AI Search: Where are we so far and how to win in the current landscape

Learn about the immediate SEO implications from key AI search shifts, and how to optimize for them.

Transcript

2. https:/ /hub.seofomo.co/surveys/organic-search-trends/ The biggest AI search misconception today is that it replaces traditional search & kills SEO
3. However, LLMs are expanding search as a discovery channel. +95% of ChatGPT users use Google. Similarweb
4. Similarweb Despite ChatGPT growth, Google is still the search king with 15X visits: It had 84B vs 5.5B visits in December.
5. Similarweb Although ChatGPT is still way ahead all other AI platforms, Gemini is growing fast now
6. https:/ /blog.google/company-news/inside-google/company-announcements/joint-statement-google-apple/ Google AI share will be also likely accelerated by their new Apple collaboration
7. https:/ /openai.com/index/how-people-are-using-chatgpt/ There are also new search behaviors enabled by AI: Some of them not relevant to target “ChatGPT Consumer use patterns can be thought in terms of Asking (49%), Doing (40%), and Expressing (11%)”
8. https:/ /openai.com/index/how-people-are-using-chatgpt/ For example, in the case of “leggings” related queries in traditional vs AI search platforms TRADITIONAL SEARCH AI SEARCH “Best leggings for women” “What are some popular brands offering blue yoga leggings?” “Design unique color-block leggings inspired by spring florals.”
9. Profound We have now this data in AI search tools: 45.2% of “leggings” queries in AI search are generative, 40.3% informational and 10.2% commercial
10. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest However, sites are losing non-trivial search traffic, due to the great decoupling caused by AIO’s
11. https:/ /hub.seofomo.co/surveys/organic-search-trends/ That’s the biggest search challenge: Visibility, attribution, & trust as AI absorbs clicks
12. A bigger inflection point will come when AI Mode is launched as a default experience https:/ /hub.seofomo.co/surveys/organic-search-trends/ A gradual, segmented rollout where AI Mode becomes the default for some query types, users, or regions first, while classic/hybrid SERPs remain for high-commercial or high-risk queries.
13. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest In November, AI Mode still had around 5% of daily usage maximum across EU countries
14. https:/ /blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/tools-partnerships-web-ecosystem/ In the meantime, Google has been further adding more visible inlinks in AI answers
15. https:/ /blog.google/products/ads-commerce/agentic-commerce-ai-tools-protocol-retailers-platforms/ While announcing their new AI Mode ecommerce features, including agentic checkout powered by UCP
16. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest But if search is expanding with AI, and websites are getting less search traffic & are expected to get even less, doesn’t it means SEO is dead?
17. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest SEO is not dead. LLMs answers rely on grounding when current, factual info is needed, meaning SEO is vital for it. LLMs Answers Retrieval / Grounding Data For dynamic, factual queries In “search mode” (like ChatGPT’s browsing) the model goes beyond static memory, retrieving real-time external information using it as grounding to produce more accurate, up-to-date answers. Pre-training Data For General knowledge Publicly available text (websites, books, papers, code, forums, etc.) and licensed/curated data, until the model’s knowledge cutoff date.
18. https:/ /www.aleydasolis.com/en/ai-search/chatgpt-uses-google-serp-snippets-for-answers/ ChatGPT is even using Google search results via APIs (besides Bing’s one) for answers. I tested it first-hand.
19. https:/ /alekseo.com/chatgpt-shopping-powered-by-google-shopping-other-discoveries-from-under-the-hood/ This is also happening in ChatGPT for their shopping related answers (besides their agentic protocol + feed).
20. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest So, good SEO is good GEO. But is it enough to win AI search? What about decreasing traffic?
21. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest 1. Search Behavior 2. Query Handling 3. Optimization Target 4. Authority & Popularity Signals 5. Results Presentation Let’s go through key AI search shifts, how they impact the way we optimize and how we win
22. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest 1. Search Behavior: From Keywords to Conversations & Actions SHORT, KEYWORD BASED, ONE OFF QUERIES WITH HIGH NAVIGATIONAL INTENT TRADITIONAL SEARCH LONG, CONVERSATIONAL BASED, MULTI-TURN QUERIES WITH HIGH TASK ORIENTED INTENT AI SEARCH
23. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest 2. Query Handling: From Single Query to Query Fan-out Match SINGLE QUERY MATCH TRADITIONAL SEARCH AI SEARCH QUERY FAN-OUT (MULTIPLE SUB-QUERIES MATCHES)
24. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest 3. Optimization Target: From Page to Passage level content PAGE LEVEL RELEVANCE TRADITIONAL SEARCH PASSAGE / CHUNK LEVEL RELEVANCE AI SEARCH
25. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest 4. Authority & Popularity Signals: From Links to Mentions LINKS AND ENGAGEMENT BASED POPULARITY AT DOMAIN AND PAGE LEVEL TRADITIONAL SEARCH MENTIONS/CITATIONS & ENTITY BASED AUTHORITY AT PASSAGE & CONCEPT LEVEL AI SEARCH
26. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest 5. Results: From ranked pages to highly personalized synthesized answers RANKED LIST OF MULTIPLE LINKED PAGES TRADITIONAL SEARCH SINGLE SYNTHESIZED ANSWER WITH MENTIONS AND SECONDARY LINKS TO SOURCES AI SEARCH
27. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest Here are the immediate SEO implications from these key AI search shifts 1. AI search functions as both a performance and a branding channel. As user journeys increasingly complete inside AI answers, traffic alone is no longer a reliable indicator of success , making expanded KPIs and goals necessary. 2. You’re optimizing for comprehensive, well-structured content that AI can flexibly extract from any accessible page , rather than rigid query-to-page matching. 3. Building positive third-party citations is becoming as strategically important as earning relevant backlinks. Aligning SEO with digital PR and community management is now fundamental to shaping a consistent and credible brand presence
28. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest 1. AI search functions as both a performance & branding channel and traffic alone is not a reliable KPI or goal
29. https:/ /hub.seofomo.co/surveys/organic-search-trends/ This has been the biggest organic search shift in the last year: moving from rankings and traffic growth to visibility, citations, and brand influence
30. https:/ /www.tryprofound.com/blog/ai-shopping-journey-2025 Right now, purchasing decisions are made in LLMs but users are converting elsewhere
31. Soon purchases will happen within AI due to ecom agentic features without referring traffic https:/ /blog.google/products/ads-commerce/agentic-commerce-ai-tools-protocol-retailers-platforms/
32. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest We need then to stop using traffic as a reliable indicator of success, and start treating AI as both a branding & performance channel
33. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest * Rankings * SERP Features Inclusion * Traffic * Conversions/Sales * Revenue * Customer Acquisition Cost * ROI * Visibility * Sentiment * Citations * Share of Voice * Conversions/Sales * Revenue * Customer Acquisition Cost * ROI VS Traditional Search AI Search It’s key to shift expectations & tracking to monitor visibility, citations, sentiment & sales
34. Similarweb What’s critical is tracking visibility, citations & sentiment at a topical level, not prompts
35. Semrush Take prompts dynamic, personalized, context nature into account and focus instead on topics & formats patterns
36. Profound Prioritize topics for which there’s a higher share of answers consistently grounded
37. Radyant AI Search Insights Dashboard: https:/ /bit.ly/49n8nzH + Seotesting.com Beyond raw AI traffic, assess its engagement, conversions & revenue within your site +
38. Similarweb Run an AI traffic benchmark to identify platform & topic opportunities vs competitors
39. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest Finally, start asking your customers how they discovered you, for better attribution +
40. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest 2. You’re optimizing for comprehensive, well-structured content that AI can flexibly extract from any accessible page
41. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest It’s critical to establish an “on brand”, comprehensive topical authority, targeting the full customer journey Consideration * Reviews & Testimonials * Studies & Research * Comparison & Alternatives * Product Q&As * Community & Forum Content Decision * Comprehensive Product Description * Documentation & Manuals * Pricing & Plans Pages * Case Studies * Compliance content * Knowledge base articles * Troubleshooting Guides & FAQs * Community & support forum * Video tutorials Post-Purchase Support * Products How-To Guides & Tutorials * Thought Leadership & Expert Advice * FAQs * New product releases Awareness
42. Similarweb Remember that AI can flexibly extract content for answers from any accessible page, rather than rigid query-to-page matching
43. Similarweb Informational content investment is hard, but needed for topical authority & getting cited
44. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest Personalization resilience comes from covering multiple intents across the customer journey for different personas Cover multiple intents for the same topic, so your content aligns with many personalized subqueries, increasing surface area. Add contextual signals that aligns content with profile-based personalization, segmenting content for specific personas or use cases. Retain attention and engagement with fast, useful content that gives a satisfying user experience since AI search systems refine results based on user behavior, thumbs up/down, etc. This feedback loops into ranking and synthesis decisions for future answers.
