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5 Critical Questions to Help Your SEO Survive in 2026 (and Beyond)

Written by Ruchi Soparkar | Nov 18, 2025 3:41:23 PM

SEO still matters, but now it has to work for both humans and AI.

Akhia is excited to share this exclusive piece from Ruchi Soparkar, founder & CEO of Kachi.AI. 

AI Summary:

  • Traditional SEO alone won't cut it in 2026. With nearly 1 in 3 customers using AI search for buying decisions and 700M weekly ChatGPT users asking 2.6B questions daily, manufacturers need to optimize for both human and AI audiences.
  • This guide breaks down five critical questions to help you adapt: understanding how AI search differs from traditional SEO, why you need specialized tools like Kachi.ai to track bot activity, the real revenue impact (visitors from AI-assisted research convert 3x better), how to influence AI citations through structured content and third-party credibility, and practical steps to start optimizing today.
  • The bottom line: AI search optimization isn't optional—it's where half your buyers are already researching you.

 

Enjoy the read:

In manufacturing, potential customers don’t just land on your website and decide. They research, compare, and check credibility. Increasingly, much of this happens through AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or other generative engines.

This is where AI search optimization comes in—sometimes called GEO or AEO. Whatever you call it, it’s about making sure your brand is the first and most trusted answer potential customers see before they even reach your site.

Why this matters:

  • Nearly 1 in 3 customers already rely on AI search for buying decisions—more than Google, review sites, or brand websites.
  • About 50% of ChatGPT queries are asking for advice, not just tasks. People are using AI to decide what to buy.
  • By 2028, 75% of Google searches will include AI summaries.

For manufacturers, this is urgent. Your content is competing to be cited before buyers even reach your website.

So…how do you survive and thrive? Here are five critical questions to help you get started.

  1. Is this just SEO with a new name?

Not really. Your old SEO foundation still matters. But the rules have shifted.

Old SEO: Keywords → Rank → Click → CTA

AI search: Credible content, AI reads it, AI cites you, humans visit already informed

What’s new:

  • Structure counts: Technical SEO. Headings, clear answers, precise language.
  • Freshness counts: AI rewards recent, authoritative info.
  • Authority counts differently: Who cites you matters more than backlinks alone.

Takeaway: SEO isn’t dead. Your content now has to work for both humans and AI.

  1. Do I need a new tool for AI search?

Yes, but the right one. Just like trying to get healthy, general advice only gets you so far. Eat well, move more, sleep enough. Good advice, but not enough to see real results. You need to measure what matters, like calories, reps, or heart rate.

AI search works the same way. Most marketing analytics tools track human clicks and conversions. Useful, but they don’t show bot traffic. Bots are reading, training, and sometimes answering questions about your content before humans even see it.

You need to know:

  • Which AI bots are visiting your site
  • How often they come by
  • Are they training, or answering live user queries
  • Which pages are resonating with AI

Kachi.ai does this. It links bot activity to human conversion, giving B2B brands the kind of insight that actually moves the needle.

Takeaway: If AI search matters, and it does, you need visibility beyond clicks and conversions.

  1. Will AI search optimization search actually move the needle?

Yes. Big time.

  • ChatGPT alone has 700M weekly users asking 2.6B questions daily.
  • Over half of these questions seek practical guidance or decision support.
  • Visitors referred from AI-assisted research convert 3x better than traditional channels.

McKinsey projects $750B in U.S. revenue through AI-powered search by 2028.

Takeaway: AI search isn’t just hype. It drives high-intent traffic and revenue.

  1. Can we influence what AI says about us?

Yes, but not like Google.

AI pulls from many sources: forums, trade publications, and industry sites. You can’t control it entirely, but you can influence it:

  • Invest in Technical SEO
  • Structure content with clear, precise answers
  • Be active on credible third-party sources
  • Make sure your expertise gets cited where buying committees actually look

Takeaway: You can’t control AI, but you can make your content impossible to ignore.

  1. How do I start to optimize for AI search?

Start smart. Set up Kachi.ai first. Think of it as Google Analytics for the world of bots. It shows which bots visit your site, how your content resonates, and where to focus your efforts. Use this data to prioritize pages, test ideas, and build a playbook that works for your business.

You can also track high-level AI visibility metrics using free tools like HubSpot’s AI grader, but treat that as supplemental. The real insight comes from bot-level data.

Takeaway: Kachi.ai is your first step. Use real bot data to build your custom AI search playbook.

Bottom Line

AI search isn’t optional. Half of your buyers are already asking about you there.

Good news:

  • You can influence AI visibility
  • You can structure content to actually help customers
  • You can capture high-intent leads

Next step: Know where your brand stands. Akhia and Kachi.ai can provide a baseline, highlight gaps, and help you plan a roadmap for AI search visibility.

Don’t wait for 2026. Start today.

Resources:

1. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/new-front-door-to-the-internet-winning-in-the-age-of-ai-search

2. https://openai.com/index/how-people-are-using-chatgpt/

3. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/new-front-door-to-the-internet-winning-in-the-age-of-ai-search

4. https://openai.com/index/how-people-are-using-chatgpt/

5. https://openai.com/index/how-people-are-using-chatgpt/

6. https://ppc.land/ai-traffic-converts-at-3x-higher-rates-than-traditional-channels/

7. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/new-front-door-to-the-internet-winning-in-the-age-of-ai-search

 

 
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