The New Playbook: How AI Has Redefined SEO

By Jamie Rzewnicki, Senior Manager, Digital

Every workday, I’m asking my voice assistant to kick off my day with the latest podcast episode, set a reminder for the tasks ahead and search for a summary of the latest news headlines. And I’m doing this all before 8 a.m.

There’s no doubt about it, artificial intelligence (AI) has made big changes in our day-to-day lives. In a lot of ways, it’s made the simple tasks easier and information more readily available. It has had an even bigger impact on online searches and user search behavior, which means reaching your audience online may require new techniques.

The goal line has moved.
Search engine optimization (SEO) focuses on making sure your website shows up on search platforms like Google or Bing. For so long, we’ve focused on ranking on the first page of search results and have emphasized website traffic.

AI has changed how we look for answers online, as we’ve shifted from “click and explore” to “ask and receive.”  We’ve gone from “ask Google” to “ask AI.”

While appearing on the first few pages of  search results and website traffic remain important, there are other metrics to consider in this evolving landscape. The new goal should be to bolster content on each owned digital channel (such as your website, social channels, etc.) to ensure AI systems view your content as trustworthy and therefore use it to cite and summarize it in relevant search queries.

Traditional keyword tactics won’t cut it anymore. Success in search depends on being the source AI trusts enough to cite.

Today, more than 50% of Google searches display AI-generated summaries at the top of the search page. These answers are compiled by Google’s Gemini-based AI system and provide a detailed response to your search query rather than just providing links to websites as in days of yore… like 2023.

As a result, we’re seeing clicks and website traffic decline. With the answers at the top of the page in the AI summary, users no longer feel the need to dive into a company’s website if they feel their question was answered.

The strategy is the same.
The good news is that AI isn’t replacing SEO – it’s just reshaping it. The strategies that we have used for years still hold up; they’re just shifting slightly.

While keywords remain important overall, they are not the only factor driving results. AI systems interpret a user’s search intent, which can lead to impactful discoveries about an organization within the AI overviews and summaries.

For example, if you search “healthy snacks for kids,” large language models (LLMs) might interpret that you are someone who is looking to provide a child with healthy snacks because you care about them and their overall health.

AI crawlers prioritize clarity, expertise and trust signals to create summaries or cite content. Semantic search and topic authority now matter more than keyword density. This creates an opportunity to more precisely focus on the audience you want to reach.

SEO has a new game plan.
AI search optimization is the practice of optimizing website content so it is frequently referenced and prominently featured by AI-driven search systems and large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini and others.

The goal is not to just drive people to your website, but to make your content visible within the AI-generated responses – whether it appears in citations and summaries or featured as a trusted source.

AI-enhanced SEO means increased emphasis on clarity, credibility and usability. It also means the tactics we used for traditional SEO remain important.

To keep your message front and center in online searches, continue to focus on these priorities.

• Technical SEO. Review site speed, schema and sitemap to make sure users can access and navigate your site.
• On-Page SEO: Utilize clear hierarchy, topic clusters, title tags, meta descriptions, keywords and internal and external linking so users find what they’re looking for.
• Content Strategy: Use keywords, make regular updates and write clear, consistent messaging to support SEO.
• EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Deliver content so it is viewed as trusted by search engines, AI models and real users.

While AI is changing the playing field, the fundamentals of strong SEO still hold. Winning in this new search landscape requires a game plan built on clarity, credibility and consistent content. By pairing longtime SEO tactics with an understanding of how AI systems interpret and highlight information, organizations can keep moving toward the finish line.

To get started, download the Look East workbook SEO and AI: 7 Things To Do Right Now.