AI, Google, and the Future of SEO

Google isn’t just a search engine anymore. It’s part of daily life. Around 354 million searches are made on Google every hour, billions of questions, comparisons, and clicks every day. Whether you’re looking up tonight’s dinner recipe or researching a new business supplier, chances are you’re turning to Google first.

But search is changing. Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn’t only appearing in headlines or tech conversations; it’s now directly shaping how people see results. You’ve probably noticed AI-powered summaries at the top of your searches or even asked AI tools to explain something to you instead of scrolling through websites.

This raises an important question for businesses like yours: How does AI affect SEO, and how can you ensure your website is still found? The key is understanding that AI isn’t just a threat to SEO. It’s already influencing search, and adapting your strategy could help your business build authority and visibility.

What Is SEO?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the practice of improving your website so that it appears in search results when people search for products, services, or information you offer. SEO ensures search engines understand your site and see it as relevant and trustworthy.

Ranking Factors Include:

AI is already playing a role here. Google uses AI systems like RankBrain, which interprets search intent, and Passage Ranking, which allows a single section of your content to appear in results even if the whole page is irrelevant.

This means content quality matters more than ever. Whether you’ve written your pages yourself, worked with a copywriter, or used AI tools to draft content, what counts is how helpful and trustworthy that content is. Search engines are becoming better at rewarding usefulness over word count or keyword stuffing.

SEO Is Always Evolving

If you’ve ever felt like SEO changes faster than you can keep up, you’re not alone. Over the past decade, businesses have had to adapt to major shifts like:
AI is the next stage of this ongoing evolution. Instead of just displaying a list of links, Google is now using AI to provide direct answers and guide users through more conversational searches. If you’re not adjusting your SEO strategy, your competitors will be the ones getting seen.

New AI Features

AI has gone from background technology to the centre of the search experience. You’ve probably already seen some of these new features:
For your business, this means content needs to be clear, structured, and reliable. AI tools are designed to pull in information that’s easy to interpret. If your website’s content is messy, vague, or missing trust signals, AI is less likely to use it.

Think of it this way: AI-powered features scan thousands of pages simultaneously, but they need quick signals about which content is useful. Making your content straightforward and trustworthy increases your chances of being included.

Changes To SEO

These AI changes are reshaping how SEO works in practice. Some of the most important updates include:
This doesn’t mean SEO is dead. It means SEO has new layers. Your strategy needs to go beyond keywords and rankings to consider how your content is presented in AI-driven features.

How Is This Affecting SEO

So, is AI helping your SEO or hurting it? The truth is, it’s doing both.

AI Overviews are appearing more often: They’re showing up in results for more queries every month. That means more people could see your content, even if they don’t always click.

AI search traffic is growing: According to SEMrush, AI-driven visitors could overtake traditional search visitors by 2028.

Some industries are seeing traffic drops: News outlets, for example, have reported reduced traffic because readers are getting answers in summaries without clicking through.

For your business, this means you need to think beyond clicks. Visibility in AI features builds trust and authority. Even if traffic looks different on the surface, being part of those summaries keeps your business in front of your audience.

Google’s AI Overview as a Ranking Factor

Google has confirmed that being included in AI Overviews is now part of ranking websites. In other words, if your content is used in a summary, you’re also more likely to rank higher in search results.

This can work in your favour:

AI Overviews often sit in Position 1 or very close to it.
They include links to your website, allowing readers to click through for more details.
Being featured builds authority and visibility for your brand.
If you want to improve your chances of being included, focus on producing accurate, structured, and user-friendly content. When AI chooses your site as a source, it’s like an endorsement of trustworthiness.

But Does It Reduce Clicks or Engagement?

One of the biggest worries about AI summaries is that people might stop clicking altogether.

Zero-click searches are definitely rising. People often find what they need in the AI Overview and don’t scroll further. On top of that, if AI takes your content out of context, there's the risk of misrepresentation; it might present an answer that doesn’t fully reflect your business.

What can you do about this?

Make your content as precise and accurate as possible, so AI tools represent it correctly.

Accept that SEO success is no longer just about click-through rates. Authority, brand awareness, and trust are now just as important as direct traffic.

If your business is consistently present in AI features, people will notice your brand even if they don’t click right away. That visibility builds familiarity, which can pay off when they’re ready to make a decision.

Overall

AI is changing how search works, but it’s not replacing SEO. It’s reshaping it.

Here’s what you need to remember:
The good news is that you'll be in a strong position if you create content with both people and AI systems in mind. Think of AI as another audience you’re writing for. Search engines and users benefit when you provide clear answers and build trust.

