SEO isn't dead. But it's no longer the whole picture.
When someone searches Google, they now see an AI Overview above the organic results. When they skip Google entirely and ask ChatGPT or Perplexity, they get direct brand recommendations instead of links. The discovery landscape has split, and your optimization strategy needs to cover both sides.
What's actually changed
From 10 links to 3 recommendations
Google gives you 10 spots on page 1. AI gives you 2-4 brand mentions in a direct answer. Ranking #5 on Google still gets clicks. Not making the AI shortlist means zero visibility.
From pages to brands
SEO ranks individual pages. AI recommends brands. You can have the best-optimized landing page for "CRM software" and still not appear when someone asks ChatGPT for a CRM recommendation - because AI evaluates your brand holistically, not page by page.
From keywords to intent
SEO optimizes for keyword strings like "best CRM software small business." AI handles natural conversation: "I run a 20-person startup and need a CRM that integrates with Slack. What should I use?" Matching intent matters more than matching keywords.
From your site to your entire footprint
Google primarily evaluates your website (plus backlinks). AI evaluates your brand across the entire internet - your site, reviews, press coverage, social media, forums, expert mentions. Your website is one signal among many.
What still works
The good news: a lot of strong SEO practice carries over.
- Quality content still matters - for both Google and AI
- Technical SEO (speed, structure, schema markup) remains important
- Backlinks and domain authority still influence AI, especially for Perplexity and Google AI Overviews
- Structured data (JSON-LD) helps AI understand your content
- E-E-A-T signals (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) are valued by both Google and AI
What you need to add
These are the AI-specific tactics that traditional SEO doesn't cover:
Monitor AI visibility alongside search rankings. You need to know how ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and Grok describe your brand. AEOscope tracks this daily.
Invest in reviews. Review platforms like G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot are among the strongest signals AI uses for brand recommendations. This was always nice-to-have for SEO. For AI visibility, it's essential.
Earn media mentions, not just backlinks. For traditional SEO, you want a link. For AI, even an unlinked mention in a reputable publication builds brand authority. PR and thought leadership have a direct impact on AI recommendations.
Manage your brand narrative across the web. If there's outdated or negative information about your brand on third-party sites, AI will surface it. Proactive reputation management matters more than ever.
Track AI-specific competitors. Your AI competitors may differ from your Google competitors. A smaller brand with strong reviews and press coverage can outperform a larger brand with better SEO.
Google AI Overviews: where SEO and AI meet
Google AI Overviews are the clearest convergence point. These AI-generated summaries use Google's search index combined with Gemini, and they appear above organic results.
What helps you get featured:
- Question-answering content format ("What is...", "How to...", "Best...")
- Concise, authoritative first-paragraph answers
- Strong E-E-A-T signals and domain authority
- Current, well-structured content with schema markup
If you're already doing solid SEO, you're partway there. AI Overviews reward the same signals - they just synthesize them differently.
The practical approach
You don't need to choose between SEO and AI optimization. The highest-leverage activities serve both:
- Create authoritative, well-structured content
- Earn media coverage and expert citations
- Build a strong review presence on trusted platforms
- Implement structured data (JSON-LD schemas)
- Monitor both Google rankings and AI visibility - they tell different stories
The brands that thrive will be the ones optimizing across the full discovery spectrum, not just one channel.
Get the complete picture of your brand's visibility across both search and AI. AEOscope shows you exactly where you stand.
