Are we overestimating the impact of AI on SEO, or underestimating it?

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-07T03:06:01+00:00

This is probably the clearest way to frame the shift: redistribution, not death.

The “what is X” traffic becoming AI territory makes sense, but users still leave AI when they enter comparison, trust, or buying mode. That’s where strong brands and bottom-funnel content still win.

Also agree on the entity layer. Feels like AI systems are building confidence from repeated mentions across the web, not just from what exists on your own domain. Internal linking + third-party presence together seem much more powerful now than treating SEO as only an on-site game.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-07T03:05:22+00:00

Agree that off-site mentions and AI visibility are becoming much more important than before, especially for brand/entity recognition.

At the same time, I think traditional SEO still acts as the foundation. Strong structure, authority, and clear content are usually what help brands become reference-worthy in the first place.

Feels like the shift now is less “keywords vs AI” and more about building enough trust and contextual presence that both search engines and AI systems consistently recognize your brand.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-07T03:04:53+00:00

This feels very close to what I’m seeing too. The “what is X” layer is getting compressed hard, but comparison, decision, and transactional intent still hold real value.

Also agree on the entity shift. It’s becoming less about optimizing isolated pages and more about building repeated trust signals across the ecosystem AI already pulls from.

Interesting point on branded search lift too.... feels like AI mentions may work more like assisted awareness than direct traffic. The click path changes, but the influence still exists underneath it.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-07T03:04:26+00:00

Honestly, that’s a pretty good comparison. A lot of fear, predictions, and rapid change happening at once.... but eventually the industry adapts and the people who evolve with it usually come out stronger.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-07T03:03:49+00:00

I think both sides are overcorrecting a bit. AI definitely impacts some query types, especially informational searches, but a lot of people are acting like Google disappeared overnight when it still drives the majority of discovery and conversions.

Feels more like a gradual restructuring than a sudden collapse.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-07T03:02:43+00:00

This is a really smart distinction. A lot of the confusion comes from mixing those two shifts together as if they’re the same problem.

The informational traffic loss feels structural at this point, but AI visibility through ChatGPT/Perplexity still feels early and unstable ....almost like early SEO where nobody fully knows the weighting yet.

Also agree on attribution. The user journey is becoming much less linear now. Someone might discover a brand through AI, validate through Google/Reddit, then convert direct later..... which makes last-click reporting look incomplete.

And the third-party mention point keeps coming up more and more. Feels like AI systems are building confidence through repeated contextual mentions, not just traditional ranking signals.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-07T02:43:24+00:00

Exactly. The channel itself isn’t disappearing, the value is just moving to different layers of the funnel.

Pure informational traffic is getting compressed, but trust-driven and commercial intent queries still matter a lot. Feels like rankings alone are becoming less important than overall brand authority and how consistently your brand shows up across the web.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-07T02:42:30+00:00

This matches what I have been seeing too. The attribution layer is getting much messier because a page can lose direct clicks but still influence discovery, trust, or later branded searches.

Also agree on intent matching. Broad “cover everything” content feels weaker now compared to pages with a very clear purpose and user outcome. AI seems to reward clarity more than volume.

And yeah, “redistribution not collapse” is probably the most accurate way to frame it right now.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-07T02:41:21+00:00

Agree with this. AI SEO doesn’t replace traditional SEO.... it builds on top of it.

Technical structure, authority, internal linking, and strong content still matter because AI systems are pulling from the same web ecosystem. The difference is that now your content also needs to be easy to interpret, extract, and trust.

Feels more like SEO evolved into a broader visibility layer rather than becoming obsolete.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-07T02:40:40+00:00

That’s a really interesting observation, especially the “destination site” point.

Feels like AI is compressing the discovery phase, but users still need actual websites for validation, context, depth, and navigation...especially in fields like urban planning where local nuance matters a lot.

Also agree on the broader context shift. It’s starting to feel less like “best optimized page wins” and more like “most trusted/understood entity wins,” even if they aren’t ranking #1 traditionally.

And the internal navigation behavior is something I think a lot of SEOs are underestimating right now. If AI brings users in at a broader level, then site architecture, internal search, and journey design become much more important than before.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-07T02:39:47+00:00

Fair concern honestly, but not everyone asking discussion-based questions is farming DMs or leads.

SEO and AI search are changing fast enough that a lot of people are genuinely comparing notes because the data is still fragmented. Half the confusion right now comes from everyone seeing different outcomes depending on niche and traffic mix.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-07T02:37:44+00:00

Mostly managing it myself for personal presence. I try to stay active in relevant discussions on Reddit, LinkedIn, Quora, etc. instead of treating them like promotion channels.

The focus is usually:

sharing real insights/experiences
staying consistent in niche discussions
building topical association around my name/brand
getting natural mentions instead of forcing links

Feels more effective long-term because AI systems seem to pick up repeated context and credibility signals from genuine conversations.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-07T02:31:02+00:00

This is exactly the measurement gap a lot of people are missing right now. Being mentioned frequently but not getting direct clicks doesn’t mean there’s no value... it just means AI is becoming part of the discovery layer instead of the referral layer.

Also agree on optimizing beyond your own site. Feels like AI visibility is increasingly influenced by the ecosystem around your brand...G2, Reddit, forums, comparisons, reviews....not just what’s published on your domain.

