Larry Page once said that the perfect search engine should understand exactly what the user wants to find and deliver exactly what is needed. A quarter-century has passed, and his dream has finally come true — only it was not #Google who realized it.
For twenty years, humanity lived in the era of links. Businesses hired entire armies of SEO specialists — search engine optimization experts who conjured over meta tags and backlinks like alchemists over the philosopher's stone. Their task was to tune websites to Google’s algorithms and get them to the top positions of search results. The goal was simple: to land on the first page of search engines. But the rules of the game have radically changed. Today, the question is not who will take the first place in the results, but who will be cited by artificial intelligence in its response.
How search has changed on the internet
Large language models like #ChatGPT , #Gemini and Claude have brought with them a fundamentally new way of interacting with information. Instead of a list of links, the user receives a ready-made answer, formed from multiple sources. This is not just an evolution of search — it is its complete transformation.
Previously, Google was a librarian, showing where to find the desired book. Now artificial intelligence has become the encyclopedia itself, which not only points to information but provides it immediately. Users no longer need to sift through dozens of articles — the machine has already done that work for them.
The scale of change is impressive. When Google launched AI Overviews — AI summaries on top of regular search results — traditional organic traffic began to plummet. According to analysts, organic traffic can fall drastically when #AI summaries occupy top positions. Some studies record declines of up to 70%, comparable to the effect of a significant algorithm update. This is not a market correction — it is a radical restructuring.
At the same time, the popularity of autonomous AI assistants is growing. ChatGPT has become one of the fastest-growing digital products in history, gaining its first 100 million users in just two months — five times faster than Instagram. People are increasingly starting their information journeys not from a search bar, but from a chat with artificial intelligence.
The new ecosystem of digital presence
Traditional SEO will not disappear overnight, but its role is radically changing. If previously success was measured by positions in search results, now the criterion is the ability to be included in the responses of AI systems. This requires a completely different approach to content creation.
Artificial intelligence values clarity of presentation above intricate SEO tactics. Content must be easy for machines to process and reuse. This means a structured presentation of information, direct answers to questions, and maximum informativeness of each paragraph.
The authority of sources takes on a new meaning. AI models prefer proven, quality resources: industry publications, expert blogs, academic publications. Superficial content created solely to attract traffic is losing its effectiveness.
New sources of influence
Diversification of channels is becoming critically important. Automated data collection systems — special programs that scour the internet and collect information for training AI models — are increasingly exploring alternative platforms: specialized forums, thematic communities, specialized Q&A resources. These platforms attract artificial intelligence with their authenticity and relevance of content.
Thematic Telegram channels, professional communities on LinkedIn — all of them have suddenly gained new value. Not because users visit them, but because machines draw knowledge from them.
Practical adaptation to the new reality
Companies need to rethink their approaches to digital marketing. Content strategy should focus on creating truly useful information that AI systems will consider worthy of inclusion in their responses.
This means deep expertise instead of superficial coverage of topics. Each publication must add unique value to the information field. Machines have learned to recognize original insights and distinguish them from rewritten content.
It is also important to understand how users formulate queries to AI assistants. These queries are often more elaborate and specific than traditional search phrases. For example, instead of 'vacation in Turkey', a user might ask: 'Where is the best place for a family with two children aged 5 and 12 to vacation in Turkey in October with a budget of up to $3000?' Content should contain detailed answers to such specific situations, with concrete steps for solving the problem.
Measuring effectiveness also requires new metrics. Instead of focusing exclusively on traffic, it is worth tracking mentions in AI responses, the quality of links to your content, and the growth of domain authority as a source of expert information.
We are experiencing a quiet revolution in the ways we search for and consume information. The era of traffic hunting is coming to an end, giving way to a fundamentally new paradigm. In this world, it is not the one who attracts more clicks that wins, but the one whom artificial intelligence considers trustworthy. Adapting to these changes will determine who remains on the information map of the future and who will turn into a digital dinosaur. Welcome to the era of the fight for citation.
