Last Updated on May 22, 2025
Search marketers have heard the murmurs: “AI is going to make SEO obsolete.” As an SEO strategist who works hands-on with AI, I want to address this pressing question head-on. Will AI replace SEO? In my view, SEO is not dying; it’s evolving.
In this post, I’ll explain why search engine optimization is here to stay, discuss how AI is changing the game, and share what we can do as SEOs to succeed in this new era. I see things through the lens of AI and SEO daily.
Let’s examine the data and realities, with plenty of evidence, to separate hype from truth. By the end, you’ll see why I’m confident that AI won’t replace SEO, but it will force us to adapt.
Search is alive and well; Google isn’t going anywhere.
First, let’s put to rest the idea that AI chatbots are replacing search engines. The numbers state a different conclusion without ambiguity. In 2024, Google Search usage increased by over 20% year-over-year. That’s an extraordinary surge for such a mature platform.
Google handled more than 5 trillion searches in 2024, averaging around 14 billion daily. At its peak, ChatGPT handled about 37.5 million “search-like” queries daily.
Do the math, and that means Google was getting 373× more searches than ChatGPT. In 2024, Google accounted for approximately 93.6% of search queries. In comparison, ChatGPT had a 0.25% accuracy rate.
People are not leaving traditional search for AI in large numbers. Users still rely on most of their information on Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines.
Many people still “Google it,” even with the rise of AI tools. They use AI to help, not to replace. Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, said the new AI features in search are leading to more searches, not fewer.
Organic search traffic is the most significant source of website visits. Recent research indicates that approximately 53% of traffic originates from organic search clicks.
This is much higher than traffic from other channels. Paid search ads account for roughly another 15%, and social media is only around 5% of traffic.
Over half of visitors still arrive at sites via classic organic search results. In 2025, organic search remains the top traffic source for most websites. So, from a high-level standpoint, search engines are far from obsolete. They’re used more than ever. They still serve as the primary means by which customers discover content online.
Despite the AI boom, traditional search still dominates.
AI overviews are changing the SERP (but not killing SEO).
That’s not to say AI isn’t changing how search works. This is especially true with features like Google’s new AI Overviews in the results. If you’ve tried Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), you’ve seen the AI summaries at the top. These summaries use AI to find information from various websites.
From an SEO perspective, AI overviews are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, this creates a new chance. You immediately gain visibility and authority if an AI summary cites your content. However, these large AI answers can overwhelm traditional organic results. Early data shows fewer people click the regular listings when an AI overview is present.
One study found that when an AI-generated overview appeared, the organic click-through rate (CTR) decreased from 1.41% to 0.64% on average. That’s more than a 50% drop in click volume to the organic results.
“In contrast, queries without an AI summary experienced a slight year-over-year increase in organic click-through rates (CTR). This indicates that the AI-generated answer is capturing a significant share of clicks. These clicks would have gone to the “10 blue links”.
Publishers and SEO professionals have expressed anxiety about this dynamic. Experts suggest that SGE’s launch may reduce publishers’ organic search traffic by 20% to 60%.
The impact varies by topic and the visibility of the AI results. Those are big numbers. If a site loses even 20% of its Google traffic, that can hurt, and losses of 50% to 60% would devastate many. Take those estimates with caution.
It’s still early for SGE, and the impact may differ by query. AI summaries generate numerous clicks from websites and keep users engaged on Google.
Another primary concern is the amount of screen real estate these AI answers occupy. Some tests indicated that the AI overview box could reach a height of 1,700 pixels.
This would push all organic results far down the first screen. Google appears to be addressing this issue, but it remains quite substantial. Recent research indicates that SGE typically occupies a height of approximately 800 to 1,500 pixels on a desktop. Even at 800px, that’s a large block (for context, 600px is often considered “above the fold” on a 1080p screen).
At approximately 1,500px, the AI answer is 1.5 times taller than the average screen size. Users must scroll almost a page to see the first regular organic result.
