SEO in the Age of AI: Still Evolving, Still Working—Just Ask BDC

Over the last year, one question has come up again and again:
"With AI search engines like ChatGPT and Google's new AI Overviews, is SEO even worth doing anymore?" It’s a fair question. The way people find information online is changing. But that doesn’t mean SEO is irrelevant—it means SEO is evolving. In fact, at SilverServers, we believe that smart, ethical search engine optimization is more important than ever. And we’re not the only ones saying it.
The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) published an article in 2023 titled “7 Online Marketing Secrets for Attracting Local Customers”, aimed at small business owners who want to improve their visibility online. Point #6 on that list? “Optimize your site for local SEO.”
That article may have been written before AI search tools like ChatGPT and Google SGE became mainstream, but its recommendations still hold up. Why? Because search hasn’t gone away. It’s just changing.

The Way We Search Is Changing—But Search Isn’t Going Anywhere

Let’s be honest: no matter how advanced AI becomes, people will always have problems that need solving through a service of some kind. If your toilet starts leaking or your furnace goes out in the middle of winter, you’re not asking a chatbot to fix it—you’re searching for a local plumber or HVAC tech. That search might happen on Google, in an AI summary box, through a maps app, or even by voice—but the need to search hasn’t disappeared.
This is where SEO still matters.
Search engine optimization is about maximizing your opportunities to show up wherever people are looking. Whether that’s a Google Maps result, a snippet in an AI-generated summary, or a traditional search engine listing, the core idea is the same: you want your business to be found.

What BDC Had to Say: Local SEO Still Matters

In their article, BDC emphasized local SEO as a core tactic. They encouraged businesses to:
“Include your city or region name throughout your site and in meta tags. Put your business address and phone number on every page... If you have several locations, create a landing page for each one.”
This is all very practical advice—and very familiar to us here at SilverServers. Local SEO is still one of the most effective ways for small businesses to compete online, especially against bigger national or global brands. The rules may have shifted slightly, but the fundamentals remain:
Be clear about who you are, where you are, and what you do.

Why SEO Still Works—Even With AI

AI search tools like ChatGPT, Google SGE (Search Generative Experience),and Perplexity.ai are built to pull information from trustworthy, structured sources. That means content that’s clearly written, well-optimized, and locally relevant still rises to the top.
In many AI-generated answers, the source websites are cited directly. That’s a new kind of visibility opportunity. If your site has structured data, local keywords, useful answers, and well-tagged content, it’s more likely to be quoted or linked in those responses.
It’s not just about climbing to the top of page one anymore—it’s about being recognized as a source of authority in a broader search ecosystem — whether you're searched in Google or an AI tool.

SEO in the Age of AI: How SilverServers Approaches It

At SilverServers, we focus on long-term, ethical SEO strategies tailored to Canadian small businesses. Here's what we’re prioritizing in today’s environment:

• Local Landing Pages: If you serve multiple cities or regions, we build optimized pages that help each community find you
• Mobile Optimization: Most local searches happen on phones. Your site needs to load fast and look clean on all screens
• Content That Answers Real Questions: AI thrives on well-written, relevant content. So do humans.
• Structured Data (Schema): We help implement schema markup that tells search engines exactly what your business is about
• Technical SEO: Behind-the-scenes tuning like page speed, sitemap structure, and crawlability still play a big role

And, of course, we can help manage your Google Business Profile, ensure your business information is consistent across directories, and provide real analytics insights—not just buzzwords.

Bottom Line: SEO Is Not Dead. It’s Just Growing Up.

AI hasn’t killed SEO—it’s made it smarter. If you’re relying on keyword stuffing or gimmicky tactics, yes, those days are dead. But if your goal is to help real people find helpful information about your local services, then search engines (AI or otherwise) are still looking for you.
As BDC put it in 2023, and as we've found still relevant today, local SEO remains one of the best investments a business can make to reach its community.
At SilverServers, we agree.
Need help navigating search in an AI-driven world?
Let’s talk. We’ll help you make sure your website is ready for whatever the future of search looks like.
Contact Us Today