Is SEO Still Relevant in the AI Era? Here’s What New Research Reveals

 


Introduction: The Rise of AI and SEO Doubts

With the explosion of AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews, many marketers are asking the same question:

“Is SEO still relevant in 2025?”

The answer, backed by new research, is a resounding YES. A detailed analysis of 25,000 real user queries confirms that top-performing content on Google continues to influence AI-generated search results. So, despite the noise, Search engine optimization isn’t dead it’s evolving.

New Study: 25,000 Searches Prove Search engine optimization Still Matters

What the Research Shows

Conducted by Tomasz Rudzki, co-founder of ZipTie, the study analyzed how websites appeared in AI responses from:

  1. ChatGPT (via web search plug-ins)
  2. Perplexity AI
  3. Google AI Overviews (formerly Search Generative Experience)

The result?
Websites that rank #1 on Google appear in AI answers 25% of the time.

That’s a big deal.

Top Google Rankings Influence AI Search Results

The study revealed a consistent pattern across all major AI search platforms:

“The higher a page ranks in Google, the more likely it is to be featured in AI answers.”

This means traditional Search engine optimization strategies, like ranking on Page 1 of Google, still significantly influence your visibility in AI-driven environments.

What This Means for You

  1. Ranking in the Top 10 on Google is now a gateway to AI discovery.
  2. Top 3 rankings increase the likelihood of being cited in AI responses.
  3. Lower-ranking content? You’re likely invisible to both human and AI readers.

How AI Search Engines Select Sources

The 3-Step AI Search Process

Based on data from Google’s antitrust trial and Rudzki’s research, AI systems follow a three-stage selection model:

Step 1: Pre-Selection

AI identifies potential sources, starting with high-ranking pages on Google. Algorithms prioritize relevance, authority, and ranking.

Step 2: Content Extraction

The AI scans selected pages and extracts specific answers to the user’s question. It favors clear, concise, direct information.

Step 3: Synthesis

Using models like Google’s Gemini, the AI synthesizes these bits of data into one coherent, summarized answer.

Why Rankings Still Matter

According to internal Google documents:

“Using top-ranking content improves the factual accuracy and trustworthiness of AI responses.”

This reinforces the importance of Google’s ranking signals in the AI age.

Also Read: Writing SEO Blogs Faster with ChatGPT: A Simple Guide

The Query Fan-Out Effect: Why Lower Ranked Pages Sometimes Win

You may occasionally notice sources in AI answers that don’t appear in Google’s Top 10. That’s due to two main reasons:

1. Personalization

Search results are tailored per user, based on location, search history, and preferences.

2. Query Fan-Out

This technique, disclosed in Google’s documentation, explains how AI expands a single question into multiple subqueries. For example:

Original search:

“Search Engine Optimization vs. Search Engine Marketing”

Fan-out queries may include:

  1. “What is search engine optimization?”
  2. “What is search engine marketing?”
  3. “SEO vs SEM for small business”
  4. “Is SEM paid or organic?”

If your page answers any of these sub-questions better than others, AI might include you even if you didn’t rank for the original search term.

Traditional SEO vs. AI SEO: What’s the Difference?

Traditional SEOAI SEO (AI Search Optimization)Focus on keyword optimizationFocus on direct answers to questionsLong-form, in-depth guidesShort, precise, targeted responsesLink building & metadataStructured content and clarityRanking for a single keywordRanking for multiple subqueries

The shift is from writing for Google crawlers to writing for AI reasoning models.

To know more Read our Article

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