Navigating Google’s AI changes to search: Is SEO dead?

With the introduction of Google’s Generative AI Overview for web search, the game changed for companies that relied on understanding how to leverage their websites and content to rank higher.

AI Overview displays an AI-generated summary at the top of the page in response to search queries. Links still appear below the summary and AI Overview may not appear for every search. This raised concerns among brands and content providers who fear losing online traffic to their websites if summarized answers are enough for users. If AI Overview collects available information from the internet, why visit websites?

The changes Google made to search were designed to de-rank websites that tried too hard to break into Google’s search algorithm. How beneficial is this for advertising revenue and product and brand awareness?

In this episode, Pierre DeBois, CEO of Zimana Analytics, and Duane Forrester, Vice President of Industry Insights at Yext, discuss some of the fears raised by AI Overview, what the changes might mean, and how companies may evolve in response in the long term.

Listen to the full episode here.