AI, SEO, and the Evolution of Search
By Adam Kleinberg
AI is flipping the script on search. That was the main takeaway from The Futureproof Project: The Future of AI Search event, where industry experts gathered to dissect the seismic shifts happening in how people discover and interact with content online.
With AI-driven search engines like Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Gemini gaining traction, the old SEO playbook is rapidly becoming obsolete. Instead of optimizing for keywords, marketers must now optimize for user intent, answer engines, and AI-driven workflows. The conversation was as forward-thinking as it was urgent: brands that don’t adapt to these changes risk falling off the digital map.
So, let’s break it down.
From SEO to “SE-No”: The death of the old playbook.
Chris Moulton, Traction’s Head of Search, set the tone early. Traditional SEO—where brands compete to rank high on Google—is giving way to a more intent-driven, AI-powered search landscape.
The evolution looks something like this:
- Yesterday: Humans searched for specific keywords and got a list of websites.
- Today: People ask AI-powered search engines real questions and get direct answers.
- Tomorrow: AI agents won’t just answer questions—they’ll complete tasks on behalf of users.
The future of search is no longer just about ranking on Google. It’s about showing up wherever people are asking questions—across platforms, devices, and formats. Here’s a breakdown of the emerging search paradigms shaping the future:
- Search Everywhere Optimization (S-Everywhere-O). Optimizing content to appear not just on Google, but across all discovery platforms—Amazon, TikTok, Pinterest, Reddit, YouTube, and wherever people are searching or browsing for solutions.
- Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). Structuring content to be selected and cited by AI-driven tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity that generate direct answers instead of just linking to websites.
- Agent Dialogue Optimization (ADO). Preparing content and APIs to support AI agents—like digital assistants or chatbots—that carry out conversations, answer questions, or even complete tasks for users in real-time.
These aren’t just buzzwords. They’re a blueprint for how brands need to rethink visibility in a world where search is decentralized, AI-led, and radically different than what came before.
"Lazy marketers sell products. Savvy marketers solve problems."
Chris MoultonHead of Search, Traction
From engines to everywhere. Buzzwords galore.
- Search Engine Optimization (Google, Bing)
- Search Everywhere Optimization (+ Amazon, TikTok, Pinterest
- Answer Engine Optimization (+ ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, CoPilot)
- Agentic Dialogue Optimization (+ APIs, Metadata, Schema)
People don’t search anymore. They ask.
Here’s a jaw dropper: 40% of users already prefer using AI-powered search engines like Perplexity and ChatGPT over Google.
Why? Because they speak our language. Instead of typing “lightweight summer dress,” users now search for “I need a dress for my friend’s beach wedding in Bora Bora where it’s going to be 90 degrees.”
AI search engines understand context—and they’re getting better at surfacing complete answers instead of just links.
AI’s Impact on SEO: A Paradigm Shift
- What's the Why?
- From Keyworks to Topics
- In-Depth Content
- User Experience
- Text, Images, Audio, and Video
- Personalized Search Results
Case study: Patiofyre AI-first SEO content strategy.
Brands can’t afford to ignore the fact that AI prefers structured, topic-rich, entity-driven content. Instead of pumping out keyword-heavy blog posts, the focus must shift to:
- Problem-solving content that directly addresses user intent.
- In-depth guides that go beyond surface-level information.
- Structured, AI-readable formatting with clear sections and schema markup.
- Multimodal content—text, images, video, and even voice search optimization.
A Patiofyre case study highlighted this shift in action. This startup partnered with Traction to structure its content around real user questions, the startup’s blog posts weren’t just ranking in AI-generated search results—they were being directly cited as trusted answers.
How AI engines are monetizing search.
One of the hottest topics was the monetization of AI search. Google, Perplexity, and ChatGPT are all testing different models, including:
- Sponsored answers—brands paying for placement within AI-generated responses.
- Buy Now buttons—Perplexity is already experimenting with allowing users to purchase products directly from the search results. They are also testing Sponsored Questions with a limited number of select companies (talk to us if you’d like to learn more).
- CPM over CPC—since clicks may decrease, AI search may rely more on brand visibility metrics rather than click-through rates.
“Google’s not giving us AI Overviews out of the goodness of their hearts—they’re testing monetization models. Once they figure it out, we’ll all be paying for it.”
Christine BensenHead of Media, Traction
The future of websites: Will they even matter?
One of the biggest debates centered on whether traditional websites will survive in an AI-first world.
Moulton predicted that in the short term, websites will be more important than ever, as they serve as the source of truth for AI search engines. However, in the long run, AI may prioritize direct API feeds over traditional web pages, shifting search away from websites and towards data pipelines.
This is where brands need to rethink how they structure and distribute content. SEO teams need to evolve into data engineering teams, ensuring that AI engines can pull their content in structured, machine-readable formats.
The role of AI-driven workflows.
KD Deshpande, former Head of Growth at Uber and Meta, showcased Traction’s Programmatic AEO (pAEO) Agent, a tool designed to automate large-scale content creation.
Here’s how it works:
- Identifies snippet gaps—analyzing AI-generated search queries and identifying areas where a brand’s content should be appearing but isn’t.
- Creates AI-optimized landing pages—auto-generating structured, topic-driven pages to fill those gaps.
- Continuously refines content—using AI to optimize for engagement, visibility, and accuracy.
The takeaway? Content at scale must now be AI-powered—but human oversight is still essential to maintain authenticity and accuracy.
Programmatic AEO (pAEO) Agent
- Competitor Analysis & Keyword Agent: Analyze competitors and identify high-impact keywords
- Identify Snippet Gaps: Analyze competitors and identify high-impact keywords
- Automated Landing Page Generation: AI creates optimized pages at scale
- SEO Scaling & Optimization: Continuous monitoring ensures rankings and visibility
Final thoughts: The future of search belongs to the bold.
AI isn’t just changing how people search—it’s changing how brands need to show up. The days of chasing rankings and backlinks are fading. The future belongs to brands that understand search intent, structure content for AI, and embrace automation to stay visible in an ecosystem where answers—not websites—win.
The challenge now is to adapt, experiment, and evolve before your competitors do. Because in the new world of AI-driven search, visibility isn’t just about being seen—it’s about being chosen.
"The brands that win won’t be the ones that fight AI—they’ll be the ones that work with it."
Adam KleinbergCEO, Traction
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