Apple’s reported interest in acquiring Perplexity AI, in a deal rumoured to be worth up to $14 billion, could have far-reaching consequences for the future of internet search and with it, the entire search engine optimisation (SEO) industry.
Perplexity, a fast-growing AI search start-up, has gained attention for its “answer engine” – a citation-led, conversational platform designed to deliver instant, verifiable responses without the need for a traditional search engine results page.
Apple’s potential acquisition of the three-year-old company is being seen not just as a talent grab, but as a strategic move to redefine how users access information.
And Ben Sellers (main picture), co-founder of property marketing specialist Starberry, part of the Nurtur Group, reckons the implications for SEO and digital strategy are profound.
GAME CHANGER
He says: “If Apple does go ahead with acquiring Perplexity, it won’t just be making headlines – it’ll be redrawing the map for how people search online. As someone who’s spent decades helping brands grow their visibility online, I believe this is a major inflection point for SEO.”
While Google still dominates the global search engine market, the rapid rise of AI-native assistants is reshaping consumer behaviour. Sellers warns that the traditional SEO playbook – targeting keywords and chasing rankings – may soon be obsolete.
He adds: “Perplexity’s approach is fast, citation-focused, and user-friendly. If Apple integrates that tech into Safari or Siri, answers will come directly from your device – no browser, no blue links, no ads – just a natural answer sourced from trusted content across the web. That changes the rules. AI will decide what gets cited.”
FUTUREPROOF
Sellers says his team at Nurtur is already working with clients – including estate agents and local businesses – to futureproof their digital presence. Their updated SEO framework prioritises:
Structured data: Ensuring all content is wrapped in schema markup to make it AI-readable.
Citation-first content: Producing authoritative, trustworthy material that AI tools are more likely to reference.
Authority-building: Prioritising first-party data, expert insight and original thought over backlink quantity.
Conversational optimisation: Aligning content with the natural language questions consumers ask AI assistants.
SEISMIC SHIFT
“SEO is no longer just about being found by a search engine,” says Sellers. “It’s about being surfaced in AI-generated answers. And that’s happening faster than most people realise.”
Apple’s reported interest in Perplexity comes amid a wider arms race for AI dominance among Big Tech players, with Microsoft backing OpenAI and Google accelerating its rollout of Gemini. Should the deal go through, industry insiders expect Perplexity’s technology to be integrated across Apple’s iOS ecosystem – from Safari and Siri to Spotlight Search – potentially bypassing the traditional web entirely.
“This marks a seismic shift in how people discover and interact with information online,” says Sellers. “There’s enormous opportunity here for local brands, estate agents and niche businesses who want to be the answer, not just one of many links.”
He adds: “This generation has a front row seat to the evolution of technology. They can either adapt – or be left behind. At Nurtur, we’re ensuring our clients aren’t just watching the future of search unfold. We’re helping them engineer strategies that thrive within it.”
