With all the buzz around AI—especially with Google’s AI Overviews and ChatGPT reshaping how we search—it’s fair to wonder: is SEO still worth the effort?
The short answer? Yes, absolutely. And there’s new data to back that up.
Let’s unpack what’s changed, what’s stayed the same, and what marketers should be doing now to keep search visibility strong—even in an AI-first world.
SEO Isn’t Dead—It’s Evolving
AI might be changing how people discover information, but SEO is far from obsolete. In fact, according to fresh research from BrightEdge, SEO continues to drive the majority of trackable website traffic across most industries—even with AI features layered into search results.
The takeaway? Organic search is still a major traffic source, even if the layout of the search engine results page (SERP) is shifting.
AI Overviews Are Here—But They’re Not the End
Google’s AI Overviews (formerly Search Generative Experience or SGE) are starting to appear more often in search results. They offer AI-generated summaries right on the results page, pulling content from multiple websites.
Sounds disruptive, right?
It can be—but the research shows AI Overviews aren’t stealing as many clicks as you might think. In many cases, they actually give more visibility to high-quality, relevant content—especially content that’s clearly written, well-structured, and backed by real expertise.
That means SEO best practices still apply—arguably more than ever.
What the Data Tells Us
The BrightEdge study looked at how AI is influencing organic traffic and user behaviour across 10 different industries.
Here’s what stood out:
● Organic search still dominates, driving between 50–75% of website traffic, depending on the vertical.
● Industries like education, B2B tech, and healthcare are seeing minimal impact from AI in search—for now.
● In sectors like restaurants, travel, and e-commerce, AI summaries are showing up more frequently, but good SEO practices still influence whether your content appears in or near those summaries.
In short: the fundamentals still matter.
What SEO Tactics Still Work in the Age of AI?
The rise of AI doesn’t mean you need to throw your SEO playbook out the window. But it does mean you need to adapt. Here’s what still works—and what matters more now:
● Topical authority: AI relies heavily on content that demonstrates clear expertise. Build clusters of related content around key themes.
● Structured data and clean HTML: Help machines understand your content better. Schema markup, clear headings, and internal linking are still crucial.
● E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Google’s quality guidelines still use these signals to assess content value—even for AI-generated overviews.
● Real human insight: AI struggles with depth and nuance. If you offer unique insights, examples, or first-hand experience, you stand out.
So… Is SEO Still Worth It?
If you’re wondering whether it’s still smart to invest in SEO, here’s the answer: yes—but only if you’re playing the long game.
As AI becomes more embedded in search, the value of truly helpful, well-structured content will only increase. Google’s AI Overviews don’t just make up information—they pull from credible, well-optimised websites. If you’re not in the mix, you won’t be featured.
This means content quality, site performance, and relevance are now non-negotiables—not just nice-to-haves.
Final Thoughts
AI is definitely changing the SEO landscape, but it’s not replacing it. Instead, it’s raising the bar.
Marketers who focus on building useful, trustworthy, human-first content—and make it easy for search engines (and AI) to understand—will continue to thrive in this new environment.