Nonbreaking news: The age of artificial intelligence isn’t coming. It has arrived.
Today, we can generate hyper-realistic images, write code, and craft full-length articles with the push of a button.
Source: Pocket-lint
Designers are using AI tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and DALL·E to whip up visuals in seconds. What used to take hours of concepting and revisions now takes minutes.
Developers are leveraging AI assistants to write, debug, and optimize code faster than ever. Platforms like GitHub Copilot have turned once-tedious coding tasks into seamless experiences.
And content creators? They’re producing headlines, marketing copy, and blog posts with tools that understand tone, audience, and intent.
Of AI’s many applications, one stands out as most likely to reshape how brands establish their online presence.
AI and SEO.
What is AI and SEO?
AI and SEO is the practice of optimizing your content for artificial intelligence. Specifically, the AI models powering modern search.
“But Marketwake… how can you master AI search engine optimization when AI is known for hallucinating facts and generating content that’s not always reliable?”
Well, let’s look at an example:
In Google’s AI overview, the AI isn’t pulling insights from thin air. It’s drawing from content that already exists across the web, and directing users back to those original sources.
That means being the one true source of information on Google is now the new SEO battleground.
In short, the brands that win the AI future are the ones who will win the future of search: their content will get pulled, cited, and surfaced by the machines.
And right now, the best way to own that space? Google-based SEO.
Let’s dive a little deeper into AI and SEO, and the things you need to know to keep up.
How Does AI Affect Search Engine Optimization?
AI affects search engine optimization by making it more important for content to be exceptionally clear, deeply authoritative, and rooted in real expertise.
That being said, there are 5 things to know about how AI and SEO are working together in the long term:
1. LLMs Use Google as a Source of Truth
Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude (a tool for building AI assistants/agents), and Gemini (Google’s AI) rely on high-quality, publicly available internet content for information.
But here’s the kicker: much of the sources they use have been discovered, indexed, and validated by Google.
Why does that matter?
It’s because ChatGPT was never designed to replace search engines like Google, according to Boston Digital.
ChatGPT was trained on past data originally surfaced by Google algorithms. This means it’s not a real-time search engine.
So, if your site ranks highly on Google, the chances of you being in an AI summary skyrocket.
Here’s how we suggest you shift your mindset: SEO is no longer just about ranking. It’s about referencing.
The brands that win in an AI-powered search landscape are the ones cited as sources of truth.
2. Google Has More Data Than Anyone Else—and They’re All-In on AI
If AI is a rocket ship, Google is the launch pad.
Google’s AI is built on the same foundation SEO experts have been using for years. That puts brands that already know how to optimize content for search at an advantage in the AI area.
Why? Because Google already knows what people care about.
Google’s AI is driven by their:
- Unmatched proprietary data from search, Maps, YouTube, Android, and Gmail
- Best-in-class LLMs trained on decades of behavioral and semantic data
- Full-stack ecosystem, from infrastructure to delivery
Translation: Google’s AI Overviews and AI-powered ad tools are deeply aligned with traditional SEO signals, including relevance, authority, user experience, and trust.
So here’s our recommendation. Since Google’s AI is built on SEO fundamentals, the strategies that improve your organic search rankings also improve your chances of being featured in AI-generated content and summaries.
It’s a two-for-one: strong SEO today = stronger AI visibility tomorrow.
We’re calling it AIO (Artificial Intelligence Optimization). Say that at parties. We’re trying to start something.
3. SEO Is Evolving—Not Disappearing
You’re going to hear it a lot over the next few years:
“SEO is dead.”
It’s not. But it is evolving fast.
AI Overviews, featured snippets, and answer-first experiences are driving a rise in zero-click searches. That means users often get what they need without ever clicking through to a website.
As a result, organic search click-through rates (CTR) are dipping in some industries. But here’s what’s rising: direct traffic.
When users see your brand cited in an AI summary, they’re more likely to remember it and go straight to your site later.
