Rethinking SEO in the age of AI | Eli Schwartz (SEO advisor, author)

SEO is transitioning significantly due to AI answers in search results, shifting the importance from traditional content ranking to how SEO functions as a product. The focus should be on understanding SEO as part of a discovery journey for users who don't engage through social channels or ads, but are instead self-directed in their search journeys.

Eli Schwarz, a growth advisor and SEO expert, notes the shift in SEO with the rise of LLMs and integrated AI answers in search results, emphasizing the need for businesses to pivot their understanding of SEO traffic. The conversation stresses the importance of adapting SEO strategies amidst these changes.

Eli discusses how Google is adapting to AI technologies by incorporating AI-generated answers directly into search results. This shift challenges traditional SEO practices as it changes user search behaviors and the search process itself, demanding new strategies for capturing SEO traffic.

Companies might face disruptions in SEO ranking due to the integration of AI answers. This transformation changes the SEO landscape, especially for businesses relying on ranking through long-form content. The adaptation involves focusing SEO efforts on mid-funnel stages, where AI impacts top-funnel queries the most.

Products like pendo demonstrate integrating user insights into the product experience, which could be an analogous approach for integrating SEO strategies with AI insights. This approach highlights the importance of understanding user needs and behavioral data to inform product and marketing strategies.

The Brave search engine emphasizes the growing trend towards independent search experiences supplementing traditional search engines like Google. This movement, combined with AI influence, suggests a shift towards more personalized search solutions and opportunities for less SEO-reliant traffic strategies.

Google's adaptation to AI-driven answers aims to maintain its relevance amidst growing interest in AI capabilities like ChatGPT. This entails addressing both the threat to traditional search traffic and mitigating legal liabilities involving AI-generated advice.

Eli emphasizes that the essence of SEO hasn't changed; it's about meeting user expectations and enhancing discovery. However, what's changing is the tactical framework within which SEO operates, especially with AI's influence. The strategic response requires understanding where AI and SEO intersect.

The discussion explores how AI can help synthesize previously scattered search data, affecting how users interact with search results. Businesses are encouraged to reassess SEO's role in customer journeys, particularly focusing on conversion paths affected by AI suggestions.

The dialogue acknowledges the prevalence of AI-generated content and addresses its impact. It's a reminder that while AI can enhance content production, its value ultimately depends on the content's alignment with user needs and business goals. True SEO impact is seen in conversion, not traffic alone.

SEO involves collaboration across various company functions, from product management to marketing. Eli urges businesses to rethink their SEO strategies to accommodate AI-generated shifts. Effective SEO requires unifying these efforts to align with user intent, especially in mid-funnel scenarios.

Through examples like Tinder and Zapier, Eli illustrates how SEO initiatives should align closely with product offerings and user needs. The evolution of SEO should be understood as a product question, focusing on solving user issues aligned with business growth objectives.

AI overviews are anticipated to dominate casual search inquiries, altering how SEO impacts top-of-funnel strategies. Companies must now focus SEO on direct conversions derived from well-understood user journeys that AI cannot clarify in detail, especially those requiring specific brand engagements.

The potential SEO changes fuel discussions about valuable conversions over traffic volume. Businesses are advised to focus SEO strategies on understanding user personas and behaviors, catering content and discovery channels around precise user queries that align with conversion goals.

AI can be a tool for SEO, provided the content aligns with user query intent and journey stages. AI-generated content can supplement but not replace the nuanced understanding of user intent crucial for effective SEO conversions, underscoring the difference between quantity and quality in content strategy.

Google's AI-centric changes underscore the importance of brand visibility in AI-generated answers. However, achieving presence in AI-enhanced search requires more than SEO; it's about building recognizable, trusted brands that AI can reference, reinforcing the intersection between brand strategy and search visibility.

SEO remains crucial in linking user questions with actionable paths facilitated by brands positioned as solutions. The changes require brands to rethink their role in new search environments where AI offers the first-level response, necessitating a shift to supporting deeper user engagement and trust.

The example of TripAdvisor illustrates successful programmatic SEO by leveraging collected data for scale without direct content creation. The approach signifies aligning SEO with tangible user outcomes beyond basic content saturation, using programmatic insights to enhance scalable content strategies.

SEO myths like the necessity of SEO for all brands and simplistic link-building strategies are debunked. Real effectiveness comes from strategic SEO initiatives aligned with user journeys and conversion goals, avoiding the trap of seeing SEO as merely a traffic driver without business alignment.

Technical SEO alone isn't a magic fix for search rankings. Real improvements come from aligning technical efforts with user-centric content strategies, allowing strategic enhancements of the user experience to boost relevance and relevance-driven metrics rather than narrow technical optimizations.

SEO's future involves its blend with brand strategy, requiring integrated initiatives that emphasize relevant brand presence over simple search rankings. Understanding SEO as part of a broader brand and user engagement strategy ensures that it remains an effective, conversion-focused channel.