Is Traditional Search Dead? How AI Search is Reshaping SEO and PPC | Asset Mendesh
15 minutes read article
Contact Asset.png)
ChatGPT now has search—big deal, right? Here’s why it’s a game-changer
Google has long dominated the search marketplace, commanding roughly 90% of global search traffic year after year for well over a decade. As a result, marketers have learned to play by Google's rules for search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. Yet the landscape of search engine marketing is experiencing a seismic shift due to rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), and the shakeup could be further compounded by an August 2024 legal ruling that found Google built its search dominance through illegal monopolistic behavior. Other players like Apple, Microsoft, OpenAI, Perplexity AI and Anthropic are now vying with Google to become the new search leaders, introducing AI technologies that could upend traditional search marketing.
Anyone who has experimented with AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT can see the profound potential of AI-powered search. While ChatGPT doesn’t function exactly like a traditional search engine, forgoing the conventional list of links and paid ads for a conversational format, models with internet access can respond to search queries and offer real-time product recommendations just as Google can. Even before OpenAI launched an official search engine prototype called SearchGPT to a limited number of users in July 2024, its tools were already reshaping how users looked for information online.
An informal online survey I conducted revealed the vast majority of respondents used AI assistants like ChatGPT as either a replacement, alternative, or supplement to traditional search when searching for detailed information. In fact, less than 14% of the respondents reported an overall preference for traditional search engines, suggesting a rapid erosion of traditional search’s hegemony.
As a seasoned Google-certified marketer with a decade of experience helping clients of all sizes optimize their search presence, I've come to believe that traditional search engine marketing methods will no longer suffice for achieving long-term online visibility. AI tools like ChatGPT do not always prioritize the same content that appears among the topic organic results on a Google search engine results page, suggesting that traditional SEO techniques are inadequate for AI search. Moreover, with OpenAI’s ad-free, subscription-based model, the foundations of PPC advertising could change fundamentally.
In this article, I’ll explore the key trends in AI-powered search and what they mean for brands that have relied on traditional search strategies for online visibility. We’ll also examine the increasing emphasis on first-party data and personalized search experiences, giving you a roadmap for adapting your marketing efforts to this new reality.
What Is AI-powered Search?
When Google launched AI Overviews in May 2024, it announced that the new feature was an opportunity to “let Google do the searching for you.” At a basic level, this is what all the major AI search tools provide, including Perplexity, a popular tool built on OpenAI’s technology. Users are greeted with a text field that invites a longer, more complex search query. Instead of typing keywords like "best marketing strategies," users are encouraged to ask detailed, human-like questions, such as, "What are the most effective digital marketing strategies for small Coffee shop in downtown Vancouver this year?" The tool then compiles information from across the internet into a response that directly answers the search query while also providing source links and images.
More than half of the respondents to my survey reported that ChatGPT had significantly increased the speed of finding information online. Indeed, AI-powered search tools not only provide faster results by analyzing vast amounts of data in seconds but also offer more personalized responses, tailored to user preferences and previous interactions.
Yet this conversational question-and-answer format is just the beginning. The latest AI search-adjacent tools, such as ChatGPT-4o, Claude 3.5, and Llama 3.1, can provide responses that are not just text-based but include images, videos, and even interactive elements like graphs and charts. This multimodal approach means users receive richer, more engaging responses without scrolling through endless links. Moreover, these AI search tools also accept multimodal inputs. In iOS 18.1, Apple introduced a new Camera Control button that, when pressed and held, activates Visual Intelligence. This feature allows users to perform visual searches by pointing their camera at an object, similar to Google Lens. For example, photographing a dog can instantly identify its breed. Future updates aim to integrate Visual Intelligence with services like Google and ChatGPT, enhancing its capabilities.
Companies are also integrating AI into user-friendly compact and wearable devices like Humane AI Pin (which ended up half-backed) and Meta’s Ray-Ban Smart Glasses or recent Orion AR glasses. These tools can see and hear the environment, suggesting that search could become a fully immersive, on-the-go experience. Google’s AI initiatives, such as Project Astra, combine visual search with augmented reality, promising an entirely new way for users to interact with their surroundings. As a dramatic example of immersive search, a product called Be My Eyes uses OpenAI’s technology to help visually impaired users navigate the world by using their phone camera to describe their surroundings. With such multimodal experiences, the whole world effectively becomes a search query.
What Does AI-powered Search Mean for Brands?
The rise of multimodal AI search is prompting brands to reconsider whether the strategies that have traditionally propelled their products and services to prominence in search results will remain effective moving forward. Now that SearchGPT has entered the mix, could OpenAI’s ad-free model spell the end of paid search advertising? How can companies make sure their brands are more likely to be featured among the answers to high-value AI search queries? In the sections below, I offer five key tips that will help brands prepare for the future of search marketing.
