Based on insights from SEO experts Jeremy Rivera and Jason Berkowitz
The SEO industry is experiencing a fundamental shift that most practitioners haven’t fully recognized yet. In a recent conversation between Jeremy Rivera, Cookeville SEO specialist and founder of SEO Arcade, and Jason Berkowitz, founder of Break the Web, two industry veterans revealed why traditional SEO approaches are failing and what’s working instead.
The Death of Google-Only Optimization
“SEO isn’t dead, but Google-only optimization is leaving because the value proposition can no longer support itself,” Jeremy explained. AI overviews are destroying clicks on informational queries. Google has systematically claimed featured snippets, travel, bookings, and more. But bottom-of-funnel content still converts — Jason’s clients are seeing top-of-funnel traffic down while organic revenue is up.
The Revenue-First Strategy That’s Actually Working
Jason Berkowitz’s winning adaptation: pivot effort toward middle and bottom-of-funnel URLs instead of chasing informational top-of-funnel traffic. “Top of the funnel traffic is down, but organic revenue is up for just about all of our clients in the e-comm space.” Revenue over vanity traffic — that’s the shift.
The AI Reality Check
AI is a great SEO assistant, not a strategist. Use it to analyze patterns across dozens of posts in 30 minutes instead of two hours. Don’t use it for strategy, which requires critical thinking and brand voice. Treat AI platforms like additional search engines — check your citation presence in LLMs the same way you’d check Search Console for Google.
Breaking Down SEO Silos
PPC data is gold for SEO. If “deck cleaning” converts at 8% in Google Ads while “pressure washing” converts at 2%, your SEO content priorities should shift immediately. Cross-departmental data sharing reveals intent signals that keyword volume alone never surfaces. SEO must collaborate with paid, creative, and content teams to maximize impact.
This analysis is based on expert insights from industry professionals. For comprehensive SEO education, explore resources from Search Engine Land and Search Engine Journal.