Working in the marketing industry, my team have seen big changes online over the last 12 months and we’re struggling a bit with the direction Google is headed. We’ve been thinking about how Google’s push toward AI answers (Gemini, AI Overviews, etc.) feels counterintuitive.
If publishers stop getting traffic, they’ll stop creating original content. And if there’s less quality content to index, Google’s own results (and now, its AI answers) will degrade. It’s like they’re cutting off the very oxygen their business breathes.
As someone who’s spent years working with SEOs, optimizing for search, this shift feels like more than “just another update.” It’s structural.
Are they accidentally eroding the web that made them powerful, or do you think they’ve already accepted a post-SEO world and are planning to monetize AI directly instead?
Curious what you think … especially those who’ve been through past transitions (mobile, snippets, etc.). Are we witnessing another evolution, or a slow collapse?
Ha, perfect topic for a Sunday night Sarah. Why am I still reading about Google instead of watching Netflix?
I totally agree with you. It really does feel like Google is chewing off its own leg to chase AI hype. Every “AI Overview” that keeps users from clicking is one more reason for publishers to stop bothering. Fewer clicks, less content, weaker search results. It’s like watching someone slowly unplug their own life support.
That said, I think they know exactly what they’re doing. They’re trying to look futuristic for investors while figuring out how to bolt ads onto AI answers. The problem is, their shiny new AI still feeds on the same web they’re starving.
Maybe the next phase is “paid inclusion for AI citations.” Who knows. But yeah, the days of relying on Google traffic are basically well and truly done.
G’day folks, 6am here in Perth and it’s shaping up to be a nice one, about 21 degrees before the heat kicks in next week. I’m heading out to site in abit for another day of hard yakka!
Reading this makes me feel like I missed the SEO boat before I even got my feet wet. Just as I start learning, Google decides to rewrite the whole playbook. Bleedin typical.
Still, I’m hanging onto the idea that every change opens a new door. Maybe the next version of SEO is figuring out how to work with AI instead of fighting it. One day I’ll be in a shady little office watching affiliate commissions roll in instead of sweating through high-vis. That’s the dream anyway
Right, time to hit the road before traffic hits me. Have a good one, everyone.
Cyrus, good on you for jumping in before sunrise. Hard yakka indeed! I’m up at 5am today but mainly because I woke up before 4 and couldn’t get back off to sleep for some reason! Too much running around in my head!
Anyway, been discussing this with the team and what’s hitting me more and more is how this isn’t just a Google issue, it’s an ecosystem issue. If AI results become the norm, then content discovery itself changes. That means fewer chances for new voices to break through, fewer incentives to produce anything original, and less diversity overall.
What used to be a feedback loop between creators and search might turn into a closed loop between AI models and their own recycled data. That’s the part that worries me most - not just the loss of clicks, but the loss of freshness and original content.
I think it was the former Prince Charles who gave a speech about everything turning into a nondescript ‘gray goo’. He was talking about nano-tech but it seems like a highly relevant observation in the context of the whole AI revolution!
Maybe you’re right though Cyrus. Every big shake-up also creates new gaps. Maybe GEO or “AI visibility” becomes the next version of SEO. I just hope the people who built the web in the first place still have a place in it.
Curious if anyone’s experimenting with content that’s designed to be cited by AI yet? Rohan, I saw your post on SEO Neo - that looks VERY interesting for surfacing in local AI search!
This is exactly what I’m thinking Sarah! Feels about right.
I’ll be honest, I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with Google over the years. The last HC update smacked my main site around pretty good. Took a bit of wind out of the sails, but here I am, still poking at it.
What you said about spotting new gaps hit home. Maybe that’s the game now, finding the tiny cracks before everyone else piles in. Since watching that SEO Neo webinar I’ve been playing around with writing stuff that sounds useful to humans but also tries to catch AI attention. The tip about treating AI as a 5 year old - really spelling thngs out with no ambiguity. Making those semantic associations. No clue if it’s working, but it keeps things interesting.
Either way, I’d rather keep tinkering than sit around waiting for the good old days. At least now I can laugh about it with you lot while I do it.
