When AI can handle complex, nuanced questions fast, people don’t even click past the search results anymore, making it harder for organic ranking.
Search has changed.
People aren’t just searching for “face sunscreen” anymore. They’re looking for “mineral facial sunscreen for oily acne-prone skin under $20.” These long-tail, conversational queries are the norm now, and they tell us exactly what users want.
Your content needs to answer those real, specific questions. Not the ones you think they should be asking.
Searches are getting more specific, but expectations haven’t changed. People still want answers right away, and AI delivers.
Google isn’t going anywhere. It still runs billions of searches a day. But now, its AI Overview feature pulls answers from multiple sources and serves them up right on the results page. That changes how people search, and it’s changing how we need to think about SEO.
Here’s what’s changing and where to focus your efforts.
AI Has Changed the Way People Search
People are asking more complex questions using voice search and AI assistants. They’re getting full answers without clicking, swiping, or even opening a browser.
Google’s AI Overview and Bing’s Copilot Answer now serve up TLDR-style summaries pulled from multiple sources. They scan content, extract the most relevant points, and generate quick answers with links back to the original websites.
And while that sounds like it would help bring more traffic to your site, most users never scroll past the summary. When AI answers complex questions up front, they skip the click entirely, which makes it harder for your content to rank and get seen.
Even when these AI summaries include disclaimers like “AI responses may include mistakes,” people tend to trust the first thing they see. In 2024, Google took heat for AI Overviews showing incorrect information, but convenience usually wins. If the summary feels close enough, most users won’t bother checking the source.
AI-generated answers are pushing organic results further down the page. That means more zero-click searches and fewer visits to your site, even when your content is doing the heavy lifting.
Adapting to the Rise of AI-Generated Search Summaries
AI-generated summaries are the next wave of SEO. Traditional tactics still matter, but for your pages to stay competitive, you’ll need to make your content scannable and structured for both humans and AI systems.
That means:
- Clear hierarchy with consistent, well-labeled headers
- Concise formatting that’s easy to scan
- Helpful, relevant answers to real questions
- Credible content that reflects E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
Organic search traffic is going to drop, even Google admits that. AI summaries pull in users with quick answers, which means fewer clicks but more high-intent visitors. Your job is to make those clicks count. Focus on content that’s clear, valuable, and well-structured—something AI can’t fully replicate or summarize in a single blurb.
Your AI-Powered SEO Game Plan
Now let’s talk execution. AI might change how people search, but the fundamentals of good SEO still apply. Here’s what to focus on if you want to stay visible and useful.
1. Create content that’s genuinely useful
Fluffy copy and keyword stuffing don’t work anymore. With AI-generated pages flooding the internet, only clear, helpful content will cut through. Answer real questions your audience is actually asking. Include examples, data, or insights they can’t get from a one-line summary. That’s what builds credibility.
2. Prioritize people over algorithms
Write for the person behind the search. Speak to their problem, not just keywords. Use a tone that matches your brand and content that’s easy to understand. When content feels human and helpful, SEO performance tends to follow.
3. Nail the technical foundation
Clean code, fast load times, and accurate schema do more than check SEO boxes. They help AI and search engines crawl, understand, and rank your content more effectively. Structure matters. The easier your site is to read and trust, the better your chances of showing up when it counts.
The Role of AI in SEO Strategy
AI isn’t just changing how people search. It’s also changing how marketers do their work. When used strategically, AI can streamline your SEO workflow—helping with everything from keyword planning to technical audits. AI has changed how users interact with search results, but the fundamentals haven’t gone anywhere. AI summaries pull from high-quality sources, which means strong content and a solid SEO strategy still matter. The difference is that AI can help you get there faster and work smarter along the way.
- Keyword research: AI tools can help you brainstorm long-tail keywords, group related terms, and identify trending topics based on real-time data. You still need to decide what’s relevant for your audience and where it fits within your strategy, but AI makes the research process faster.
- Formatting: AI can suggest headers, organize content into sections, and help you structure information in a way that’s easy to scan. This makes your content more useful for both humans who want quick answers and AI systems that rely on clear formatting. Some tools can even recommend schema markup to help search engines understand your content more accurately.
- Internal linking: Tools like Linkter.ai and Link Whisper can scan your site, find related content, and recommend internal links that improve navigation and SEO. This saves hours of manual work and helps surface pages that might otherwise get buried. Just be sure to review the suggestions and make sure they support your strategy and add real value for the reader.
- Site speed: Slow sites drive visitors away and hurt search rankings. AI tools can analyze your website, flag performance issues, and suggest specific fixes, so your development team knows where to focus to improve your site speed.
- Content support: AI can help you move faster by drafting outlines, writing meta descriptions, and creating alt text. It’s a great starting point for building out website content like blogs and landing pages. But content that builds trust, authority, and connection still needs a human voice. Google can tell the difference and so can your audience.
- Backlink outreach: AI can help you get started faster by finding relevant websites, pulling contact info, and drafting outreach emails. This cuts down the time it takes to research and pitch potential backlink partners. Just keep in mind that strong backlinks still come from credibility and real relationships, not automation alone.
Use AI to speed up your workflows, not replace your thinking. It can help you draft, organize, and refine, but the real value comes from your experience, your voice, and your perspective. That’s what builds trust and makes your brand memorable. People still want that human touch. (Which is why a real human wrote this blog. Hello, Internet! 👋)
AI Transforms SEO, But the Goal Remains the Same
At its core, SEO is still about helping people find what they need. AI may change how they search and what shows up first, but the goal hasn’t changed. If your site is the most helpful, most trustworthy source in your space, both people and AI will keep coming back.
Your customers are searching smarter. With the right strategy, AI can help you meet them where they are. Let’s talk about how to keep your content relevant, useful, and visible.