"SEO is dead." — I've been reading this everywhere since early 2024. On LinkedIn, in marketing blogs, in YouTube videos with clickbait thumbnails. ChatGPT answers questions directly, Google shows AI summaries above search results, Perplexity delivers ready-made answers with citations. Why would anyone still need search engine optimization?
If you run a local business — a trades company, a practice, a restaurant, a studio — and you're wondering whether SEO is even worth it anymore: this article is for you. No fear-mongering, no downplaying. Just an honest analysis of what's actually changing, what it means for your business — and what you should do now.
What's Happening Right Now? The AI Revolution in Search
Let's first look at what has technically changed. Because the shift is real — denying it would be naive.
Google AI Overviews: The Summary Above the Results
Since 2024, Google has been showing AI Overviews for more and more search queries — AI-generated summaries that appear right at the top, above the regular search results. Previously known as "Search Generative Experience" (SGE), they are now active for the majority of English-language searches and are increasingly being rolled out in other markets as well.
What this means: when someone googles "What is search engine optimization?", they get the answer right on the search results page — without needing to click on a website.
ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Others as Search Alternatives
At the same time, more and more people are using AI chatbots as their search engine. Instead of typing into Google, they ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Claude directly. "What's the difference between SEO and PPC?", "How do I create a privacy policy?", "Which CMS is best?" — these questions are increasingly being answered by AI, not by websites.
The numbers are hard to ignore: ChatGPT has over 200 million weekly active users. Perplexity processes millions of search queries per day. This is real competition for Google — and for websites that rely on informational search traffic.
Zero-Click Searches: Clicks That Never Come
The "zero-click search" phenomenon isn't new — even before AI, Google answered many questions directly through Featured Snippets, Knowledge Panels, and info boxes. But AI is accelerating this trend massively. Studies show that over 60% of all Google searches already end without a click on any search result. For informational queries, the rate is even higher.
That sounds alarming. And for certain types of websites, it is. But — and this is the crucial point — not equally for everyone.
What This Means for Your Website
The impact of AI on search isn't one-size-fits-all. It depends heavily on what kind of search queries are relevant to your business. And this is where it gets interesting.
Informational Queries: Where AI Hits Hardest
"What is SEO?" — "How does a heat pump work?" — "How much does a move cost?" — These are informational search queries. The user wants an answer, not a product or service provider. This is exactly where AI Overviews and chatbots play to their strengths. The answer is delivered directly; the click to the website never happens.
For blogs and magazine websites that primarily live off informational traffic, this is a real problem. Content farms that mass-produced thousands of generic how-to articles are losing traffic dramatically.
Transactional Queries: Less Has Changed Here
"Hire a web designer in Frankfurt" — "Book a hairdresser appointment in Offenbach" — "Dentist near me" — These are transactional and navigational search queries. The user doesn't just want information — they want to take action. They want to book, buy, or get in touch. And for that, they need a website.
No AI chatbot books a hairdresser appointment for you. No AI Overview shows you a web designer's portfolio. No AI can tell you whether you'll feel comfortable in a doctor's office. For purchasing decisions, people still need websites.
Local Queries: Your Safe Harbor
"Electrician Offenbach" — "Italian restaurant Frankfurt Nordend" — "Physiotherapy Darmstadt" — Local search queries are the domain of Google Maps and the Local Pack. And here, AI has changed practically nothing.
Why? Because local search is extremely specific. It depends on location, opening hours, reviews, distance, and availability. This is data that AI chatbots simply cannot deliver in real time. Nobody asks ChatGPT: "Which hairdresser on my street has a free slot tomorrow at 2 PM?" — That's what Google Maps is for.
If you're a local business, the AI disruption is significantly less dramatic for you than the headlines suggest. You can find more on how to build local visibility in my comprehensive guide to local SEO.
Why SEO Still Isn't Dying — Especially for Local Businesses
"But if AI keeps getting better, won't it eventually replace everything?" — No. And here's why, with concrete reasons.
Local Search Is Google Territory
Google processes over 8.5 billion search queries per day. The local share of that — searches with a location reference or "near me" — accounts for about 46%. And this segment continues to be dominated by Google Maps, the Local Pack, and Google Business Profile. AI chatbots have no comparable infrastructure here.
The Local Pack — the three results with a map that appear at the top for local searches — is the single most important customer channel for many local businesses. And nothing about that has changed.
Purchasing Decisions Need Websites
Imagine you're looking for a web designer. An AI chatbot can explain what good web design is. But to make a decision, you want to:
- See a portfolio — What does their work look like?
- Estimate prices — What does it roughly cost?
- Check references — Are other clients satisfied?
- Get to know the person behind it — Do I trust this person?
- Get in touch — How do I reach them?
A website delivers all of that. No chatbot does. The website is where trust is built and decisions are made. That's not going to change because of AI — quite the opposite. If you want to know what makes a convincing website, check out my article on what makes good web design.
