Author: Ryan Walsh
Date: 09/05/2026
Let’s cut straight to the chase, the answer is simple, we don’t think AI is going to replace search engine optimisation and will shall explain why. The AI-powered search engines like Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT are simply fantastic tools, but we don’t think they’re going to replace the traditional organic results on say Google.
Its thought that 90% of the search market share is held by Google. Therefore, Google is still the dominant business.
Answer Engine Optimisation and Generative Engine Optimisation
Its important also as a business not to ignore GEO and AEO, the reason is, well there market share could increase. However, at the same time, perhaps they will always be used as a side tool, a tool that saves time in answering much more complex questions. We believe the quick questions, especially when comes to finding local businesses, that Google will always be strong in that area.
Whether its find me a local Greek restaurant, or find me a local accountant, Google has such sophisticated algorithms to produce super accurate and helpful results, we don’t think the AI platforms will replace Google.
How AI helps people to save time
For your super-fast responses, such as finding local businesses, we think that you can’t beat ranking high organically and your company being displayed in the Google Business results.
When generative AI comes into its own is where someone needs advice for more complex questions.
Such as trying to figure out how they can get a deep dent out of a bonnet. Perhaps uploading photos, and asking for advice and gaining conversational responses. This therefore we believe is where the AI chatbots if you like such as ChatGPT come into their own, where people have the time to chat and ask questions back and fore.
Therefore, with Google roughly occupying 90% of the search market, plus, you have to consider that some AI platforms are set up to allow more conversational responses, we think businesses need to optimise for both. However, we don’t think Google is ever going to be replaced by AI.
But will this change be the future?
So, respected research by Gartner has stated that in 2026, traditional search engine searches could drop by as much as 25%. This is through shoppers switching to AI chatbots for answers.
However, we think because the search engines such as Google have such a large slice of the search market, well, traditional SEO is not going anywhere. Plus, when you factor in Google is well ahead with adding AI generated responses directly into the SERP’s via Google AI Overviews, well why would the shopper have to go anywhere else?
SEO, GEO and AEO actually have huge overlaps
Okay, so we have to admit, we are an extremely experienced SEO company. Most of our most experienced boffins when it comes to organic search engine optimisation were actually worried that AI was going to take over. That’s to say Google’s 200+ ranking factors were actually going to get replaced by some giant AI computer.
However, thankfully as AI has rolled out, and it has been with us for some time, well, we have got to understand what the LLM’s can do, what they can’t do so well. Therefore, a lot of leading agencies actually say there’s a huge 80% overlap between SEO and AEO strategies.
Therefore, you don’t need to scrap and get rid of the old search engine optimisation strategies and rule book. In matter of fact, as most leading agencies like ours say, if you were good at optimising websites using the traditional ranking factors, and observing the Google advice, such as Google E-EAT, then you already had a flying start.
The traditional ranking factors still therefore matter
So, for those unfamiliar with Google’s traditional and established ranking signals, let’s have a recap:
Google EEAT
Overarching everything, and the advice that we would recommend that you have a good read of before you start any optimisation work is Google EEAT. Google’s algorithm basically crawls and indexes every page on your website.
Googlebot and Google’s algorithm then works out how much knowledge and expertise you have in that area. Are you an absolute expert, therefore this shines through, and you have written say 2000 odd words that will help the reader.
Or is the work, well “content thin” and not useful, if so, this means that the page not wont rank high organically. This means that as the LLM’s read Google’s index to gain advice, well, if you’re on the first page of Google organically you can sometimes stand a higher chance of being cited in the LLM’s.
Content marketing quality is absolutely key
Content marketing quality is absolutely key to success, that’s whether you want your business to appear as a citation in say ChatGPT or say to rank number one in Google’s organic serps.
Therefore, key to that success, is that the content marketing must be quality. It must be useful, helpful and well written.
This is nothing new, it’s actually been the central pillar of any good search engine optimisation strategy. However, here’s the key to note, that is, the bar, the quality of the content marketing is now set so high, well, businesses need to aim for the stars if you want that page to be ranked number one in Google.
How to better optimise your content marketing for AEO and GEO answers
Formatting and content structure
We would recommend writing your content marketing using a conversational tone. By that we mean its best to write using questions and answers as if you are talking to a real person.
This then allows the AI or the LLMs to extract and cite that exact answer. As you can imagine that would be hugely and massively difficult if you had large blocks of text where you didn’t use clear heading and titles.
Why SEO still matters and why you need to still invest time in this process
As we mentioned right at the top of this article, Google still is the company that manages 90% of all search queries. Plus, as the is article notes, if you improve the ranking factors that help improve your organic SEO, you can also improve your businesses GEO and AEO at the same time.
Why we think that local SEO is here to stay as well
When someone is searching for a local business, often they want to read the business reviews on the Google Business account. Also, often they want to read and browse the various organic results. Often the short AI written answer in say the Google AI Overviews can give a recommendation but will not be enough.
Therefore, we believe that a skilled SEO business is always going to be in strong demand. The reason is, the 200+ ranking factors that Google uses to rank websites, such as backlinks, will always need improving.
Why we believe that human decisions will always be needed
Keyword research and knowing which backlinks to build, well this we believe will always need the skill of an SEO consultant. The reason being is, for example, you have to decipher whether that link is relevant. Also, the SEO tools can always offer many keywords that you may want to optimise the website for. However, it’s up to the marketing consultant to work out which ones would be most beneficial to the business to rank for.
For example, a solicitor may want to rank for employment law, and compromise agreements but not for other areas of law, such as family law keywords.
Start with SEO Fundamentals
You have to get the SEO fundamentals right, this means adding high quality content marketing, making sure the technical optimisation is right, as well as link building.
For example, if the technical SEO is not done right, then Googlebot can’t read the text, which we call crawling and indexing the work. Therefore, if there’s an technical issues these should be fixed first.
Sprinkle in the AEO enhancements
Now once you’ve improved say the link profile, the websites content, and all the technical issues are fixed, then its time to move onto the AEO enhancements. We would recommend carrying out a site wide audit, seeing where you can add Q&A format answers.
The content marketing needs to be top quality. Remember one of our best recommendations is that you make it a piece of cake for the AI platforms, such as ChatGPT to quote directly from the page.
Therefore, use schema mark-up and also make sure that you that write using FAQ style of writing so your asking questions, then answering using a few paragraphs beneath the text.
Use headers
Again, make sure you make full use of the H1-H6 headers, and also use bold text to markup other questions as well.
Make sure that you update the content
Google wants to cite up to date answers to any query.
There was an old saying that many marketing agencies stated, that was “the query deserves freshness”.
This basically meant that the answer should be as up-to-date as possible. It’s also widely thought by some of the best marketing minds in the business, that Google will prefer to quote and rank in the organic results answers which are up to date. This doesn’t mean that the page needs to be brand new, and newly designed, it could be a blog post that’s published 10 years ago. What is important is that its routinely kept up to date. That the copywriting team revisit the work from time to time and update it a bit.
Partner with some of the best SEO consultants in the whole world.
We simply have some of the best marketing minds in the whole business.
Why not partner with our team, we will formulate a winning marketing strategy for your business.