Is SEO still worth it now that AI answers search queries?

AI features change how some searches end. Informational questions are more likely to be answered on the results page or in a chat, which can reduce clicks for those queries. Commercial searches, where people compare providers and buy, still lead to websites, and buyers still visit the sites of brands an assistant recommends before they commit.

SEO remains worth doing when:

• Your customers search for what you sell, on Google or in AI assistants.
• You can create content that is better or more specific than what already ranks.
• You can invest for long enough for results to compound, rather than for a single quarter.

What changes is emphasis. Prioritise pages close to revenue, measure leads and sales rather than raw traffic, check that AI assistants describe your brand accurately, and make sure AI crawlers can read your site. Informational content still has value, especially original research and expert insight that assistants cite, but judge it on influence and assisted conversions too.

To size the risk for your own keywords, use the AI Overviews Traffic Loss Calculator. The Organic Traffic Value Calculator shows what your current organic clicks would cost if you had to buy them as ads.