The Future of SEO in Light of Open AI's ChatGPT

Is #SEO dead (or on it’s last leg)?

#openai‘s new #chatgpt has been touted by some as the Google killer. As such, what does that mean for the future of SEO?

The logic goes like this:

People will now use ChatGPT to search for an answer to their query rather than Google search.

Instead of being directed to websites where they can discover brands, the information is presented directly in ChatGPT.

Therefore, SEO becomes less effective as a marketing tactic.

I think this will happen to some extent, but it will hardly kill SEO.

People will still use Google search because they want to go to trusted sources, and websites to learn more than just their first line question.

Query 1. “What are the best rain jackets under $1,000?”

The next logical step would be to look at the jackets, the colours, read reviews on quality, functionality, and fit… Websites are great at this. ChatGPT, not so much.

Google is much more than just providing answers to questions. It’s used to find specific products, brands, solutions, sources, etc. It’s used for transactional queries, research, find local businesses, etc.

Also, ChatGPT scrapes data from the internet to present as information. So if your brand’s information is not on the internet because you abandoned SEO, it cannot be scraped and presented by ChatGPT.

Furthermore, some brands will abandon SEO, making it easier for those who continue to invest in SEO much better positioned to rank high in SERPs.