SEO is Dead. Here’s What You Can Do.

By: Kirby G Mack (Vice President of Digital Media at Simplicity Lone Beacon)

SEO is dead. This is something proclaimed every year. And depending on which side of the SEO operations you land on, you either scoff at it or cheer it.

SEO, Search Engine Optimization, is evolving rapidly with the rise of AI, and businesses will need to adapt to stay competitive. The landscape of SEO has never changed as fast. And, just as I did a few years ago when I said iPads and tablets are dead, I will bank on this statement: SEO as we know it is dead. Yeah, I said it; come at me SEbrOs.

Long gone are the days of keyword stuffing, excessive use of meta descriptions with irrelevant keywords, link buying, overly aggressive keyword optimization, and relying solely on low-quality backlinks. So, while your SEO guy may sound smart talking about all the things he can do, SEO only comes down to this: relevant content and user intent. Period. We are no longer optimizing for search engines, we are optimizing for user intent. Search User Intent, SUI.

The Why

SEO has already shifted toward optimizing for AI-generated answers rather than just traditional search rankings.

When was the last time you clicked on a link after asking Google a question? Search engines like Google and Bing are integrating AI-Generated summaries. And because of this, we need to understand that click-through rates will decrease. In all industries, there will be a new benchmark set for click-through rates, thanks to AI and zero-click searches. The good news for financial advisors is it can be a more efficient way to weed out the casual observer. Those scrolling below the fold and clicking through to your website are likely more interested in you and more inclined to do business with you.

Google makes money the longer you are on their page and the more ads they can feed you. To ensure you stay on Google, they have made it possible for users to get direct answers from their AI without clicking on websites. Not only will the AI-generated results hurt your traffic, but Google’s new layout can also push all organic sources below the fold. Meaning Google no longer gives the organic ranks top billing.

Take, for example, this search: “must haves on your website for financial advisors.”

The first results you see are 4 sponsored, paid-for ads. Followed by an AI-sourced tab with “Tools for financial advisors.” You don’t even get to the organic search results until you go completely below the fold.

You and your site used to be Google’s bread and butter. Now they only want your content.

Example of Above The Fold Sponsored Content

 

“Hey Google! How long do I cook a baked potato?”

“Alexa, What’s a 401(k)?”

Thanks to AI-driven assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google, search results are turning into more of a conversational search. Meaning most of the people who use AI assistants never even realize that you and your site may be the source.

But if they never visit my site, how does this benefit me? Google realizes people are using AI tools, like ChatGPT and Gemini, to help them generate SEO-friendly content quickly. Most of this content reads like AI. It can be repetitive and could also be inaccurate. If you’ve ever used ChatGPT to write an article, you’d agree it reads exactly as your elementary school English teacher taught you to write an essay. It starts with an introduction followed by paragraphs one, two, and three, then closes with “in conclusion.” Because of this, Google has decided to prioritize those websites that they feel meet their new NEEAT Standards…

Notability
Experience
Expertise
Authoritativeness
Trustworthiness

…thus, ensuring that human input and fact-checking remain essential. This is why Google recently made a $60 million deal with the conversational website Reddit. The Reddit/Google deal allows Google to train its AI on Reddit’s content in return for giving Reddit a huge boost in search results. And in turn, it strengthens Google’s Zero-Click searches by using real, authentic voices and experiences. Google wants real people, real stories, and real experiences. They are crawling the web for authentic voices.

Side note: Google has also reduced the number of times they crawl your website. So it’s important, now more than ever, to make sure the content you put out is strong.

Example of AI-Generated Zero-Click Search Results

So What Can We Do?

• Content is king. You need to make sure you focus on high-quality, authoritative content that aligns with user intent. Focus on long-tail keywords to target those AI Overviews and Zero-Click Searches. The more authoritative you are, the more Google trusts you and the more they push your content.
• Use topic clusters. A topic cluster is a group of web pages that cover a single topic in detail. The pages are organized around a central pillar page that links to and from the other pages. So, in the case of a financial advisor, a single page about your services should link to individual, specific service pages, and each of those service pages should link to each other. That unified brand-focus message is rewarded.
• Technical SEO is still very important. Don’t skip out on the little stuff. Basic SEO 101 things like sitemaps, meta titles, meta descriptions, and alt tags are a must.
• Video is now more important than ever. AI can analyze and index images and videos better (e.g., Google Lens, TikTok search). Optimizing images and videos with alt text, metadata, and AI-friendly formats will be crucial for ranking in visual searches. With the death of SEO comes the rise of new search engines. Don’t kid yourself, TikTok and Instagram are now just as relevant search engines as Google and Bing. Remember, Google wants real people and real faces. So smile, it’s time for your closeup.
• Optimize your site for AI-powered search results, including conversational and visual searches. Focus on clear, concise, and easy-to-scan content. Keep it short and to the point. Break up your text by using headlines and bullet points. By doing this, you can also target Google Rich Snippets. Rich snippets are important because they help users find relevant information more quickly. They can also help your website stand out from competitors. Think of these as lights on a runway. You’re using them to get the pilots attention to let them know where to land, in this case the pilot is Google.
• Speed still matters. Enhance your website’s user experience (UX) and load time to improve your engagements and rankings. AI-driven search engines prioritize websites with fast load times, mobile-friendliness, and strong UX. Your websites need to be optimized for engagement, interactivity, and accessibility.
• Bonus: Stay updated with changes in AI search algorithms and adapt strategies accordingly. AI is revolutionizing SEO, but human expertise, strategic thinking, and high-quality content will remain key to long-term success.

In conclusion (see what I did there), you can hang on to the old ways of SEO and die on the hill that it’s never going away. But the fact is… it already has. As always, with the never-ending changing digital landscape, we either adapt or we die.