators who adapt—by structuring information for AI retrieval, providing direct answers, and maintaining quality and trust—can still attract an audience, even if clicks happen in new ways.

In the AI era, the game of online visibility isn’t over—it’s just being played on a different field. By embracing this new form of optimization, whatever we call it, organizations can ensure they continue to reach their audience, not by resisting AI-driven search, but by evolving with it.

SEO isn’t outdated—it’s just adapting to thrive in the age of AI.