Search pros can take a breath—SEO isn’t dead, it’s just evolving. That’s the message from Olga Zarr, AI SEO consultant and founder of SEOSLY, who issued a data-backed reality check on the future of search this week.

Her advice? Stop panicking over buzzwords like AIO (AI Optimization), GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), or LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization). According to Zarr, these are nothing more than SEO with extra letters slapped on.

“The core principles of SEO haven’t changed,” she told her audience. “It’s still about helping machines understand your content so users can actually find it. That’s more important than ever.”

Google Still Runs the Table

The numbers back her up. While AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude have made headlines, they’ve barely dented Google’s dominance. Google still commands over 90% of search market share, with search volume growing 21% in the past year. The combined traffic of the top 10 AI chatbots? Less than 3% of total search traffic.

Put bluntly: the “AI search revolution” already happened, and Google won—by baking AI into its own search experience through AI Overviews and AI Mode. For SEOs, the real challenge isn’t fighting off chatbots but adapting to Google’s new AI-driven layers.

Same Pillars, New Playbook

Zarr frames it like this: the four pillars of SEO—Content, Authority, Technical, and UX—are timeless. But the tactics to uphold them must evolve.

• Content: Write in modular, “chunked” formats that AI can easily pull into Overviews.

• Authority: Forget just backlinks; brand mentions across forums, social, and media matter because AI “reads” them all.

• Technical: Prep sites for new AI crawlers and implement schema markup with precision.

“We’re not throwing out the rulebook,” Zarr says. “We’re adding new, critical chapters.”

Turning Panic Into Opportunity

To bridge the gap, Zarr has launched presales for a new course, AI SEO Expert, aimed at giving practitioners a practical, data-driven framework for AI-era optimization. Her pitch: less hype, more application.

“I created this course to turn the AI ‘threat’ into a professional opportunity,” she said.

In other words, AI isn’t making SEO obsolete—it’s just reshaping the battlefield. For marketers who adapt, the game is far from over.

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