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AI engines: what changes for SEO
Each engine retrieves, cites and sends clicks differently. Here is the October 2026 picture.
Google: AI Overviews and AI Mode
AI Overviews appear on more than one in five US searches. Seer saw organic CTR fall 61% on affected informational queries. AI Mode passes 1 billion monthly users and applies aggressive query fan-out.
ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude
ChatGPT runs about 2 searches per prompt when it searches the web, with ever-longer sub-queries. Gemini and Claude combine built-in knowledge and web search: being cited requires sources that bots can reach.
e
Perplexity launched Comet, a Chromium-based AI browser that automates tasks and research, with announced partnerships (Snap, PayPal). Its inline citations are highly visible: it is a click channel.
r
Grok (xAI), with a premium SuperGrok tier, stands out for high fan-out: about 6.8 sub-queries per prompt (Peec). Grokipedia, an AI-generated encyclopedia, competes with Wikipedia: being cited there requires solid sources. (We dropped the old “94% accuracy” figure, which is unverifiable.)
i
Copilot builds on Bing, has long-term memory and a Copilot Mode in Edge. Bing stays relevant for paid search thanks to lower CPCs. Use Bing Webmaster Tools.
Do I need to optimise for each AI?
No: clear, sourced content that bots can reach serves every engine. Then measure engine by engine.
Keep exploring
Updated 27 October 2026