Is SEO still worth the effort in the age of AI?

Search engine optimisation (SEO) has long been considered fundamental to successful digital marketing, fuelled in no small way by Google’s meteoric rise to prominence in the early noughties.  

Businesses have invested lots of time and money to ensure their website content is written in an SEO-friendly style (ie high quality, authoritative, helpful, etc), with enough keywords in the right places and backlinks to deliver high rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs).  

Even small businesses can outrank much larger organisations, enabling them to cost-effectively attract high-volume traffic via organic search. Without question, AI is reshaping online search behaviour, user expectation and content creation, but claims of SEO’s demise are well wide of the mark. 

Did you know? Google is used by 82% of UK adults, generating some 3bn searches a month. About 30% of searches now show AI overviews. Generative AI is gaining significant traction. ChatGPT had 1.8bn UK visits in the first eight months of 2025, up from 368m in same period in 2024 (source: Ofcom). 

SEO power and value 

AI-powered search delivers direct responses to prompts, with AI-powered chat assistants and search engines with integrated AI summaries also rapidly providing replies. But generative AI “scrapes” information from other sources – good and bad. AI-powered search does not always give you facts – which is why you should always verify information using reliable sources.   

Despite AI’s ongoing rise, organic search remains a cost-effective way to attract customers. Businesses still need to be seen and found online, as well as prove their expertise and credibility. Search engines continue to drive significant web traffic, and while AI has impacted organic traffic, users still visit websites for deeper insight, expertise they can trust and products/services they want to buy. 

Well-optimised content can attract visitors for months if not years, and websites that consistently produce helpful, high-quality content are more likely to be cited, referenced and trusted by AI.  

Post AI search SEO strategy 

Although it’s still very much worth optimising your website for search engines, post AI search, you might need to alter your approach.   

The days of crude “keyword stuffing” and writing low-value articles purely to rank are long gone. For some time, success has hinged on creating genuinely helpful content that answers real questions clearly, concisely and thoroughly. You need to write for humans first and foremost, not for algorithms or SERPs. 

Moreover, AI systems try to understand what users actually want, they’re not just driven by keywords, so your content needs to match a specific search intention. And rather than targeting single keywords, you need to focus on topics, problems/challenges and user journey (ie the full experience someone has when interacting with a product, service or brand). 

E-E-A-T principles and other SEO tips 

Although they’re not always successful, AI tools try to filter out false information, so proving your legitimate authority and credibility is vital. Expert authorship, branding, accuracy and backlinks from trustworthy websites are also essential. The E-E-A-T principles of experience, expertise, authority and trustworthiness should guide your approach to content. You must prove that you know what you’re talking about, that you can draw on experience and that you can be trusted. 

Technical optimisation is no less important. Fast loading webpages, mobile-friendly design, structured data and clear site architecture help search engines and AI systems to find and better understand your content, your business and its expertise. Optimised headings/subheadings and logical formatting are a must, with clear, concise, direct answers to frequently asked questions delivering best results.  

The evolution of SEO  

You need to demonstrate your expertise through original insight, case studies and personal experience. To match likely search prompts, your website words should be natural and conversational. Your content must align with why someone is searching, not just what words they type in. Aim for content depth rather than volume.  

Rather than competing with AI, create content that is also designed to be included in AI-generated responses. And if it also looks good on your website, reads well and your pages continue to rank on search engines, you really could reap great rewards. As with many things in life and business, solution is evolution. SEO is evolving, not dying. 

Sole traders and SMEs in Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire can apply now for free expert advice from Tech Adoption for Growth on AI, digital marketing, cyber security, CRM, online selling and other tech topics. Tech Adoption for Growth is being delivered by Business West and TechSPARK, in partnership with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and funded by UK Government.