In recent years, the SEO industry has faced constant debate about its relevance in light of evolving search technologies. With the introduction of more sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) models, the question “ Is SEO dead? ” has once again become a topic of discussion.
The recent episode of the Search Off the Record podcast , produced by the Google Search team, brought to light new perspectives on the relationship between AI and SEO, revealing divergences between the expectations of industry professionals and Google's own vision.
How AI is Changing the SEO Landscape
During the episode, John Mueller, Gary Illyes, Lizzi Sassman and Martin Splitt discussed how the integration of AI into search is transforming the digital landscape. According to Gary Illyes, the prediction that SEO would be in decline has been a recurring theme since 2001. He highlighted that, despite technological changes, SEO remains an essential pillar for ensuring the visibility of websites on the internet.
However, the introduction of systems such as RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation), which combines information from search indexes with language models to generate more accurate responses, raises questions about how optimization should be done. Martin Splitt explained that, even with the evolution of artificial intelligence , the processes of indexing and crawling content remain relevant, since search engines still rely on these factors to organize information.
According to industry data , over 60% of traffic for many bitcoin data websites still comes from organic searches. This data reinforces the importance of continuing to invest in well-structured SEO strategies, even in an environment where AI plays an increasing role.
Three Big Changes AI Has Brought to SEO
While Google insists that the essence of SEO hasn't changed, there are three major shifts that have experts concerned.
Disappearance of traditional SERPs
The ten blue links that long dominated the results page have become obsolete. With the rise of AI-generated direct answers and featured snippets, the importance of being on the first page has changed dramatically.
Changes in search queries
User searches are becoming increasingly complex, with questions in natural language. This requires content creators to adapt their strategies, prioritizing quality and contextualization.