Next Steps for You

The way people search online is changing fast. If you want your website to keep showing up where it matters, now is the time to act.

We can help you adapt to AI-driven SEO. Whether you need support with technical SEO, content planning, or making your site AI-ready, we’ll work with you to ensure the right people see your business in the right places.  

If you’d like to know how your website is performing right now, get in touch to book your free SEO audit. It’s a quick way to see where you stand and what you can do to stay ahead in a world where AI is shaping search.

Cheap SEO is not the same as Affordable SEO!

Are you thinking of hiring an SEO specialist, but not sure where to start? It's important to do your research and not be tempted by the service that is cheapest. SEO takes time, so it is best to find the service that is right for your business and will help it grow over time. Read our advice on finding an SEO specialist that is affordable and not just "cheap".

SEO has quickly become something that business owners are aware of and recognise the need for it within their business' marketing strategy. However, many companies don't see the results they're expecting, and this is usually due to 3 things:

  1. Expecting SEO to work overnight
  2. Using poor SEO tactics through a lack of understanding
  3. Employing the services of a 'cheap' SEO service that is not performing

It's easy to opt for the cheap SEO services that promise fast results without any input from yourself, but this isn't the best way to improve your business' online profile.

How to recognise cheap SEO

If you have a basic understanding of SEO, it can be relatively simple to identify cheap, low-quality SEO services. The things to look out for are:

  1. Long, complicated proposals and reports with lots of technical jargon. This can be an attempt to appear to be doing lots of work, which in reality is either untrue or work that will have very little benefit to your business.
  2. There's very little attention paid to content and the acquisition of links. Content and backlinks have a significant impact on SEO and raising your search rankings. If an agency doesn't give any time or priority to these elements, then they will not get you results.
  3. They are bragging about the size of their company. Even a single SEO freelancer can achieve results that a full team can't; it's about working smarter, not harder.

Good SEO isn't cheap, but it can be affordable for everyone

But what is affordable?

Affordable SEO can be whatever suits your business, and that's what we aim for at Smash Marketing. If your business is generating millions in revenue, then, of course, you can afford to spend thousands a month on SEO. If you're an SME or even a sole trader, this figure is unachievable. Here at Smash, we work with you to achieve the best results possible within your budget.

How much SEO do I need?

This isn't an easy question to answer, because it depends on the current status of your SEO and online presence. The smallest package that we recommend is 4 hours per month, which suits a number of our SME clients, then we have clients taking 20 hours per month. It is down to your budget and what you want to achieve in what timeframe.

How much input do I need to have?

SEO is a two-way thing and does require some input from you, especially in the early stages. We will work with you to understand your business and your aims for marketing.

What's the process for SEO?

Most agencies will begin with an 'onboarding' meeting, which concentrates on fact-finding about your business, your marketing strategy and the goals you wish to achieve through SEO.

At Smash, we always follow the initial meeting by starting the SEO process with keyword research. This gives us the key terms that people are searching for in relation to your products or services. We will agree the keyphrases with you, to ensure they are correct and relevant. From here, we begin our SEO work.

Any SEO company that says it can do it all without your input will not give you a high-quality service. Of course, there are some regular tasks that we will do each month, but we will also have regular discussions to understand any changes and adjustments to your strategy.

Cheap SEO services will only do the bare minimum and carry out activities that don't need much input of either time or money from you. A high-quality SEO service will provide you with quality content and work on gaining relevant backlinks to your website. A cheap service will not provide quality unique copy and may use 'grey' or 'black hat' backlinks that will only end up having your site penalised by Google. SEO is one thing you cannot go cheap on because it will affect your business in the long run.

A cheap SEO service could cost you more:

Cheap SEO services are enticing, but they may end up costing you more than a professional service. Here are some reasons why:

Google could penalise your site

If unprofessional tactics are used to try and gain backlinks, or if copy is plagiarised from other websites. It can take a long time to get the penalty removed and to recover your website traffic levels. You may never get the same traffic levels back if they were fraudulent, to begin with.

You won't receive any tangible assets

High-quality content or backlinks are actual assets to your business. A cheaper SEO service won't supply these; therefore, you're not gaining much for the money spent.

Lack of flexibility

Cheaper SEO providers will work to one particular strategy and not be able to be flexible with this. Many of these companies put priority into sales and gaining customers, and then do not have the resources for the actual SEO work. They can afford to have a high turnover of clients, so client retention is not a priority.

