Is This the End of SEO As We Know It?

Search in the age of AI Answer Engines, an ethical perspective

Apr 09, 2025

Fellow SEO professionals and content creators, if you've felt the ground shifting beneath your feet lately, you're not alone. We're witnessing nothing short of a revolution in how people discover content online, and it's happening faster than many of us expected.

According to Gartner, traditional search engine use will be 25% less by 2026, leading to a 50% drop in organic traffic by 2028. These aren't small numbers—they represent a fundamental rewiring of the digital ecosystem around which many of us have built our careers and businesses.

Let’s talk about why, what, and what now of this sea change in search.

Why Such a Dramatic Shift?

Users are increasingly bypassing traditional search entirely, instead asking AI for answers directly. And let's be honest—AI's answers often provide a better user experience: they're personalized, clear, and complete—actual answers, not just a list of blue links.

Which do you prefer?

This…

Or this…

Or this…

Contently’s AI Shift, a Significant Sign

Contently, a content marketing company that produces content in various media forms for some of the biggest brands in the world, recently launched Content Studio AI, which perfectly illustrates this transition.

The new AI-driven platform helps their managing editors create and edit content faster and cheaper. Most tellingly, they've reported that a client's "fully AI-written blog" is now a top source in Perplexity and ChatGPT—a wake-up call for all of us in the content creation world.

Here’s what Contently CEO Brandon Pizzacalla said about the shift:

“[C]ontent discovery mechanisms that marketers have relied on for decades are being fundamentally disrupted. Users are bypassing the entire traditional search ecosystem and instead asking AI for answers directly.”

If Contently is doing it—a move I applaud—who’s next?

What Does This Mean for SEOs, Freelancers, and Content Marketing Professionals

I won't sugarcoat it—this shift presents genuine challenges for SEO, content marketing, and marketing in general.

The uncomfortable truth is that companies that rely heavily on freelance talent are now actively promoting AI-generated content. This doesn't mean human creators are obsolete, but it does signal a significant restructuring of how we produce content.

It’s not all gloom and doom, however.

While approximately 67% of small business owners and marketers now use AI for content marketing or SEO, the content marketing industry continues to grow. It was projected to reach approximately $600 billion in revenue worldwide by the end of 2024. So, the issue isn't whether the SEO and marketing industry as we know it will survive, but how AI’s introduction will change our roles.

The issue isn't whether the SEO and marketing industry will survive as we know it, but how AI’s introduction will change our roles.

For freelance writers, graphic artists, videographers, and other content creators, this represents both a threat and an opportunity.

One content creator I spoke with said, "SEO has been my main traffic source for years, but I know it's not going to stay that way forever."

In a LinkedIn message, SEO expert Ann Smarty said:

“Many industries are being disrupted, and no one—no one—knows where it goes. The key is to remain on top of new trends and tools and keep adapting. When it comes to SEO, I think it will evolve into something like ‘online findability optimization’ that would include monitoring and optimizing for AI platforms, not just search engines."

In response, many creators are diversifying their acquisition channels, focusing on newsletters and other owned platforms that aren't at the mercy of changing algorithms.

The most sustainable path forward appears to be adaptation rather than resistance. The industry is increasingly distinguishing between generalist and specialist creators.

Specialists focus on a particular format or strategy (content strategy, SEO writing, videography), while generalists provide broader strategic guidance across formats. Both approaches have value but require different skillsets than pure content creation alone.

Ethical Considerations We Can't Ignore

As we navigate this transition, several ethical questions demand our attention:

For Freelancers and Creators

Economic displacement: How do we handle the financial impacts on creators whose work is being supplemented or replaced by AI?
Skill evolution: What new skills should we develop to remain relevant and valuable?
Creative ownership: As AI systems train on our past work, what rights do we have to that training data and the outputs it enables?

For Businesses and Content Teams

Content quality and accuracy: AI systems can produce misleading content or "hallucinated" facts. Publishing false information harms trust, misinforms users, and can lead to search engine penalties. Businesses have an ethical obligation to verify AI outputs before publication.
Transparency: Should companies disclose when content is AI-generated, AI-assisted, or human-written? What do we owe audiences in terms of creative process transparency?
Brand authenticity: How can businesses maintain authentic brand voices using tools that might homogenize content?

Implications for SEOs, Content Marketers, and Freelancers

What does this imply? Several things:

SEO, as we know it, is dying (but it’s not dead yet). People are increasingly opting for "answer engines" like Perplexity, ChatGPT, Gemini, and others, not a list of blue links. This is no less of a sea change than the invention of the internet and social media, which turned traditional publishing on its head. It was a polarity-shifting moment.
AI-generated content is gaining acceptance. If Contently, a company that has relied on a vast network of freelancers to write high-quality content for major brands, is switching to AI, that's a groundbreaking factor we should not overlook.
Those who smirk at AI-written business-related content better wake up. The content marketing world is changing right before our eyes, and there is no going back.