45. Similarweb It’s also possible to integrate “on brand” product driven, informational content
46. Waikay Use AI search optimization tools like Waikay to identify your site topic gaps vs competitors to prioritize accordingly
47. Ahrefs Along with content optimization tools to ensure topical coverage at a page level based on the targeted intent
48. https:/ /ahrefs.com/blog/seo-chunk-optimization/ & https:/ /www.chris-green.net/post/content-structure-for-ai-search Structure for concise, easily readable content for humans to facilitate “chunk retrieval” +
49. EEAT Content Quality Checklist Focus on EEAT instead for a well-structured, accurate, up-to-date & authoritative content
50. Rendering Difference Engine Chrome Extension & Sitebulb Don’t use CSR JS for your content, since non-Google AI platforms won’t render it
51. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest This also applies to your images & videos, that should be crawlable, indexable & relevant
52. https:/ /bot.dejan.ai/ Which is why you shouldn’t forget to check and monitor your site content and resources crawlability towards AI bots
53. https:/ /hub.seofomo.co/surveys/organic-search-trends/ These actions are among the top optimization shifts & expected content efforts in 2026
54. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest 3. Building positive third-party citations is becoming as strategically important as earning relevant backlinks
55. https:/ /www.airops.com/report/the-influence-of-offsite-signals-in-ai-search 85% of brand mentions in AI search come from 3rd-parties: Brand recognition should align
56. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest Growing your brand authoritativeness is a must via link building, community & digital PR Digital PR Positive coverage, citations, backlinks from Media Sites Community Management Positive mentions from relevant social platforms and communities Link Building Backlinks from related, authoritative sites reviewing relevant businesses Branding Mentions, promotion, visibility alignment with brand positioning and voice
57. Semrush It’s now critical that brand mentions (and backlinks) also have a positive sentiment and are aligned with your brand positioning
58. Identify sites consistently used as citation sources for your tracked topics vs your top competitors: where do they have presence you don’t? Semrush
59. Profound What’s the sentiment and accuracy of your brand mentions? Where are they coming from? Do you have official presence there? Can you address them?
60. Ahrefs Note that cited sources can change meaningfully for each of your product lines and between platforms, so it’s fundamental to assess each
61. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest You can’t work on a silo anymore: Alignment with PR & community management is critical
62. https:/ /hub.seofomo.co/surveys/organic-search-trends/ These citation and brand building activities are among the top optimization shifts & expected actions to take in 2026
63. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest You’ll need to expand your efforts based on these AI search shifts & your own SEO context Differences in User Search Behavior / Intents to further expand your site topical authority targeting the full journey Bigger Role of third-party Citations / Mentions Different bots/user agents for which you might have specific crawlability rules Lack of CSR JS support by AI bots From Performance (traffic, conversions) only to Brand (visibility, sentiment, share of voice) and Performance metrics and goals Crawlability Indexability Relevance Popularity Metrics/Goals
64. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest 1. How much are AI platforms already bringing to your revenue and impacting marketing goals? 2. How do your AI search behavior differ from traditional search? 3. What’s your traffic, visibility, sentiment and traffic from relevant topics vs competitors in AI platforms? What’s the gap and growth opportunity? 4. How’s your content already optimized for relevant AI search topics? What’s the gap vs competitors? 5. How do the needed optimization actions overlap with existing or planned SEO, Digital PR & Community management efforts? What additional actions / investments are needed? 6. What’s the ROI from the additional efforts? Are they worthy? Prioritize accordingly! Ask these questions to prioritize your AI search optimization actions based on impact & effort
65. https:/ /www.aleydasolis.com/en/search-engine-optimization/ugc-agentic-commerce-seo/ What about the implications of agentic commerce? I’ve also got you covered! Check out my latest article
66. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest Finally, remember to leave space for experimentation, since these are new platforms, we are still adapting and don’t have first party data
67. https:/ /learningaisearch.com/ + https:/ /seofomo.co/ Keep up with the latest AI search resources & news with LearningAIsearch.com & SEOFOMO +
68. By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest Long Live SEO … for [AI Search / AI Mode / ChatGPT / TikTok / YouTube / Baidu / Any Platform Used for Search]
69. Thanks! Questions? SEO Consultant & Founder ❏ International SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti ❏ Creator of the SEOFOMO & AI Marketers Newsletters ❏ Maker of LearningAIsearch.com & LearningSEO.io Speaker & Author ❏ Author of SEO, Las Claves Esenciales ❏ Spoke at +200 events in +30 countries By Aleyda Solis - SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti & SEOFOMO at #WTSFest