There’s been a surge in speculation about how AI is transforming the world, our lives, our work, and, crucially, organic search. Just a couple of weeks ago, we wrote about the legal battle between Google and OpenAI, a messy tug-of-war over default apps and market dominance.
It’s no surprise that this landscape is creating confusion. With Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), ChatGPT, and Bing Copilot reshaping how people discover information, search behaviour is evolving rapidly, and so are the headlines. Each week brings bold predictions about ‘the death of SEO’ or ‘AI replacing search as we know it.’ In response, agencies are racing to launch shiny 'AI SEO packages,' often designed to capitalise on uncertainty.
So it’s only natural that marketers are asking:
Is traditional SEO still relevant? Do we need a completely new strategy to stay visible in AI-driven search?
The short answer is no, you don’t need to abandon the SEO rulebook. But the context in which those rules apply is changing. Optimising for AI isn’t about learning a new language; it’s about being better understood in the one you already speak.
In fact, when you look closely, many of these so-called ‘AI SEO’ solutions are just good SEO. The kind we’ve been delivering for over two decades.
Search is no longer limited to typing queries into Google. Users now rely on a variety of search methods, including voice commands, conversational prompts, and AI-powered summaries. These tools are designed to deliver fast, contextual answers without necessarily sending users to a website.
This shift is introducing new search behaviours:
Despite this, the foundations of SEO have not changed. AI tools still depend on well-structured, authoritative, and trustworthy content to generate their responses. A 2024 analysis by Search Engine Journal found that AI summaries most often reference content from websites that already rank on the first page of Google.
In other words, the same SEO principles that work for traditional search continue to drive visibility in AI-powered results. It’s just that in many cases, the user is AI, not you!
AI models do not invent new information. They draw on existing sources and prioritise those that are well-organised, technically sound, credible, and clearly written. Content that performs well in generative search typically shares several qualities:
This is why forward-thinking SEO now includes approaches like AI Optimisation (AIO), Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO), and Search Experience Optimisation (SXO). These do not replace traditional SEO. They are extensions of it, focused on ensuring that your content can be discovered, understood, and trusted by both humans and machines.
AI prefers content that addresses user intent directly. Begin each page, article, or FAQ section by clearly answering the central question. Supporting context, data, and examples can follow, but avoid burying the lead.
Tools like AnswerThePublic and AlsoAsked can help you understand how real users phrase their questions, making it easier to match their intent.
Use well-organised headings, concise paragraphs, and bullet points to guide both readers and AI models through your content. Include clear metadata and internal linking to reinforce relationships between topics.
Content that follows a logical structure is more likely to be selected for featured snippets and voice search responses.
Structured data makes it easier for search engines to interpret and present your content. Adding schema markup to your site supports visibility in featured snippets, knowledge panels, and AI-generated summaries.
Google’s own structured data guidelines emphasise that schema helps enhance content visibility in AI-powered interfaces.
AI prioritises content from websites that are fast, secure, mobile-friendly, and easy to crawl. Errors such as broken links, slow page speeds, and poor mobile usability reduce your chances of appearing in any search interface.
AI systems are more likely to reference content that demonstrates credibility. This includes strong backlink profiles, expert authorship, positive reviews, and consistent topical depth.
Regular content production around defined themes, supported by internal linking and external citations, reinforces your authority. Google’s E-E-A-T framework (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) remains a reliable benchmark for quality.
In the age of AI, old SEO shortcuts are more likely to backfire. Avoid:
Google’s Search Essentials confirms that helpful, accurate, and user-first content remains central to ranking success.
At Fingo, we don't follow trends. We've always focused on doing SEO properly and that hasn't changed just because AI is now part of the conversation. While other agencies are rushing to repackage their usual work as ‘AI SEO’ we've been helping clients succeed as search evolves for years.
Our results speak for themselves:
We focus on making sure your business shows up wherever people are searching, whether they're typing, talking, or using AI tools like ChatGPT.
Our approach includes:
From safeguarding audits to full content expansion programs, we ensure your SEO strategy is future-ready without abandoning what already works.
SEO optimised for AI is not a gimmick or a temporary trend. It is a continuation of everything that has always made content successful: clarity, authority, structure, and user focus.
If your content is helpful and well-structured, it will be surfaced. If your site is fast and accessible, it will be trusted. And if your message resonates, it will be remembered, regardless of how people choose to search.
Want to make sure your SEO is built for where search is headed? Fingo can help.
Get in touch today, email us at hello@fingo.co.uk