Does SEO Still Matter for AI Search? #seo #aisearch #ecommerce #ai

23 Oct 2026 · 2 min

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2:24

In this conversational discussion, the speakers explore the emerging role of AI-driven search and discovery in e-commerce. They speculate that future platforms could enable direct purchases without ever visiting a traditional website, a shift that would require major changes in consumer behavior. They acknowledge the current uncertainty and rapid evolution of AI search, questioning whether marketers should even be trying to optimize for it right now. The dialogue emphasizes that the most successful SEOs are those who continuously adapt and evolve, noting that older practitioners may become more resistant to change. They argue that strong SEO—especially through digital PR and link‑building—still matters because the more a brand appears across the web, the more likely AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude will surface it favorably in their responses. Overall, the conversation balances caution about the unknown with a measured endorsement of ongoing SEO investment as a foundation for visibility in AI‑driven platforms.

Overall, I think there probably is going to be a world where you can, very similar to Google Shopping, which nobody really uses, make a purchase directly in a platform without visiting a website. But I think that would also require a big shift in consumer behavior.
So, I mean, there's a lot of randomness, there's misinformation, there's just so— I think the key phrase here is we don't know. Right? It is so new and evolves so quickly. Rather than ask, you know, how do I optimize for AI? I think a better question is, should I even be thinking about it? Right? Is this even a current ongoing concern?
Concern? No. Thinking about it? Yeah. I mean, I think, I think it's beneficial to have a pulse on the changing landscape of technology. The best SEOs that have been around, if you knew SEOs 15 years ago that are still absolutely killing it today, It's because they have the trait of evolving and adapting and accepting. And the older we get, the more stubborn we get, and the willingness to adapt and evolve decreases significantly. So things are changing right now and things are going to continue to change, but the swiftness of a great SEO will be put to the test in their willingness to adapt and evolve, and other marketers as well. So, Having it as a concern, maybe not being aware of what's taking place. Absolutely. Because also there's a lot of data to show that really good SEO just helps with really good visibility in these platforms, in AI mode, in AI overviews, ChatGPT, Claude. So when you think about like, oh, the more times your brand appears on the web, you're more likely to be more favorable in these AI platforms. Okay, cool. Digital PR and link building. Same thing. Really good SEO now from like any correlations that people are seeing is, is just good SEO with these platforms.
Yeah. So we know, all right, the one-time things that we could do is just like general SEO stuff, robots.txt, make sure we've not excluded robots because that's how OpenAI will access the site. If you're technical, you could do this llms.txt thing. You know, it's like 20 minutes of screwing around if you have to do the research. It's not a big deal. Probably doesn't do anything, doesn't hurt anything either.