Is SEO even worth it anymore?

vambrose said:
I’ve been in marketing for 20+years, but honestly most of that was leveraging other people’s work through things like reseller and partner setups rather than doing SEO hands-on myself.

Because of that, I’ll be the first to admit I probably know less about the current SEO playbook than I should. Reading threads here has been a bit of an eye-opener( in a good way)

So when you say “new way,” I’m genuinely curious what you mean by that.
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Core remains the same which is content + backlinks.
But now there are hundreds of new nuances.
Especially when it comes to content.

It is all about semantics.
It's not enough anymore to slap some content on a page, mention keyword a few times and call it a day.
Query responsiveness of the page must be high aka it must address what user is asking/wants.

Other pages must also support each-other. Single page alone has little chance these days.
Search intent fulfillment and context must be coherent and not all over the place.

I suggest you look into concept of Topical Authority by Koray Tugberk Gubur to get up to date.

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As long as Search engines and LLM rely on websites for data, SEO will live and be relevant.
 
If you're just starting, it's better to find a niche that requires people to visit your website. If it's an existing site, explore ways to encourage people to visit your site.
 
Generic blogs don’t work anymore. I still do SEO for high-intent keywords, but I focus more on traffic I control (email, socials, brand) and content AI can’t easily replace. Adapt or get wiped.
 
SEO is absolutely worth it in 2026 because it has evolved into powerful way way to build genuine authority and ensure your unique voice is the one AI models and searchers trust most.
 
SEO still works! You can look into AI SEO and get sales from ChatGPT mentioning your business
 
Google’s pushing AI answers hard so the old school SEO grind doesn’t always pay off the same way. Blogging still works but I treat it more like a brand trust tool than my main traffic source.
 
Yes, SEO is still worth it.
It brings consistent, long-term traffic and trust, especially when you focus on quality content and user intent rather than shortcuts.
 
SEO isn’t dead but old-school blogging for informational clicks is fading people who still win focus on high intent queries, brand visibility, and traffic they actually control instead of chasing raw Google clicks.
 
tiiberius said:
Core remains the same which is content + backlinks.
But now there are hundreds of new nuances.
Especially when it comes to content.

It is all about semantics.
It's not enough anymore to slap some content on a page, mention keyword a few times and call it a day.
Query responsiveness of the page must be high aka it must address what user is asking/wants.

Other pages must also support each-other. Single page alone has little chance these days.
Search intent fulfillment and context must be coherent and not all over the place.

I suggest you look into concept of Topical Authority by Koray Tugberk Gubur to get up to date.

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The single page point is interesting. That probably explains why so many decent pages just never seem to get any traction on their own anymore. Feels like Google wants to see a whole ecosystem now, not a lone ranger page.

And thanks for the Gubur recommendation, I've heard the name but never really dug into his stuff. Sounds like one of those rabbit holes that’s probably worth going down before I embarrass myself with “old school” thinking haha
 
Google AI Overview does not always answer user questions accurately, and many people are aware of this. For simple, fast queries, Google AI often provides precise answers, so creating content for those requests makes little sense.

However, there are still many queries where users continue to look for in-depth resources across the web. Google AI Overview cannot help them there.. These are exactly the cases where firsthand experience and real expertise matter, and where creating content for your own website is worthwhile - content like this can continue to bring organic traffic to your business for a long time.
 
IvanRF said:
Google AI Overview does not always answer user questions accurately, and many people are aware of this. For simple, fast queries, Google AI often provides precise answers, so creating content for those requests makes little sense.

However, there are still many queries where users continue to look for in-depth resources across the web. Google AI Overview cannot help them there.. These are exactly the cases where firsthand experience and real expertise matter, and where creating content for your own website is worthwhile - content like this can continue to bring organic traffic to your business for a long time.
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That’s a fair take. I will often read the first chunk done by AI, but if I need more info.. I'll scroll down.
 
SEO still matters, but combining it with AI and content strategy is key today.
 
Yes, but only for building a real asset. AI content won't cut it long-term.
 
Tahseen779 said:
SEO is still worth it, but not the old “rank and wait” way. I still do SEO, but with stronger focus on intent-driven content, brand, and authority. At the same time, I diversify into traffic I control—email, social, and partnerships—so SEO supports the business instead of being the only channel.
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Well said. SEO still works, but it’s no longer a passive strategy. Focusing on search intent, brand trust, and real authority makes a big difference now. Diversifying into owned channels is smart too, it reduces risk and lets SEO play a supportive role rather than carrying the entire business.
 
SEO still works if you focus on niche topics and long-tail keywords, but most serious traffic now comes from channels you control like ads, socials, and push/pop campaigns.
 
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