AI and SEO—It’s Not “Either/Or.” It’s About Winning at Both.

“SEO is dead.”

You’ve probably heard that one a few times in the last 48 hours—usually from someone on Twitter with zero clients and a whole lot of opinions.

Let’s pump the brakes, because the same people we’re saying the same thing in 2017. And 2014.

Search engine optimization is not gone. It is changing. And yes, you should care—especially if you're responsible for getting traffic to your business, school, nonprofit, or website of any kind.

The Shift: From Clicks to Share of Voice

Old SEO was about hard numbers. Google search. Clicks. Rankings. That stuff still matters—but now, we’re also living in a world where people get answers from tools like ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs). That means SEO is becoming more like PR metrics, where your success is based on how much of the conversation you’re part of, not just your website’s traffic.

If you're showing up in ChatGPT answers—just like you'd want to show up in CNN or the Chicago Tribune—you’re gaining mindshare. That can mean phone calls, new leads, donations, or signups... even if it doesn’t show up as a click on Google Analytics.

Google’s Still In the Game

Don’t get it twisted: people aren’t going to stop using Google. Google still does things AI can’t—like one-tap directions via Google Maps or quick contact info. And Google stays relevant by delivering the best result. So if your content is actually good, Google wants to show it to people.

But you can’t game the system with keyword stuffing anymore. "Pizza St. Louis. Pizza near me. Gluten-free pizza takeout." That 2010 trick doesn’t cut it now.

The Takeaway

The businesses that adapt to the new game will win. The ones who cling to old tactics and complain that things used to be easier? They're going to get left behind.

So what do you do?

You keep writing. You stay helpful. You speak human. And yes, you start thinking about how your brand shows up in AI tools—not just search engines.

Need help making that pivot? That’s what we do at Manx Agency. Hit me up.