With Google’s recent US trial launch of AI Mode, the entire SEO industry is in a bit of a panic. While none of us really like AI and how it is invading every nook and cranny of every single bloody piece of technology we use, it looks like it’s here to stay.
Google’s panic about ChatGPT becoming its own search engine and potentially a huge competitor is very clearly what has driven them to create AI mode. That said, most of my clients have come to me stressed and concerned about how AI is changing SEO and what we can all do about it.
I’ll be honest with you, I resisted this change for a while. I’m not an early adopter. I don’t use any AI tools in the work that I do (largely for ethical reasons around theft and environmental damage). For a long time, I was passively consuming updates about this AI bullshit in the hopes it would go away. But it isn’t. So I did some digging.
AI SEO experts don’t exist (yet)
The technology has simply not been around for long enough. Anyone claiming to be an expert on these matters is lying to you. There are those of us researching, testing, and dabbling to try to figure it out, those of us who are looking at the results of those tests, and those of us who are burying our heads in the sand.
None of us are experts. So please be careful if someone claims to be.
People you should be listening to about all this
When it comes to all of this AI SEO bullshit, there are two people in this entire industry I actually trust on the matter. Nikki Pilkington (of Non-Wanky SEO fame) and Mark Williams-Cook, founder of Also Asked and the Core Updates newsletter.
Nikki will give you a very no-bullshit, blunt approach (ideal if you like how I communicate). Mark creates a weekly roundup of all of the latest updates from Google and the other search engines.
What can you actually do about AI Mode, GEO, and all that jazz?
There are a few things I’d recommend starting with when it comes to your content strategy:
- Prioritising genuinely helpful content
- Balancing informational and commercial keywords
- Creating content that supports the conversion journey
Prioritise genuinely helpful content
From what I have read and seen, the best bet right now is to follow good practice from Google’s own helpful content guidelines.
Google are really cutting down on spam content (I guess they want to be the champions of that themselves now?), as seen in the December 2024 core update which hit several businesses who have now come to me for help.
So you don’t wanna get stuck creating content for content’s sake, repeating yourself all the time, and focusing way too strongly on SEO over people. Focus on building a core audience, helping them, and establishing thought leadership.
The key to these guidelines is write for people not for search engines, which is going to get people coming back to you time and again in the long run anyway.
Balance informational and commercial keywords
As of May 2025, AI overviews were appearing for over 80% of informational searches. You may have also seen a big shift in your Google Search Console graphs of late. Views are going up and clicks are going down. The gap is widening.
You aren’t doing anything wrong. This is the natural result of the rise of zero-click search.
Terminology check: zero-click search is when someone types their query into Google (or other search engine) and finds the answers they are looking for without clicking on anything at all. This was already prominent with Google-generated meta descriptions to suit the specific query and People Also Asked. Google Local Pack has also played into this for location-specific businesses for well over a decade. AI overviews have now accelerated the process.
While some commercial terms are being hit with AI overviews, when someone is at that stage of the buying cycle, it is unlikely that they will want a hallucinating AI overview to tell them where to spend their money. This is where clicks begin to go up, so it’s important to target informational and commercial terms equally.
Also, you will have to accept that your traffic from Google is going to go down. Please do not put this on the one in-house SEO or your contractor. It’s not their fault. All we can do is capitalise on the traffic we are getting. Which leads me onto my next point.
Create content that supports the conversion journey
I want to give you some examples from my own site (honestly because that way I don’t need to ask permission from my clients and I just wanna get this blog post out there to help people stop panicking).
My three most trafficked blogs are:
- How long does website copywriting take? (2024)
- What does website copywriting include? (2025)
- Writing website copy: how much content do I need? (2023)
Since publication, these blogs have consistently brought more organic traffic to my website than anything else. They are targeted to specific keywords and writing for SEO is a huge part of my job, so, you know, glad to see it works.
But what really interests me is the shift in terms they are gaining traffic from. When I first published them, people were coming through from the terms I had targeted, which is almost exactly what the titles are.
However, in the last 2-3 months as AI overviews have become more prevalent, they’ve changed. All three of these blogs are now getting more views and traffic from terms like “website copywriter”, “copywriter for website content”, and “web content copywriter”.
This has shifted from informational intent (how long does it take, what does it include, how much do I write?) to commercial. People are now finding me for these same pieces of content when they are looking for someone to write the content for them.
All three of these blogs, particularly How long does website copywriting take? have also driven enquiries. Last click attribution is a pain in the ass but you know what’s easy? Asking clients how they found you when you talk to them. How long does website copywriting take? is a deep dive into my processes. It basically gives people a more in depth look at the information I provide on my website copywriting packages page.
The blogs are appearing in search for commercial terms and then supporting conversion. But they’re not salesy. It’s a tough line to walk but one I think will become increasingly important as AI continues to dominate organic search.
Everything needs to tie into conversion, including your SEO content
The reality is, many organisations will be looking at less traffic. Especially from search engines. So if you developed an SEO strategy that focused on informational content only, it’s time for a change.
Obviously, I am not an expert. No one is on all this AI bullshit. This is based on data from my own website and similar patterns I have seen with clients. It’s important to note that I do not work with enterprise level businesses and this is focused on service-based businesses only, which are my speciality.
SEO and conversion cannot work separately. You can no longer afford to separate the “SEO brings them in, the website lands the sale” approach. It all needs to be integrated.
This is all a bit of a clusterfuck, isn’t it? If you need a hand and are happy to learn with me as we wade through this mess to a more sustainable marketing strategy, book a casual, free 30 min chat and let’s get started.
