What Is AIO and How It's Killing SEO

The shift in behavior is profound. Many users are replacing Google searches with interactions on tools like ChatGPT. It’s not just a new way to search—it’s a new way to consume information. In marketing, the impact has been so significant that new strategies are emerging: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is outdated; the conversation now revolves around Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), and Artificial Intelligence Optimization (AIO).

The issue is more complex than it seems. It’s not just ChatGPT stealing clicks—Google itself has adopted the zero-click model through its AI-generated summaries: users get answers without needing to visit a single website. This undermines its traditional business model and, worse yet, destroys the cycle that justifies content creation. More and more, CMOs are being forced to face an uncomfortable reality: traffic from SERPs is in free fall.

At the heart of the issue lies the zero-click concept. While it sounds beneficial for users, it clashes with the core principles of digital marketing—especially measurement and efficiency. These days, it’s rare for someone to click on a link in a video description, a LinkedIn bio, or even a social media post. Consumers stay within the native environment, and that’s redefining how and where content is created.

In this new landscape, websites will lose relevance as traffic destinations—and with that, the incentive to enrich them with quality content. A vicious cycle begins. Platforms like ChatGPT and even Google are betting that we won't need to visit any sites because answers will be readily available via AI or enhanced engines. But this vision is short-sighted. Just look at what happened when Facebook tried to centralize all interactions within its platform. Many brands fell into the trap and ended up paying to regain access to their audiences.

There’s also something algorithms still don’t understand: content must be updated. Believing consumers will be satisfied with recycled answers from ChatGPT or Google is naïve. The irony is brutal—ChatGPT has become one of our top conversion channels and our biggest thief of SEO-driven clicks. You need to feed them indexed content to be visible in these tools. But the better they perform, the less traffic they send back to our sites. It’s a vicious cycle where content creation becomes less profitable just when it's most necessary.

The solution isn’t to surrender—it’s to diversify. Publish content that still converts: YouTube, Reddit, Quora, sponsored newsletters, and, of course, LinkedIn. At the same time, we must optimize for AIO, with content explicitly crafted to be digested by artificial intelligence. There’s still an opportunity. Keywords like “guide,” “template,” “example,” and “strategy” continue to resist AI-generated summaries. But let’s be honest: thought leadership isn’t discovered on Google—it’s distributed. It’s planted strategically.

The solution may seem simple, but it points to a more profound truth: we must return to the physical world. Perhaps that’s why theme parks in the U.S. are now worth $35.5 billion, with 20% margins and 31% growth in just five years. Consumers crave experiences—especially physical, memorable ones. The digital environment has become tactical. And many leaders seem more concerned with their own status than with making media matter.

We’re entering the zero-click era. And if we don’t adapt, the only zero we’ll see will be in our traffic metrics.