I keep seeing the same headline pop up again and again.
“SEO is dead.”
“AI replaced search.”
“Forget Google, optimize for AI now.”
And every time I see it, I pause. Not because I’m confused, but because I recognize the pattern.
This isn’t a new idea. It’s a recycled one, wearing a new hoodie.
I was listening to a holiday roundtable recently about SEO, AI search, and where digital marketing is actually going in 2025 and beyond. And somewhere between the timestamps and talking points, one thing became very clear to me:
We’re not witnessing the death of SEO.
We’re watching a disinformation cycle play out again.
AI SEO Isn’t a New Religion
Here’s the part no one wants to say plainly.
Most so-called “AI SEO” is just traditional SEO with a faster typing speed.
Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI assistants don’t live in a vacuum. They rely on search engines. They pull from indexed content. They depend on authority, relevance, and trust signals that SEO has always cared about.
Calling this “Generative Engine Optimization” doesn’t magically erase Google from the equation. It just adds another layer on top of it.
Same foundation. New interface.
When people claim AI SEO is an entirely separate discipline, what they’re really selling is confusion. And confusion sells very well.
Who Benefits From the “SEO Is Dead” Narrative?
This part bothered me the most.
The roundtable pointed out something I’ve quietly noticed for a while. The “SEO is dead” message isn’t aimed at practitioners. It’s aimed at CMOs and executives.
People who don’t live inside search every day.
People who are already overwhelmed.
People who are looking for shortcuts.
Tell them SEO is over, then sell them a shiny AI tool that promises scale without understanding. Most of these tools are content machines, not search solutions. They produce more words, not better signals.
And when everything sounds the same, nothing stands out.
The Helpful Content Update Wasn’t the Villain
In 2023, a lot of sites got hit by Google’s Helpful Content Update.
Some deserved it. Some didn’t.
But what’s strange now is watching the same voices who once told everyone to “write for humans” suddenly say, “Just scale content with AI and you’ll be fine.”
That contradiction should make you uncomfortable.
HCU wasn’t about punishing content creators. It was about reducing noise. About discouraging sites that existed only to rank, not to help.
Undoing that lesson just because AI makes publishing easier is how people end up rebuilding the same mistake, faster.
Authority Is Shifting, Slowly
One of the most honest parts of the discussion was about authority.
Right now, Google still leans heavily on domain-level authority. That’s why massive publishers can rank for topics they barely understand, while smaller expert sites struggle.
But there’s a shift happening.
Topic-level authority matters more than before. Depth matters. Consistency matters. Being genuinely useful in a narrow space beats being vaguely present everywhere.
It’s slower. Less flashy. But it’s real.
Backlinks Didn’t Disappear While You Weren’t Looking
Despite all the noise, backlinks are still doing their job.
They still signal trust.
They still validate relevance.
They still matter.
Anyone telling you otherwise is either selling something or avoiding the work required to earn them.
AI didn’t change that. It just made weak link profiles more obvious.
Why Video Keeps Winning
One thing I agreed with immediately was the rise of video in AI-driven search.
Video is harder to fake at scale. It takes effort. Presence. Intent.
That’s why platforms like YouTube keep showing up in AI answers. Not because Google loves video, but because users trust it. And trust is the real currency here.
Google Isn’t Going Anywhere
AI didn’t dethrone Google. It just changed how people interact with information.
Google has infrastructure, money, data, and distribution. Those things don’t disappear overnight. Anyone planning a future that ignores Google entirely is planning a very expensive lesson.
FAQ: SEO, AI Search, and What Still Works
Is SEO dying because of AI?
No. SEO is not dying.
AI tools rely on search engines and indexed content. Strong SEO helps AI understand and surface trustworthy information, making SEO more important, not less.
Is AI SEO or Generative Engine Optimization a new discipline?
No. AI SEO is built on traditional SEO principles.
Relevance, authority, and trust still matter. AI tools assist with execution, not strategy or understanding.
Should I stop creating content and rely on AI tools?
No. AI tools scale content creation, not expertise.
Without helpful, original content, AI-generated output does not perform well in search long term.
Did Google’s Helpful Content Update target small sites?
The update targeted unhelpful content, not site size.
Some small sites were affected, but the goal was to reduce content created only to rank, not to eliminate independent creators.
Are backlinks still important for SEO?
Yes. Backlinks remain a strong ranking factor.
High-quality, relevant links continue to signal trust and authority to search engines.
Why does video rank well in AI search results?
Video performs well because it is harder to fake at scale.
Search engines favor video due to higher engagement, trust, and production effort, especially from platforms like YouTube.
The Only SEO Strategy That Still Works
There was no magic trick at the end of the video. And that’s what made it honest.
The strategy for 2026 looks a lot like the strategy that always worked:
Avoid shortcuts.
Build real authority.
Create content you’d stand behind even if rankings disappeared.
SEO didn’t die.
It just stopped rewarding people who never cared about it in the first place.
And maybe that’s a good thing.
