If you’ve spent any time on LinkedIn recently, you’ve probably seen the headlines: “SEO is dead.” “AI is killing Google.” “Organic traffic is about to disappear.” It’s enough to make any marketer panic. But is it really as dramatic as people are making out?
We recently created this video diving deep into exactly this topic — and if you haven’t watched it yet, here’s a summary of what we covered.
What we talk about
In this session, we cover a lot of ground. We start by cutting through the noise around the “SEO is dead” narrative, looking at what the data actually says versus what the doomers on LinkedIn would have you believe.
We referenced our research project with SimilarWeb, where we ran thousands of queries through AI tools to see how financial services brands are appearing and the results were genuinely surprising in places. You can watch that whole session here.
We also get into how SEO as a practice is evolving, why digital PR has become more important than ever, and what quick wins you can act on right now.
The reality check
One of the first things we address in the video is the scale of the supposed collapse. Yes, there’s been a dip in organic traffic but SimilarWeb data shows we’re talking about a move from roughly 21 billion monthly visits to 20 billion across top sites. That’s a dip, not a disaster. Google still drives hundreds of times more traffic than every other channel combined, and the total number of searches actually grew last year.
The bigger shift isn’t how much people search, it’s how they search.
In the video, I talk about how AI users ask long, conversational questions rather than short keywords. “How much house can I afford on my salary?” instead of “mortgage calculator.” That changes how brands need to think about visibility.
SEO is evolving
In the video, I walk through what’s stayed the same — strong technical foundations, quality content, off-site credibility — and what’s genuinely shifted.
Traditional keyword research is becoming less relevant as AI responds to topics and brand associations rather than head terms. Measurement is harder too, with AI results capable of changing within 24 hours.
Digital PR is a superpower
Arguably, the most important part of the video: the single biggest factor correlating with AI citation is brand mentions across the web.
We talk about why digital PR and getting your brand referenced in external editorial guides, top-ten lists, and trusted publications is now more critical than ever.
Links are a bonus; mentions are the goal.
Watch the full video above to get the details behind all of this, including a real-world case study showing how strong PR activity translated directly into AI visibility within days.
