Do marketers still call AI search optimization 'SEO'?

Yes — 81% of marketing decision-makers still refer to their AI search strategy internally as "SEO," per a Fractl survey of 343 U.S. marketers reported by Search Engine Land.

How much budget are marketers putting toward AI search visibility?

An average of 24% of search and content budgets, with 43% allocating more than a fifth, per the same survey.

Which AI platform do marketers prioritize most for search visibility?

ChatGPT, named by 34% of marketers, ahead of Gemini (16%), Claude (6%) and Copilot/Bing (5%), per the Fractl survey.

Glyph card: a section-mark symbol on a deep bronze field — Illustration: AEO Wire

Fractl study — vendor-published (author is a Fractl co-founder)

Search Engine Land · Aug 24 Aug 24 Research AEO SEO

Survey: 81% of marketers still call AI search 'SEO'

A Fractl survey of 343 U.S. marketing decision-makers found 81% still refer to their AI search strategy internally as “SEO,” with only 27% having formally adopted newer terminology, per Search Engine Land. Marketers allocate an average of 24% of search and content budgets to AI search visibility, and rank case studies with measurable results (34%) as the top signal of vendor credibility over buzzword fluency.

Why it matters: The vocabulary hasn't caught up, but the budget already has — a quarter of search spend moving toward AI-search visibility while most practitioners still call the work SEO shapes how vendors need to pitch and prove it.

The record: ChatGPT Gemini

Glossary: SEO

Via Search Engine Land ↗

Posted to the wire August 24, 2026.

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Survey: 81% of marketers still call AI search 'SEO'

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