ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and the Future of SEO: Why AI is the New Search Engine

The SEO landscape is shifting faster than a load-shedding schedule in winter. If you’ve been watching trends, you’ll know that ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and AI-driven competitors are becoming the new search engines – AI search and SEO has arrived – and that means businesses can’t just optimize for Google anymore. Your SEO Strategy has to grow to accommodate the new dynamic.

These generative AI tools pull information directly from the internet, bypassing traditional search engines and serving up instant answers. If your website isn’t structured properly, optimized for AI crawlers, or delivering valuable content, your brand risks vanishing from the digital conversation entirely.

At Fort Hartley, we’re all about staying ahead of the curve, so let’s break down how AI search engines work, what’s changing in SEO, and how businesses can adapt and thrive in this new AI-driven world.

AI-Powered Search is Here—And It’s Changing the Game

For years, Google has been the unquestioned ruler of search. But thanks to the rise of AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Perplexity, and Gemini, people are searching for information differently.

Instead of typing “best investment strategies in 2024” into Google and scrolling through blog posts, more users are now asking AI models:

 “What’s the best investment strategy for a first-time investor in South Africa?”

And here’s the kicker—AI doesn’t just give them a list of links. It summarizes, pulls key points from multiple sources, and delivers an instant response.

What does this mean for businesses?

If your website isn’t optimized for AI-driven search, you won’t be part of the answers people are getting—and that’s a problem. Or worse, what if your business has the incorrect information or misleading information being pushed into the results of users? As much as everyone wants to “AI everything”, the fundamentals of page meta tagging is what will assist generative AI in understanding your webpage.

How ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Other AI Search Engines Work

Unlike Google, which ranks websites based on keywords, backlinks, and user behavior, AI-powered search tools work differently.

1. They crawl the internet like search engines do.
   AI models like DeepSeek, ChatGPT’s web-browsing mode, and Perplexity AI scan the web for relevant, high-quality content.
2. They extract and summarize information.
   Instead of displaying a list of links, AI tools digest content, find patterns, and generate direct answers—all within seconds.
3. They prioritize well-structured, authoritative sources.
   AI models favor well-organized, factual, and SEO-friendly content over keyword-stuffed fluff.

The Big Lesson?
Your website needs to be structured in a way that AI models can easily understand and pull from—or you risk being ignored entirely. The art of meta tagging is about doing the basics well, and with programs such as Yoast SEO, we ensure all web pages are tagged according to the larger SEO strategy.

Why Website Structure is More Important Than Ever

For years, businesses have optimized websites for Google’s crawlers—but now, websites need to be readable by AI-powered bots too. That means:

1. Schema Markup is Non-Negotiable
   Structured data helps AI models understand your content. If you don’t have schema markup on your articles, product pages, and FAQ sections, AI might overlook your content entirely.
2. Clear, Concise, and Well-Organized Content Wins
   AI thrives on structured, well-written, and authoritative information. If your site is cluttered, confusing, or poorly formatted, AI models will struggle to extract meaningful insights.
3. Consistency Across Platforms Matters
   AI search tools pull information from websites, social media, PDFs, and even research papers. If your brand messaging isn’t consistent across these platforms, your business might end up misrepresented—or left out altogether.
4. Mobile Optimization is Key
   Most AI-powered searches happen on mobile devices. If your website isn’t fast, responsive, and easy to navigate, AI models (and users) will favor other sources.
5. Citations and Backlinks Still Matter
   AI favors credible sources—if your content is referenced by trusted industry sites, AI search engines are more likely to pull your insights into their answers.

How Businesses Can Optimize for AI-Powered Search

If you want AI-driven search engines to recognize and feature your content, you need to think beyond traditional SEO. Here’s how:

1. Focus on Answering Questions, Not Just Ranking Keywords
AI-powered search engines are conversation-based—they prioritize natural language, full-sentence questions, and long-tail keywords.

Instead of writing a blog post titled:
❌ “Best Investment Strategies 2024”

Try:
✅ “What is the best investment strategy for first-time investors in 2024?”

“Creating FAQ sections, how-to guides, and detailed, well-structured content makes your website AI-friendly and more likely to be referenced in generative search results.”

2. Implement Schema Markup
Using structured data (schema markup) helps AI search engines understand and categorize your content properly.

If you have a real estate website, for example, schema markup can help AI tools understand property listings, prices, and locations—increasing the chances of your content appearing in AI-generated responses.

3. Create AI-Friendly, Snippet-Worthy Content
AI search engines prioritize content that can be easily broken into bullet points, tables, and clear sections.

If your blog posts include:

• Direct definitions
• Step-by-step explanations
• Data-backed insights
• Well-structured lists
  …then AI is more likely to pull from them when generating answers.

4. Make Sure Your Site is AI-Crawlable
If AI can’t crawl your site easily, it can’t use your content. It’s that simple.

That means:

• Fixing broken links
• Using clean URLs
• Ensuring your sitemap is up to date
• Avoiding excessive pop-ups or JavaScript blocks that interfere with crawling

5. Strengthen Your Digital Footprint
AI doesn’t just pull from websites—it looks at your brand’s overall digital presence.

• Are you featured on industry blogs?
• Do you have a strong social media presence?
• Is your brand cited in authoritative sources?
• If not, AI might not see you as credible, which means your content could be ignored.

AI search is the future—businesses must adapt now

The integration of AI into search engines is not a passing trend—it’s the future of digital discovery. Whether it’s ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Perplexity AI, or Google’s own AI-driven updates, businesses must recognize that traditional SEO strategies alone will no longer be enough.

At Fort Hartley, we help brands stay ahead of these changes by optimizing websites for both traditional and AI-powered search, ensuring businesses don’t just rank well—but remain visible, relevant, and competitive in this evolving landscape.