People See Through the Facade of AI Search: Why Marketers Are Returning to Real SEO Fundamentals

Artificial intelligence dominated headlines in 2024 and 2025. Everywhere we looked — YouTube thumbnails, LinkedIn posts, X threads, conferences, workshops — someone was claiming that AI search was about to replace Google. Influencers pushed dramatic predictions, agencies pivoted their messaging overnight, and many brands felt pressured to “shift their entire SEO strategy to ChatGPT.”

The result?

Confusion, panic, and a wave of misinformation across the marketing industry.

Now, as we enter 2026, the hype bubble has deflated. People finally see through what I call the AI Search Facade — the illusion that AI search tools are about to dethrone Google, change search behaviour overnight, and make traditional SEO irrelevant.

The data tells a different story.

User behaviour tells a different story.

Conversions tell a different story.

And perhaps most importantly, Google still owns over 90% of the global search market — a number that hasn’t meaningfully shifted despite two full years of ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and every other LLM-based search experiment.

At Absolute Digital, a leading Digital Marketing Agency and SEO Agency in Singapore, we’ve been helping brands navigate this noise with clarity. Not by chasing trends — but by grounding every strategy in user behaviour, performance data, and long-term business outcomes.

This article breaks down why people are finally seeing through the AI Search Facade, why Google is still the foundation of your SEO strategy, and what brands should actually be doing in response to the rise of AI-powered search tools.

The AI Hype Cycle That Left Many Marketers Confused

In 2025, the marketing community experienced something we haven’t seen since Web3 — a sudden explosion of hype pushed by creators, agencies, and “AI gurus” promising revolutionary change.

We saw claims like:

• “AI search will kill Google in 12 months.”

• “SEO is dead because ChatGPT answers every question.”

• “Brands must optimise for LLMs instead of search engines.”

But as more people actually used ChatGPT and Perplexity as daily search tools, something became obvious:

AI search wasn’t replacing Google. It wasn’t even close.

People used ChatGPT for:

• summarising

• rewriting

• brainstorming

• researching

• simplifying information

But they still used Google for decisions, especially decisions tied to:

• purchases

• comparisons

• pricing

• service providers

• local businesses

• branded queries

• reviews

• websites

AI search helped people think.

Google helped people decide.

The difference is massive.

Why People Started Seeing Through the AI Search Facade

As AI search tools became more common, several issues started becoming clearer — and these issues pulled marketers back to reality.

1. AI search tools hallucinate confidently.

Even in late 2025, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and many LLM-powered “search engines” continued to:

• invent facts

• cite non-existing stats

• misinterpret context

• fabricate sources

• mislead users

If your SEO strategy depends on an engine that makes things up, you have a problem. Users figured this out quickly.

2. AI search rarely follows prompts perfectly.

“You are an expert in {topic}…”

“You must answer using this structure…”

“You cannot mention this…”

We all learned that prompt engineering is not a guarantee.

AI tools interpret. They do not obey.

3. Most AI search sessions have no clicks — and no traffic.

Especially at the top of the funnel.

This means that even if you “rank” in an AI-generated answer, you often receive:

• no website visits

• no meaningful brand exposure

• no attributed conversions

There is no SEO advantage to “being referenced” if the user never sees or clicks through to your site.

4. People realised ChatGPT and Perplexity rely on Google anyway.

• ChatGPT Atlas

• Perplexity’s Comet Browser

Both are built on Chromium — Google’s own open-source browser framework.

This means:

• they rely on Google’s infrastructure

• they crawl like Google

• they display results structured like Google

You cannot outrank Google…on a platform powered by Google.

5. Conversion rate comparisons were misleading

Many influencers claimed:

“ChatGPT traffic converts 16% — way better than Google!”

But that’s because ChatGPT only surfaces:

• homepages

• pricing pages

• bottom-of-funnel content

Of course conversion rates look high — it’s not traffic variety, it’s traffic filtering.

Google traffic includes:

• higher funnel research queries

• educational searches

• comparisons

• discovery queries

This dilutes conversion rate averages, but produces far more revenue, because the volume is exponentially larger.

6. People realised AI search is not replacing search — it is becoming a part of it.

Google AI Mode.

Google AI Overviews.

Gemini integration.

AI enhancements across SERP.

Google’s approach has been simple:

“Why compete with AI search tools when we can integrate AI into the world’s largest search engine?”

Users didn’t switch platforms.The platforms evolved around them.

