Search is not disappearing. But it is changing in ways that many businesses have not fully processed.
As generative artificial intelligence becomes a larger part of how people find information online, traditional SEO strategies are facing new pressure. For years, digital visibility meant ranking well and driving traffic through carefully optimized content.
That model is evolving. According to AI marketing strategist Anthony Neal Macri, the future of SEO in 2026 will depend less on publishing more content and more on building recognizable authority across trusted platforms.
“AI systems don’t just look at pages,” Macri explained. “They look at patterns. They look at where a brand appears, how often it’s referenced, and whether it shows up in credible environments.”
The Shift from Clicks to Credibility
Generative search tools now summarize answers directly within search results. In many cases, users get what they need without clicking through to individual websites.
For businesses, that changes the math.
If traffic is no longer guaranteed, visibility must be reinforced elsewhere. Media coverage, expert commentary, and high-trust backlinks begin to carry more weight in how AI systems interpret legitimacy. Macri believes this signals a shift from traffic-driven marketing to authority-driven marketing.
“It’s not that SEO goes away,” he said. “It’s that SEO becomes part of a bigger system. Authority compounds over time. Volume doesn’t.”
Why Public Relations Is Regaining Strategic Importance
For years, PR and growth marketing were often treated as separate disciplines. One focused on reputation, the other on measurable acquisition.
In an AI-influenced search environment, that separation is becoming harder to justify.
When a company is consistently mentioned in established publications or contributes meaningfully to industry conversations, those references form part of its digital footprint. Over time, that footprint influences how AI-generated results surface and contextualize the brand.
Rather than serving as a branding accessory, PR may be re-emerging as a structural component of long-term visibility.
The Role of Leadership in Digital Authority
Macri also points to a quieter shift that many companies overlook: executive visibility.
Generative systems increasingly evaluate not just brands, but the people associated with them. Founders and leadership teams who contribute insights, participate in interviews, or publish analysis help strengthen the broader authority ecosystem of their organizations.
In contrast, companies that remain silent beyond their own website may find themselves competing at a disadvantage.
Preparing for the Next Phase of Search
The broader implication for 2026 is not that businesses should abandon search optimization. It is that they should expand it.
Technical SEO and content strategy remain important. But they must integrate with media strategy, thought leadership, and credible external references.
As AI continues reshaping how information is delivered, the brands that treat authority as infrastructure rather than as promotion may be better positioned for long-term resilience.
Anthony Neal Macri currently serves as CMO of LanguageCheck.ai and Creative Director of Calabria Food Fest. Earlier in his career, he worked in high-scale, performance-driven digital marketing environments, including serving as Digital Marketing Director at Ashley Madison.
