How AI and SEO Are Changing and What You Need to Know
As the use of artificial intelligence (AI) has continued to grow, what marketing professionals once knew is no longer true, leaving many feeling concerned and confused. Specifically, the future and importance of search engine optimization (SEO) have divided professionals, as AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews take precedence on every search page. The role SEO plays in the digital marketing landscape has adapted to the dominance of search tools and now extends beyond just being the top search result. That being said, SEO is not outdated and is not going away (as many may fear). In fact, AI and SEO have evolved and are now experiencing a renaissance, incorporating key components that keep brands afloat amid the AI-powered madness of modern-day search results.
Is search engine optimization dead? Absolutely not. Branding, authority, content quality, public relations, and user experience have quickly accumulated to become a part of the SEO strategy that accompanies AI-powered search tools. Rather than seeing these generative search tools as opponents, modern-day SEO leverages their role in users’ daily search routines. It’s no secret that AI overview effects on SEO are reshaping search patterns, but what matters most is your organization’s ability to adapt and stay ahead of changes.
How AI Is Changing Search Behavior
At the top of many search engine results pages (SERPs), users now encounter AI-generated overviews that summarize information from popular web sources. Depending on the subject, these summaries organize relevant data into digestible sections for readers. As this feature becomes more integrated into SERPs, the way people "research" is quickly evolving.
So, what is the future of SEO with AI? With 58% of Google searches now resulting in zero clicks, businesses can no longer rely on traditional SEO strategies. To remain visible, organizations must consider and cater to emerging search technologies that recognize top-performing businesses in SERPs.
While the impact of generative AI on SEO may seem impossible to navigate, they aren’t. In fact, your business is most likely already familiar with tactics that will elevate its search visibility for a thorough impact on AI and search engine optimization. You shouldn’t fear for the future of your organization’s search performance levels.
It’s standard practice for businesses to prioritize building brand authority and maintaining a clean image to gain positive user insight. Now, these strategies will help improve your organization’s chances of being seen first on general search pages and AI overviews.
What Google's Latest Core Update Means for AI and SEO
In May 2026, Google launched one of the most significant shifts for SEO and AI in recent years. The update shifted focus from prioritizing technical keyword placement to emphasizing genuine expertise, authoritative insights, and content that delivers real value to readers. Search rankings now favor trust, credibility, and brand authority over perfectly optimized keywords, making it more important than ever for businesses to focus on creating meaningful content. In terms of what’s next for your organization’s search performance abilities, here’s what truly deserves your attention.
Trust and Authority Matter More Than Ever
Traditional keyword research and SEO are still essential to your brand’s visibility, but in 2026, they can no longer operate alone. To stay competitive with top-performing search results, businesses must incorporate their SEO strategies with broader marketing and PR initiatives that build trust and authority across the web.
Consider these factors in increasing brand awareness and authority for search performance results:
- Expert PR Services: Helps organizations develop brand strategies, define communication goals, implement clear messaging, and more
- Customer Reviews: Helps people discover organizations through authentic customer experiences
- Industry and Award Recognition: Helps differentiate a business from competitors
EEAT Is Still Important for SEO
Google’s EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) has become a standard framework for determining credible content online. Together, these four signals help Google assess how valuable a website’s content is for users. EEAT has become more important than ever for search visibility following Google’s latest core update.
Businesses can strengthen their EEAT practices by showcasing real-world credibility through signals such as case studies, customer testimonials, thought leadership content, industry participation, and detailed team bios.
Treat AI and the future of SEO like you would a general user, and recognize the importance of establishing your business’s authenticity and knowledge.
Thin Content Is Losing Ground
Now that we’ve established that Google rewards brand authenticity and trustworthiness, generic and/or duplicate content doesn’t quite fit the search engine’s new algorithm. In fact, your organization should do the opposite when competing with AI-powered search engines and top-performing web sources.
It’s important to produce content that is comprehensive and answers questions your readers have. Below are a few tips for in-depth, yet engaging content:
- Encourage reactions and interactions from your audience.
- Vary your paragraph and sentence lengths throughout your piece.
- End your content piece with a call to action.
The New SEO Playbook for AI and SEO
The question is no longer whether SEO is changing, but how organizations can adapt their strategies to stay visible in this new search landscape. Rather than an “out with old, in with the new” approach, organizations must include new tactics that target AI search system-friendly algorithms that also align with their current SEO goals. Cork Tree Creative knows how to keep your brand visible where today’s consumers are looking: AI overviews and summaries.
Unlock your organization’s best search performance results with these tips.