When an AI overview appears, the classic blue links are pushed “below the fold.” This change leads to fewer clicks on those results.
AI overviews’ silver lining
Yes, AI features are indeed shaking up the search results page. They’re taking a share of user attention and clicks. However, they are not replacing SEO.
Websites don’t vanish; they remain indexed and ranked, often appearing further down. The AI summaries rely on content from those websites, which is essential.
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Google’s AI overview is a synthesized summary of information drawn from the pages in its index. The entire system falls apart if nobody creates quality content for Google to index. In that sense, AI isn’t eliminating the need for SEO-optimized content; it’s leveraging it.
As SEOs, our role is changing. We need to ensure our content is suitable for AI summaries. Even if it isn’t featured, it must still be engaging enough to earn clicks.
We need to focus on a few key areas. First, we should aim for the AI to cite us. This means providing straightforward answers to questions in our text. Second, we want to entice users to scroll down. It’s a new challenge, but not the death of SEO.
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Remember, users often still scroll. Not all queries get an AI overview, and not every user trusts the AI blurb to answer their needs completely. There will always be those who click instead of reading the AIO. That’s especially true for complex or high-stakes queries.
Furthermore, Google is making adjustments to the format to ensure user satisfaction. If AI-generated summaries harm user experience, Google will adjust them accordingly. They have been cautious with the SGE rollout, referring to it as a test or experiment.
We must adapt our tactics for the AI-driven search engine results page (SERP)world. But I don’t think this means the end of organic traffic. SEO strategy must account for an “AI layer” on top of the usual ranking game.
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The AI content flood: quality over quantity
Another point about “AI replacing SEO” is that AI might automate content creation. This could make human SEO tasks such as writing and optimizing content less critical.
We’ve indeed seen a flood of AI-generated content hit the web. Some website owners began creating many AI-generated pages, hoping to rank for every long-tail keyword possible.
This raised worries that low-quality, machine-made text might flood search results. Users could struggle to find reliable information, making traditional content strategies ineffective.
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Google is fighting against bad AI content.
This “quantity over quality” method isn’t new in SEO. Thin content mills have been around for years, and Google opposes them. In March 2024, Google launched a major core algorithm update, theorizing that the update would cut low-quality content by around 40%.
That’s a vast improvement in weeding out spam. By late April 2024, Google announced that it had finished the rollout. Internal checks revealed approximately 45% less junk content in the results compared to the previous version.
In short, Google hit the AI content farms hard. They say almost half of that junk disappeared from view.
I noticed something similar to what the SEO community reported. In March and April 2024, many sites that had created numerous AI-generated pages experienced a decline in rankings.
Auto-generated content that lacked genuine usefulness faced significant backlash. Google’s SpamBrain algorithm and other systems are continually improving.
They are now better at finding AI spam and low-quality pages. They also coined the term “scaled content abuse.” This refers to sites that publish substantial AI-generated content without regard for its quality or accuracy. Those sites are now the primary targets of Google’s focus.
That said, the algorithm does not drop all poor-quality AI content. Many niches and long-tail queries still let AI-generated articles rank. This often occurs, especially when competitors lack superior content.
In particular, in highly specialized niches, mediocre AI-generated content can still rank on Google. This happens because there isn’t enough high-quality human content on those topics.
So the “flood” is not entirely gone; it’s contained. Google has significantly reduced the amount of obvious spam, but new AI-generated content is being created daily. It’s a constant whack-a-mole.
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Not all AI content is bad.
As content creators and SEOs, we learn that AI can boost content speed but can’t replace quality. Using AI to help with writing is excellent (I do it too!). But you should always fact-check, add insights, and refine the final piece.
Think twice if you or your team plan to publish 1,000 AI-written articles with minor editing. Google will likely find those patterns and demote that content.
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If you use AI to create drafts or analyze data and add human expertise, you can produce great content more efficiently.
In my workflow, AI is a collaborator, not a replacement. It sometimes handles grunt work, outlines, and even first drafts.
