The Death of 'I'll Just Google That': How AI is Killing Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Just before Christmas, I needed some great present ideas for my (much) better half. I come from a family where just remembering to buy something for birthdays and Christmas is a win; she's from one where the thought and care you take really matter.
Instead of Googling, I used my AI assistant, ChatGPT (I've nicknamed her Elin). The results were impressive. I allocated a maximum budget, including her name, age, cultural values, favourite brands, and what she spent the most money on (a glance through our banking app made that easy!), as well as what I'd bought in previous years, along with a score out of 10 for success.
I bought the top two items from the list Elin generated: a facial aesthetics product by FOREO and another from La Bonne Brosse. Never in a million years of Googling would I have thought of these brands. The result was 10/10, from my Wife's point of view, but that sets a high standard for next year!
I'm not the only one making this shift.
The Cultural Language Evolution
The phrase "I'll Google that" will soon join the graveyard of extinct expressions alongside:
"I'm going to Blockbuster to rent a video"
"Let me check the Yellow Pages"
"I'll tape that TV programme"
"I need to develop these photos"
"I'll buy a map from the petrol station"
"Let me check the TV guide in the paper"
"I'm just going down the bank to pay in a cheque and get a mini statement printed off"
These phrases once described everyday behaviours that seemed permanent - until they weren't. The technology moved on, but for a while, the language lingered. We still "dial" numbers and "hang up" phones, even though we haven't done either for decades.
Remember when wading through the Sunday papers was a physical and mental task? When finding a local business meant reaching for the Yellow Pages? These weren't just technologies - they were rituals, embedded in our weekly routines.
The Evidence is Mounting
The transformation is already accelerating. Opera just launched Opera Neon, an "AI agentic browser" where AI agents do the searching for you. Neil Patel , one of the world's leading SEO experts, reports that 80% of consumers now rely on zero-click results in at least 40% of their searches. Google is cannibalising itself with AI Overviews. The writing is on the wall in bright pink neon.
Even the person who built his career on driving website traffic is acknowledging that people aren't clicking through anymore. If that doesn't make you question our collective obsession with Google rankings, what will?
Google Saw the Writing on the Wall
Google Search is dying, and Google knows it. When ChatGPT exploded in popularity, Google panicked and rushed Bard to market, then quickly rebranded it as Gemini when the initial reception was lukewarm. Now, every Google search features AI Overviews above the traditional results, effectively making their organic search results less relevant.
But here's the twist: Google isn't being killed by a competitor like Netflix killed Blockbuster, or smartphones killed Yellow Pages. With Gemini and AI Overviews, Google is essentially 'eating its own children', cannibalising the very search behaviour that built its empire.
The ripple effects are massive. Google's £200+ billion advertising business faces an existential threat; fewer clicks mean fewer ad impressions, fewer conversions, and ultimately less revenue. Meanwhile, the big SEO agencies are frantically pivoting, now selling "AI search optimisation" to the same clients they promised Google rankings to last year.
The Counter-Arguments
However, the SEO community will likely push back firmly against this prediction. Jonathan Guy at Aqueos Digital recently made a compelling technical argument: AI tools still piggyback on search engine rankings - ChatGPT uses Bing results, Gemini uses Google's. He points out that AI relies on the same ranking factors SEOs optimise for: authority, trustworthiness, engagement, and technical performance. "AI has no pockets," he argues. "People still buy, AI doesn't."
He's technically correct about the current AI infrastructure. However, this overlooks the fundamental behavioural shift that is happening. My Christmas shopping experience wasn't about which search engine powered the AI; it was about getting personalised recommendations I never would have found through traditional searching. I didn't care about SEO rankings or backlinks. I wanted to receive perfect gift suggestions tailored to my specific context.
More importantly, the current reliance on search engines is temporary. Yes, AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini currently have training data cutoffs, typically 6-18 months old, which means they need to search the web for recent information. But this is rapidly changing. Training datasets are expanding exponentially with each new model version, training frequency is increasing, and real-time data integration is improving through better APIs and live feeds. We're in a transition period where AI relies on search engines as a crutch. Still, this dependency is already diminishing as AI systems become more comprehensive and capable of direct reasoning without needing to crawl the web for answers.
