SEO Isn’t Dead — But the Search Experience Is Breaking
By Krista Barnes, Founder & President, We Do SEO, LLC
I’ve spent my entire career adapting alongside Google—algorithm update by algorithm update, paradigm shift by paradigm shift. From keywords and PageRank, to entities, to local search, to today’s AI-driven results, one thing has always remained true:
Good SEO aligns with how humans actually search and think.
That’s why I listened closely when Danny Sullivan and John Mueller recently discussed AI search, GEO, and content optimization on Google’s Search Off The Record podcast.
They’re right about one thing.
They’re avoiding the real problem about everything else.
Google has been positioning AI search as simply “SEO done right.” And at a technical level, that’s true. The infrastructure is still Google Search.
But what has changed is how answers are delivered.
Instead of ranking a single page for a single query, AI search now produces long-form, multi-paragraph responses that attempt to answer not just the original question—but several follow-up questions at once. This is what many of us refer to as query fan-out.
And that single change shatters the old one-keyword-one-page model entirely.
The problem isn’t whether we call it SEO, GEO, or AEO.
The problem is what Google is choosing to surface as “answers.”
The “Chunk Your Content” Advice Misses the Point
Lately, I’ve seen a wave of advice telling publishers to “chunk” their content for AI—break it into bite-sized pieces so large language models can digest it more easily.
Danny Sullivan directly pushed back on this idea, and frankly, I agree with him.
A well-structured page is already chunked:
- Proper heading hierarchy
- Logical sections
- Lists, tables, and semantic HTML
You shouldn’t be rewriting your content into robotic fragments to please an LLM. Google has said for decades that content should be written for humans first—and on this point, that guidance still holds.
But here’s where the conversation stops short.
The Real Issue: AI Search Is Killing Referrals
What Google avoids discussing is how AI search is collapsing traffic opportunities, especially for real subject-matter experts.
Query fan-out means Google now ranks fewer sites across more queries. That alone reduces visibility.
But what’s worse?
The sites being chosen often don’t deserve to be there.
AI Mode Is Promoting Low-Quality, Non-Expert Content
I see this daily across client audits, live SERP testing, and AI Mode experiments.
Here’s a real example: I searched for legitimate guidance on styling a sweatshirt—something fashion experts have written about for decades.
What did Google’s AI Mode cite?
- An abandoned Medium blog from 2018 with broken images
- A LinkedIn article (a business networking platform, not a style authority)
- A sneaker retailer publishing lifestyle fluff outside its expertise
None of these are authoritative. None are trustworthy. None reflect actual subject-matter expertise.
Meanwhile, real experts—publications like GQ or The New York Times—are buried under More → News, as if expertise is an afterthought.
Google Is Actively Hiding the Best Content
This is the most troubling part.
Expert-written, editorially reviewed content still exists—but Google increasingly hides it behind extra clicks. Users have to:
- Open the “More” tab
- Navigate to “News”
- Know what they’re looking for
That’s not discovery.
That’s obstruction.
GEO vs SEO Is a Distraction
Whether we call this GEO, AEO, AI SEO, or just “SEO” doesn’t matter.
What does matter is this:
High-quality sites are losing traffic while low-effort, low-expertise content is being elevated.
As an agency owner, this isn’t theoretical. I see the impact on:
- Independent publishers
- Niche experts
- Local businesses
- Brands that actually invest in quality
Google Search used to be a place of discovery. You’d find a great article, a new site, something worth sharing.
Ask yourself honestly:
When was the last time Google surprised you with something genuinely great?
Google Needs a Reset
Right now, it feels like garbage layered on top of garbage, amplified by AI.
I’m not anti-AI. At We Do SEO, we work in AI search every single day. But AI should enhance discovery, not replace judgment.
If Google wants to experiment with Gemini-driven answers, fine.
But bring back:
- Expert-led rankings
- Clear editorial signals
- Real authority
Put the AI answers under “More.”
Let Search be Search again.
Final Thought
SEO has always evolved. Good SEO professionals evolve with it.
But when systems start actively suppressing expertise instead of rewarding it, we don’t need new buzzwords—we need accountability.
And we need to say it out loud.
Contact We Do SEO today!