I’ve been building, optimizing, and shaping the internet since before Gmail existed…with Website Design and Development
Back when there was no Chrome, no Firefox, no flashy browsers at all — only a black DOS screen we now politely call the Command Prompt.
From those days until today, I’ve witnessed the internet transform — not once, not twice, but continuously — in ways most people can barely imagine.
And every single time, someone would announce:
“SEO is dead.” -- Really ??
They said it in 1997, 2005, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2023, and now again in 2025 with the rise of AI search.
Every time, the prediction failed. Every time, SEO didn’t die — it evolved.
A Journey Through the Web’s Evolution- When I started, websites were pure HTML — static pages, simple text, a few blinking GIFs.
- Then came CSS, giving us style and structure.
- Then JavaScript, and suddenly the web could do things.
I worked through the eras of:
- PHP powering dynamic content
- Python, .NET, Node.js opening new backend possibilities
- Angular, React, Next.js making apps feel native in the browser
- Bootstrap and jQuery revolutionizing UI and interactivity
- Tailwind CSS bringing precision design control
- AMP for speed
- PWA for offline-ready web apps
I’ve seen social media grow from Orkut to Facebook to WhatsApp, watched e-commerce rise, and witnessed how search shaped everything.
And through all of it, one constant remained:
If you want to be found, you need to be optimized.
The Myth of SEO’s Death
- When electric cars came, people declared petrol cars dead — yet they still dominate roads.
- When solar panels became popular, some claimed power grids would vanish — yet grids are more essential than ever.
- When e-commerce exploded, “experts” said retail stores were done — yet the best businesses blended both worlds.
SEO follows the same truth:
It doesn’t die when a new technology arrives. It adapts to work alongside it.
Why SEO is More Relevant Than Ever
Today, there are over 1.1 billion websites. Shops, organizations, governments, NGOs, hospitals, schools, and personal brands — all live online.
Without SEO:
- The internet becomes noise without order.
- Great websites remain invisible.
- Searchers drown in irrelevant results.
Google’s mission has always been clear:
“Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”
And that mission requires relevance — which is exactly what SEO delivers.
Even with AI search (SGE, ChatGPT, Bing Copilot):
- AI still depends on optimized, authoritative sites to provide accurate answers.
- Most searches are still in classic mode, not AI mode.
- People still want multiple trustworthy sources, not just one AI paragraph.
.jpg "What People Ask to chatGPT")
The INTENT - Human and Reality matters
While AI is rapidly changing how we find information, there are still fundamental ways that Google is better suited to certain user intents.
The key distinction lies in the nature of the tool:
Google Search is a powerful index of the web. Its primary function is to help you find and navigate to the most relevant and authoritative websites and content.
AI (Generative AI like ChatGPT) is a language model. Its primary function is to generate new text, often by synthesizing information it has been trained on.
Here's a breakdown of how different intents are better suited to Google:
1. Navigational Intent
Why Google wins: The user's goal is to go to a specific destination. They type "Facebook" or "Gmail login" because they want to click a link and be taken directly to that site. Google's search results are designed for this, with the official website ranking at the top.
Where AI struggles: An AI chatbot would have to generate a response like "Facebook's website is located at
www.facebook.com
2. Transactional Intent
Why Google wins: When someone searches for "Buy Nike Air Jordans," they are ready to make a purchase. Google's search results page is designed to facilitate this. It shows shopping ads, product carousels with prices and reviews, and links to e-commerce sites. Google has the infrastructure to connect users to products and services directly.
Where AI struggles: An AI chatbot can tell you about Nike Air Jordans, but it can't complete the purchase for you. It might provide links, but it doesn't have the real-time data on inventory, price, or the ability to process payments. The user's intent is to "do" something (buy), and Google is a better "doing" tool for this purpose.
3. Local Intent
Why Google wins: A search like "coffee shops open now" requires real-time, location-specific data. Google's search results are integrated with Google Maps and Google Business Profiles. This allows it to show you a map with nearby locations, hours of operation, reviews, and a "directions" button. It's a highly visual and interactive experience tailored to a user's physical location.
Where AI struggles: While an AI might be able to access some location data, its response would be text-based and lack the interactive map, photos, and direct integration with navigation tools that Google provides. The user wants to see a visual representation of their options and get directions, which is a visual and action-oriented task, not a conversational one.
4. Commercial Investigation (with nuances)
Why Google wins: For queries like "iPhone vs. Samsung Galaxy," Google's traditional search results offer a variety of perspectives. You get links to in-depth review sites (like CNET or Tom's Guide), tech blogs, and official product pages. The user can consume multiple viewpoints to make an informed decision.
Where AI struggles: An AI chatbot might provide a summarized comparison, but this is a double-edged sword. While convenient, the user may not trust a single, synthesized answer as much as they trust multiple, independent sources. There's a risk of bias or oversimplification in the AI's response. The user's intent is to "research," and research often involves visiting multiple sources, not just getting a single answer.
When the user's need is to find a specific website, make a purchase, or locate a physical place, Google's indexed, real-time, and visually rich results are a much more direct and effective solution.
The Future: 10–15 Years of Stronger SEO
In the next decade:
- AI will enhance SEO, not replace it.
- Search intent will deepen — rewarding precise, user-first content.
- Technical SEO will matter more with Core Web Vitals, structured data, and fast loading.
- EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) will be the gold standard.
And here’s the truth:
- Without websites, there’s nothing to search for. Without search, there’s no discovery.
- SEO is the bridge between the two — and that bridge isn’t going anywhere.
From Plain Pages to Powerful Experiences
- I’ve gone from writing plain HTML to crafting interactive, mobile-ready UI/UX that runs faster than desktop apps:
- Bootstrap, Tailwind CSS for design agility
- Next.js, Angular for speed and scalability
- PWA for offline resilience
- jQuery for instant interactivity
The tools keep changing, but the goal stays the same: to connect the right human with the right information at the right time. That’s SEO’s essence.
Final Word from Experience
Having worked in this field since the dawn of the web, I can say with confidence:
SEO will remain robust, refined, and relevant for at least the next 10–15 years.
Because no matter how AI grows, no matter how technology shifts:
- Humans will still search.
- Businesses will still need visibility.
- And relevance will always be the deciding factor.
So the next time you hear “SEO is dead,” remember — I’ve been hearing that since before too… and here we are, still optimizing, still ranking, still thriving with Billion of Websites which feed the AI itself.
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