With the rapid rise of AI development and chatbots, many businesses are wondering: Will SEO continue to be important? Which is a fair question, especially as platforms such as ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini have become more integrated into how we/people search for information. However, according to Google’s own John Mueller, the need for SEO isn’t going away for a while, and in fact, websites will still remain more essential than ever.
Why Does SEO Still Matter in the Age of AI?
In a recent discussion between John Mueller and Martin Splitt, it was addressed whether or not AI could make learning SEO obsolete, and his answer was pretty straightforward: as long as we have websites, SEO is still important. Even the most advanced AI tools obtain their information from websites. So, if you want people to find your business, whether they’re searching on Google or asking a chatbot, you need a strong online presence.
Mueller continued to emphasize that local businesses and e-commerce companies benefit the most from a strong SEO foundation. He answered, “So, especially if you’re a local business, maybe it’s fine if a chatbot mentions your business name and tells people how to get there. Maybe that’s perfectly fine, but oftentimes, they do that based on web content that they found.
Having a website is the basis for being visible in all of these systems, and for a lot of other things where you offer a service or something, some other kind of functionality on a website where you have products to sell, where you have subscriptions or anything, a chat response can’t replace that.
If you want a t-shirt, you don’t want a description of how to make your own t-shirt. You want a link to a store where it’s like, ‘Oh, here’s t-shirt designs,’ maybe t-shirt designs in that specific style that you like, but you go to this website and buy those t-shirts there.”
This suggests that AI may alter how people search, but it doesn’t change what they’re looking for: reliable, accessible, and actionable information, all of which begins with a solid online presence.
AI Can Support But Can’t Replace
Splitt asked if AI could optimize SEO on its own. While AI can help with certain tasks, such as writing content or formatting metadata, it still cannot think creatively or make thoughtful decisions that a human can. Even websites like Wix and WordPress are adding AI features to make things easier, it would still need a human to guide the process. AI can certainly speed things up, but it still rely on human direction to ensure content is aligned with brand goals, user needs, and search behavior.
Bottom Line: SEO is Still a Long Game
While AI is evolving at a rapid pace, it will not eliminate the need for SEO. If anything, it’s reinforcing the importance of having high-quality and optimized websites that search engines and AI chatbots can understand. If you’re considering investing in SEO for your business, contact us for a complimentary website audit and consultation.