There’s a new search algorithm that’s becoming a force in SEO strategy — and it doesn’t belong to Google.
AI search has quickly become something marketers can no longer ignore. It’s here, and it’s already changing how people discover brands, evaluate products, and make purchasing decisions.
These large language models (LLMs) are pulling in data from across the web and rethinking how search results are delivered.
If your content isn’t optimized for how AI thinks, reads, and infers, you’re already falling behind.
This is what’s happening—and what Tegrity is doing about it.
These are some of the key shifts in behavior we’ve been seeing:
AI is Already Competing with Google
Younger generations are signaling the shift loud and clear: they’re turning to AI search tools, not Google, for answers.
For example, did you know that Gen Z no longer uses “Google” as a verb? Sounds pretty crazy to all of us who grew up in the infancy of the internet, but you have to remember that Gen Z literally grew up with a smart phone in hand. This is particularly true for users aged 18-24.
This is just the beginning. AI is no longer a novelty—it’s becoming a go-to resource for discovery. If your SEO strategy is still built around Google alone, it’s incomplete.
Intent > Keywords
Search engines powered by AI aren’t looking for exact keyword matches. They’re interpreting meaning, context, and purpose behind each query.
So, what does that mean for your SEO strategy? First, AI search tools prioritize long-form and conversational queries. As a result, content that answers real-word questions gets rewarded.
As SEO strategy continues to evolve, marketers need to stop writing their content for search engines and instead for people looking to find answers. Ask yourself: what is the user really trying to figure out—and is this content giving them what they need?
Multimodal Content Is the New Standard
It’s no longer just about words on a page. AI analyzes everything on each page as one combined vector language. This includes:
- Text
- Video
- Images
- Audio
These elements are processed as a single blended dataset. That means low-effort visuals, stock photography, and generic infographics won’t cut it.
Your multimedia content must be unique, high-quality, and aligned with your brand story. Every asset—every image, every graphic, every video clip—needs to add value and support your position as a trustworthy source.
AI-Generated Content Can’t Win on Its Own
AI content can be a great starting point. However, as of where it is right now, it can’t replace the expertise, originality, and human insight that your marketing team can add to the content.
Here’s why:
First, current AI tools don’t truly create. Instead, they scrape and remix what is already available on the internet. That means the SEO content driven by AI alone lacks fresh ideas, quotes from thought leaders, and actual industry experience.
In fact, search engines are beginning to flag and demote low-effort and auto-generated content.
To get ahead, your content should be built on real experience, smart insights, and strategic thinking. Go ahead and start with an AI draft, but your marketers must improve the original AI content.
The New Rules of Brand Visibility
With a new source of visibility comes an entirely new set of visibility rules. Here’s what our SEO company has found out:
Your Brand Is Now an Input—Not Just a Destination
LLMs don’t just scrape your website. They build a model of your brand based on everything they can find—including what others say about you.
AI search now factors in:
- Known signals (what you say on your brand)
- Latent signals (what others say about your brand across the web)
- Lurker behavior (who’s reading and engaging with your brand, even silently)
For better or worse, your brand is no longer what you claim it is, it’s what the AI world believes based on your digital footprint. This means SEO is no longer just technical—it’s reputational.
Sentiment Analysis Is the New SEO Battleground
LLMs are constantly evaluating your brand’s reputation across:
- Forums like Reddit and Quora
- Social media platforms
- Product reviews
- Testimonials and third-party mentions
Even fringe or outdated commentary can affect your brand presentation in AI search results. This means that reputation management has become more important than ever. Your social media team, review strategy, and community engagement are now core components of your AI SEO playbook. That means your social media team must take a more active role in AI SEO by leading the conversations, especially regarding your brand management.
AI Search Enhances Personalization
Two people can ask the same AI the same question and get two completely different answers. That’s because:
- LLMs personalize results based on user history and behavior
- Different AI platforms use different ranking logic
- There is no “one-size-fits-all” SEO anymore
If your strategy is built on ranking in a single engine with static results, you're missing the mark. SEO must now account for platform variability and personalization in AI delivery.
How Tegrity Is Using Making Sure Your Brand Remains Visible
Here’s how we’re already helping brands adapt to AI-powered search and what we’ll be doubling down on next.
We’re Building for AI Search Engines
We’re tracking visibility across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and other emerging platforms using the latest tools. Because we partner with SEMRush, we have been given early access to their AI search insight tools. That means we have access to data that other SEO companies simply don’t.
We’re Optimizing for Machine Readability
For every client, we are going back and auditing content across the board. Our SEO agency is auditing all brand assets to ensure AI search can:
- Understand branding logos and graphic language
- Grasp visual hierarchy and content value
- Interpret brand visuals as part of the broader content narrative
We are ditching stock photos in favor of graphics that truly tell your brand’s story.
We’re Owning the Conversation
We’re getting social teams into the platforms that AI search scrapes—Reddit, Quora, forums, and comment threads. We’re also building strategies that:
- Encourage real people to talk about your brand
- Spotlight unique, authentic experiences
- Surface the kinds of brand signals AI is already looking for
We’re Designing for the Algorithm
Web design is a huge AI SEO factor. Why? Because AI sees the visuals.
We’re prioritizing:
- Quality, on-brand visuals
- Fast, readable layouts
- Clear messaging supported by media-rich experiences
Tegrity Marketing is Leading the Way in AI Search and AI SEO
AI search is changing the rules of SEO. Read that again. If you continue to fall back on the same old SEO strategies that used to work, you are already way behind. Tegrity Marketing refuses to sit back and wait. We are out here getting ahead with innovative AI SEO.
Going forward, Tegrity is committed to building AI SEO, design, and social strategies that focus on predicting what is next. We aren’t a team that waits and tries to react after the fact.
Our entire AI search SEO strategy is based on a multimodal approach. That means that SEO strategy is more than just keywords and text. Every piece of branding content must signal toward your brand.
That way we get you set up for AI search and not just the Google search algorithm.
We understand that SEO strategy is no longer just about ranking. It’s about controlling how your brand is interpreted by machines and humans alike.
And that’s exactly what we do.
Contact Tegrity Marketing for Your AI SEO Consultation
Ready to get ahead of your competition by investing in your AI search visibility now? Give us a call, and we’ll make sure you’re proactive instead of reactive. Your website deserves some Tegrity, and you deserve to be on top of your AI SEO.
