SEO and Artificial Intelligence: Are You Ready for the Evolution of Online Search?
Date
19 May 2025
The adoption of artificial intelligence in search engines is radically transforming the way users access information. Until now, online search has been dominated by traditional engines such as Google, but the emergence of advanced language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity is redefining the digital landscape.
This evolution not only impacts SEO (Search Engine Optimization), but also introduces new touchpoints between brands and users, reshaping strategies for visibility and engagement. Companies and industry professionals must therefore adapt to an ecosystem where interactions with content increasingly take place through AI assistants, making it essential to optimize their presence on these new platforms.
To be found online and maintain volume and relevance today, it is essential to have a strategy that takes into account visibility on the main AI tools.
What we will cover in this article:
The Current Landscape: AI Search Engines vs Google
1.1 Is Google destined to disappear?
According to the latest StatCounter data, Google continues to dominate the search engine market, despite a slight decline: its share dropped from 91.47% in January 2024 to 89.78% in January 2025. However, the rise of AI-based solutions such as ChatGPT and Perplexity is beginning to reshape the search landscape, changing user habits and introducing new ways of accessing information.
According to Bloomberg, tools like Perplexity AI could reduce Google’s traffic by more than 90%. These chatbots provide direct and personalized answers, going beyond traditional search engine results pages (SERPs) and attracting a growing number of users.
For its part, Google plans to radically transform its search engine in 2025, with features designed to handle more complex questions and improve the user experience. CEO Sundar Pichai stated that users will be surprised by the new capabilities of the search engine.
Despite the growing popularity of AI chatbots, Google maintained a stable position, with 2.7 billion daily visits in January 2025. Analysts suggest that chatbots are capturing only a portion of incremental AI-related activity, without significantly affecting Google’s traffic.
Google is betting on Gemini 2.0 to compete with ChatGPT and Perplexity. This new technology promises more advanced and personalized interactions, transforming the way users interact with search results. Traditional SERPs may be replaced by more interactive and contextualized answers. In March 2025, Google released Google AI Overview in Italy as well, marking a new turning point for those involved in organic visibility.
More than an imminent end, we are therefore witnessing a transformation: search is becoming increasingly conversational and distributed across different touchpoints, opening up new opportunities for businesses and digital professionals.
2. How the Search Process is Changing
We are all familiar with the search process that takes place through traditional search engines (SE – Search Engine): the user enters a query (a request), analyzes the results, and, if necessary, repeats the search to refine the information found.
With the integration of AI into search engines (SEAI – Search Engine with AI), the user’s role changes: instead of carrying out the search directly, they simply explain to the AI what they are looking for (prompting). At that point, the artificial intelligence interprets the request, performs the search autonomously, and provides the most relevant information already processed.
This approach reduces the time users spend analyzing results and facilitates access to more precise and contextualized answers. In both cases, the search process takes place, but with one key difference: in the AI model, it is artificial intelligence that performs the “filtering” work instead of the user, simplifying the experience and improving the efficiency of access to information.
It therefore becomes evident that there is a need to optimize visibility strategies, in order to pass through this AI filter and be included in the results proposed to the user.
2.1 The result? High engagement and above-average conversions
Data analysis from some of our projects shows highly qualified traffic with strong conversion potential. With an engagement rate of 76.11% and a conversion rate of 63% (compared to an average of 20% from other channels), these results indicate that users arriving through AI search engines not only actively interact with content, but also take concrete actions, such as requesting information.
3. The Rise of GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) or SEO for AI: What Is It?
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is a new discipline focused on optimizing content for AI-driven search engines such as ChatGPT, Google SGE (Search Generative Experience), and Perplexity AI. Unlike traditional SEO, which aims to improve ranking on classic search engines, GEO focuses on optimizing websites and content so that they are understood and cited in answers generated by artificial intelligence.
3.1 Main Differences Between SEO and GEO
| Characteristic | SEO (Search Engine Optimization) | GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) |
| Objective | Improve ranking in traditional SERPs | Optimize content for inclusion in AI responses |
| Target | Search engine algorithms (Google, Bing) | Generative AI models (Google SGE, Bing Chat, ChatGPT, Perplexity AI) |
| Key factors | Keywords, backlinks, user experience | Structured content, authority, clear contextual data |
| Format | Texts, images, videos | AI-optimized texts, well-organized semantic content |
4. SEO Is Evolving Quickly: Now Is the Time to Act
The integration of artificial intelligence into search engines and the evolution of conversion dynamics demonstrate that SEO is no longer just a matter of ranking, but of the ability to intercept and engage a truly interested audience.
The data confirms that a strategic and targeted approach can lead to significantly higher conversion rates compared to other channels, highlighting the importance of advanced optimization.
To remain relevant and competitive, it is essential to adapt to new scenarios, adopt the latest evolutions of the discipline, and continuously refine SEO strategies, making the most of the opportunities offered by AI and the new search modes already establishing themselves in the market.
5. SAY Can Help You Position Yourself on AI Tools: Here’s How
The evolution of AI-based search engines is changing the rules of online visibility. To remain competitive, we at SAY continue to carefully study how to adapt SEO strategies to this new scenario.
Here are some of the key aspects we are focusing on to deliver value to our clients:
- Structured and targeted content → AI Search Engines favor clear and well-organized texts. We are exploring the best strategies to make information easily accessible to AI.
- Optimization for AI answers → Generative search engines select content directly from web pages. We are working to improve the presence of our projects in AI-generated results.
- Conversational SEO → Searches are becoming increasingly natural and conversational. We are studying and testing in different scenarios how best to adapt content to effectively respond to new search modes.
- Reliability and authority → AI rewards credible sources. In the projects we manage, we focus on consolidating authority through high-quality content and data-driven strategies, along with greater synergy between SEO and PR.
To gain the maximum benefit, it is therefore necessary to build an entire ecosystem, which SAY can guarantee with its three divisions: Creativity, Performance, and Relations.