1. Optimize for Natural Language Queries
One of the biggest shifts AI brings is the move from keyword-based queries to search queries with fully contextualized user intent. See the difference between “women's white sneakers” and “What are the best women’s white sneakers with no visible branding for under $100?” AI search engines, like ChatGPT or Google’s AI-integrated search, therefore focus on delivering relevant content that answers the user’s underlying question rather than relying on exact keyword matches. This affects both SEO and PPC.
Traditional SEO efforts focus on search intent by optimizing for specific keywords. This sometimes results in content that prioritizes search engine crawlers over the user experience. While traditional Google search already prioritizes content that demonstrates experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T), the new AI search paradigm—with its emphasis on natural language queries—will compel brands to double down on creating content that thoroughly addresses user intent and offers in-depth, valuable insights. Similarly, PPC campaigns are evolving from traditional search results to integration within AI-chat conversational outputs. This requires adapting ad strategies to use natural language and engage users through follow-up questions, targeting conversational and long-tail queries more effectively.
2. Optimize for Multimodal Search (Textual + Visual + Voice)
With the rise of multimodal AI, search is evolving beyond just text and voice inputs. Platforms like Apple's Visual Intelligence and Google's Lens are leading this shift, allowing users to combine visuals with voice queries for more dynamic and seamless search experiences. For instance, users might take a picture of a restaurant and ask, “Is this open today?” or capture an image of a menu and inquire, “Are there any vegan dishes?” This form of search demands a blend of strategies that account for both spoken queries and visual inputs.
To optimize for these multimodal searches, brands should still focus on media-rich multi-context long-tail, conversational phrases—a staple of voice search—but also ensure that their images and media are properly tagged with metadata and structured data (schema). Most importantly, companies should address all various schemas and follow up questions that users may have and provide as much diverse data as possible for their products and services like a combination of influencer & user generated content, FAQs, blog posts, product/service comparison, rankings, reviews, discussions, testimonials in both visual and textual formats and audio-podcasts for their top 10 AI search queries. This will enhance both voice-driven and visual-driven AI search outcomes. For example, schema can highlight important details like hours of operation, location, or user reviews. Finally, by including specific information and good reviews, marketers can make it easier for voice assistants like Siri to find and share their brand with users.
In PPC, marketers will need to adapt their ad content (including alt tags and meta descriptions) to capture both voice and visual searches, incorporating longer, contextual keywords that reflect how users naturally engage with AI while interacting visually and vocally with their devices
3. Double Down on Personalization and Predictive Targeting
AI search doesn’t just deliver generic results; tools like ChatGPT remember previous conversations and can personalize answers based on past interactions and context. If a user previously searched for vegan restaurants in New York, an AI tool might automatically prioritize vegan-friendly options the next time they search for a restaurant. This presents a shared challenge for both SEO and PPC: creating content and ads that align with the user’s specific needs and intent at the right moment.
To address this need for highly targeted and personalized PPC campaigns, marketers will need to resort to AI tools, such as Adext and Albert. (Google is also building new AI functions into Google Ads Manager.) AI tools like these can help generate personalized ad copy that reflects what the user is most likely to engage with and automatically adjust bids. For example, a travel company could use these tools to automatically adjust bids, titles, and descriptions of ads and display targeted deals for destinations they’ve previously explored.
AI marketing tools will also allow marketers to go beyond simply responding to user queries and instead anticipate what a user might need next. This predictive ability benefits both SEO and PPC by enabling brands to create content and ads that are one step ahead of the user. In PPC, this means delivering ads that align with not just the current search but also what the user is likely to want next, driving higher engagement and conversion rates. In SEO, predictive targeting helps tailor content that meets the evolving needs of users, ensuring that brands stay relevant across different stages of the customer journey. For example, customers searching for washers often tend to purchase a dryer as well, while those who buy a specific brand of printer are likely to seek out compatible ink for that particular model - AI will help to leverage cross-sell and upsell opportunities more effectively.
4. Prepare for Fewer, More Expensive PPC Ad Slots
If the trend of users shifting from Google Search to ChatGPT continues, and Google falls behind OpenAI in AI search capabilities, we may see a search duopoly emerge, requiring marketers to navigate both platforms effectively. Given that OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman has expressed a deep aversion to paid advertising, indicating a fundamentally different vision for how brands connect with their audiences, users might prefer OpenAI’s search over Google. The potential rise of ad-free search models may dramatically reduce the number of paid ad placements available, directly affecting PPC strategies. Obviously, AI search companies need to generate revenue to pay for the enormous computing expenses associated with running large language models, but they may turn to subscription-based business models, as OpenAI has already done with ChatGPT.
