Busting the SEO myth: Is AI really disrupting SEO?
You can’t scroll through LinkedIn (or life) without bumping into AI. And yes — it’s changing how we live, work, and search. There’s been a lot of noise about AI’s impact on SEO — headlines like “AI is killing traditional SEO!” or “Your website will never rank again!” And with it, new terms are emerging, like GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation).
There’s some truth to it. The way people search is evolving. But it’s not as dramatic as the headlines suggest.
Myth: SEO as you know it is completely changing.
Reality: AI is reshaping search — but it’s really just pushing us to follow best practice.
The catch? If your content isn’t clear, helpful, and grounded in purpose, your brand might get left out entirely.
TL:DR
It may surprise you, but AI demands we’re actually more human in the way we write. Yes, that’s right. Gone are the days (and so they should have been for the last 15 years) of keyword stuffing 2,000-word blog posts. Tools like Google’s Search Generative Experience and ChatGPT are holding us to account to be better search marketers by making our content more concise, conversational, and easy to digest.
Here, we’ve unpacked how AI is changing SEO, why brands with purpose are built for it, and the smart shifts you can make today to stay ahead.
Structure content into questions and answers
Back in 1999 we were listening to Baby one more time, using MSN Messenger and beginning to use search engines. This was the time of the ‘Keyword Cowboys’ - marketers that grabbed as many keywords as possible and dumped them into their content. This was matched by users just typing keywords into a search engine. So it worked, for a moment.
Fast forward: now we know that people search full questions. AI is now supercharging this shift, as people have back-and-forth conversations with their AI. to deepen their query and understanding. You may have noticed Reddit is coming up more often at the top of google search - because Reddit is focused on Q&A.
For example don’t say:
How to Optimise Your Donation Form
Instead write it as a Q&A:
How can nonprofits improve their online donation forms to increase conversions?
Keep it short, mobile-friendly, and clear. Show impact, offer preset amounts, and make payment easy.
Tip: Write like you’re helping a friend — not like you’re trying to game the Google algorithm.
Write for humans not search engines
Think about how you read a new webpage. If you hit a wall of dense text with no headings, you probably bounce. You want quick clarity on whether the page has the answer you need. AI behaves the same way — it’s trying to surface content that’s easy to understand and gives clear, helpful answers.
That means we’re being held to a higher standard. The basics still matter, but now they’re non-negotiable:
Use clear and structured headings — only one H1 per page, then break things down with H2s and H3s.
Keep paragraphs short and scannable. Avoid long, adjective-heavy explanations.
Front-load your message. Don’t bury the lead — answer the user’s question early.
Write conversationally. AI looks for natural language that mirrors how real people speak.Focus on intent. Ask: what is the user actually trying to find out?
These aren’t new rules — but AI is enforcing them.
For example a charity should avoid saying:
"Your generous contribution assists us in supporting under-resourced communities through a range of important services and long-term development initiatives that aim to improve quality of life."
Instead say:
Your donation helps people in need get clean water, food, and long-term support to build a better life.
Structure content to make it easy to skim read
There’s even more you can do to structure your content for AI, as well as search engines - thinking about how you can make the page more scannable:
Use lists to draw attention to content such as summaries or key points.
Steps to talk through a process or instruction.
Tables help organise information visually, making it easier to scan — for people and AI alike.
Internal linking - AI looks for related content, and by hyperlinking to other relevant pages on your site it raises the chance of your site being the authority on the topic for Google or AI to show.
Include transparent sourcing and data citations.
For example an education brand should avoid saying:
Our Years 7-10 Science program provides comprehensive coverage of the national curriculum, offering students a range of engaging topics, interactive experiments, and assessment tools to build a solid foundation for senior years.
Instead say:
What’s included in Years 7-10 Science?
Aligned to the Australian curriculum V9.0
Topics from biology to physics
Practicals, experiments and videos
Built-in assessment and reporting tools
Optimise for featured snippets and zero-click results
With AI summaries and Google snippets becoming more common, not every user will click through to your page — but you still want your content to appear.
Write concise definitions and answer-style blurbs near the top of your content
Use question-based subheadings and bullet points
Add schema markup (FAQ, How-To) if possible
This helps AI surface your content, even when it’s not the final destination.
Build trust with accessibility
Search engines reward brands that users trust and that perform well across devices. That means some of the more technical SEO principles are still relevant, and should be prioritised for review in your SEO to GEO plans:
Fast-loading pages: Use technical audit tools to assess your page load time and reasons for slow load such as too much or complicated code or oversize images.
Mobile-friendly UX: Simply, AI prioritises accessible, fast and easy to read content on mobile devices, because that’s where most people search.
Build your backlinks: Often a forgotten SEO strategy, is still important - essentially your site is more credible the more other credible sites link to you. So by delivering great content and a PR approach to encourage other sites to link to you is key.
Use real world examples: AI values specificity - so ensure you feature real examples, case studies, and voices from your supporters, customers and experts.
Tip: Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and Wave Accessibility can show you how to improve technically - many fixes are low-effort and high-impact.
Is the SEO game completely changing?
Not exactly — but it is being held to a higher standard.
Search is becoming more human.
The way we talk, read, and ask questions is now shaping how content gets found - not just by people, but by AI too.
So no, SEO isn’t being replaced. But AI demands we write better content.
If your content is clear, conversational, and genuinely helpful — you’re already doing what AI is looking for.
And the better your content works for people, the better it’ll work for search and AI.
That’s not a loss — that’s the evolution we needed.
Get in touch with Wonder Works if you need help with driving customers to your website:
How to identify if you’re attracting the right users to your website?
Is customer search matching what our page content says?
Are we providing the information our customers want?
How could we improve our pages to optimise for SEO and AI?
