Will SEO be replaced by AI?
Google's AI Overviews and ChatGPT/Perplexity have compressed the top-of-SERP results and eaten some navigational and informational traffic. But the underlying demand — people searching for products, services, and answers — hasn't disappeared, just fragmented. SEO is shifting toward ranking IN AI answers (which cite sources), toward brand and entity signals, and toward high-intent commercial queries where a click still matters. The category is changing, not dying.
Why this matters
This question shows up regularly in Google's People Also Ask for the "seo agency" query, which is a signal that buyers in this space are asking it constantly during their research phase. The answer above is written from The Wall's editorial position — we index 2,286 verified US growth-services vendors across 10 pillars and see how these questions map to actual buying decisions.
If you're evaluating vendors in this category, the SEO pillar page has the full US firm list with rates, team sizes, and headquarters filters.