I find the idea of AI and LLMs reshaping SEO particularly fascinating. As AI continues to advance, it's clear that traditional SEO tactics need to evolve, and your perspective on treating SEO as a product rather than just a marketing tactic resonates deeply. Focusing on mid-funnel strategies also seems like a smart move, especially in today’s landscape where consumer intent is more nuanced. Here are some of the key takeaways I found valuable: -The importance of mid-funnel SEO strategies for nurturing informed decision-making. -Evaluating whether SEO is the right approach for specific business models. -The need to debunk common SEO myths to avoid wasting resources on outdated practices. I’m also curious about your thoughts on how legal challenges faced by Google may impact the future of search and SEO strategies. Looking forward to more of your insights!
Great talk but totally disagree about restaurant websites. I do lots of business entertaining and really need to see menu and prices. Also the parking situation -- do they offer valet? Just for dinner, or lunch also? Stuff like that
One point he’s getting at it that it needs to drive some sort of conversion event. Not sure if restaurants truly have one if users are buying through DoorDash. Yeah some people may choose the restaurant if they have valet, but don’t think that’s a typical use case and don’t think it’s a search term. People choose food first then other stuff second. If that’s true, spending time on seo is not worth it.
Very cool to see SEO as more of a UX function - start with really knowing the user. Then, when the user drops into your website, consider where are they in their journey? What do they need next? (Instead of 'how do I fill the blog with some content this week?')
Great talk! But disagree on the point that some comanies shouldnt do SEO or even have a Website. - Content written for SEO turns out to be the Content that A.I.s are trained on - Even the trade show example: whoever visited your booth might forget your name or just have a question and google it Not saying SEO should be the first priority, but not doing any SEO? Not having a website?
Agreed. He's got some absolutely fire points in this podcast-one of the best talks on SEO I've heard. But I do think he's over-indexing his narrative a bit, which the host kept trying to push him on. Sure, there's a much more concrete business case for SEO in eCommerce, B2C websites, given conversions are happening on site. But that doesn't mean there isn't a legitimate place for SEO in other kinds of companies, like SaaS. It's just, in those types of businesses, your SEO work is much more about brand awareness and authority-building than making a sale. Harder case to make, and it probably means SEO is less of a priority, but it is still a very valid strategy for those companies to employ. But definitely love his point that SaaS companies need to seriously assess whether there is a search intent for their product before they invest in SEO. In my experience, a lot of business people have this vague notion that they should "show up in search" but don't think through what someone would actually search to find their product. Or, if they do think it through, it's something very specific they came up in their head that has no trackable search volume.
Would you still optimize for keywords in mid funnel, niche SEO content as well? Or would that be counterproductive and aid something like AI overview to scrap and present you content? 35:00
It still would make sense, as long as it's not generic but already geared towards the product / brand you're promoting. That way, even when AI scrapes it, there are downstream positive impacts if the association to the brand is preserved.
Half of google revenue comes from Google ads. There is no way they are gonna kill Ads. Here is what they are gonna do- Modify platform in such a way that people trust it to make transaction and not just discover content. Any ui change and algorithm change is going to support it be it AI or manual content. Customer wins ultimately.
I find the idea of AI and LLMs reshaping SEO particularly fascinating. As AI continues to advance, it's clear that traditional SEO tactics need to evolve, and your perspective on treating SEO as a product rather than just a marketing tactic resonates deeply. Focusing on mid-funnel strategies also seems like a smart move, especially in today’s landscape where consumer intent is more nuanced.
Here are some of the key takeaways I found valuable:
-The importance of mid-funnel SEO strategies for nurturing informed decision-making.
-Evaluating whether SEO is the right approach for specific business models.
-The need to debunk common SEO myths to avoid wasting resources on outdated practices.
I’m also curious about your thoughts on how legal challenges faced by Google may impact the future of search and SEO strategies. Looking forward to more of your insights!
Great talk but totally disagree about restaurant websites. I do lots of business entertaining and really need to see menu and prices. Also the parking situation -- do they offer valet? Just for dinner, or lunch also? Stuff like that
One point he’s getting at it that it needs to drive some sort of conversion event. Not sure if restaurants truly have one if users are buying through DoorDash. Yeah some people may choose the restaurant if they have valet, but don’t think that’s a typical use case and don’t think it’s a search term. People choose food first then other stuff second. If that’s true, spending time on seo is not worth it.
Very cool to see SEO as more of a UX function - start with really knowing the user. Then, when the user drops into your website, consider where are they in their journey? What do they need next? (Instead of 'how do I fill the blog with some content this week?')
Very interesting podcast! Thank you!!!
Great talk! But disagree on the point that some comanies shouldnt do SEO or even have a Website.
- Content written for SEO turns out to be the Content that A.I.s are trained on
- Even the trade show example: whoever visited your booth might forget your name or just have a question and google it
Not saying SEO should be the first priority, but not doing any SEO? Not having a website?
I think he meant more like top of the funnel SEO
Agreed. He's got some absolutely fire points in this podcast-one of the best talks on SEO I've heard. But I do think he's over-indexing his narrative a bit, which the host kept trying to push him on.
Sure, there's a much more concrete business case for SEO in eCommerce, B2C websites, given conversions are happening on site. But that doesn't mean there isn't a legitimate place for SEO in other kinds of companies, like SaaS. It's just, in those types of businesses, your SEO work is much more about brand awareness and authority-building than making a sale. Harder case to make, and it probably means SEO is less of a priority, but it is still a very valid strategy for those companies to employ.
But definitely love his point that SaaS companies need to seriously assess whether there is a search intent for their product before they invest in SEO. In my experience, a lot of business people have this vague notion that they should "show up in search" but don't think through what someone would actually search to find their product. Or, if they do think it through, it's something very specific they came up in their head that has no trackable search volume.
It looks more like a great marketing, not a narrow SEO
Would you still optimize for keywords in mid funnel, niche SEO content as well? Or would that be counterproductive and aid something like AI overview to scrap and present you content? 35:00
Lenny is that a valid question or does not make sense? I am 21 yr old entrepreneur asking.
It still would make sense, as long as it's not generic but already geared towards the product / brand you're promoting. That way, even when AI scrapes it, there are downstream positive impacts if the association to the brand is preserved.
Great interview!
great 👍
All the way from South Africa
I love your content
18:47 I'm not sure we can call Gemini's outputs structured data in the traditional sense.
"output format: JSON" are you talking traditional like SOAP? I'm sure we can get that to if you're a masochist
This was spot on and a great interview.
Banger! 🔥
Half of google revenue comes from Google ads. There is no way they are gonna kill Ads.
Here is what they are gonna do-
Modify platform in such a way that people trust it to make transaction and not just discover content.
Any ui change and algorithm change is going to support it be it AI or manual content.
Customer wins ultimately.
Isn’t this happened like 2 yrs… lol…