Will AI be the death of small brand SEO?

SEO isn't dead. It's just more fragmented than ever. While traditional SEO used to focus primarily on dominating Google search results, today, that's no longer enough. Brands need to adapt to a fragmented search ecosystem, where platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and even Wikipedia are becoming key sources of information for AI agents.

LLMs don't just rely on static search rankings — they pull insights from across the web. For example, an AI agent might use YouTube videos to recommend the best sneakers or reference Reddit threads to answer complex questions. As a result, brands need to have a presence everywhere to remain visible and relevant. A one-platform approach just doesn't hold up anymore.

The looming threat to small brands

But here's the challenge: what happens if big brands exploit AI systems? It's not much of a stretch to imagine they'll pay to overpopulate training datasets, increasing the frequency with which their products are mentioned in AI-generated responses. This could skew the playing field, making AI systems more likely to prioritize large corporations over smaller competitors. Without transparency into these datasets, SEO risks transforming into a pay-to-play advertising model—one where budget overweighs quality.

AI agents like Operator, which browse the web on behalf of users, add an entirely new layer of complexity. These tools frequently prioritize the first few results they find, meaning larger brands with established rankings will dominate. Over time, users may not even see alternatives, as AI systems take on more of the decision-making. This shift could leave smaller brands permanently eclipsed online.

Looking ahead, we face several critical challenges. First, measuring success in an AI-driven landscape is inherently complex due to the randomness of LLM responses. Traditional A/B testing won't cut it anymore—we'll need large-scale sampling to understand what works. Second, we're flying blind when it comes to user prompts. Unlike Google Ads data that gives us keyword insights, we have no visibility into how users interact with AI agents.

Building a sustainable future

Perhaps most concerning is the potential impact on content creators. If AI tools primarily summarize content without driving traffic back to source websites, what's the incentive to create high-quality content? A mere mention in a sidebar or footnote hardly justifies the investment in content creation. We need to ensure that creators are fairly compensated, whether through direct payments when their content is used or through new advertising models within AI platforms.

For smaller brands, the stakes are particularly high. Without access to the same resources as larger corporations for AI experimentation and optimization, they risk being left behind. The lack of transparent prompt data — unlike the clear insights we get from Google Ads — only widens this gap.

The takeaway? SEO today is no longer just about ranking for keywords. It's about building a presence everywhere that matters. Brands must strategically create content across multiple platforms, focusing on where AI systems look for data. They need to experiment with prompt-based content strategies while maintaining the quality that engages human users directly.

To win in the future of SEO, brands need to understand this fragmented search landscape and make sure they're front and center where AI finds its answers. But equally important is advocating for transparency, fairness, and systems that reward quality over mere budget size. Without these guardrails, we risk creating a digital landscape that serves only the largest players while stifling the innovation and diversity that make the internet valuable.

The path forward requires collaboration between businesses, platforms, and content creators to develop solutions that benefit all stakeholders. Only then can we ensure that the AI-driven future of search enhances rather than diminishes the digital experience for everyone involved.