AI Is Killing SEO – And That’s a Good Thing (If You’re Ready for What’s Next)

A few weeks ago, I asked ChatGPT a simple question: “What’s the best overlanding tire on the market right now?” As someone who’s led marketing and PR for top-tier off-road brands for years, I expected a list of blog articles, maybe a few YouTube reviews, or at least some retailer links. Instead, ChatGPT responded instantly with a list of specific tires, pros and cons for each, and even guidance on how to choose between them—all without a single click.No SERP. No scrolling. No sponsored posts. Just one authoritative answer.

That’s when it hit me: Google didn’t fail—search just evolved past it. SEO isn’t just changing. It’s being quietly erased by the rise of generative AI.

There’s a seismic shift happening in how people find information—and most brands aren’t ready for it. For nearly two decades, we’ve obsessed over Google rankings, keyword density, backlinks, meta tags, and the sacred 'page one.' Agencies were built around it. Fortune 500 budgets were set around it. Entire marketing strategies lived and died by it. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: SEO as we know it is dying. Not in a slow, decade-long fade, but in a swift, AI-fueled revolution. And if you're not adapting right now—today—you’ll be invisible tomorrow.

Welcome to the Era of AI Search

ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok—these aren’t fringe tools anymore. They’re quickly becoming the first point of contact between consumers and information. Instead of browsing, users are asking. And instead of clicking links, they’re receiving fully-formed answers.

That’s a massive shift. And for marketers and business leaders, it demands a brand-new playbook.You can no longer count on organic traffic driven by Google’s search results. In the age of AI, visibility means showing up in the answers—not the listings. Let’s dig into how you make that happen.

What’s Killing SEO?

Think about how you searched for something last week. Maybe you didn’t Google it. Maybe you typed your question directly into ChatGPT. Or asked Perplexity.ai for a product recommendation. Or tested out Microsoft’s Copilot in Edge. Welcome to the age of answer engines—AI tools that summarize the best of the internet for you, rather than giving you 10 blue links to sift through. These tools don’t surface traditional websites the way search engines do. They don’t care if your H1 tags are perfect. They don’t reward clickbait. They favor credibility, clarity, and contextual authority. And that’s the big unlock: AI doesn’t rank pages. It cites sources it trusts.

Why Traditional SEO Is Losing Ground

The core of the problem is this: LLMs (Large Language Models like GPT-4 or Gemini) are trained on vast swaths of open web data. They don’t see your fancy landing page layout. They don’t respond to color psychology or conversion funnels. They respond to: - Clear, well-structured information - Reputable third-party validation - Context-rich content associated with specific topics - Sources that are frequently cited or linked across platforms

How to Audit Your Brand’s AI Visibility

• Ask Perplexity or ChatGPT about your category.

• Search for your brand and compare citations.

• Check for structured content.

• Google yourself—but not like a customer. 5. Wikipedia & Wikidata presence.

How Do LLMs Decide What to Surface?

Most AI models are trained on data sources that include:

• Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Crunchbase

• High-authority websites (.gov, .edu, major media)

• Structured brand data from your own site (product pages, press releases, About pages)

• User-generated content on Reddit, Quora, YouTube, Stack Overflow, etc.

• Cited or frequently shared content from PR, influencer posts, and evergreen content

And while some platforms like ChatGPT use browsing or plugins, they still prioritize trustworthiness and structured, machine-readable data. If you’re not in these ecosystems—or if your information isn’t optimized for AI—you may as well not exist.

Build Topic Authority with Evergreen Content

• Shift from keyword-stuffing to educational, informative, answer-driven content.

• Use AlsoAsked or Answer the Public to find real-world user questions.

• Build “hub and spoke” topic clusters around FAQs, how-tos, and product comparisons.

Boost Signals Through Media and PR

• Get cited in high-authority sources that AI models trust (e.g., Forbes, Outside, Road & Track, TechCrunch).

• Use PR distribution services, pitch relevant journalists, and build backlinks from credible domains.

• Tools including Muck Rack BuzzSumo and Peter Shankman's Source of Sources all help.

Seed UGC Where It Matters

• Encourage your fans, influencers, and employees to mention your brand in forums and UGC platforms:

• This creates organic citations that help train AI models and increase real-world relevance.

Create Your Own AI-Ready Resources

• Develop proprietary datasets, glossaries, or APIs that AI tools can pull from.

• If you’re ambitious, consider building a GPT plugin or offering a custom chatbot based on your brand’s data.

• Even having a downloadable whitepaper or publicly accessible resource can signal credibility.

Why PR Agencies Are Built for This Moment

PR agencies—especially full-stack, integrated ones like Kahn Media and TREAD Agency —are already doing the hard stuff that drives AI visibility: - Placing brands in trusted publications - Getting thought leaders quoted by journalists - Producing structured, in-depth content - Managing influencer campaigns In short: we’ve been building trust and narrative depth long before AI decided those were the rules of engagement. AI Visibility isn’t a replacement for PR. It’s the evolution of PR. And it’s an opportunity for agencies to lead, not follow.

The Bottom Line

This isn’t the time to wait-and-see. Brands that move now will own the next generation of discovery. Those that don’t? They’ll lose market share and mindshare, not from competitors, but from irrelevance. We’re launching an entire service line at Kahn Media and TREAD dedicated to AI Visibility—helping brands audit, enhance, and protect their presence in the new frontier of digital discovery. It’s not about playing Google’s game anymore. It’s about making sure AI knows your name—and tells the world. If you're curious where your brand stands—or how we can help—drop me a line.