Easy SEO is dead
Neck-bearded tech futurist dudes with AI-generated profile pictures want you to believe that SEO is dead and that AI will be the new interface for everything. But SEO realist and expert Ryan Law says: “SEO is the worst it’s ever been—and it’s still your best marketing channel.”
Ryan just released an article making the case that SEO is still your best bet for long-term, sustainable growth. Yes, clicks are down 20-40% from pre-AI search traffic, but there’s still so much volume in SEO that it remains the best marketing channel we have. What used to be stupidly great a few years ago is now just great, mostly because there’s more competition and a flood of AI-generated content.
SEO isn’t dead, but easy SEO is
This echoes something I’ve been saying for a while: SEO isn’t dead, it just smells funny. It’s changing, and we need to adapt. That means lowering expectations a bit, understanding that SEO performance will be slower over time, and recognizing that it’s still a major growth driver—if you use it well.
Ryan put it best: "This is the SEO monkey paw: we can create SEO content virtually for free, but it’s now much harder to get clicks from it."
AI and the future of SEO
One of the more interesting points Ryan makes is that AI search could actually improve conversions. In a study of 3,000 companies, nearly two-thirds were already receiving traffic from large language models (LLMs).
While LLMs might take over informational searches, your website is still where conversions happen. That means middle- and bottom-funnel SEO content is more important than ever. Businesses still need high-quality, search-optimized content to capture demand and close deals. AI might change how people search, but it won’t change why they buy.
What’s next for SEO?
Expect lower click-through rates. Google’s AI overviews and answer boxes will keep siphoning some traffic, but high-quality content still wins.
Middle- and bottom-funnel content matters more than ever. Informational searches might get handled by AI, but decision-making still happens on your site.
Generic AI-generated content won’t cut it. If you’re just pumping out AI-written blogs with no original insight, you’re wasting your time.
The bottom line
SEO isn’t easy anymore—but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. It’s still the best long-term marketing channel, just with new challenges. The days of ranking with low-effort content are gone, and AI-generated noise makes it harder to stand out. But for those who adapt and create real value, SEO remains a powerhouse.
Easy SEO is dead. But smart SEO? Still very much alive.