AI Chatbots Cite Websites as Sources
Here's an often-overlooked point: AI chatbots like Perplexity and ChatGPT (with browsing) cite websites as sources. They don't generate their answers from thin air — they draw on existing web content. And which websites get cited? The ones with the best authority, the clearest answers, and the most structured content.
This means: good SEO work doesn't just help Google find you — it also helps AI systems recognize and reference you as a trustworthy source. Your website becomes the source that AI draws its answers from.
Google Business Profile Is Untouched by AI
Your Google Business Profile — with reviews, photos, opening hours, location, and contact details — works today exactly as it has for years. AI hasn't changed that. And it remains one of the strongest channels for local customer acquisition. Neglecting it means giving away visibility.
E-Commerce Runs on Websites, Not Chatbots
Nobody buys a pair of shoes through an AI chatbot. Online shopping requires product images, size charts, shopping carts, payment systems, and return policies. All of that lives on websites and in online shops — and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
What's REALLY Changing: From Keywords to Authority
SEO isn't dying — but it's changing fundamentally. And anyone who ignores this will indeed run into problems. The shift can be summed up in one sentence: It's no longer about placing keywords, but about being an authority.
The Old SEO World
Ten years ago, SEO looked like this: find keywords with high search volume, stuff them into your text as often as possible, collect backlinks from random directories, and hope Google rewards you for it. That worked for a while — and produced a flood of mediocre content that nobody actually wanted to read.
The New SEO World
Today — and especially in the AI era — it's about something different: Be the source that both Google and AI systems recognize as authoritative and trustworthy.
Google calls its quality criteria E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. These aren't new buzzwords — they're the standards Google uses to decide which content ranks at the top. And AI systems use similar signals to decide which sources they cite.
Structured Data: The Language of AI
Schema markup — structured data in your website's code — helps search engines and AI systems understand your content. Instead of just reading the text on a page, a machine can recognize: "This is a local business in Offenbach. It offers web design. Here are the opening hours. Here are frequently asked questions."
FAQ schemas, LocalBusiness schemas, and Article schemas in particular are worth their weight in gold. They provide AI systems with ready-made question-answer pairs and structured business data that can flow directly into their responses.
Depth Beats Volume
One thorough, honest, well-structured article on a topic is worth more than ten superficial ones. That was true before AI — but AI makes it even more so. Because AI systems can easily generate thin content on their own. What they can't do: deliver real experience, real opinions, and real expertise. Your job is to create content that an AI can't simply replicate.
In practical terms, that means: don't write "The 10 Best SEO Tips" that exists in identical form on 500 other websites. Write from your experience. With concrete examples. With an honest assessment. With your perspective. That's what both readers and AI systems recognize as valuable.
How to Make Your Website AI-Ready: Practical Tips
Enough theory. What can you actually do to prepare your website for the AI era? Here are the most important steps — sorted by impact.
Implement Structured Data
If your website doesn't have structured data yet, this is the first and most important step. Implement at minimum:
- LocalBusiness schema: Your business name, address, phone number, opening hours, industry — machine-readable in your website's code.
- FAQ schema: Frequently asked questions and answers that Google can display as Rich Results and that AI systems can use directly as a source.
- Article schema: For blog posts and guide content — so search engines can clearly attribute author, publication date, and topic.
Good to know: At YB Digital, structured data, FAQ schemas, and local SEO are standard on every website. It's not an add-on — it's the foundation that good visibility is built on.
FAQ Sections on Key Pages
Add FAQ sections to your service pages and homepage. Not as an SEO trick, but as genuine value for visitors. Answer the questions your customers actually ask:
- How much does your service cost?
- How long does the process take?
- What sets you apart from the competition?
- Who is your offering for?
These questions are the same ones AI systems need to answer. If your website provides the best, clearest answer, you'll be cited.
Write Clear, Direct Answers
AI loves direct answers. Instead of long introductions and convoluted sentences: Answer the question in the first sentence. Then provide context, details, and examples. That's not just AI-friendly — it's reader-friendly.
Bad: "In today's digital landscape, it is important to consider the various aspects of pricing, because many factors play a role when one wishes to examine the costs of a website."
Better: "A professional website costs between €2,000 and €10,000, depending on scope and features. The most important price factors are..."
Demonstrate Real Expertise
Show that there's a real person with real experience behind your website. That means:
- About page with real information — Who are you? What qualifies you?
- Real project examples instead of stock photos — Show your work, not generic illustrations
- Client testimonials with context — Not just "Great service!" but detailed experience reports
- Your own opinion and perspective — AI can't deliver an authentic opinion, but you can
Strengthen Local SEO
For local businesses, local SEO is your strongest channel — and the one least affected by AI. Invest specifically in:
- Google Business Profile: Fill out your profile completely, upload photos regularly, respond to reviews, use Google Posts.