A human SEO strategist stays up-to-date with trends to ensure the content effectively assists users. This is the only sustainable way now that Google is ramping up its fight against pure AI spam.
Quality over quantity has never been truer. AI hasn’t made human content strategy unnecessary. Instead, it has made our editorial judgment more critical. We must sift through AI output to ensure only the best content gets published.
Technical SEO: foundational, not a silver bullet
Is technical SEO still a competitive edge?
Let’s shift gears to another area of our field: technical SEO. I’ve heard some say, “As AI generates content and Google improves, the only edge left is technical SEO.”
I agree and disagree with this.
Technical SEO is crucial.
Your content may struggle if you don’t have a strong tech foundation.
Key elements include:
- A well-organized site structure
- Effective crawlability
- Mobile-friendly design
- High page speed
These are essential for success.
These factors help ensure that your great content gets indexed and ranks well. Technical basics are the foundation of any SEO project. If you ignore them, your performance can suffer.
The Diminishing Returns of Technical SEO
After a certain point in technical SEO, any additional tweaks typically yield only small gains. Technical SEO is essential, but it won’t guarantee that you outrank your competitors.
Many websites and SEO professionals are now skilled in basic best practices. Everyone knows to have a sitemap, clean up broken links, pass Core Web Vitals, etc.
If your competitors load fast, improving your server response time by 100 ms won’t make you number one. There are diminishing returns after you’ve covered the basics. Many companies waste hours addressing minor SEO issues, yet their rankings barely improve.
It’s the classic 80/20 rule: 20% of the technical fixes often yield 80% of the benefit, and the rest is tinkering.
Don’t get me wrong; I love technical SEO, which can be a differentiator if your site is behind.
If your site has indexation issues or a poor structure, resolving them can lead to a notable improvement.
But in 2025 and beyond, technical SEO alone won’t make you dominate. It’s necessary, but not enough. Think of it like a house. You need a strong foundation to build it.
This means having a solid site for your SEO strategy. Once the foundation is set, you can build a taller house by adding more content and improving the user experience.
That’s how you get ahead, not by reinforcing the foundation.
Technical SEO is the foundation, but ranking takes more than a perfect base.
AI + SEO = augmentation, not replacement
Finally, let’s address the broader fear underlying the question, “Will AI replace SEO?” Some worry that AI tools, like GPT-4 and Bard, will replace SEO jobs.
They also fear these tools will change how users search online. As we’ve explored, user behavior is changing somewhat, but not in a way that eliminates the need for search.
Now, I’d like to discuss the role of AI in our work as SEO practitioners.
In my experience, AI is an incredible tool for SEO, and it is not an ominous rival out to replace us. I utilize AI in my daily SEO work.
It can analyze big data sets in seconds. It generates content ideas, helps with meta descriptions, clusters keywords, and more. AI can often complete tasks that used to take hours of manual work in minutes, at least in draft form.
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This lets us focus more on strategy, creativity, and the detailed tweaks that AI can’t manage. AI can generate 100 variations of title tags.
However, a human must choose the best fit for the brand and audience. AI summarizes content, but an SEO strategist knows what info to highlight. They focus on E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
What AI Does Well vs. Where Humans Still Win
| AI Strengths | Human Strengths |
| Keyword clustering | Strategy and prioritization |
| SERP gap analysis | Understanding nuanced user intent |
| Drafting content outlines | Creative voice, tone, and storytelling |
| Meta description generation | Empathy and relevance to real users |
| Technical site audits (at scale) | Holistic SEO decision-making |
| Summarizing competitor content | Brand building and trust cultivation |
AI SEO in 2025: Where are we right now?
A survey conducted in late 2024 revealed that most people combine AI with traditional search daily. While they may ask ChatGPT for quick ideas or answers, they often rely on Google for in-depth research and to check facts.
