Is Google Killing SEO?

[Daivik]

I've been around in the SEO game for a little while now, and it's never been so bad. Google is pushing AI answers, prioritizing the big brands and leaving the smaller websites with hardly any opportunity to rank. It's clear they don't care about the smaller websites succeeding - unless they're willing to pay for ads.

Do you recall when on-page SEO and link-building were enough? Nowadays, even with great content and good links, rankings shift overnight. It's as if Google is silently shutting the door to organic traffic.

So what's the game now? Are we witnessing the gradual death of SEO, or is there still a way to outwit the system?

Looking for some recommendations ..

Yeah, SEO isn’t dead, but it’s definitely changing. Google is prioritizing AI answers and big brands, making it harder for smaller sites to rank.

I believe it is not a good decision to rely only on Google—but build an email list, grow on social media, and focus on unique content that AI can’t easily replace, like personal insights, case studies, and interactive tools.

SEO is shifting from just ranking to building a real audience and brand. Adapt now, and you’ll stay ahead.

Are you already trying any of these strategies?

 

[Peter Ngo]

The informational type of content has drastically changed in term of SEO.

Still relatively the same for local SEO, people still use Google to find relevant services + businesses.

 

[proxytee]

where will google get there information from?

It still crawls the internet. But I think it has a way to classify the non-AI vs AI content, or maybe less-AI vs more-AI

 

[1SEOWarrior]

The way we do SEO has changed a lot.

Its a evolving industry and that is what makes it interesting and challenging.

Feel it.

 

[Steptoe]

I've been around in the SEO game for a little while now, and it's never been so bad. Google is pushing AI answers, prioritizing the big brands and leaving the smaller websites with hardly any opportunity to rank. It's clear they don't care about the smaller websites succeeding - unless they're willing to pay for ads.

Do you recall when on-page SEO and link-building were enough? Nowadays, even with great content and good links, rankings shift overnight. It's as if Google is silently shutting the door to organic traffic.

So what's the game now? Are we witnessing the gradual death of SEO, or is there still a way to outwit the system?

Looking for some recommendations ..

If what Google is doing to the English-language SERPs is pushing you away, there's plenty to be made in non-English Google markets. It might take a bit longer to research your niches if you're targeting a language you're not fluent in, but SEO for non-English languages is a hell of a lot more forgiving.

 

[paulbodnar18]

Yeah, SEO has definitely gotten tougher Google seems to favor big brands and AI snippets, leaving smaller sites struggling. On-page SEO and link-building alone don’t cut it anymore; it’s all about EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust), user engagement, and staying ahead of algorithm shifts. Diversifying traffic with social media, email lists, and niche communities helps reduce reliance on Google. SEO isn’t dead, but outwitting the system now means thinking long-term, building a brand, and focusing on what Google can’t replicate real audience connections.

 

[homeriscool]

Not only SEO,... ask us bulk mailers, optin mailers, cold mailers.

are things that bad for you guys too?

 

[Amaz0n]

are things that bad for you guys too?

In short:

- Hotmail/Gmail hates mass mailers.
- Spamhaus still defacto law
- AI identifies everything as spam

Cold mail as in "send out 100 mails per day" is easy but the more you send, the worse the ROI gets. If you don't have niche specific targeted lists, it's over.

 

[praetserge]

On-page SEO and link-building alone don’t cut it anymore; it’s all about EEAT

I, personally, disagree here as EEAT is basically good links and mentions.
And without decent content you can't rank.
So content and links are still the drivers of traffic.

 

[homeriscool]

In short:

- Hotmail/Gmail hates mass mailers.
- Spamhaus still defacto law
- AI identifies everything as spam

Cold mail as in "send out 100 mails per day" is easy but the more you send, the worse the ROI gets. If you don't have niche specific targeted lists, it's over.

Things are getting brutal. I just thought it was the SEO guys getting a good kicking.
So cold email is basically dead too.

 

[Mehmad]

Informational websites are going to get crushed if AI overviews become reliable. Only navigational and transactional keywords will be spared from AI Overviews. And you would have to face Ads on these queries too.

 

[Mehmad]

where will google get there information from?

from the AI, which they train on our data.

