I’ve always been a bit skeptical about “SEO experts” who promise businesses the coveted #1 spot on Google’s search results. You can certainly help to influence rankings, but with continuously changing algorithms, web landscapes, and sponsored advertisements, a guaranteed top spot is a bit far-fetched.

Yet companies have poured great resources into SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategies, hoping to dominate search rankings; but the game has changed—again. The question now is whether traditional SEO even matters in the age of AI-driven search. Below are some things to think about; then you can decide the status of SEO in today’s current time.

Our Searching Habits Have Changed

The way people search has evolved dramatically. Google has increasingly prioritized AI-generated summaries, featured snippets, and direct answers over traditional search results. Users no longer need to scroll through pages of websites; they get answers immediately at the top of the primary search results page.

The rise of AI-powered tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) is making traditional search rankings less relevant. If AI is filtering the results before a user ever sees them, does SEO still have a place?

AI Content Isn’t Helping

Many businesses are turning to AI-generated content to boost their search rankings. The problem? Most everyone else is doing the same thing. As a result, search results are flooded with nearly identical, generic AI-written articles. Google and other search engines recognize this and are shifting their algorithms to prioritize original, authoritative content.

If your AI-generated content looks like everything else on the results page, how does that give you a competitive edge? It’s an easy fix to correct though—write your own content and use AI as an assistant editor rather than a content creator.

The Rise of Zero-Click Searches

Another major shift in search behavior is the dominance of zero-click searches. These occur when users find the information they need directly in Google’s search results without clicking on any website. Featured snippets, knowledge panels, and AI-generated responses mean that even if your site ranks highly, users may never actually visit it.

The traditional goal of SEO—to drive traffic to your website—is becoming harder to achieve.

Users Go Straight to AI

The greatest shift in search is that users are increasingly just going to generative AI to find information. They bypass traditional search altogether.

I can attest to this. I’ve used ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot for retrieving all sorts of information, such as: troubleshooting code, defining words, comparing products against each other in shopping, finding “top” websites specific to topic areas and so much more. Why go to traditional search when you can get one straight-forward answer and save you time? (The pros and cons of this user behavior can be debated another day, and I think it’s a discussion worth having.)

SEO Still Matters—But It’s Different Now

While the old tactics of keyword stuffing and backlinks are fading, SEO isn’t dead—it’s just evolving. Search engines now prioritize:

• Expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-A-T): Google values high-quality, well-researched content over keyword-heavy pages (and yes, having content on pages is still important even if you think users don’t read—but I digress). And let’s be real, users value this type of content as well.
• User experience (UX): Information architecture, mobile-friendliness, and accessibility play a bigger role in ranking than ever before.
• Multimedia and engagement: Video content, interactive elements, and real-world engagement influence visibility. Look at the other top search engines out there—YouTube and TikTok are all video-based content, both with billions of searches by users per month.
• Conversational and contextual search: With AI-driven search, answering user queries naturally and comprehensively is more effective than simply ranking for keywords. Users go to the internet to answer questions they have (hence the name “search” engine). Structure your content as a problem-solution and question-answer architecture.

The Debate: Is SEO Worth the Investment?

Given these changes, businesses need to ask: Is SEO still worth spending money on? SEO isn’t irrelevant—it’s just unrecognizable compared to what it was a decade ago. The days of quick hacks and guaranteed rankings are over. The businesses that will thrive in this new era are those that focus on valuable content, authentic engagement, and adapting to AI-driven search behaviors. The question isn’t whether SEO is relevant—it’s whether your SEO strategy is stuck in the past.