Artificial intelligence is changing how people search for information, how businesses attract customers and how SEO professionals approach their work. While AI presents new opportunities, it is also creating uncertainty about the future of search engine optimisation.
A recent survey of 279 SEO and search professionals found that almost 44% were more concerned about AI than they had been a year earlier. The findings highlight a growing challenge for the industry: keeping up with new technology while maintaining the skills and strategies needed to deliver results.
For businesses that rely on Google to generate enquiries and sales, this raises an important question. How should you adapt your SEO strategy as AI continues to change search?
What does the latest SEO and AI survey reveal?
The survey, published by SEOjobs.com and reported by Search Engine Land on 27 October 2026, explored how SEO professionals feel about AI and its potential impact on their careers.
The results revealed several concerns:
- 43.7% were more worried about AI than a year earlier. Almost one in three respondents were very or extremely concerned about AI affecting their jobs or income over the next two years.
- 45.5% were concerned about smaller teams. The possibility that businesses could reduce staffing as AI tools become more capable was the most frequently selected concern.
- 44.8% were worried about keeping up with AI. New tools and changing search technologies are creating pressure to learn new skills.
- 44.1% were concerned about increased competition. As more businesses adopt AI, SEO professionals may face greater pressure to demonstrate their value.
- 33.3% feared their existing skills could lose value. Professionals are questioning which skills will remain important as the industry develops.
These figures come from a voluntary survey of 279 professionals, so they should not be treated as representative of the entire SEO industry. However, they provide a useful indication of the concerns facing people working in search marketing.
The findings do not mean SEO is disappearing. Instead, they highlight the uncertainty surrounding how the industry will develop and what businesses will need from their SEO teams in the future.
Why is AI creating so much uncertainty around SEO?
AI is affecting several parts of the search process simultaneously. It is changing how search engines present information, how marketers produce content and how businesses compete for attention.
1. Search results are changing
Traditional SEO has largely focused on helping websites appear prominently in search engine results pages. Businesses have invested in keyword research, technical optimisation, content development and link building to attract relevant visitors.
However, search engines increasingly provide AI-generated summaries and conversational search experiences alongside traditional results.
These features can answer questions directly, potentially reducing the need for users to visit individual websites. This creates a challenge for businesses that depend on organic search traffic to generate leads and sales.
A website may still rank well but receive fewer clicks for certain searches. Conversely, a business may gain visibility when its content is referenced in an AI-generated answer, even if that visibility does not translate into the same number of website visits.
This is why businesses need to consider more than rankings alone when evaluating their SEO performance.
2. AI is making content production faster
AI tools can help marketers research topics, organise information, analyse search data and produce initial content drafts more quickly.
Used properly, these tools can improve efficiency and free up time for more valuable work. However, they also make it easier for businesses to publish large volumes of similar content.
The problem is that producing more content does not automatically improve search visibility.
Pages that repeat information already available elsewhere, provide little practical value or fail to demonstrate genuine expertise may struggle to distinguish themselves from competing results.
Businesses should focus on publishing content that answers real customer questions, explains complex subjects clearly and provides useful information that readers cannot easily obtain from a generic response.
AI can assist with this process, but human knowledge, fact-checking and editorial judgement remain important.
3. SEO professionals must develop new skills
As AI becomes more prominent in search, SEO professionals need to understand how it affects website visibility and customer behaviour.
Traditional skills such as technical SEO, keyword research and content optimisation remain relevant. However, professionals must also understand how AI search features work, how to monitor visibility across different platforms and how to measure the commercial impact of their work.
This does not mean every business needs a separate AI marketing team or an entirely new strategy.
In many cases, the most effective approach is to build on existing SEO knowledge and adapt it to changing search behaviour.
Businesses should also be cautious about investing in every new AI tool or technique. The priority should be identifying developments that offer a genuine advantage rather than adopting technology simply because it is new.
What does this mean for businesses that rely on Google?
The concerns highlighted in the survey are not limited to SEO professionals. They also have practical implications for business owners and marketing managers.
If your website generates enquiries through organic search, changes to the search results can affect how potential customers discover your business.
However, reacting by abandoning SEO or publishing large volumes of AI-generated content is unlikely to be the right answer.
Instead, businesses should concentrate on five areas.
1. Continue investing in the fundamentals of SEO
Your website still needs to be accessible to search engines, technically sound and structured in a way that helps visitors find the information they need.
Important areas include:
- Ensuring search engines can crawl and index important pages.
- Improving page speed and mobile usability where necessary.
- Targeting relevant search terms that reflect customer needs.
- Creating useful service pages that explain what your business offers.
- Building relevant internal links between related pages.
- Earning credible links and references that support your website’s authority.
These activities help establish a strong foundation for organic search visibility. They also make it easier for visitors to navigate your website and understand your services.
If you are unsure where your website needs improvement, a structured SEO audit can help identify technical problems, content gaps and opportunities to improve performance.
2. Make your website a useful source of information
AI-powered search experiences can draw on information from websites when generating answers. Businesses therefore need to make their expertise clear and their content easy to understand.
Start by identifying the questions customers ask before they make a purchase or enquire about a service.
For example, a commercial finance company might need content explaining eligibility requirements, application processes, costs and the differences between available funding options.
Rather than publishing several articles that cover the same basic information, create useful pages that address distinct questions and link them together where appropriate.
