SEO in the age of AI: myths, realities and what really works

In recent months, the rise of artificial intelligence-powered search engines, such as Google SGE, Perplexity, ChatGPT o You.com has shaken the organic positioning strategies. There is a lot of talk about "new SEO", but... Are we really facing a revolution or simply an evolution?

Here are some relevant data that lead us to consider this new scenario:

Google continues to leadbut for the first time its global market share fell below 90% by the end of 2024. In Spain, Google maintains a dominance of 95%.

AI search engines are growing fastIn 2025, ChatGPT Search surpassed 1 billion searches per week. Perplexity reaches 230 million queries per month, although still far from Google, which processes some 96 billion searches per week.

The AI assistants are already the search preference for 72% of those under 35, with 78% of millennials and Gen Z relying more on AI-generated answers than classic search engines.

Therefore, we are going to debunk the main myths about this evolution in user behavior and clarify which practices really work and which do not.

Myth 1: "Traditional SEO is dead".

Reality: It is not dead, but it is evolving.

The basis of the SEO are still relevant: quality content, good web structure, loading speed and user experience are still fundamental pillars. What is changing is the how y where that content is displayed: SERPs (results pages) now prioritize direct answers, featured snippets and AI Overviews, causing the "zero-click search" phenomenon.

AI does not replace SEO, but it does force us to rethink how information is written, organized and presented so that it can be "understood" and selected by generative models.

Myth 2: "Now it is only important to answer questions directly".

Reality: It is important, but not exclusive.

AI search engines prioritize concise and contextual responses, giving an advantage to well-structured content with clear headings, natural language and optimized semantics. However, this does not replace in-depth content. AI search engines still crawl websites for authority, sources and context.

Work with semantic SEO and use structures such as FAQ, glossariesor sections of summary can help you appear in AI-generated responses, but they are not a magic formula.

Myth 3: "I must optimize for the particular model such as GPT or BARD".

Reality: You can't (at least not directly).

Unlike traditional engines, AI search engines do not run on transparent 100% algorithms or respond to keyword usage as before. They are trained on large amounts of data and, in many cases, do not index in real time.

What you can do is to improve the credibility, authority and clarity How? By linking to external sources, generating updated content, avoiding duplication, and improving readability.

Myth 4: "Links and linkbuilding no longer matter".

Reality: Wrong! Backlinks are still essential.

Backlinks continue to be a key authority signalincluding for models of IA. The more relevant sites that reference you, the more likely you are to be considered a trusted source by an AI.

In addition, generative search engines usually cite sources. The best way to be cited? Having unique, well-structured content, linked from other portals.

Radical change or strategic adjustments?

SEO is not dying; it is transforming. The fundamentals are still valid, but today the priority is on how your content interacts with and is read by generative models and AI assistants. The ability to adapt and innovate will determine who leads in the SEO of the future: working with data, personalization and trusted sources will be key to maintaining visibility and traffic in this new digital ecosystem.

Adapt now to gain competitive advantage, don't wait for change to take hold, the future of SEO is already AI! Contact us at