The fractured future of search: New rules for SEO in the AI age

Search isn’t dying or being replaced. It’s fracturing.

Consumers aren’t quitting search; they’re just seeing other people.

Google still dominates, but it’s like that long-term relationship that’s gotten, well, complicated. Too many ads, too much clutter, a few questionable AI answers – and suddenly users are sneaking off to hang out with ChatGPT and Claude.

This doesn’t mean extinction for SEO. It means the honeymoon’s over – and you need to learn some new moves.

The job now? It’s to play offense in a fractured search landscape.

The following insights come from Kelsey Libert, co-founder of Fractl, who shared them during her webinar and SMX Advanced presentation, How AI is Reshaping SEO: Challenges, Opportunities, and Brand Strategies for 2025.

New rule: The market won’t wait for marketers

Fractl’s survey of 2,000+ people shows how quickly things are shifting:

• Two-thirds of consumers believe AI will replace traditional search within five years.
• 82% say AI-powered search is more helpful than Google’s SERPs.
• Only 8% hadn’t heard of ChatGPT. Nearly half said they explore AI tools as soon as they launch.
• 74% feel confident using AI, and more than half say it makes them more creative, productive, and improves their quality of life.

Translation: This isn’t just hype. We’re watching a massive shift, and consumers are already redecorating their digital lives with AI.

New rule: Don’t fear AI content. Fear mediocre content.

Let’s kill this myth that AI content is automatically untrustworthy.

Because here’s the thing: 80% of consumers are neutral or positive toward brands using AI-generated content.

What people don’t trust? Garbage content. You know, AI slop.

What people trust is useful, accurate, authoritative content – whether a human, a robot, or a robot supervised by a human (or even a human supervised by a robot) wrote it.

The winning formula?

• Feed AI your proprietary data.
• Add your subject matter expertise.
• Edit like you mean it.

This combination can produce better content than what an average writer can crank out alone.

The bar isn’t “is this AI?”

The bar is “is this good?”

New rule: Don’t just use AI to cram more work into the week

One in four executives are saving about seven hours a week with AI. That’s almost a full workday.

But here’s the catch: if your brilliant plan is to take that time and just stuff more crap on your employees’ plates? Congratulations! You’ve turned AI into a burnout machine.

The smarter play? Use AI to ease pressure, not increase it.

Because nothing’s more expensive than replacing burned-out talent. Leaders who get this will keep their best people, their best ideas, and their sanity. That’s a competitive edge no tool can replicate.

New rule: Treat AI like the gold rush it is

AI is like the early days of SEO. It’s a gold rush.

The playing field is wide open. The rewards for moving fast have never been higher.

Yes, the incumbents have resources. But smaller, scrappier brands can move faster than the giants.

The brands that experiment now, take risks, and learn how to win attention in fractured search will walk away with the treasure.

New rule: Play offense, not defense

AI isn’t killing SEO. It’s:

• Reshaping search.
• Redistributing attention.
• Redefining how people discover information.

The only thing AI is killing? Those who cling to their old playbooks.

• Treat AI as a discovery channel, not a death sentence.
• Use it to amplify your brand, not replace it.
• Make it a leadership tool to reduce burnout, not fuel it.

The question isn’t whether AI will fracture search. It already has.

The question is: are you ready to go on offense?

Watch: How AI is Reshaping SEO: Challenges, Opportunities, and Brand Strategies for 2025

Below is Libert’s full webinar presentation.