ChatGPT's launch in late 2022 sparked significant changes in AI and search behavior. Despite speculation that SEO is dying, the narrative is largely based on misconceptions. The reality is that SEO traffic has only decreased slightly, by about 2.5%. The article debunks claims that traffic has plummeted by 25% or more due to the rise of large language models (LLMs) and other factors. Data from a partnership between Graphite and Similarweb analyzed over 40,000 major U.S. sites and found that while there were fluctuations, organic traffic remained relatively stable and even showed slight growth in 2025. The article points out that many studies reporting dramatic declines in SEO traffic rely on flawed methodologies, particularly self-reported surveys. These surveys often suffer from biases, leading to inaccurate conclusions about user behavior. For instance, human memory can be unreliable, and cognitive biases like the frequency illusion can distort perceptions of how often people use LLMs over traditional search engines. The piece highlights that while some smaller sites saw declines, larger and middle-tier sites experienced different trends, with the top 10 sites actually seeing a traffic increase of 1.6%. Certain categories of content, such as news and health, experienced larger drops, while others like shopping and clothing saw increases. Overall, the article emphasizes the disconnect between anecdotal evidence and actual data, noting that personal experiences can mislead perceptions about the broader trends in search behavior. By focusing on concrete data and sound research methods, the article aims to clarify the real state of SEO traffic amid the rise of AI-driven search alternatives.