Lack of experience

Great agencies are not cheap because they employ experienced and knowledgeable staff. It's not about how many staff an SEO agency has; it's the quality and experience that the staff themselves have.

 

What if I can't afford to pay a lot for SEO?

If you don't think you can afford an SEO specialist, there are some other options:

Do It Yourself

It is possible to do some of the SEO basics yourself, and this can be more beneficial than hiring a cheap SEO agency. Be aware that this can be time-consuming and requires available staff to learn about SEO and carry out the work. There are some agencies (including Smash Marketing) that will help train your staff and guide them in the process.

Start small

If you understand the structure of a successful SEO strategy, you can start investing in the components that you need most first. For example, if you recognise that your website needs content, you may hire an agency just to write SEO/website copy. A good SEO agency will be able to scale services up or down, according to your requirements and business growth.

Don't rush

Don't be pressured by a cheap agency into taking their services. Do your homework, understand what it is that you want to achieve and if necessary, save some funds to hire a quality SEO agency at a later date.

Why choose Smash Marketing?

At Smash Marketing, we know that SEO isn't an overnight process, and we look to build longstanding relationships with our clients. No two clients or SEO strategies are the same, and we are flexible and experienced enough to shift our approach as necessary.

We also share workloads between the team, which we have found works best for both our specialists and our clients. Our team's varied skills provide great flexibility, and we work with the strengths of individuals for aspects such as Pay Per Click or copywriting. Because our team are all involved with every client, we can be flexible and share work when required.

Smash Marketing loves businesses of all sizes, but we're particularly passionate about helping SMEs make their mark. We will work with your budget to achieve as much as possible, and as your business grows and develops, we can adjust your services and strategy accordingly. Alternatively, we can provide training for your own staff to be able to manage some SEO tasks.

In conclusion, hiring an SEO agency is an important decision and shouldn't be taken lightly. Most importantly, try to avoid taking the 'cheap' SEO route and work with an experienced agency. If you would like to ask advice about what your business requires and how to get started with SEO, please get in touch. We're always happy to have a cuppa and no-obligation chat!

Top 5 SEO Tips for Start-Ups

On Thursday 17th January I was honoured to be invited to speak at the Start Up & Grow event held at the Butcher's Bhoy for their regular networking event.

The following is a summary of the topics I covered, including my top 5 SEO tips for start-ups.

What's SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, which pretty much means getting your website found in search.c

Why should I bother with SEO?

A recent report detailed that positions 1-5 got 67% of the clicks.... So you get it, we've got to get you moving up the rankings.

What can you do yourself?

I could speak to you all day about SEO! but I'd only been given 5 minutes.

Here are my 5 top tips.

1. Get analytics set up

If you haven't already done this do it now! You can't know if your site is working if you don't monitor its performance. Look at the stats each month. Have a good dig around and see what you can learn about your audience. Things like:

2. Get your content right

... from a copy perspective

...from an image perspective

... from a video Perspective

Save videos to YouTube first and paste in an embed code to show the videos on your site. These are generated in your YouTube account, once again this is to make sure we don't slow the site down.
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3. Meta Data

All websites have got the amazing ability to add big flashing signs to google saying THIS IS WHAT MY PAGE IS ABOUT. All too frequently, these opportunities are missed.

These elements are:

Get these consistent for each page, you'll most likely see an increase in your rankings.

By the way if you have a 1 page website, with multiple services or products - I recommend that you change it to multiple pages ... or else it will be difficult to rank.

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4. Create links to your website

Google uses links to your website as a measurement of trust for your website and ranks heavily on it.

How can you create backlinks?

  1. Easy links - Directories - like Google My Business These give links and citation. Simply Google 'SEO Directories' and there are lists of them.
  2. Supplier testimonials. E.g. Our restaurant has been using Joe's Butchers for 3 years, they give great service and my customers love their sausages. Your name, Restaurant Name (links to your website). The supplier will usually be more than happy to display a glowing testimonial and you get your link.
  3. Write content and contact people to publish it for you. They don't have your technical knowledge to write the article and will be grateful for the new content in return for a link back to your website
  4. Digital Press releases - we've all used them for traditional media but can overlook sending them to websites. Don't forget to include a link back to your site.
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5. Drive Traffic through social media.

Find what engages your audience and entice them over to your website. E.g:

What's the future for SEO?

2019 will see more voice search come in; watch this space.

If you'd like to know more, please call me on 07803 132650 or email me at rebecca@daybuildwebsites.co.uk