Content should be accurate, specific and supported by relevant experience wherever possible. Clear headings, direct answers and well-organised information can also help users and search systems interpret a page.
There is no guarantee that these changes will result in an AI citation, but they improve the usefulness and clarity of the website.
For further guidance, read how to improve your website’s visibility in AI search results.
3. Monitor AI search visibility alongside traditional rankings
Keyword rankings remain useful, but they provide only part of the picture.
Businesses should also consider whether their brand appears in relevant AI-generated answers, whether their website receives qualified organic traffic and whether that traffic leads to enquiries or sales.
Useful measures include:
- Organic traffic to important service and landing pages.
- Changes in keyword rankings and search impressions.
- Leads, sales and conversion rates from organic search.
- Referral traffic from AI platforms where it can be identified.
- Brand mentions and citations in relevant AI search experiences.
AI referral traffic can be difficult to measure consistently, and not every platform provides detailed reporting. Businesses should therefore avoid relying on a single metric to judge performance.
The aim is to understand whether search marketing is helping the business reach potential customers and generate commercial results.
4. Use AI where it improves efficiency
AI can be a valuable addition to an SEO workflow when it is used to support informed decisions.
For example, it can help identify content gaps, organise keyword research, analyse large datasets and suggest ways to improve the structure of an existing page.
It can also assist with repetitive tasks, allowing SEO professionals to spend more time on technical improvements, strategy and performance analysis.
However, AI-generated information needs to be checked for accuracy, relevance and originality. Tools can produce incorrect claims, out-dated information and content that sounds convincing without providing a reliable answer.
Businesses should also avoid assuming that AI-generated content is automatically suitable for publication.
Google’s approach is centred on the quality and usefulness of content rather than whether it was created using AI. Content produced at scale primarily to manipulate search rankings can breach Google’s spam policies, regardless of the production method.
The objective should be to use AI to improve the work, not simply increase the volume of content being published.
5. Connect SEO performance to leads and revenue
One of the biggest risks during periods of change is becoming distracted by individual rankings or new technology without considering the wider business objectives.
A page that ranks well for a high-volume keyword may attract visitors who are unlikely to become customers. Another page with less traffic may generate a steady flow of valuable enquiries.
This is why businesses need to understand how organic search contributes to their commercial performance.
Track which pages attract relevant visitors, which search terms lead to enquiries and where potential customers leave the website without taking action.
The same principle applies to paid search. Combining insights from organic SEO and Google Ads management can help businesses identify valuable search terms, understand customer demand and allocate marketing budgets more effectively.
When SEO is measured against meaningful business outcomes, it becomes easier to decide which activities deserve investment as search evolves.
Is AI going to replace SEO professionals?
The latest survey demonstrates that many people working in SEO are concerned about AI, but it does not establish that the technology will replace them.
AI can automate or accelerate certain tasks, including research, data analysis and initial content production. However, successful SEO also involves understanding business objectives, prioritising competing opportunities, resolving technical issues and interpreting how changes affect real customers.
These responsibilities require more than generating text or processing data.
Businesses still need to decide which audiences to target, which services to promote, how to differentiate themselves from competitors and how to turn website visitors into customers.
AI can support these decisions, but its output needs to be evaluated in the context of the business.
The role of an SEO professional may change as tools improve, with greater emphasis on strategic thinking, technical understanding, data interpretation and commercial results. The extent of that change will vary between businesses and over time.
For companies investing in SEO, the important consideration is whether their strategy is adapting to new developments while continuing to deliver measurable value.
How should businesses prepare for the future of SEO?
AI is introducing uncertainty into an industry that already changes frequently. However, businesses do not need to overhaul their marketing strategies every time a new tool or search feature appears.
A more practical approach is to review the current performance of the website, identify areas of weakness and prioritise improvements that support long-term visibility.
This means maintaining a technically sound website, producing genuinely useful content, demonstrating expertise and monitoring how customers discover and interact with the business.
It also means being selective about new technology. AI tools can improve productivity, but their value depends on how they are used and whether they contribute to better marketing decisions.
Most importantly, businesses should avoid judging success solely by traditional rankings or appearances in AI-generated answers. Both are useful indicators, but the wider objective is to attract the right audience and generate profitable business.
Final thoughts
The latest SEO industry survey highlights the growing concern surrounding AI and its potential impact on search marketing. Almost 44% of respondents reported greater concern than a year earlier, with smaller teams, keeping up with new technology and increased competition among the main issues.
For businesses, these findings reinforce the need to keep their SEO strategies current without losing sight of what matters most: visibility, relevant traffic, enquiries and sales.
AI is changing how people find information, but it does not remove the need for a website that is technically sound, informative and relevant to its audience.
Businesses that focus on these fundamentals, use AI thoughtfully and measure their marketing against commercial outcomes will be better equipped to respond as search continues to evolve. If you want to understand how your website is performing and where improvements could make the biggest difference, explore Graig’s SEO services or get in touch to discuss your business objectives.
Graig Upton
Graig Upton is a UK SEO and Google Ads consultant with 23 years of hands-on digital marketing experience. Google certified in Ads, Analytics and Conversions, he has helped businesses ranging from local providers to national brands - including Nando's and Financial Times - dominate search and scale their leads. Based in Preston, working with clients across the UK.