The world of digital marketing is changing fast. AI-driven search tools are reshaping how people discover information, challenging the traditional rules of SEO.
ChatGPT Atlas
On October 21, 2025, OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT Atlas, a new browser that integrates ChatGPT directly, allowing users to summarize web pages, compare products, and analyze content instantly.
While the new browser is currently only available on macOS, it, along with Google Search’s AI mode and Microsoft Copilot, is making AI search more accessible than ever.
While the number of users who use and trust AI search increases, this creates a series of new problems for your web content.
Loss of Visibility
As AI-generated answers replace traditional search results, your website may no longer appear in the same places, or at all, on results pages.
AI Takes the Credit, You Lose the Clicks
Even when your content is featured in an AI response, users may not know it came from your brand and therefore won't visit your site, reducing traffic and engagement.
Problems You Will Face with the Rise of AI Search
As AI search engines reshape how people access information, traditional visibility and control are becoming harder to maintain.
AI Answers Don’t Reflect Your Message
AI summaries might paraphrase your content in ways that lose your tone, intent, or key details. Your organization is represented, but not how you'd like.
Harder to Influence Search Results
Optimizing for AI-generated responses is still a new phenomenon. Traditional SEO tactics don’t always apply.
Balancing AI Search vs Traditional SEO
This image was generated by ChatGPT.
Just because AI search is becoming more prevalent, it doesn’t mean you should abandon your SEO strategy. Instead, AI search and SEO should complement each other.
AI search is becoming the go-to tool for discovery and research, while SEO still drives user action and conversions.
Traditional SEO focuses on strategic keywords, high-quality content, fast and mobile-friendly pages, and authoritative backlinks. AI search, by contrast, values context, intent, and content that clearly answers questions, rewarding sites with topical authority.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is a new strategy that blends traditional SEO with AI search optimization. GEO structures content so AI models can easily interpret, summarize, and reference it. This helps your brand stay visible and authoritative in AI-driven results.
How GEO differs from traditional SEO:
Traditional SEO:
- Optimizes for strategic keywords, meta titles, and headings.
- Focuses on page speed, mobile usability, and backlinks to improve search rankings.
- Creates high-quality, readable content for users
GEO:
- Structures content so AI can easily summarize and reference it.
- Uses FAQs, bullet points, and clear headings to deliver concise answers.
- Highlights brand mentions and unique insights to ensure AI credits your organization.
Example
Instead of a long paragraph about “how to pick a movie for your child,” GEO encourages a structured format:
Heading: “How to Choose the Right Movie for Your Child”
- Bullets:
- Consider your child’s age and content ratings.
- Think about what they like.
- Check movie length and showtime to fit your schedule.
FAQ
Q: What’s the best movie for a seven-year-old?
A: Animated films or family-friendly adventures are usually a good choice for children around seven. The LEGO Batman Movie (2017) is an example.
This format makes it easy for AI search engines to pull precise answers, helping your content be summarized accurately while still supporting traditional SEO goals.
Next Steps for Your Content Strategy
The big question is, in this rapidly changing internet landscape: what can you do to make sure your content still gets seen, and how can you stay in control of your message?
Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to address these issues:
Optimize for AI Discovery
- Structure your content clearly with concise headings, bullet points, and summaries. AI models tend to pull from well-organized content.
- Add frequently asked questions sections to your website to answer any questions a user may ask a Large Language Model (LLM).
Protect Your Brand Presence
- Make sure every piece of content clearly highlights your brand and key messaging.
- AI-search seems to favour third party information as much as first party. Stay on top of what is being said about your brand on other platforms such as Reddit.
Create Content AI Can Reference
- Produce authoritative, well-cited content that AI is likely to source, ensuring your brand gets credit when your content is summarized.
Monitor and Adapt
- Adjust your strategy over time, testing what works in AI summaries versus classic search results.
Deciding Between AI Search vs Traditional SEO
In conclusion, while adjusting your web content strategy is vital in staying relevant in the AI search future, Focus Communications believes it is still essential to keep your SEO strategy thriving, too. AI search will continue to become more trusted and accepted, but SEO is still important for driving action on your website.
If you need help navigating the always-evolving world of AI search vs traditional SEO, contact Focus Communications today, and see how we can help!
