AI and SEO: Is there a new world order?
Every few months, someone pops up with a dramatic headline: “SEO is dead!” or “AI will make websites irrelevant!”
It’s a compelling story, but the data doesn’t back it up. AKA it’s a load of crap.
Here’s the thing: AI in digital marketing isn’t new. Google has been using AI in search engine optimisation for years. RankBrain? 2015. BERT? 2019. MUM? 2021. The sky didn’t fall then, and it’s not falling now. What’s changing is the interface, not the fundamentals.
Whether you call it SEO, GEO, or “let’s just be found on Google,” it has always come down to the same thing: high-quality, relevant content on your website. That’s not new. That’s not going away.
The real winners in AI and SEO are the businesses that continue to prioritise quality content and user experience.
A quick word on GEO
You might have heard the buzzword GEO, short for Generative Engine Optimisation. It’s the idea of creating content that AI-powered search engines (like ChatGPT or Google’s Search Generative Experience) can easily pull into their answers.
Sounds fancy, but here’s the reality: GEO is just good SEO in an AI context. If your site already has:
- Well-structured, easy-to-read content
- Clear answers to user questions
- Credible sources and evidence
- Topical authority on your subject
…then you’re already “doing GEO.” You don’t need to reinvent your strategy, you just need to keep producing content that’s worth an AI tool quoting.
We looked at real data to understand if AI has negatively affected web traffic
At Pixel Co Creative & Marketing we are proud to work with clients across multiple industries, across Australia and New Zealand. We pulled 24 months of GA4 traffic and Google Search Console data from clients across nine different industries — from tourism and agriculture to law, manufacturing, and retail. We have been working with these clients for 3-7 years, so long enough to know what their data looks like each month, and if the rise of AI has impacted our search results.
What the numbers actually say (not the guy at the bbq who ‘knows a guy’ in SEO)
Using GA4 and GSC across client sites, here’s what we found:
- During the last 12 months (widespread adoption of AI search), there has been no widespread drop in organic sessions or search clicks that would suggest AI search is cannibalising visibility.
- In many sectors, especially tech, B2B, and services, organic performance is growing, showing double-digit gains in clicks and sessions.
- Seasonal spikes and dips align with campaign cycles, tourism seasons, or supply chain cycles, not AI search features.
- Reported drops in Google Business Profile views stem from changes in how Google counts “views”, emphasising unique daily users rather than multiple impressions. It’s a counting change, not demand drop – see source here realworklabs.com+15uberall.com+15simplybefound.com+15.
Here’s the no-nonsense takeaway
Across clients in nine industries, data reveals a consistent truth: AI search isn’t eroding organic traffic. AI and SEO are coexisting, and when done right, they actually complement each other. In fact, businesses focused on quality content, technical health, and helpful user experiences are maintaining or growing visibility.
The takeaway for businesses? The internet will always evolve. Search interfaces will change. But the principle stays the same: make your website the best possible answer to your ideal customer’s search.
Crystal Carter, Head of SEO at global web company WIX, says ‘Content that’s helpful, opinionated, and current is more likely to be cited by AI, so stop writing for keywords, and start writing like an expert.’
So the next time someone tells you SEO is over? Smile politely, then get back to creating quality content that both your audience, and search engines, want to read.