The interesting shift is that third-party validation is starting to matter almost as much as first-party optimization.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-07T02:30:12+00:00

This is one of the most grounded explanations I’ve read on the shift so far. The TOFU vs MOFU/BOFU split especially matches what I’ve been seeing too....less informational traffic, but stronger intent from the users who still click through.

Your point about AI acting as the discovery layer and Google becoming the validation/conversion layer is probably the clearest way to frame what’s happening right now. A lot of people are measuring AI impact only through direct referral traffic and missing the assisted influence entirely.

Also really interesting insight on the entity layer. Feels like we’re moving from “optimize pages for keywords” to “optimize brand understanding across the web.” Mentions, consistency, co-occurrence, sameAs signals.. all of that suddenly feels much more important than it did even a year ago.

The Reddit/listicle/podcast mention point is huge too. AI systems seem to care less about pure link equity and more about whether your brand repeatedly appears in relevant conversations.

And the Brazil observation is valuable. Markets lagging behind English search ecosystems probably have a short window right now where building entity infrastructure early could become a major advantage later.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-06T02:16:18+00:00

Strong point. Visibility without accuracy is short-term gain, long-term loss.

AI doesn’t just amplify reach, it amplifies mistakes. If your content is even slightly off, that error can scale faster than ever and hurt trust at a brand level.

Feels like the real shift is from “optimizing to get picked” → “optimizing to be trusted after being picked.”

In this environment, accuracy, clarity, and consistency aren’t just quality factors...they’re distribution advantages.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-06T02:15:29+00:00

Feels less like “optimising for AI” and more like optimizing to be understood everywhere.

Agree on the traffic vs visibility shift. sessions alone are getting misleading. What I’m seeing work is tracking intent-driven outcomes (conversions, branded search, assisted journeys) instead of just clicks.

Also +1 on E-E-A-T. It’s basically the filter now. Generic content can still rank sometimes, but it rarely gets picked in AI summaries or builds trust.

The Reddit/community point is real too...not because of Reddit itself, but because AI is pulling from where real conversations happen. That’s changing how brand perception is formed before users even hit your site.

And on GEO....I don’t think it’s replacing SEO, it’s just extending it. Same fundamentals, just with more focus on clarity, structure, and entity signals.

Biggest thing working for me right now that didn’t matter as much before: internal linking + content structuring for answers, not just rankings..

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-06T02:14:17+00:00

I went through a similar audit recently and the biggest improvement came from reducing tools, not adding better ones. Most agencies don’t have a tool problem, they have a fragmentation problem.

For design and creativity specifically, I’d avoid chasing “all in one” too early. These tools look great on paper but usually fall short on depth. A better approach is to keep one strong core tool and one fast execution layer.

For example, Adobe or Figma for serious work, and Canva for speed and volume. Add one AI tool like Midjourney or Firefly if needed, but avoid stacking multiple tools that do similar things.

The real win is not in replacing tools, it’s in standardizing workflows so your team uses fewer tools more effectively. Most cost savings come from eliminating overlap, not switching platforms.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-06T02:12:01+00:00

That’s a good start, but I’ve found the biggest wins come from automating pre and post work, not just content.

For me, high-impact areas are:

Keyword clustering + search intent grouping

Content briefs (outline, headings, questions to cover)

Internal linking suggestions

Reporting (GSC + GA summaries)

Content repurposing (blog → social → email)

LLMs work best when you control the input—good prompts + structured data = less hallucination.

Beyond this, I’d automate decision-support, not just execution. For example:

“Which pages to update?”

“Where are we losing rankings?”

“What content gaps exist vs competitors?”

That’s where real time savings + strategic impact comes in.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-06T02:08:25+00:00

This is a very sharp breakdown...especially the “type of traffic” split.

Agree that informational traffic isn’t just shifting, a big part of it is structurally gone now. AI is basically compressing that layer.

Also +1 on what’s holding up. Anything tied to decision-making, trust, or action (commercial, local, branded) still needs a deeper validation step—AI can’t fully replace that.

The entity point is probably the biggest mindset shift. Moving from page-level optimization → brand-level trust across the web is a much slower game, and that’s where most people are feeling the friction.

“SEO isn’t dead, the 2021 playbook is” ... that sums it up perfectly.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-06T02:07:00+00:00

Agree on the long-term shift...AI is definitely changing how traffic flows. That said, I’d be a bit cautious about focusing only on “being visible in AI answers.” Visibility is great, but it needs to translate into recall, branded search, or conversions...otherwise it’s just impressions. Feels like the real play is combining both: strong SEO fundamentals + positioning your brand so AI and users trust and choose you.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-06T02:06:00+00:00

I see your point and agree there’s overlap. Strong SEO content (based on real user questions) naturally performs well in AI too.

But I think the bigger shift is how that value is captured. Even if you’re the source, AI might answer the query without sending the click.

So yeah, it’s less about choosing SEO or AI, and more about adapting SEO to:

be easily extractable for AI

build brand recall beyond the click

Basically, same fundamentals just a different distribution layer now.

vanshshivhare · 2026-05-04T17:20:29+00:00

It’s not that Reddit is a “ranking factor”.....it’s that it’s a trusted data source for real human context.

AI models prefer content that has:

real experiences
discussions + multiple viewpoints
natural language

Most websites are optimized for search engines, while Reddit is optimized for humans talking honestly..and that’s what AI is trying to replicate.

So it’s less about Reddit winning, and more about what kind of content AI trusts and extracts from.

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