Is SEO dead now that people search with AI?

No, I don’t think SEO is dead. AI is changing search, but I disagree that the rules of SEO don’t apply anymore. For service business owners, I still believe in creating useful content that helps the right person find you, even if it doesn’t get the most views.

Why I think SEO still applies to AI search

At my October 2026 talk at 1 Million Cups Lincoln, someone asked what we’re doing specifically for AI search, given the idea that SEO no longer applies.

SEO means search engine optimization: helping people find your business through search results. My answer was that most of how you get found online hasn’t changed all that much. I think there are a lot of people who are trying to rebrand it.

The way I understand AI search, it is still mainly pulling a lot of the top results, but it’s able to go a little bit further and go into page 10. That’s how I described its ability to look beyond the results a person might stop at. I wouldn’t treat page 10 as a fixed rule for every AI tool or every search.

That broader reach is why I think useful content still matters. Something that doesn’t attract much attention on its own might still be pulled into an AI chat when it answers what someone is looking for. That’s a possibility, not a promise that an AI tool will recommend your business.

Why I’d create content that doesn’t go viral

In the talk, I shared the example of my friend Jane, who spent two months looking for a builder like my friend Alec and never found him online. Alec designs and builds homes.

That’s the person I’m thinking about when I talk about useful content. Someone can be looking for the kind of work you do and still not find you.

So we believe in creating content that might serve Jane, but not get the most views. A service business doesn’t have to make every piece of content appeal to everyone. A specific answer can be useful to the person who needs that service.

For example, you could explain how you approach a particular kind of work, what a customer needs to know before contacting you, or how to decide whether your service fits their situation. Those are content ideas, not claims that publishing them will produce a particular result.

What I’d focus on before chasing a new label

If you’re deciding what to do with your marketing, I’d start with the questions your prospective customers actually ask. Pick one and answer it clearly, using details you can support about your business.

Then look at whether someone can understand what you do and where you work across your website, Google Maps presence, and social profiles. Those are parts of the organic visibility I talked about: helping service businesses get found without ads.

I wouldn’t abandon that work because someone gives AI search a new name. AI may change how an answer reaches a customer. I still want the content behind that answer to help them decide.

I’m Eric Yim with Protocol Text, a marketing business based in Lincoln, Nebraska. If you want help thinking through how your service business gets found, you can call 402-366-7249.