The other day, Gartner, a respected research firm, predicted that "traditional search engine volume will drop 25%, with search marketing losing market share to AI chatbots and other virtual agents." So I asked SEOs what they think and only 20% of SEOs think search volume won't change by 2026.
"Organic and paid search are vital channels for tech marketers seeking to reach awareness and demand generation goals," said Alan Antin, Vice President Analyst at Gartner. "Generative AI (GenAI) solutions are becoming substitute answer engines, replacing user queries that previously may have been executed in traditional search engines. This will force companies to rethink their marketing channels strategy as GenAI becomes more embedded across all aspects of the enterprise."
I posted a poll on X asking SEOs and almost 40% of SEOs felt search volume will drop 25% or more by 2026. Less than 20% of SEOs said it won't change at all by 2026.
Here is that poll:
How much do you think search volume will drop by 2026? based on Gartner prediction news today...
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) February 19, 2024
So I made a joke to Google's John Mueller that SEO will be 25% more dead by 2026. In which, John replied:
Of course things will change, and good SEOs thrive in change, they're smart & resiliant. Making technically well-made, qualitative awesome sites which bring value to businesses & all the web's users doesn't come easily, and it'll continue to be important.
I do agree with this, I say it all the time here. What SEOs did 20 years ago, it a lot different than what SEOs do today. What SEOs will be doing in 5 years from now, will be different from what they are doing today. SEOs adapt fast and adapt well.
If not, you are doomed. :)
Forum discussion at X.
