In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, hosts Daniel Rowles and Ciaran Rogers explore one of the most pressing questions facing marketers today: what does SEO look like in a world dominated by AI search and generative answers?
With Google rolling out AI Overviews and AI Mode, and tools like ChatGPT and Gemini changing how people search, the rules of SEO are shifting fast. Some publishers report traffic drops of up to 60%, while others in e-commerce are holding steady. So is SEO really dead, or just evolving into something new?
Daniel and Ciaran dig deep into what’s happening, separating hype from reality and providing clear, practical advice for marketers trying to adapt. They explain why understanding Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI Overviewsn (AIO) is critical, and how you can stay visible when clicks are disappearing.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
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Why AI Overviews are changing user behaviour, and pushing organic results further down the page
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How share of voice and brand sentiment are becoming as important as traditional ranking factors
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Why advocacy and positive online mentions may now trump old-school keyword tactics
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The growing importance of Wikipedia, Reddit, and forums in shaping AI-driven answers
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Why updating and referencing your best content is more powerful than ever
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How no-click searches are rewriting what “success” looks like in SEO
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Practical ways to benchmark your visibility
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Why prompt-like queries and longer conversational searches are the new normal
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How to build trust through Google’s E‑E‑A‑T principles (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
The Future of SEO Episode Mindmap
The hosts also explore pitfalls to avoid, from snake-oil SEO sales pitches to rushing into poorly thought-out Wikipedia pages that could backfire. They emphasise a smarter, evidence-based approach: focusing on authenticity, advocacy, and quality content that’s updated, referenced, and truly useful.
Key Takeaways:
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SEO isn’t dead, but competing for the top three AI-sourced links is tougher than ever.
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Building advocacy and brand mentions is critical to visibility in AI search.
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Quality and authenticity (with evidence and references) beat quantity every time.
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Think conversational: searches are getting longer, more natural, and more complex.
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Following Google’s E‑E‑A‑T framework is the best hedge against AI-driven disruption.
If you’re a marketer, publisher, or business owner trying to make sense of the shifting SEO landscape, this episode provides both clarity and actionable steps to future-proof your strategy.
Useful Links:
Roll out of AI Mode: https://blog.google/around-the-globe/google-europe/united-kingdom/ai-mode-search-uk/
Length of average search phrase increasing: https://ipullrank.com/everything-we-know-about-ai-overviews
Rand Fishkin content and search discussion: https://sparktoro.com/blog/high-quality-content-is-the-most-useless-phrase-in-marketing-we-can-do-better/
Hubspot AI Search Grader: https://www.hubspot.com/ai-search-grader
What AI Knows About You: https://waikay.io/
Demonstrating EEAT: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content