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By this point, you know AIdriven search
is transforming how users find
information. And by the end of this
video, you'll know how AI search works
and why it's so important, practical
ways to structure your site to get
picked up in AI search results, and why
traditional SEO is not dead, but in fact
is more important than
ever. My name is Matt Canyon, and I work
as a growth partner helping businesses
get more traffic, leads, and sales from
organic search. and I've partnered up
with Surfer to help demystify AI search
once and for all. See, the TLDDR version
AI-generated overview
Matt Canyon, a growth partner specializing in organic search, argues that optimizing for AI search engines like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews in 2026 fundamentally requires strong traditional SEO practices rather than entirely new disciplines. While AI search is growing—with ChatGPT processing 1 billion queries daily compared to Google's 16.4 billion searches—79.8% of Americans still prefer traditional search engines according to a 2025 Higher Visibility study. Canyon emphasizes that generative AI platforms primarily pull from top-ranking organic results and trusted sources, making traditional SEO the essential foundation. He outlines four key optimization categories: creating conversational, question-focused content with semantic richness; ensuring technical crawlability for AI bots; implementing schema markup to make content machine-readable; and building topical authority through comprehensive coverage. A 2024 study found well-organized authoritative content with clear sections increased AI answer inclusion by 37% on platforms like Perplexity. Canyon concludes that GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is an additional layer atop existing SEO rather than a replacement discipline.
Google processes 16.4 billion searches daily compared to ChatGPT's 1 billion queries, with 79.8% of Americans still preferring traditional search engines as of 2025, indicating AI search adoption remains early-stage despite growth trajectories.
AI-generated answers preferentially source from content already ranking well organically, making traditional SEO the prerequisite foundation for AI search visibility rather than an obsolete practice.
Well-organized authoritative content with clear sections and FAQ entries increases inclusion in AI-generated answers by up to 37% on platforms like Perplexity, according to a 2024 study.
ChatGPT Search uses Bing's index for information retrieval, making Bing Webmaster Tools and Bing indexing increasingly important for AI search optimization.