If I had a pound for every time I saw someone say “SEO is dead” on LinkedIn, I’d probably have enough to buy LinkedIn and ban that phrase for good.
It’s become a meme at this point. A running joke. Every time something major happens in search, whether it’s Google’s algorithm updates, AI tools, or a new SERP layout, the same tired headline rolls out: “SEO is dead.”
My thoughts: it’s not dead. It’s evolving, just like it always has.
Why People Keep Saying It
The phrase pops up whenever something changes. When Google launched Panda or Penguin, it happened. When ChatGPT exploded, it happened again. Now, with AI-generated content and AI-powered search engines on the rise, we’re hearing it more than ever.
It usually comes from a place of panic. But here’s what’s always been true: people still search for things. Brands still want to be discovered. That’s not going anywhere. Whether it’s Google, Bing, Perplexity, or some AI interface we haven’t met yet, discovery is always going to matter.
What Has Changed (And That’s a Good Thing)
To be fair, SEO has changed a lot. It’s not just about keywords and backlinks anymore. We’re not stuffing articles or spinning content or leaning on exact-match domains like it’s 2012.
Users are smarter. They’re more impatient. They’ve seen enough fluff to spot it a mile off. That means SEO content has to work harder than ever.
The rise of AI tools has also led to an insane avalanche of low-effort content (‘see how I launched 1000 articles and buy my course’… zzz). Articles that technically tick the SEO boxes, but don’t actually help anyone. It’s clogging up the internet and making users even more suspicious.
What actually works now is clear, accurate, well-written and concise content that gives people exactly what they need. Whether it’s written by a person or a machine doesn’t matter as much as people think. What matters is quality, purpose, and usefulness.
The AI Overview Effect
Another reason people say SEO is dead is because of AI overviews. These are answering questions directly, which can reduce the number of clicks going to websites.
It’s a real shift, and it’s affecting some types of content more than others. If you’ve been relying on traffic from basic blog posts that cover broad topics with little depth, you’re likely seeing the drop.
But again, that doesn’t mean SEO is dead. It means we need better content strategies.
Don’t just write blog posts because it’s “good for SEO.” Ask what the content is actually doing. Does it help someone? Does it support a product or service? Is there a next step for the reader?
Too many blogs are dead ends. Someone lands on the page, finds their answer, and leaves. No internal links, no call to action, no next step. That’s not content strategy. That’s just content for the sake of vanity clicks.
AI Search is Real, But Still Small
There’s no denying AI search is growing. Different engines return different results, and there’s a lot of experimentation happening with prompts, brand mentions in listicles, and influence over output.
But we don’t yet have a clear playbook for how to consistently win visibility in these spaces. AI search is still unpredictable, and it varies a lot based on the user, the device, and the platform. Some results can be gamed, but it’s not clear if that will last or if it’s even something companies should want to be associated with (do you want to succeed due to manipulation?).
And let’s not forget that outside the digital marketing bubble, most people aren’t using AI search the way we think. They’re not swapping Google for ChatGPT. They’re not crafting prompts or obsessing over sources. For many, AI is just a feature tacked onto products they already use and often one they didn’t ask for.
Let’s Keep Some Perspective
SEO isn’t dead. It’s just going through another shift. It won’t be the last. Who knows what search will look like in one, five, or ten years.
People still need to search. Businesses still need to be discovered. Whether that’s through traditional search engines, AI results, or something we haven’t seen yet, the fundamentals are the same.
Our job isn’t going away. It’s evolving. That means:
- Creating content that actually serves a purpose
- Understanding user intent more deeply
- Optimising for discovery and commercial value, not just rankings
Let’s stop declaring SEO dead every time the industry changes. Let’s stop chasing attention with dramatic headlines. Instead, let’s focus on what we’ve always been good at, making the internet more useful, one search result at a time.