I'm not crying, "The sky is falling" (or crying wolf). I'm pointing out that the paradigm has shifted, and those who adapt will stand a much better chance of continuing their careers than those who don't (though there are no guarantees—it's still chaotic).

I'm also not saying humans are pushed out of the picture. It's just that our roles become more of a content strategist, director, and editor than a content creator. That may take some time to wrap your head around, especially if you've primarily been a writer like me for several years.

Practical Strategies for Ranking in AI Answer Engines

So what do we DO about all this?

Here are actionable approaches for content professionals looking to adapt:

1. Create Content That AI Answer Engines Value

Studies show that Google AIOs (Artificial Intelligence Overviews) can include a wide range of citations, sometimes up to 40 or more, depending on the query and availability of relevant content. Also, the overlap between AIO citations and traditional top 10 SERP results matches one or more of the top 10 organic results about 99.5% of the time.

Does that mean we give up on traditional search? Not at all. SEO expert Ann Smarty offers this advice on how to use ChatGPT for SEO:

Ann Smarty's Search & #AI Digest

How to Use ChatGPT for SEO

Listen now

a year ago · 10 likes · Ann Smarty

Listen to my interview with Ann, recorded for the May 15, 2024, issue “What Happens to SEO When AI Rules?”

These answer engines do not necessitate abandoning traditional keyword-optimized search. (We don’t need Perplexity if the query is “pizza restaurants near me.” Google perfectly suffices for that.) What it means is that smaller websites have new opportunities to increase visibility.

To capitalize on this:

Structure content clearly with logical headers and concise paragraphs.
Provide definitive answers to specific questions your audience is asking.
Include verifiable data and expert perspectives that answer engines can cite with confidence.
Focus on creating novel insights rather than rehashing existing content.

2. Diversify Your Discovery Channels

AI-driven search isn't just happening on Google. Other platforms like ChatGPT Search and Perplexity are also gaining significant traction. Analysts estimated that OpenAI captured 1% of the search market in 2024; Perplexity has amassed over 15 million users. These platforms drive different referral traffic patterns than traditional search.

Smart content professionals are:

Testing content performance across multiple AI platforms.
Building direct audience relationships through newsletters and communities.
Engaging with online communities like Reddit and Quora, which have seen dramatic increases in search visibility (Thanks in part to a partnership deal with Google, Reddit is now one of the top five most visible websites in Google AIO and search results.).
Considering paid promotion as organic reach becomes less productive.

3. Employ AI Strategically in Your Workflow

Many content professionals find success using AI as part of their creative process rather than replacing it entirely. For example, they use tools like Frase's answer engine to identify common questions about their topics. They also employ AI for quick ideation and keyword brainstorming while reserving substantive content creation for human expertise.

According to Gartner, 72% of companies using AI-powered SEO tools report a 30% reduction in manual tasks, demonstrating significant efficiency gains. Consider:

Using AI to handle research and data analysis.
Employing AI tools for initial drafts that you then substantively edit and enhance.
Using AI for optimization suggestions rather than complete content generation.
Testing AI outputs rigorously against brand guidelines and factual accuracy.

4. Double Down on E-E-A-T and Human Expertise

As AI content proliferates, human expertise becomes even more valuable. Google's E-E-A-T guidelines (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) remain central to ranking well. Content that is genuinely people-focused and provides original information substantiated with evidence is what ultimately ranks.

To strengthen your E-E-A-T:

Showcase your genuine subject matter expertise.
Include personal experiences and observations that AI can't replicate.
Maintain consistent quality across your entire content ecosystem.
Provide original research, insights, or data whenever possible.

The Way Forward: Evolution, Not Extinction

The transition to AI-first search doesn't spell the end of human-created content but fundamentally changes how we approach our craft. Our roles become more content strategists, directors, editors, and monitors than content creators.

The reality is that AI will neither fully replace traditional SEO nor content creation as it exists today. However, both fields are evolving rapidly, and professionals must adapt accordingly. The most successful creators and marketers will be those who:

Develop strategic thinking skills that go beyond pure content production.
Master editorial oversight and quality control processes.
Become expert curators and augmenters of AI-generated content.
Focus on the uniquely human elements of creativity and connection.

Let’s Adapt Together

We're all charting this new course together; there is no perfect roadmap. The transition won't be without challenges. Quality content still has enormous value—it just may be delivered differently than in the past.

For SEOs, freelancers, and content professionals feeling anxious about these changes, remember that technology has transformed our industry before. Those who adapted to the rise of social media, mobile content, and video didn't just survive—many thrived by mastering the new mediums.

The same opportunity exists now. By embracing ethical approaches to AI integration, focusing on genuine value creation, and adapting our strategies to discovery mechanisms, we can continue to create content that resonates, educates, entertains, and inspires—even in a world where traditional SEO is no longer the primary gateway to our work.

What’s your take? Is traditional SEO on its way out, or can an equilibrium exist between it and AI-assisted search?