Everyone’s talking about ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity AI…the list goes on and on. So, what does that mean for SEO, Google Ads, and how people are searching?
We’ve been getting a lot of questions, and thought it would be helpful to put together a high-level quick read to help you get your bearings as we navigate the evolving landscape of AI.
Google will likely lose about 25% of search traffic by the end of next year (2026)
As users become more adjusted to using AI to find what they need, they’re going to go to Google less often. Initially, this will likely hit informational-based and ad-based websites the most (Cloudflare has already changed how AI can scrape sites they support).
Websites for traditional businesses probably won’t see major effects right away, though they may already begin to see traffic to their websites from sources like ChatGPT. This has especially picked up in the last few months. Over time, this will likely affect all websites, and businesses will need to strategize accordingly.
People will use AI very differently, and it will be tough to measure directly
A common question is “can we track what we’re showing up for in AI searches?” The short answer is no. Although data isn’t available yet through the platforms, even if it becomes available the way people search using AI is vastly different than a Google search. Prompts are much more elaborate and significantly more unique. Queries are long and more instructive, and at this time more data-driven.
Keywords won’t be measurable, though clicks from AI platforms to your website will be (if they’re clicked). It is more likely that we will be leaning more and more on a hybrid of direct data (clicks) and trends in overall business metrics.
We are still in the beginning stages
Adoption will take time. We’re still in the front half of the bell curve, and most people still aren’t using AI like they will be in the future. There will be changes, and flexibility is important.
What does this look like in the future? There will likely be ad integration, subscriptions, and monetization that we’re not thinking about yet. AI is going to be used to help plan vacations, find a good movie, and choose the best doctor – all in the course of a day. Will Google disappear – no, not for a long time. Is SEO dead? No. But, AI is going to pull away significant market share, and businesses will need to take that into account.
Smart businesses are beginning to tackle AI now
We don’t know what AI will look like in 5 years, but we do know that now is the time to get ahead. While optimizing for AI will evolve over time, websites should start optimizing now to get in position for the future. This means getting into AI results now, integrating with data sources for AI, making sure your website is easily crawled by AI, creating content that is written in a way to make it easily shareable through AI, and becoming a trusted source.
If you haven’t been thinking about AI, now is the time to start putting a plan together and making progress.
Want to start creating a plan?
When you’re ready to start thinking through an AI strategy, give us a call, or send us a note. We’ll help you get the basics covered to assist you in enhancing your presence in AI results – or help create an in-depth AI strategy.
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