 

[sandandkush]

Be more topical, more insightful and more structured than ever, than your competitors.

Prioritise EEAT principles.

Oh, don't forget to disavow those useless links.

 

[OriginWorld]

I had a mail delivery service by horse and then the evil car manufacturers made my life miserable by inventing a car. Then i bought a car and someone invented email. Bastards!
Dont cry and be smart. There are always new changes.

It's not the same. Google is trying to solidify their power by stealing your content. They are literally working on making you obsolete.

It's like a company which owns 100% of all roads in your country, banning private cars and instead making people use only the company's cars.

 

[Fallon Desi1]

I've been around in the SEO game for a little while now, and it's never been so bad. Google is pushing AI answers, prioritizing the big brands and leaving the smaller websites with hardly any opportunity to rank. It's clear they don't care about the smaller websites succeeding - unless they're willing to pay for ads.

Do you recall when on-page SEO and link-building were enough? Nowadays, even with great content and good links, rankings shift overnight. It's as if Google is silently shutting the door to organic traffic.

So what's the game now? Are we witnessing the gradual death of SEO, or is there still a way to outwit the system?

Looking for some recommendations ..

opical Authority (Entity-Level SEO)
Google doesn’t care about single articles anymore. They want depth, coverage, and internal consistency.

What to do:

Build out entire content clusters (not just keywords)

Tie your brand to a real entity (GMB, LinkedIn, Schema, mentions)

Answer every question in your niche, down to micro-topics

Tools to help:

LowFruits / AlsoAsked for topic ideas

Internal linking via LinkWhisper or Surfer SEO

Semantic clustering with Frase or MarketMuse

 

[Fresh Ideas Marketing]

Things are very much crucial from last two years for us. There is not something specific they are tracking. I feel strange when I see spam working better than anything else. SEO in reality I feel is going back. Most of the things are really hard to deal with but still there are many loopholes where one can easily survive

 

[splishsplash]

I've been around in the SEO game for a little while now, and it's never been so bad. Google is pushing AI answers, prioritizing the big brands and leaving the smaller websites with hardly any opportunity to rank. It's clear they don't care about the smaller websites succeeding - unless they're willing to pay for ads.

Do you recall when on-page SEO and link-building were enough? Nowadays, even with great content and good links, rankings shift overnight. It's as if Google is silently shutting the door to organic traffic.

So what's the game now? Are we witnessing the gradual death of SEO, or is there still a way to outwit the system?

Looking for some recommendations ..

It's better than ever for many industries.

What's dead are info sites and review sites. Only the big authority sites rank for those now, or forums/reddit etc.

And info is being increasingly dominated by AI.

But business services and ecom are easier than ever to rank.

Local you can still dominate.

It's just most small SEO guys lives were info/ads/affiliate/review, so it *seems* like it's game over, but you just have to pivot.

I have ZERO info clients, and I can't even think of a single affiliate I have out of 150+ active SEO clients in my business.

They are all business services, ecom and local.

In 2018-2019, about 80-90% of my clients were affiliates.. The industry has REALLY changed.

You can still rank info, but you have to make your site transparent. Google is only ranking visible entities. That's why ecom/businesses rank, but random wordpress blogs with no address/visible owner just go nowhere for most niches.

But I wouldn't bother starting info sites at this late stage in the game. They are only going to get harder and more specialist.

Really, info has moved to video these days. No one wants to read, and when they do they want instant AI answers.

The next 5 years is the era of organic ecom. There are MASSIVE opportunities. Amazon only covers common items. They don't cover anywhere near as much as you think, and hence there are wide open opportunities in so many niches to build 8 and 9 figure empires.

 

[shijin]

Real talk, SEO ain’t dead, but the easy wins are buried six feet under

 

[knightm]

SEO isn't dead. It’s just changing. While on-page SEO and link-building are still important, the key now is focusing on user experience.

 

[Frederik Michiel]

SEO isn't dead. It’s just changing. While on-page SEO and link-building are still important, the key now is focusing on user experience.

Linkbuilding is dead a long time and its about user experience also for a long time.
Only new big thing is priority to local results (very understandable). So big sites with global or national outreach have problems in niches with local competition.