AI Search Isn’t Dead — But AI Search Isn’t Dominating Either

This is not an anti-AI article.

AI absolutely matters.

LLMs are powerful.

AI search is useful.

And yes — AI can and should play a role in SEO workflows.

But the AI Search Facade made marketers overestimate LLM-based search tools and underestimate the stability, trust, and dominance of Google.

The truth is:

AI search supplements Google — it doesn’t replace it.

People use ChatGPT for:

• drafting

• summarising

• brainstorming

• editing

• researching

They use Google for:

• real-world decisions

• credibility

• links

• reviews

• sources

• brand trust

• transactions

AI search is a tool.

Google search is a behaviour.

Behaviours evolve slowly, not in six months.

Google Still Holds 90% Market Share — And That Tells You Everything

For all the AI hype, the market hasn’t moved.

Google was at 90% in early 2025.

Google was at 90% in late 2025.

Google enters 2026 still at 90%.

No LLM-based search platform has:

• meaningful global adoption

• mainstream trust

• commercial intent users

• strong mobile usage

• brand name recognition

• long-term retention

• multi-language accuracy

• local search coverage

And until that changes (if it ever does), Google remains the core of SEO strategy.

This is why at Absolute Digital, we do not tell clients to “optimise for ChatGPT search.”We help them produce content, structure their websites, and build authority so that:

If you optimise for Google, you automatically optimise for AI search as well.

LLMs learn from:

• websites

• authority signals

• citations

• link structures

• trusted content

All of which originate from Google’s ecosystem.

So What Should Marketers Actually Do? (According to Data, Not Hype)

This is where clarity matters.

1. Don’t abandon Google. Anchor your SEO strategy where the users are.

Google is still:

• the primary discovery engine

• the primary commercial search engine

• the primary local search engine

• the primary informational search engine

Optimising for AI search while ignoring Google is like building a house on sand.

2. Experiment with AI search IF you have budget — not as your core strategy.

Large organisations with R&D budgets may:

• build ChatGPT apps

• test Perplexity extensions

• create AI-structured content

• experiment with LLM indexing

But these should be side projects, not the foundation.

3. Don’t chase trends pushed by influencers who have something to sell.

In 2025, most AI SEO content online was created by:

• tool founders

• affiliate marketers

• course sellers

• creators seeking algorithmic reach

Not unbiased search practitioners.

4. Build sustainable SEO foundations, not reactive AI tactics.

This includes:

• technical SEO

• content quality

• topical authority

• brand recognition

• structured data

• user experience

• internal linking

• conversion optimisation

Unsexy? Yes.

Essential? Absolutely.

5. Understand that AI search engines use Google-like signals anyway.

If you are visible on:

• search

• reputable sites

• PR sources

• authoritative blogs

• trusted directories

AI search will find you.

Why Absolute Digital Takes a “Google First, AI-Aware” Approach

As a leading SEO Agency and Digital Marketing Agency in Singapore, our role is not to overreact to every trend — it’s to understand which trends matter, when they matter, and how they affect your business in real numbers.

We do not:

• chase unproven tactics

• build hype-driven SEO strategies

• push clients to invest in experiments without ROI

• encourage abandoning what already works

We do:

• monitor AI search developments daily

• test new formats responsibly

• integrate AI into content workflows

• optimise for Google as the core of all SEO strategies

• ensure clients stay visible everywhere that matters

This is the strategic balance most brands need in 2026.

The Bottom Line: People Now See the AI Search Facade for What It Is

The hype is settling.

The dust is clearing.

The industry is recalibrating.

Marketers and businesses now realise:

• AI search is not killing Google

• SEO is not dead

• Google remains the foundation

• LLMs are complementary tools, not search engines

• AI helps workflows, not replaces strategy

• Real SEO requires brand, authority, and trust — not trends

2026 will be the year marketers return to fundamentals with clearer vision — and use AI as an enhancer, not a replacement.

Need an SEO Strategy That Cuts Through the Noise?

If you're tired of conflicting advice, hype-driven trends, or AI misinformation, work with a team grounded in strategy, data, and real-world performance.

Absolute Digital — Singapore’s Trusted Digital Marketing Agency and SEO Agency

📞 Call us at +65 9899 8787

📧 Email us at hello@absolutedigital.sg

🌐 Visit us at www.absolutedigital.sg

We help brands rise above the hype — and build SEO strategies that actually work.