This shift will force brands to prioritize organic visibility through SEO as paid opportunities diminish. In this new landscape, optimizing content for organic search results is critical—not just to rank highly on traditional search engines but also to appear in AI-driven queries where paid placements are scarce or nonexistent.
5. Diversify Digital Marketing Channels
As a marketer, it is understandable to be concerned that with AI-driven tools like ChatGPT and SearchGPT providing conversational relevance, users may be less likely to visit brand websites. These AI models are designed to provide comprehensive answers directly within the search experience, often negating the need for users to click through to external sources.
However, this shift doesn't diminish the importance of customer engagement; it actually heightens the necessity for other touchpoints like email newsletters, podcasts, and social media. These channels allow brands to foster direct, long-term relationships with their audience that AI-driven search interactions cannot replace. Through personalized content and community building, brands can maintain a consistent presence in users' lives, complementing the more transactional nature of AI search. This diversification of engagement will likely become critical as the digital marketing landscape continues to evolve.
How Will AI Search Intersect with Other Search Trends?
Even if AI wasn’t poised to shake Google’s position as the dominant player in the search industry, search engine marketers should already be recalibrating for other industry transformations. For instance, with Safari and Firefox already blocking third-party cookies and Google’s years-long commitment to follow suit with Chrome—a decision the company reversed in July 2024—brands are increasingly focusing on first-party data and enhancing user privacy across all browsers. To do so, marketers need to adopt new strategies that integrate AI while preparing for the evolving data landscape.
Third-party cookies are used to track user behavior across websites, enabling Google to deliver more targeted PPC advertising for brands, but these have faced regulatory challenges, especially in Europe. Without this tracking information, first-party data—information collected directly from customers—will become a critical asset for brands, enabling more effective AI-driven personalization. Predictive targeting and automation will further enhance this by leveraging AI to anticipate user behavior, optimizing ad delivery and content in real time.
Marketers should invest in robust systems to gather and manage first-party data from website interactions, customer touchpoints, and other owned sources. Google recommends implementing sitewide tagging and using tools like Google Analytics 4 to capture high-quality first-party data within a privacy-first framework.
Brands must prioritize transparency and user consent in their data practices. After all, even though Google reversed its decision to depreciate third-party cookies, it promises to give users greater control over data collection, including the option to opt out of tracking. This spells major changes for marketers. When Apple began requiring apps to request tracking permission from users in 2021, a majority of iPhone users opted out within months. Marketers will need to continue adapting to new privacy tools like Google’s Privacy Sandbox while ensuring they are compliant with evolving regulations. AI-powered tools will be essential in managing and analyzing compliant data to create privacy-conscious marketing strategies.
By analyzing first-party customer behavior in real-time, AI tools can help marketers deliver personalized, contextually relevant content and ads. HubSpot's AI-powered Breeze and Smart CRM deliver personalized content and predictive insights by analyzing customer data in real-time. Salesforce's Einstein AI provides similar capabilities, as does Adobe Sensei. This shift toward hyper-personalized marketing will strengthen customer engagement and improve conversion rates, as brands rely on AI to understand and predict user needs more accurately. Simultaneously, it will help marketers diversify their content formats beyond just text-based SEO to include rich media, such as high-quality images and video, which AI tools can easily interpret and serve to users.
These converging trends—AI, privacy, and the end of third-party cookies—present both challenges and opportunities for marketers. Embracing AI-powered tools and prioritizing first-party data collection will not only help brands stay compliant with new regulations but also provide more personalized and effective marketing experiences.
The Future of Search—A New Paradigm for Marketers
As AI-powered search continues to evolve, it signals the dawn of a new era in digital marketing. The traditional pillars of SEO and PPC—once dominated by keyword optimization and third-party cookies—are rapidly evolving. AI's ability to comprehend and respond to natural language queries, coupled with its predictive insights, is transforming the way content is ranked and delivered.
Marketers who adapt to this new paradigm will gain a competitive edge, while those who rely on outdated tactics may find it increasingly difficult to maintain visibility. AI’s ability to understand user intent, predict behavior, and deliver personalized, multimodal results based on first-party data will redefine how search engines rank and present content. Brands that focus on creating high-quality, user-centric content—delivered through text, images, voice, and video—will thrive in this environment. This content emphasis will be especially true if an ad-free AI search model, such as those pioneered by ChatGPT, gains traction and the number of paid ad spots shrinks.
Ultimately, the rise of AI in search marks the beginning of a new, more intuitive, and efficient digital ecosystem. Marketers who harness the power of AI while staying ahead of privacy trends and adopting multimodal content strategies will be best positioned to succeed in this transformed landscape.
The future of search is here—and it’s up to brands to adapt or be left behind.
