Reflections on My State of Search 2024 Keynote
For years, every major Google update has been met with the same alarm: SEO is dead.
I’ve heard this refrain countless times—after Florida (2003), Panda (2011), Hummingbird (2013), and even RankBrain (2015). Each time, the industry panicked, but in reality, SEO didn’t die—it evolved.
Now, we’re facing another seismic shift: AI-driven search. And once again, people are questioning the future of SEO. My keynote at State of Search 2024 tackled this head-on. Instead of feeding into the fear of AI “stealing” SEO jobs, I focused on what AI really means for our industry: opportunity—or extinction, depending on how we evolve.
Evolution: The Good, The Bad, and The SEO
The good kind of evolution? Think about horses.
There was a time when horses were everywhere—reliable, indispensable work animals. Then, as technology advanced, machines replaced them for transportation and labor. But horses didn’t disappear. They became specialized, high-value, and deeply respected—from police mounts to therapy animals to racehorses worth $72 million dollars.
SEO is following this path. The repetitive, menial SEO tasks are being automated, but high-level strategy, branding, and AI influence are now more valuable than ever.
But not all evolution is good.
Enter the dinosaurs.
At one point, the Tyrannosaurus rex was at the top of the food chain—dominant, feared, powerful. Then came catastrophic change. Fast-forward millions of years, and where are we at? Chickens.
Instead of ruling the Earth, dinosaurs evolved into something… expendable. Ubiquitous. The literal bottom of the food chain.
Do you want to be a racehorse—or a bucket of fried chicken?
Because bad SEO evolution means going from being the office badass to a replaceable NPC who just churns out content without strategy, without a soul, and without a future.
The Rise of AI Search: How SEOs Can Stay on Top
AI-generated content and AI-driven search are already shaping public perception. SearchGPT, Gemini, and AI Overviews are not just pulling information—they’re synthesizing narratives based on authority, recency, and contextual relevance.
Here’s what that means for SEO:
- EEAT matters more than ever – AI prioritizes authoritative sources, so brand and individual authority are crucial.
- Strategic Text Strings (STS) – Carefully crafted content influences how AI ranks and presents information.
- Structured data and schema – The more AI understands your content, the more likely it is to be surfaced.
- User engagement signals – Clicks, shares, and feedback loops directly influence AI-driven results.
- Content recency and freshness – AI favors up-to-date, relevant sources.
How to Influence AI Search and Avoid Becoming a Chicken Nugget
SEO is still about being the best answer—but now, we need to prove it to AI.
Here’s how to stay at the top of the food chain:
✅ Build brand and author authority – The more AI sees your name and work in reputable sources, the better.
✅ Optimize for AI-driven search – Structured data, strategic text placement, and clear, concise messaging help AI understand and surface your content.
✅ Engage with AI-generated results – Vote on AI overviews, correct misinformation, and monitor how your topics are being presented.
✅ Provide AI-accessible data – Upload PDFs, research papers, and structured knowledge sources AI models can reference.
Ethical SEO in the Age of AI
There’s a fine line between influencing AI narratives and manipulating them. As SEOs, we must ensure that the content we create and optimize is factual, transparent, and genuinely authoritative.
AI isn’t the end of SEO. It’s just the next chapter. And for those who embrace this shift, the future isn’t just secure—it’s full of opportunities.