Build Topical Authority, Not Just Blog Content
When a business publishes large volumes of unrelated blog posts spanning a variety of topics, they miss the mark Google has established through its updates and EEAT framework. Establishing a content ecosystem around a key topic that aligns with your business is crucial in remaining visible to major search engines. As Google values brand authenticity and trustworthiness, your business’s credibility and reputation with users is something you must consider along with key writing topics.
Suppose you are writing a travel blog for a trip to Paris. Instead of writing an article that targets keywords and phrases like “Best things to do in Paris” or “Hotels in Paris,” it’s algorithm-friendly to write a blog titled “Paris Travel Guide 2026” that further discusses hotels, attractions, restaurants, etc. Writing blogs that fully cover one topic improves search performance for a business and makes for a smoother read for the user.
Considering the AI impact on SEO, it’s better to include everything on one page regardless of content type. Whether it’s an infographic, blog paragraph, or embedded video, search engines and search tools look for information that can be accessed all in one place. Now more than ever, your webpages should be written with concision and thoroughness to achieve topical authority.
Invest in Brand Visibility Beyond Search
For decades, marketing and public relations practices such as reputation management, a strong social media presence, and positive media coverage have enhanced brand authenticity and established trustworthiness among the general public. In 2026, these practices also serve as the key to increased search engine visibility and performance. Modern SEO practices are no longer driven solely by individual webpages. Marketing, public relations, and SEO work hand in hand to amplify an organization’s long-term digital growth.
Marketing and public relations tactics that may enhance an organization's search performance and visibility are the following:
- Video Marketing: Visual storytelling on behalf of your organization is crucial for providing different content formats to your blog posts. Guess what? AI and SEO love that.
- Organizational Mentions in Articles: Another example of increasing brand awareness, mentions in articles (the higher the profile, the better) establish trust with a brand-new audience of users.
- Podcast Features: Similar to article mentions, podcast features highlight your brand’s strengths and services to an audience that potentially wasn’t aware of your brand prior.
Optimize for AI Citations
Organizations with strong search visibility in 2026 are learning to work with AI-powered search overviews and summaries rather than compete against them. This approach, known as Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), focuses on optimizing a brand’s presence within AI-driven search experiences. Much like adapting to Google’s latest core update, GEO requires content that’s easy for AI search systems to understand, extract, and cite. Key best practices include:
- Structure your content clearly: Use descriptive headings, numbered lists, and bullet points to help AI systems identify key topics, relationships, and takeaways. Well-organized content is a clear example of how AI is changing SEO.
- Write for extractability: AI search engines often skim specific passages rather than entire articles. Provide concise, direct answers in standalone sections that can be easily referenced by these systems.
- Include a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section: FAQ sections align with how users search and how AI systems generate responses. Clear, well-written answers increase the likelihood that your content will be incorporated into AI-generated summaries and overviews.
- Make your page schema markup-friendly: Structured data helps search engines and AI systems better understand your content, entities, and page context. By providing additional semantic information, schema markup can improve how your content is interpreted, categorized, and surfaced in AI-powered search results.
Double Down on Technical SEO
It’s easy to worry about GEO and your business’s ability to remain visible in AI overviews, but one aspect of your website should always remain up-to-date: infrastructure optimization. Web elements like speed, mobile usability, and overall accessibility are a top priority for both users and Google. The search engine will not push for a website’s content if it can’t easily navigate and access important information, and this is especially true in the age of AI search systems. Strong technical performance plays a vital role in navigating your website’s content efficiently and effectively.
Create Content Written for Humans First
Controversy surrounding generative AI usage has become a major topic of discussion in several media outlets, but Google has made it clear where they stand. Content that implements AI elements is allowed and encouraged, as long as it is valuable and benefits audiences.
However, human insights, opinions, and real-world experience should be the overall contributing characteristics to whatever content your business produces. After all, users want to hear from professionals at your organization, not a generative system or organization that chases an algorithm catering to AI-powered search engines.
The Future of AI and SEO
With Google’s ever-changing landscape and updates, the company has made it clear that they value quality over quantity in the age of AI and SEO. That being said, your business should prioritize the same. Industry expertise, brand authenticity, and overall reputation are key factors that may indicate where your business ranks in search performance evaluations. Stay up to date with new SEO strategies by prioritizing user experience, public relations, and brand authority.
Build Visibility Beyond Rankings
As AI-powered search systems continue to evolve and reshape how people retrieve information, high SEO performance can no longer be achieved solely by technical optimization and keyword placements. Organizations able to thrive in this new landscape are those that establish a sense of brand authority and trust with their audiences and prioritize content quality and technical excellence online.
At Cork Tree Creative, we help organizations navigate this ever-changing search environment by developing strategies catered to your business’s SEO and GEO needs. Ready to help your organization improve its AI SEO strategy? Contact our team today to schedule a consultation.