This dual-use pattern means businesses need to optimize for both. It’s not “SEO or AI”; it’s SEO and AI. For us SEOs, this means optimizing content to serve as the source of AI-generated answers.
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For example, we want Bing Chat to cite us as a source. We must also continue doing what helps our pages rank in regular search results. This means using AI to improve our workflows and output.
Rather than fearing that AI will take our jobs, embrace it to make you better at your job. Think of AI as your always-ready assistant.
It can analyze ranking reports, create outlines, and monitor log files for issues. However, it still needs direction and refinement from an expert. SEO tasks are crucial, including technical audits, content creation, and link outreach.
SEO professionals who utilize AI will outperform those who do not. AI does not replace them; it empowers them.
As we previously discussed, Google is also incorporating AI into its search. That means an SEO’s skill set is expanding, not shrinking.
Five years ago, we didn’t worry about how AI would summarize our content or how chatbots would provide answers.
Now we do. We need SEO strategists to figure out best practices in this new territory. In a way, AI is creating new SEO challenges that we get to solve, making our role more interesting and engaging.
I am excited to be an “AI-SEO strategist.” I assist companies with traditional SEO and the emerging AI search landscape. It’s a far cry from becoming obsolete; it’s a career evolution.
“SEO is Dead” will always be a myth.
To wrap up: No, AI is not going to replace SEO. Search engines are here to stay. They depend on content, discovery, and relevance. These are the things we optimize. What will happen, and it’s already happening, is that SEO will incorporate AI at every level.
AI will influence the tools we use, how search engines show results, and the content we create. Successful SEOs will adapt by mastering AI elements and continuing to improve the timeless fundamentals of their craft.
SEO has undergone frequent changes. It started with keyword stuffing, then came backlinks, the mobile revolution, and now AI-driven search.
The primary goal is to help users find the information and solutions. SEO will remain vital for displaying the best content as long as people search through text, voice, or brain implants. AI doesn’t change that fundamental dynamic; it’s the latest twist.
AI enhances each process step, but human expertise guides the strategy.
Final thoughts
I hope this eased some fears and sparked some ideas. In summary, AI is changing SEO, not destroying it. Google Search is growing, not shrinking, and organic search traffic remains the king.
AI features like SGE are altering SERP layouts and click patterns, but they rely on our content and insights to function. Google’s algorithms flag low-quality AI-generated spam content, reinforcing that quality matters more than ever.
Technical SEO remains crucial as a foundation, but it’s not the lone winning strategy once everyone meets the baseline. Importantly, AI is not usurping our role as SEOs; it’s being augmented.
We should utilize AI to our advantage and adapt our tactics to the evolving search landscape, rather than resisting it.
So the next time someone asks, “Won’t AI just replace SEO?”, you can confidently say: SEO isn’t dying. It’s adapting and thriving alongside AI.
Those who embrace the changes will find that AI is more of a partner than a threat. I welcome our AI assistants and will continue to optimize for them and alongside them.
FAQs
No, AI will assist and automate certain aspects of SEO, such as keyword research or content briefs, but human strategy, creativity, and decision-making remain essential for success.
AI tools are used for keyword clustering, content generation, SEO audits, and trend analysis. These tools enhance productivity but still require human oversight for nuance and quality.
Yes, AI-generated content can rank if it is edited for originality, relevance, and value. Google prioritizes helpful, trustworthy content that meets E-E-A-T standards.
SEO pros will need strong analytical thinking, prompt engineering, content strategy, and an understanding of how to blend human insight with AI tools.
Not at all. SEO is evolving. With tools like ChatGPT and Google SGE, SEO professionals now need to optimize for AI-driven answers, not just traditional search rankings.
Post Contribution
Chai Fisher is an SEO strategist passionate about AI, automation, and optimizing content workflows. They’ve spent the last eight years helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through technical SEO, intelligent content systems, and a healthy dose of curiosity. Most days, you’ll find them pushing the limits of what ChatGPT should be allowed to do…or overanalyzing a horror movie.
