Is SEO Still Worth It in the Age of AI?

AI now decides which brands show up in tools like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. If your brand isn’t optimised for these new answer engines, you’re already falling behind.

The Shift From SEO to AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation)

For years, digital marketers have focused on SEO: keywords, rankings, backlinks, and click-through rates. But AI has changed the rules. Enter Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO), a strategy designed not just to help your brand rank in search, but to become the answer itself.

With platforms like:

• Google AI Overviews

• ChatGPT browsing

• Perplexity AI

• You.com, Claude, Meta AI

…users aren’t clicking through to websites, they’re getting instant, AI-generated responses.

That means your content needs to be cited by the AI, not just found on Google.

Real impact: Brands are reporting a 30–70% drop in organic traffic as AI overviews replace traditional search results, according to Forbes research.

What It Means to Be “AI‑Ready”

Being AI-ready means your brand:

• Can be retrieved and understood by AI systems

• Appears as a trusted source in AI-generated responses

• Is formatted to match how LLMs learn, interpret, and cite content

This involves technical structure + smart strategy. Specifically:

✅ Must-Have	❌ Outdated
Clear Q&A formatting	Keyword stuffing
Structured schema (FAQ, How-To, Product)	Unstructured blog blocks
First-party expert content	Thin affiliate content
High-authority mentions (e.g. Reddit, YouTube, Quora)	Low-trust link farms
Updated llms.txt, schema.org, and fast loading	Overreliance on metadata

Why Brands Are Struggling and Losing Visibility

AI engines pull from a range of trusted sources: Wikipedia, Reddit, LinkedIn, news media, YouTube transcripts, and structured websites. If your brand hasn’t earned a place in that content ecosystem, you simply won’t be included in the answer.

And here's the kicker:

AEO isn’t just SEO + AI. It’s a fundamentally new way of structuring your brand’s digital presence for machines and humans.

In a nutshell, this isn’t just about where you show up, it’s whether you show up at all.

So, How Does Kalyde Get You AI‑Ready?

At Kalyde, we position brands for the AI-first future with a mix of strategy, content, and technical precision. Here's how:

1. We audit your AI visibility

• Are you being cited in AI results?

• Do you rank in answer engines like Perplexity?

• Is your content technically crawlable by LLMs?
  

2. We rework your content for AI retrieval

• Build and structure FAQ blocks

• Optimise Q&A formats

• Tag your content with schema.org markup for better comprehension by machines

  
  

3. We amplify your authority

• Get your voice into forums, reviews, YouTube, and expert posts (the places AI looks for trusted answers)

• Use digital PR and smart content seeding to boost citation probability

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4. We monitor your AI Share of Voice

• Track where and how often your brand is showing up in AI-generated outputs

• Adjust campaigns to improve presence in zero-click answers

Bottom Line: SEO is Not Dead, But It’s Not Enough

Search still matters, but it’s changing fast. If you’re only optimising for traditional Google rankings, you’re missing a massive opportunity (and likely already losing ground).

In an AI-first world, your brand has two options:

✅ Become the answer❌ Or disappear

Want to Know How Visible You Are in AI Search?

🔍 Kalyde Digital offers an AI Visibility Scan (an audit to see if your brand is being cited, retrieved, or ignored by AI engines).

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FAQ

What is AEO? Answer Engine Optimisation is the practice of structuring content so that it can be selected as a direct answer in AI-generated search results and chatbot responses.

What’s the difference between SEO and AEO? SEO is focused on rankings and clicks in traditional search engines. AEO focuses on being cited or retrieved as the actual answer in conversational AI platforms.

Do I need AEO if I already do SEO? Yes. SEO gets you found by users. AEO gets you chosen by machines. Both are essential, but different.

How can I check if my brand is showing up in AI-generated results? Use tools like Perplexity.ai, ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and ask questions related to your niche. If your brand isn’t being mentioned, it’s time to optimise.

Is SEO dead?

No, SEO isn’t dead. It’s evolving with AI-driven search and changing user behaviour.

Should I still invest in SEO?

Yes. SEO remains one of the strongest long-term traffic strategies, but it must adapt to AI and voice search.

How has AI changed SEO?

AI has shifted focus from keywords to intent, authority, and contextual content. Brands must build trust signals.

What’s the future of SEO?

The future is hybrid—AI, voice, paid ads, and SEO working together to boost brand visibility.