Are AI tools like ChatGPT making search engine optimization (SEO) obsolete?
Absolutely not. In fact, SEO is more important than ever. With more people bypassing traditional search engines and going directly to AI tools to find local service providers, it’s crucial to have your SEO optimized. Let me show you why.
First, let’s look up a commercial painting company in Calgary.
We’ll start with a traditional search on Google. At the top, you’ll see sponsored ads—companies paying Google on a pay-per-click basis every time someone clicks on one of their ads. However, this is not organic. When we scroll down, we reach the organic section of search results. These listings are here because their sites have been optimized with the right keywords, proven credibility, and authority, allowing them to rank well. In fact, the commercial painting company we’re helping is ranked as the top organic result for this search term.
Let’s switch over to ChatGPT
Now, although AI tools are becoming popular, many people still bypass sponsored posts because they know those are paid placements and may not be as trustworthy. Let’s switch over to ChatGPT, the most popular AI tool today. We’ll pretend we’re a prospect looking for a service provider in Calgary and type in “Calgary commercial painting companies.” ChatGPT will then scour the internet for relevant results based on SEO. Unlike traditional search engines, it doesn’t use sponsored posts or ads to find results. Here again, it returns our client as a relevant match, just like in the organic section of Google’s search results.
Why does this happen?
AI tools like ChatGPT don’t earn money from pay-per-click ads, so they rely on search engine-optimized content to determine result relevance. This makes SEO more important than ever for businesses, as they can’t rely on sponsored ads alone to rank well. AI tools return results they find credible, trustworthy, and accurate, meaning there’s no option to “subsidize” your ranking by paying for ads.
What does it mean for your business?
For your business, this means SEO should be at the top of your online marketing priorities. You need to ensure you’re using the right keywords, have optimized code on your site, and that other credible sites are linking to you. Building this authority means that your company will be recommended by AI tools when people are looking for local providers.
If you want to learn more about how we can help your company rank well in traditional SEO and ensure you’re visible to AI-driven searches, reach out to our company, Vision Design, via the link below. We’d be happy to discuss how you can continue getting organic leads without spending on ads. Have a great day!
