Is Google Still Dominant in Search? What SEOs Need to Know About AI and Topical Authority
Last updated: November 10, 2025 Read in fullscreen view
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Welcome to the latest insights from the AI Search Report. In this post, we’ll explore whether Google remains the dominant search engine, which AI platforms matter most for SEO, the importance of topical authority, and how AI is reshaping organic traffic.
Google Still Rules Traditional Search
Despite emerging AI tools and competitors like Bing, Google remains the dominant force in traditional search. Between July 2024 and June 2025, Bing made some inroads, but Google quickly reclaimed its lead.
Some key insights about search behavior on Google:
- 26% of searches result in no clicks – users often get answers directly from AI overviews or other quick information.
- Only 1% of searches have purchase intent, while roughly 20% are “investigative” (researching or comparing products).
- The remaining 80% of searches are informational, often top-of-funnel.
For businesses, the takeaway is clear: focus on queries with commercial potential, rather than worrying about losing informational traffic that rarely converts.
AI Platforms and SEO
AI is increasingly shaping how people search. In the U.S.:
- ChatGPT dominates desktop AI usage.
- Gemini ranks second, followed by Perplexity, Claude, Copilot, and DeepSeek.
Success on one major AI platform often translates across others. For content strategy, YouTube and Reddit are essential sources, as AI often pulls information from these platforms. Businesses should consider:
- Building their own YouTube channel – a long-term effort requiring consistency.
- Partnering with influencers – AI extracts brand mentions from video transcripts, boosting visibility.
The Power of Topical Authority
Topical authority isn’t just a theory anymore. Google’s “site focus score” algorithmically measures how focused your website is on a core topic. Straying too far from your niche dilutes authority.
For example:
- A personal injury lawyer should stick to their specialty, rather than covering unrelated topics.
- In digital marketing, writing about Google SEO is fine, but branching into unrelated areas can weaken focus.
Focus deeply on your core topics and complement with backlinks and external signals for maximum SEO impact.
AI-Driven Content Case Study: Graipedia
Graipedia, a Wikipedia alternative launched by X, has published ~885,000 AI-generated articles in a short time. Likely approach:
- Scrape Wikipedia content.
- Process and rewrite using AI (Grock).
- Publish on the site while leveraging strong domain authority and backlinks.
- Internal linking and site structure are critical for crawling and indexing.
- Each entity should link to dedicated pages to maximize visibility.
- Even automated content can perform if combined with strategic SEO practices.
The Impact of AI on Organic Traffic
Google’s Q3 2025 results show record revenue, driven by AI features like AI overviews and AI mode. These tools enhance user experience but reduce organic clicks. Key points:
- Google does not disclose organic click data.
- Publishers relying on ad revenue or affiliate links are most affected.
- Businesses selling products or services can still focus on commercial queries to maintain revenue.
AI forces SEOs to adopt a multi-faceted strategy, balancing traditional SEO, AI platforms, and content marketing.
Free Tools to Track AI SEO
Rankability offers several free tools for optimizing AI search performance:
- AI Search Indexability Checker – assesses if your pages are accessible to AI and search engines.
- AI Search Query Generator – produces realistic synthetic queries to track brand visibility.
- PPA (People Also Ask) Exporer – pulls live Google SERP data for keyword research and insight.
Conclusion
Google continues to dominate traditional search, but AI is reshaping how users interact with content. SEOs and marketers should:
- Focus on commercially valuable queries.
- Leverage AI platforms and video content.
- Build and maintain topical authority.
- Explore multi-channel strategies, including YouTube and influencer collaborations.
AI is changing the SEO landscape, but strategic and focused efforts can ensure visibility and growth in this new environment.
Nathan Gotch (Rankability SEO)
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