"We've Heard This Before"
And let's be honest - the death of Google has been predicted many times before. Facebook, TikTok, voice search - all were supposed to be "Google killers." The SEO community has heard this story before, which is why Jonathan Guy's technical pushback resonates.
But this time feels different. Previous challengers tried to build better search engines. AI isn't trying to improve search; it's replacing the need to search altogether.
When I needed gift ideas, I didn't search for "Christmas presents for women aged 40-50" and wade through listicles. I had a conversation with an AI that understood my specific context, budget, and past purchase history. The behaviour was fundamentally different.
What This Means for Business
We're witnessing a shift from "being found" to "being recommended." Instead of optimising for search engines, businesses need to think about how AI systems discover and recommend their products or services.
The implications are profound:
Content Strategy Shifts: Instead of keyword-stuffed blog posts designed to rank, content needs to be AI-readable, clear, authoritative, and contextually rich. AI systems favour comprehensive, trustworthy sources over SEO-optimised content.
Brand Authority Becomes Critical: AI systems prioritise established, credible sources. Building genuine expertise and authority matters more than gaming ranking algorithms.
Customer Data and Personalisation: The Christmas shopping example shows AI's power in personalised recommendations. Personalisation has always been powerful in Marketing, and it's about to become even more powerful. Businesses that understand their customers deeply will have a competitive advantage in AI-driven discovery.
Relationship Over Rankings: Being recommended by AI depends on quality, relevance, and authority rather than traditional SEO metrics. The businesses that thrive will be those that build genuine value rather than optimise for algorithms.
The SEO Industry Reckoning
The £65 billion global SEO industry faces an existential crisis. Agencies that spent years promising first-page Google rankings are scrambling to redefine their value proposition. "AI search optimisation" is the new buzzword, but it's essentially admitting that traditional SEO is becoming obsolete.
The better agencies will adapt by focusing on content quality, brand building, and genuine expertise development. Others will cling to outdated ranking tactics until their clients realise the emperor has no clothes.
For business owners who have been told that SEO is essential for digital marketing success, this transition period presents an opportunity to redirect resources toward strategies that will matter in an AI-driven world: building genuine expertise, creating valuable content, and developing direct relationships with customers.
The Clarity Advantage
As someone who lived through the internet adoption phase in the 1990s and remembers Google's creation, and now works with businesses navigating AI integration, I can see the patterns. We're at a similar inflexion point to when businesses realised they needed websites - except this transition is happening faster.
The businesses that recognise this shift early will gain significant advantages. While their competitors continue pouring money into SEO strategies designed for a world that's rapidly disappearing, forward-thinking companies will be building the foundation for AI-driven discovery and recommendation.
This isn't about abandoning digital marketing - it's about evolving it. The same strategic thinking that drove successful SEO campaigns can be redirected toward building the kind of authority and expertise that AI systems value.
The New Reality
Within five years, "I'll just Google that" will sound as quaint as "I'll check the Yellow Pages." The shift won't happen overnight, but the momentum is undeniable.
Businesses that continue obsessing over Google rankings while ignoring this fundamental behavioural change risk being left behind. The question isn't whether AI will replace traditional search - it's whether your business will be positioned for the world that's coming.
The companies thriving in this new landscape won't be those with the best SEO - they'll be those with the clearest value proposition, the strongest expertise, and the most profound understanding of their customers' needs.
What's your experience with this shift? Are you noticing any changes in how your customers discover your business yet, or are you still relying heavily on Google rankings?
If you're ready to develop a marketing strategy for the post-SEO world, I can help professional services providers navigate exactly these kinds of fundamental shifts. Moving from outdated tactics to future-focused approaches is what strategic clarity looks like in practice. Please feel free to get in touch with me for a chat