AI and SEO isn’t killing brand discovery. It’s just compressing the path.
In an AI-first search landscape, the smartest brands aren’t just trying to rank, they’re training the algorithm.
That means:
- Building trustworthy, well-structured content
- Creating pages with topical depth and semantic clarity
- Writing with precision and authority, not just keywords
In short: give AI what it needs to cite you. The brands that win won’t just show up, they’ll shape what’s shown.
4. AI Output = SEO Input
As we mentioned earlier, Google’s AI-generated answers pull directly from top-ranking organic content.
That means ranking today determines whether your brand is featured in AI summaries tomorrow.
Think of it like this:
Just as SEO and PPC help you secure prime real estate on the SERP, AI Overviews are the next frontier. And if your brand isn’t showing up there, someone else’s will.
The brands that invest in SEO now are laying the foundation to become the source AI pulls from.
5. SEO Still Delivers ROI—and Future-Proofs Your Brand
The current state of SEO:
- 53% of all trackable website traffic comes from SEO
- Google accounted for 90.8% of global search traffic in 2024
But the landscape is shifting.
The future of search = more fragmented organic traffic.
As AI-generated summaries, featured snippets, and LLM citations become the norm, organic traffic will be split across more channels, with some click-based, some not.
That doesn’t mean less visibility.
It means more entry points for your brand, as long as your content is smart, structured, and trustworthy.
If you deliver prime thought leadership content, you have the chance to multiply your brand visibility by dominating entry points.
Our suggestion: Think of SEO as your baseline. Yes, optimize content for users. But, be sure to optimize for algorithms, AI tools, and decision-makers looking for credibility.
So…Is SEO Still Relevant in 2025?
Worried about SEO in 2025? Don’t be. It’s still relevant.
But now, it is more important than ever that you own your inputs so you can influence your outputs.
LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini still rely on the same foundations that power SEO: site performance, thought leadership, and structured content.
SEO is important because it has a very strong influence on AI. AI is looking for answers. Help it find yours.
But, Here’s the Gap
Unlike traditional SEO, where you can track rankings and traffic with precision, there’s no definitive way (yet) to measure your brand’s performance inside LLMs.
When it comes to how frequently your content is sourced, cited, or summarized by generative AI and SEO tools, the truth is…it’s still something of a black box. But that landscape is evolving every single day.
Some early tools are emerging; there is no north star everyone looks towards. No one has put out an LLM ranking report…yet.
But here’s the upside: We’re early. And early means opportunity.
While others wait for the perfect tracking tool, you can get ahead by preparing your content to be the kind that AI trusts.
We’re projecting that over the next quarter, certain tools will have the ability to clearly and confidently show LLM metrics, showing where we can track which sources it is pulling from and how many people are going through to that source.
Our suggestion: Start controlling the inputs now.
Focus on:
- Structured content and schema markup
- Clean, intuitive site architecture
- Semantic clarity in your copy
- Original thought leadership that builds credibility
These breadcrumbs are everything to AI. The more you optimize them now, the more influence you’ll have over what AI and SEO serve tomorrow.
Until there’s an “LLM Visibility Report,” SEO is your best weapon to shape how your brand shows up in AI-powered search.
At Marketwake, we’re already helping brands optimize for both human searchers and machine learners.
Want to prepare your SEO and AI for the future of search while avoiding critical mistakes?
Explore our SEO services here, or get in touch, and one of our experts will reach out ASAP.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is an LLM Ranking and How Do I Influence It?
An LLM ranking is how high your source shows up on an AI-generated response. There is no true way to track or influence an LLM ranking yet. The best strategy is sticking to the same SEO principles that work for Google, as LLMs use Google as a source of truth for source picking.
How Do I Optimize for Google Gemini or AI Overviews?
The best way to optimize for Google Gemini or AI overviews is by writing deeply-researched, expert-driven, and structured content and using the same SEO strategies being used for Google currently.
