Ross welcomes Eli Schwartz, author of Product-Led SEO , to unpack the evolving role of SEO in a world shaped by AI, shifting perceptions, and organizational challenges.
Eli dives into why SEO is being deprioritized, what companies are getting wrong, and how product-led SEO is the path forward.
They cover layoffs, agency churn, the role of growth teams, and why most companies shouldn’t do SEO at all.
Show Notes:
00:00 Welcome Back Eli & The Current Pulse on Search
00:53 Marketing Layoffs & Volatility in SEO
02:31 Why SEO Struggles to Defend Its Value
05:49 AI Search vs Traditional SEO — What Actually Changes?
07:58 Are We Just Rebranding SEO?
09:27 Visibility, Links & Human-Like Search Engines
12:50 The Problem With “AI SEO” Hype
14:45 Why Edge Case SEO Will Die Fast
18:19 Why “Technical SEO” Isn’t a Moat Anymore
22:06 The AI Content Misstep: Spam at Scale
24:27 The New SEO: Blending Human + AI + Product
28:11 Your Product Has to Be Good Now — Period
29:20 Revisiting the Book: What Eli Would Update
30:20 The Spicy Take: Most Companies Shouldn’t Do SEO
35:03 How to Evaluate if SEO is Right for You
38:45 The “Tax Preparer” Problem With Agencies
41:06 If You’ve Fired 3 SEO Agencies… It’s You
43:20 The SEO Funnel Needs the Right Org Buy-In
46:01 Growth & Product Titles Are the Key
47:28 The Sales Enablement Side of SEO
50:30 Content Strategy vs Keyword Volume Obsession
51:40 The Non-Apocalypse of AI
55:04 The Real AI Shift Will Be Gradual
56:01 How to Actually Execute Product SEO
59:49 Final Thoughts & Where to Follow Eli
