AI Is Disrupting Search—But Not Like You Think
Look, let me clear something up.
Search isn’t disappearing.
SEO? Still here.
But the way people use search—and the way Google sorts through it all—is changing fast.
AI cracked the system wide open, but that doesn’t mean SEO is dead in the water. Not even close.
It just means the way you do SEO can’t stay stuck in 2015. It has to evolve.
For the people in the back: it MUST evolve.
The same way it did when Google rolled out mobile-first indexing… when they launched the local map pack… when they shifted to E-E-A-T.
If you’re still hoping AI will make SEO irrelevant so you don’t have to deal with it… congrats, you’re now irrelevant instead.
AI Is Reshaping Search Behavior
People aren’t typing in basic keywords anymore. They’re asking full-blown questions.
Real ones. Complex ones.
And instead of tediously searching through ten blue links, they’re getting instant answers right up top in a beautiful little AI snapshot that cuts to the chase.
Just like this…
That flips the whole experience. But the mission? Still the same.
So if your law firm is trying to rank using old school methods and cookie-cutter content, you’re toast.
But if you’re offering honest, useful insight with actual experience behind it, you’re more valuable than ever.
What Kind of SEO Is Getting Replaced?
The lazy kind.
I’m going to be real with you: a lot of what passed for SEO over the last decade was laughably bad.
- Generic posts with no real perspective (i.e. spun content)
- “Ultimate guides” that said nothing new (even I have one, but whatever)
- Link-buying like it was a Black Friday sale
- Keyword stuffing in city + practice area pages
- Blogging just because someone told you “Content is king”
All of that? On life support now.
AI search isn’t dumb. It’s not falling for the usual SEO party tricks. Google’s AI is built to cut through the BS (no offense to me) and spotlight content that’s, you know, actually useful.
And that’s what too many people still don’t get:
So What Is Replacing Old SEO?
Here’s what I know is working now and what’s here to stay:
Topical Authority
Build clusters, not one-offs. Own your practice areas like you’re teaching a masterclass. Not like you’re just checking a keyword box.
Information Gain
Say something new. Give the visitor something they didn’t find on every other law firm blog. Add experience. Show proof. Offer clarity. Be real.
Structured Data & Content Design
Schema, jump links, FAQs, headings—these all still matter. AI needs help parsing your content. If your page is a wall of text, you’re invisible.
First-Person Experience
So you’ve handled hundreds of car wrecks? Then talk about them. Show the patterns you see. Human perspective cuts through the bull that AI can’t replicate.
Technical Foundation
Fast sites, clean code, mobile-first, easy to crawl. AI can’t use what it can’t access…or trust what it can’t read.
SEO Isn’t Dead. But the Shortcut Mentality Is.
You can’t shortcut (or cheat) your way to the top anymore.
You can’t just sprinkle city names in your titles and expect the leads to roll in.
You can’t buy a pile of backlinks from shady sites and call it a strategy.
But here’s what you can do:
- Build content that actually gets read
- Connect your pages with strong internal links
- Use AI as a means to enhance your content (not replace you)
- Find out where your competition is lacking and give the people something better
- Focus on converting traffic—not just ranking for trophies
AI Is a Threat If You Let It Be.
Or a weapon if you learn to use it.
A lot of firms are going to sit this one out. They’ll keep debating whether AI is “safe” while their competitors run right past them.
And that’s ok. This article isn’t for them.
But a few will figure out:
- How to future-proof their content
- How to feed AI the signals it needs and wants
- How to be the source AI references, not the one AI replaces
If you’re reading this, you already know which side you want to be on.
One Last Note
Yeah, search is changing. But people still search.
Google + AI still needs real, authentic content. And your law firm still needs to be visible when those clients are looking.
So no, AI isn’t killing SEO.
It’s just killing the shortcuts and forcing you to do it right.
Oh, and this article?
It’s a perfect example of how I used AI to clean up a few rough spots. Think of it as my digital spellcheck with no sense of humor.
But the sarcasm and the sass-fueled commentary? That’s 100% Spencer.