Is SEO just AI now? 🤖 (And what it means for your website)

Hello Reader,

Note: I am promoting my awesome summer program through next week. These emails are packed with good info, but if you don't want to receive them, click here.

I’ve been hearing a question a lot lately, and it usually goes something like this: “Isn’t SEO just AI now? Why even bother if a chatbot is just going to answer everyone's questions?”

I have a lot of thoughts about this, and if you’ve looked at a Google search page in the last few days, you probably do too.

Google just rolled out a major change to its default search box. The user experience is honestly a little funky. Now, when you hit enter, the default view pushes you straight into an AI mode search, forcing the regular Google results further down the page. On top of that, they’ve added a messy array of tabs for web, images, and forums. Like I said, it's a bit funky (technical term).

It’s easy to look at this and feel like the game has completely changed—or that individual websites don’t matter anymore because AI is just going to summarize our content regardless of what we do (and often even if we tell the bots not to scan it).

Yes, philosophically, I have plenty of opinions about why summarizing everything for us isn't great for the world.

But this is the visibility landscape we live in right now. Instead, we have to look at the reality of how these tools actually function and what it means for us.

The reality is that there is no actual intelligence in these systems. (I said what I said!) The information these AI bots serve up has to come from somewhere. They are hungry for information. The bots are constantly consolidating and crunching data from real places across the web: your website, Reddit, social media, and official sources.

In fact, if you look closely at the new mobile search experience Google just introduced, it’s almost like going back in time in some ways. It shows images at the top, a summary of primary info, and then explicitly links to the top eight sources on the subject.

Does that sound familiar? It should. It's nearly identical to a traditional web search page featuring a top eight organic results layout and a "People Also Asked" section. The experience has changed, but it's still a variety of media, showcasing the best answers.

Everyone is panicking that the game has changed, but the truth is, the game has just been redesigned. It is all still search engine optimization, because your business still needs to be the authoritative source that the bots trust, choose, and cite.

Navigating these constant algorithmic shifts can feel overwhelming when you're trying to do it alone, which is exactly why I design my programs to focus on timeless, human-first topical authority rather than chasing short-lived algorithmic hacks.

If you want to make sure your website remains the go-to authority that both humans and algorithms choose, come join us for the Summer of SEO.

Together, we’ll cut through the AI noise, optimize your digital footprint, and build a sustainable search strategy that outlasts whatever experimental button Google decides to add next week.

See you inside,

Sarah

P.S. Have questions? Just hit reply!