It’s A New Era of Search

There’s no escaping the word AI. It’s everywhere, from news stories to boardrooms to Reddit debates. Artificial intelligence is reshaping the digital landscape. It’s transforming how we create content across industries, consume information, and discover online. In the world of SEO, its influence is poised to rival Google’s legendary Panda update from 2011.

We’re in a new era of search. But before we dig into what’s happening, we should clarify that the artificial intelligence we’re discussing is generative AI. This specific type focuses on creating new content by learning patterns from existing data to generate outputs that are similar yet original.

A few years ago, we covered AI in B2B marketing, focusing on task-specific tools. Since then, AI applications have expanded, particularly in search engine optimization. Traditional SEO principles, including keywords, backlinks, and content structure, remain relevant. However, optimization is changing in the wake of evolving AI-driven search.

Marketers are now optimizing not just for Google’s algorithms, but for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Generative AI Optimization (GAIO). Why? This focus is necessary for brands to remain visible and relevant in an evolved search landscape that is leaning into machine learning and conversational intelligence.

The incorporation of AI in search engine results began with Bing in 2023. That’s right, Google wasn’t first. Microsoft announced the integration of a new AI-powered chat assistant in Bing, powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4. This new feature provided detailed, human-like responses with citations in the search results, above website links. Next, Google’s Search Labs introduced Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), which they described as making search more “conversational, contextual, and AI-powered”.

Fast forward to 2026, and these integrations have transformed how search engines read and interpret content. SEO is no longer just a keyword-focused game. It’s more. Today’s search algorithms utilize AI to analyze the keywords and the context, intent, and meaning behind search queries. This means search engines like Google and Bing are looking beyond specific words on a page and evaluating how well content aligns with what a user actually wants to know.

This shift in how search results are returned gives new meaning to the word “optimization” in SEO. Traditional keyword strategies are still relevant, but they can no longer stand alone; they must be integrated with other marketing efforts to remain effective. Today’s content must satisfy both human understanding and AI interpretation to achieve visibility in today’s evolved search environment. In other words, people-first content structured to help AI systems recognize value and authority will have a better chance not only of ranking but also of being cited in AI search summaries.

Generative AI is becoming the hotbed for answers, a privilege once exclusive ot search engines. For example, if someone wanted a Parmesan chicken recipe four years ago, they would have entered “Parmesan chicken recipes” into Google. Today, people are asking ChatGPT for recipes, leaving it up to the generative AI to determine which recipe to return (rather than having a slew of links to browse).

The business of matching keywords to web pages has evolved into providing conversational answers that are aggregated from online sources. This evolution is changing not only what appears in search results, but also how results are delivered.

In today’s search results, traditional lists of links are now increasingly prefaced by dynamic “conversational” answers. Unfortunately, these AI search summaries are reducing traditional click-through rates, as many simply take the answer in the summary and move on. For example, if I asked Google a question like, “What are the best camping tents for windy weather?”, a list of links to camping tents would appear. Here’s the search answer today:

“For camping in windy weather, consider the CORE Instant Cabin Tent, which offers easy setup and a stable shelter. The North Face Mountain 25 Tent is a good option for four-season use and strong winds.”

Adjacent to this response are the lists of websites that informed AI’s answer. The likelihood of the searcher finding another brand is slim, as the AI summary has already indicated which options are “good.”

AI in search has also influenced how we can search for answers. Pre-AI, voice and image searches relied on converting text-based data, such as file names, alt text, and surrounding page content, to inform their search. The technology couldn’t interpret images or voice without this data.

Search results in 2026 are “multimodal”, thanks to AI’s ability to interpret and connect different inputs simultaneously, including text, visuals, and voice. Modern models, such as Google’s Multitask Unified Model (MUM), can understand context, relationships, and meaning across various formats. That’s what makes today’s multimodal search truly intelligent and conversational, rather than just translating different inputs into keywords.

AI’s ability to learn and adapt continues to shape AI-driven search results. Its ability to tailor search results to individual behavior and intent makes every SERP unique to the user. Therefore, businesses can no longer rely on a one-size-fits-all optimization approach, as a page that ranks highly for one user may not rank as well for another.

So, what does all of this mean for digital marketers and SEO professionals? Search visibility is no longer uniform across audiences, and AI-generated summaries are affecting click-through rates.

With AI-generated summaries at the top of search results, users are often given a direct answer without having to click through to a website. This has decreased click-through rates, even for the websites referenced in the AI summary. Pew Research reported1 that users click on links in AI summaries only about 8% of the time, compared to approximately 15% when only links to websites are served.

AI models prioritize high-quality, factually reliable content that meets E-E-A-T factors when answering search queries. E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, and you can read more about it in our blog, Google E-E-A-T Guide. The AI-driven search models do this to ensure the sources they cite in search summaries are the most trustworthy and authoritative. Therefore, sources with stronger E-E-A-T signals are more likely to be picked.

In this new era of AI-generated search results, being cited as a source in an AI summary is similar to ranking #1 for a keyword. Therefore, brands with strong E-E-A-T, which are usually the larger, more well-known entities, are more likely to win the citations. This makes it tougher for lesser-known brands to compete for visibility. However, all is not lost! Smaller brands can compete by specializing and offering depth over breadth. In other words, optimizing content for what the user is really looking for (intent), which is more likely to rank in results than content optimized just for general keywords.

Things are rapidly changing in the world of SEO and brand visibility, causing whiplash for marketers. And things will likely continue to change, so the best we can do is focus on the now. The SEO professionals and marketers who align their strategies with current trends, closely monitor results, and remain flexible will adapt quickly and remain competitive as the search and AI landscapes evolve.

Rather than optimizing for keywords, marketers should structure content around both humans and machines. Content should be written in a human and natural tone, incorporating semantic keywords, structured data, and a conversational style.

Topic authority is crucial to SEO visibility in 2026. Businesses can strengthen their authority by positioning themselves as reliable, knowledgeable, and credible sources on their subject matter.

Tactics to achieve this include publishing net new content. Search engines are rewarding genuine value and depth, rather than regurgitating what already exists. Additionally, AI-driven search tends to favor authoritative content, making authors’ bios increasingly important.

Content structure enables AI search models to read and understand content effectively. These structural elements include clear headers, FAQs, and schema markup.

Monitoring isn’t new in the new era of AI-driven SEO. Brands should regularly monitor how their brand appears in AI search results. This includes monitoring visibility in AI summaries, citations in AI responses, and visibility in tools like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), Bing Copilot, and ChatGPT browsing. Monitoring can help brands identify which searches they’re being cited for and detect shifts in user intent. Brands can utilize this data to refine their content strategies and enhance or maintain AI-driven visibility.

To achieve this, continue and improve upon the traditional SEO and user experience work already happening, and add steps to make the content visible and understandable to AI-driven search systems. Here’s how it breaks down:

The evolution of AI-driven search isn’t finished. As search engines continue to invest in AI, we can expect it to remain a significant factor in SEO. Traditional search engine optimization isn’t dying – it’s just expanding. As with previous algorithm updates, we must continue to stay current with trends and adjust our strategies accordingly.

SEO has never been a one-and-done effort. It’s an ongoing process of refinement that is and will continue to be shaped by shifts in technology and user behavior. The brands that will thrive in this new landscape are those that consistently create content worth referencing, recommending, and trusting, both by humans and by AI.