How AI search is changing SEO: what marketers should do in 2026

And here we are: AI search in 2026 is radically transforming SEO. 60% of queries end without clicks due to AI Overviews in Google and ChatGPT/Perplexity responses directly in the interface. AI SEO is becoming the only way to survive — traffic from AI grew by 527% in 2025, and 70% of businesses are seeing higher ROI from AI SEO optimization. Marketers are moving from keyword spam to GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), where the idea is for AI-powered SEO to generate high-quality snippets of quotes instead of the classic user visit to the site.

The realities of AI search: research data

Semrush research for 2025 shows:

• Google AI Overviews reached 2 billion users per month, of which 34% of queries do not generate clicks because the answer is already available. SEO AI is also confirmed by Originality.ai: the share of AI content in Google’s top results has grown from 2.27% (2019) to 17.31% (2025), but hybrid content (AI + expert editing) ranks 40% higher.
• The Previsible AI Traffic Report notes that sessions with LLM (ChatGPT, Copilot) increased from 17k to 107k between January and May 2025 in 19 GA4 properties. This is 5 months during which AI traffic grew 6.3 times (527% growth). The data is taken from a real Previsible.io report published by Semrush in 2025, which analyzed 19 websites with GA4 data.

These statistics highlight the growing growth of AI traffic in the first half of 2025, which has driven the transition from classic SEO to GEO for performance marketers.

In Ukraine, many performance marketers underestimate GEO, losing 25% of potential traffic from Perplexity UA and Google Gemini. This is because AI and SEO are now measured not by clicks, but by the share of citations in AI responses — this is the new ranking currency.

Key changes in algorithms

AI SEO optimization focuses on E-E-A-T 2.0: RankBrain + MUM algorithms favor content with first-party data and UGC. Ahrefs research shows:

35% of Gen Z prefer voice search, where AI-powered SEO increases CTR by 28% because the conversational tone better matches AI-generated patterns.

AI search trend

35% покоління Gen Z віддають перевагу голосовому пошуку, де ai powered seo підвищує CTR на 28%, оскільки розмовний тон краще відповідає патернам AI-генерації.​

Practical plan for AI SEO optimization

Step 1: AI visibility audit.

Start with AI tools like AlphaRank — check how often your pages are quoted in Google, Perplexity, Copilot.

Target metric: >10% coverage in a key niche such as “traffic arbitrage 2026.”

Step 2: Keyword clustering with AI.

Use AI SEO to generate 50+ long-tail queries such as “how to optimize a landing page for PropellerAds with AI.”

Combine SurferSEO for clusters and ChatGPT for outlines — this saves 80% of your research time.

Step 3: GEO structure of content.

Add schema markup (FAQ, How To, Product) — this increases the chances of citations by 25%. Insert verified statistics from sources: “ROI from AI-powered SEO — 70% of businesses according to Semrush.”

Also, create UGC blocks with real quotes from affiliate forums for authenticity.

Step 4: A/B test headlines.

Let AI generate 10 options, test them in Google Optimize. Typical result: CTR increases by 22%, especially for conversational wording.

Step 5: Tracking and scaling.

Set up GA4 with the AI traffic segment. Scale campaigns when conversions from AI exceed traditional traffic by 23 times.

Case study from Reddit

We created an automated AI SEO website, and in 14 months, its revenue grew to $3,674/month, and then we sold it for $108k. GEO optimization + interesting posts ensured a ROAS of x16 even after the Helpful Content Update algorithms.

Top AI-powered SEO tools

Mistakes that reduce ROI

• 100% AI content: 65% of marketers generate pages completely automatically, but after core updates, Google marks 17% of such top pages as “thin content” and removes them from the algorithm index.
• Lack of schema markup: Without structured data (FAQ, How To), your pages get 0 citations in AI Overviews — algorithms simply don’t see the structure to generate answers.
• Keyword stuffing: Traditional “keyword density” in AI SEO optimization is useless — NLP algorithms (BERT, MUM) analyze semantic intent, ignoring word repetition, so they need to be used organically in different contexts and places.

• Ignoring first-party data: Without your own user data (email insights, surveys), you cannot compete effectively — zero-party data becomes a key advantage in personalized AI SERP.

Life hacks for arbitrageurs

Hack #1: Landing page optimization. Create pages for queries such as “best nutra offers UA 2026” with expanded FAQ sections — this increases quotes in Perplexity by 35%. This approach works perfectly for fast verticals with high LTV.

Hack #2: Reddit strategy. Publish AMAs with affiliate links — Reddit and Quora account for 9% of sources for AI responses. This creates authoritative signals without large budgets for backlinks.

Visual infographic

The evolution of SEO from 2024 to 2026 reflects radical changes: in 2024, the scheme worked as “Well-placed keywords → Top in searches → Click,” but now clicks have fallen by 60%.

In 2026, the effective formula is “GEO → AI quote → Conversion.” Analytics show downward arrows for traditional clicks and sharp upward arrows for AI visibility — this is the new reality of ranking.

Conclusion: the winning strategy in the era of AI SEO

AI SEO optimization is the new operating system of digital marketing, where traditional metrics (positions, clicks) will be replaced by AI visibility and citation. Marketers who were the first to master AI-powered SEO are already seeing better results and conversions that are significantly higher than their competitors.

The key to success is a hybrid approach: AI generates 80% of the content, while human expertise adds E-E-A-T and first-party insights. In 2026, the bar will be set not just on writing more articles, but on providing answers through citations. Start your transformation today and see the difference in AI Overviews rankings.