AI is changing how people search, but here is the part nobody seems to say out loud: AI is still only about 10% of total search traffic. It is growing quickly, yes, but right now the majority of your leads are still coming from Google organic and paid search. That means the strategy you build today needs to consider both worlds.

I also predict Google isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. While we are seeing more zero click searches or searches where people don’t leave the platform they are searching on many of those people are low quality traffic anyways. Google Searching something is a household name spanning a few generations and will take a long time to truly see it’s end (although i don’t see Google rolling over and dying the way Skype did).

I had the chance to sit down with Teri Holland on her Success in Mind podcast to talk about how SEO is evolving and what small business owners must do to stay visible online. We covered everything from the way people type questions into search engines now to how social media is becoming its own kind of search tool.

Here are some of the big things we talked about:

• Search is getting conversational. People are no longer typing two-word phrases like “career coach.” They are asking full questions like “career coach in Vancouver who helps new grads with interviews.” Your content needs to match that level of detail. FAQs, blogs, and service pages are perfect for this.
• Social media is acting like a search engine. TikTok and Instagram are being indexed by Google, and their own search tools are getting smarter. If your content is just “for vibes,” you are missing a huge opportunity.
• Local visibility still matters most. Google Business Profiles, reviews, and backlinks continue to be some of the strongest trust signals you can send to both Google and AI-powered tools.

Do not panic about the 44% of people who do not click on anything after searching. They are not your buyers (click stats curtesy of Neil Patel the SEO Overlord). Focus instead on the 35% who do click on organic and paid results. That is where real intent lives.

If you are feeling overwhelmed about where to start, think about it this way: you do not need to win the whole internet, you need to win clarity. Show up clearly in your niche, use keywords your clients would actually type, and make sure your social and your website are saying the same thing.

That is how you stay visible now and prepare for what is coming.

You can listen to the full episode with Teri here: https://www.teriholland.ca/success-in-mind-podcast/episode/50720236/how-ai-is-changing-seo-with-tianna-mamalick