On 8th July, our Head of Search, Sam Monaghan, hosted a webinar exploring one of the biggest questions facing marketers today: is AI killing SEO?

With AI-powered search experiences becoming increasingly common across Google, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity, many businesses are wondering what this means for their organic visibility.

Is traditional SEO becoming obsolete, or is it simply evolving?

The answer, as Sam explained throughout the session, is that SEO is not disappearing.

Instead, search is entering a new phase where visibility, authority and trust are becoming just as important as rankings.

Search is changing, but good SEO still matters

Search has changed dramatically over the past two decades.

We have moved from the era of ten blue links to featured snippets, knowledge panels and now AI-generated answers that bring together information from multiple sources.

This shift has led to the rise of what many refer to as zero-click searches.

Users are increasingly finding the information they need without visiting a website. As a result, click-through rates for top-ranking positions have declined significantly in recent years.

While that may sound concerning, there is a positive side to the story.

Sam highlighted that although AI tools currently send less traffic than traditional search engines, the visitors they do send tend to be more engaged.

Users arriving from platforms such as ChatGPT often spend longer on websites and are more likely to convert.

The challenge for businesses is no longer simply about appearing in search results. It is increasingly about becoming one of the trusted sources that AI platforms choose to reference.

Visibility is becoming just as important as rankings

One of the most significant changes in the AI era is the growing importance of citations.

Large language models build answers by gathering information from sources they trust.

When your business is cited within those answers, your brand gains exposure, even if a user does not immediately click through to your website.

This means marketers need to broaden the way they measure success.

Rankings and traffic remain important, but they no longer tell the full story.

Businesses should also consider how often they are mentioned in AI responses, where those citations are coming from and how AI-generated traffic performs once it arrives on their website.

Understanding these signals provides a much clearer picture of how visible a brand is becoming across AI search platforms.

Focus your SEO where it matters most

Not all search intent is affected equally by AI.

Informational searches are increasingly being answered directly within AI-generated responses.

Questions beginning with words such as what, how, why and where can often be resolved without a user needing to visit a website.

Commercial and transactional searches present a different opportunity.

When users are evaluating providers, comparing products or researching costs and pricing, there is still a strong need for trusted businesses to provide detailed information and guidance.

For that reason, Sam encouraged businesses to focus their efforts on content that supports purchasing decisions. These areas are more likely to drive meaningful engagement and conversions than broad informational content alone.

Google’s advice has not changed

Despite the growing interest in AI optimisation, Google’s official position remains relatively straightforward.

According to Google, there is no separate AI index and businesses do not need entirely new optimisation strategies to appear in AI-powered search experiences. The same principles that have guided effective SEO for years continue to apply.

Strong technical foundations, expert-led content, original insights and a positive user experience remain at the heart of successful organic performance.

However, Sam also acknowledged that there is some nuance to this conversation.

Different AI platforms retrieve and process information in different ways.

While Google’s guidance remains valuable, businesses should still understand how individual platforms discover, interpret and cite content.

Make your website easy for AI to understand

One of the most practical sections of the webinar focused on discoverability.

Before AI systems can reference your content, they need to be able to access and understand it.

Businesses should ensure that AI crawlers such as GPTBot and ClaudeBot are not blocked from accessing their websites.

It is also important to make sure key content is available within the page’s HTML rather than hidden behind JavaScript or other technologies that may make it difficult for bots to interpret.

Structured data continues to play an important role by helping machines understand the meaning and context of content. Combined with a clear site structure and strong technical SEO foundations, this makes it easier for AI systems to identify relevant information.

Better prompt research leads to better content

One of the challenges facing marketers is that AI platforms do not provide the same keyword data that search engines have traditionally offered.

As a result, businesses need to find new ways of understanding what users are asking.

Sam recommended starting with existing sources of customer insight.

Google Search Console data can provide valuable clues, while Bing Webmaster Tools offers access to Copilot grounding queries. Conversations with customer-facing teams can also be extremely useful.

In fact, one of the simplest recommendations from the webinar was to regularly ask sales teams for the most common questions they receive from prospects. These questions often reveal exactly the type of content users are searching for through AI platforms.

By identifying these prompts and mapping them against existing website content, businesses can uncover valuable opportunities to fill content gaps and improve visibility.

Original expertise is becoming a competitive advantage

The rise of generative AI has made it easier than ever to create content at scale.

However, Sam stressed that producing more content does not automatically lead to better results.

Search engines and AI platforms are becoming increasingly effective at identifying content that demonstrates genuine expertise and original thinking.

First-hand experience, unique research, proprietary data, case studies and expert commentary are all factors that can help content stand out.

Businesses that rely solely on mass-produced AI-generated content may struggle to earn citations and visibility over the long term.

Off-site trust matters more than ever

Website content is only part of the equation.

AI systems also look beyond a company’s website when determining which sources to trust.

Reviews, media coverage, directory listings and wider brand mentions all contribute to a business’s authority.

Consistency is particularly important. Businesses should ensure that information about their brand is accurate and aligned across websites, directories and social platforms. Conflicting information can make it harder for AI systems to confidently reference a business.

Building a strong reputation across the wider web is becoming increasingly important as AI search continues to evolve.

Preparing for what comes next

Towards the end of the webinar, Sam explored where search may be heading over the next few years.

AI-generated answers are likely to become the primary entry point for many online journeys. At the same time, the industry is beginning to move towards a more agentic future, where AI systems are capable of taking actions on behalf of users.

Whether booking services, comparing suppliers or making purchases, these systems will rely on structured, accessible and machine-readable information.

Businesses that invest in these foundations today will be far better prepared for the next stage of search evolution.

The fundamentals have not changed

The webinar concluded with a message that will be reassuring to many marketers.

SEO is not dying.

The platforms, interfaces, and user behaviours may be changing, but the core principles remain remarkably consistent.

Businesses that invest in technical excellence, expert-led content and building a trusted brand will continue to earn visibility, whether that visibility comes through Google search results, AI-generated answers or the next generation of search experiences.

The future of search may look different, but good marketing remains good marketing.

Get in touch to discover how we can help you with that.