A huge surge in artificial intelligence technologies could have distinct ramifications for businesses across the internet. For the last two decades, companies like yours have focused on SEO (search engine optimization) as a core marketing strategy. The theory behind this is logical: most users start their online journeys with a Google search, so you need to improve your website to appear higher in the rankings.
We could talk all day about the role of SEO in business growth, but what does AI have to do with this? Well, if you’re not careful, then the emergence of AI systems like Gemini or ChatGPT could destroy your current SEO strategy. How? Let’s take a look…
More Users Prioritize AI Searches
Statista published a study in December 2024 that examined US adults’ use of generative AI as their primary search solution. The study uncovered that 13 million adults now turn to AI systems instead of traditional search engines when looking for something online. Moreover, this figure is estimated to rise to over 90 million by 2027.
In other words, more and more users now search for things using AI applications like ChatGPT rather than Google. If this trend does indeed continue, it could mean all of your SEO exploits are for nothing. There’s a genuine concern that AI applications will start dragging traffic away from traditional search engines.
Google’s “AI Overview” Secures The Prime Spot
To combat the above problem, Google has come up with something called an AI Overview. The point is to bring generative AI responses to search engines, which would prevent users from ditching Google completely.
When someone searches for something, they get an AI Overview at the top of the page with generative responses from Gemini. It’s a quick and easy way to gain summaries for what you’re searching for – but AI Overview also includes links to websites.
Here’s the thing: AI Overview is now the first thing people see when searching for stuff. It takes the prime spot, which means you now need to shift your SEO strategy to get featured in this section. It’s like adapting your website for Featured Snippets; only you need Gemini AI to find it. Again, if your SEO strategy doesn’t center around this, then you could see a massive decrease in traffic because everyone visits the sites linked in the AI Overview section.
Many Websites May Be Invisible To AI Crawlers
Many marketers aren’t worried about AI because they see it as another way for websites to gain traffic. However, there’s one significant problem: AI doesn’t like JavaScript sites. There’s a disconnection between JavaScript websites and AI search results – artificial intelligence prioritizes HTML sites, which means it tends to ignore content made using JavaScript.
What does this mean? Effectively, if too much of your site uses JavaScript, then it will be invisible to the AI crawlers that search for information and present it to users. This will mean you don’t get referenced in AI searches, nor will you appear in the AI overview. In other words, it becomes much harder for your business to be seen.
Without wanting to scare you too much, this post should be a wake-up call for business owners everywhere. AI can be a helpful tool in many areas of your organization, but it will ruin your SEO strategy if you don’t adapt to it. Start branching out and focusing on AI searches as well as traditional search engines – if you’re constantly being referenced in ChatGPT searches or Gemini AI Overviews, then AI suddenly becomes your best friend and drives more traffic!