- Reviews: Actively ask satisfied customers for Google reviews. Reviews are a top ranking factor and simultaneously build trust.
- NAP consistency: Your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) must be identical everywhere online — on your website, on Google, in business directories.
- Local content: Create content with a local angle. Instead of "web design tips," try "web design for businesses in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main area."
Write for Humans, Not for Algorithms
This sounds like a cliche — but it's the most important tip. AI systems are getting better and better at recognizing and filtering out thin, generic content. What's left is content that delivers real value. That answers a real question. That's written from experience.
Write so that a person thinks after reading: "That was helpful. This person knows what they're talking about." If you can do that, you're automatically doing good SEO — because that's exactly what Google and AI systems want to reward. You'll find a comprehensive guide on this topic in my article about writing website copy that converts.
The Winners and Losers of AI Search
Not every website is equally affected. The AI revolution in search has clear winners and losers — and the dividing line runs along quality.
Who Wins
- Websites with real authority: Experts who write from experience and show it. Real people with real knowledge.
- Websites with structured data: Pages that help machines understand their content. Schema markup, clear structures, FAQ sections.
- Websites with local presence: Local businesses with an optimized Google Business Profile, reviews, and a solid website. AI affects you the least.
- Websites with unique content: Original photos, real case studies, original perspectives — things an AI can't simply copy.
Who Loses
- Content farms: Sites that mass-produced generic articles on every conceivable topic. AI can do that better and faster — these websites are losing their reason to exist.
- Keyword stuffers: Anyone who treated SEO as a pure keyword game without delivering real value will be filtered out.
- Generic template sites: Websites without personality, without real content, without recognizable expertise. They're drowning in a sea of mediocrity.
- Mass AI-generated content: Ironically, AI also punishes AI. Websites that publish masses of ChatGPT-generated text are increasingly being detected and downranked by Google.
The key takeaway: The quality bar is rising. And that's actually good news. Because it means that professional work — thoughtful web design, honest content, a solid technical foundation — is worth more than ever. Those who invest in quality win. Those who rely on cheap tricks lose.
If you want to know which common website mistakes you should definitely avoid, read my article on the topic.
What This Means for You as a Business Owner
You run a business, not an SEO blog. You want to win customers, not understand algorithms. So what should you take away from all this?
Your Website Is More Important, Not Less Important
Sounds paradoxical — AI is taking over search, but your website becomes more important? Yes. Because your website is the source AI systems cite from. It's the place where customers make their purchasing decisions. It's the foundation of your entire online presence.
A website you built five years ago and haven't touched since, however, won't perform well with either Google or AI systems. Invest in a modern, well-structured website that's technically up to date. If you're wondering whether a website relaunch would make sense — yes, it probably would.
Quality Over Quantity
You don't need ten blog posts per month. You need content that's genuinely good. A thorough services page that answers all questions. An honest About section. Maybe three to four blog posts per year that provide real value. That's enough — if the quality is there.
Local SEO Is Your Safe Harbor
If you're a local business, the AI disruption affects you the least. Google Maps, the Local Pack, Google Business Profile, local reviews — it all works today just as it did two years ago. Invest here strategically. It's the channel with the best effort-to-results ratio.
Work With Someone Who Understands Both Worlds
The SEO landscape has gotten more complex. It's no longer enough to plug a few keywords into your website. You need someone who understands how Google works, how AI systems evaluate content, what structured data is, and how to build a website that performs in both worlds.
Don't Panic — Take Action
The worst reaction to the AI revolution is passivity. "SEO doesn't work anymore anyway" is just as wrong as "This doesn't affect me." The right reaction: get informed, assess your own situation, and invest strategically. Not in panic, but with a plan.
And if you feel like your website isn't getting the most out of its visitors yet, take a look at my article on conversion optimization — because traffic alone is worthless if visitors don't become customers.
Conclusion: SEO Is Changing — But Those Who Invest Now Will Win
SEO isn't dead. But the SEO of 2020 is dead. Keyword stuffing, buying cheap backlinks, producing generic content — none of that works anymore. And that's a good thing.
What works instead: a professional website with a clear structure. Structured data that helps search engines and AI systems understand your content. Real expertise that's visible in your writing. A well-maintained Google Business Profile with good reviews. And content that answers real questions honestly.
For local businesses — and that's most of my clients — the formula at its core remains the same: good website + local SEO + Google Business Profile = visibility and customer acquisition. AI changes the details, but not the fundamental principle.
The businesses that invest in a solid web presence now will be the ones AI systems cite as trustworthy sources tomorrow. And the businesses that wait will find that the gap to those who invested keeps growing.
If you want to know where your website currently stands and what you can specifically improve — for Google, for AI, and above all for your customers — get in touch. We'll look at it together.
Or first take a look at my services and my portfolio to see how I work. Structured data, FAQ schemas, local SEO, and clean technical implementation are standard for me — because that's no longer optional, it's a prerequisite.