SEO isn’t dead. It just smells funny
There’s a lot of noise out there about SEO being dead. Let’s clear that up real quick: SEO isn’t dead. It just smells funny.
SEO is still alive and kicking, but it’s evolving. And if you’re still relying on outdated tactics, yeah, it might feel like SEO is dying—at least for you. The good news? Google is still capturing around 70% of traffic, according to a new report from Datos. Organic search still drives higher engagement than anything AI-generated, and GenAI isn’t exactly revolutionizing search behavior overnight. Most people aren’t using AI to replace Google yet, and even when they do, they’re not clicking links as often.
So, what does this mean for B2B tech websites? It means SEO is still crucial, but the playbook needs some updates. Here’s what needs to change:
1. Write better than AI
If your content looks like ChatGPT wrote it, you’ve already lost. AI is great at summarizing what’s already out there, which means if you’re just regurgitating the same old blog posts, you’re adding zero value.
What should you do instead? Write content that hasn’t been written before.
Get fresh quotes from subject matter experts.
Publish new stats based on data from your own business (without violating privacy, obviously).
Share unique insights—like how 60% of your users do XYZ and why that matters.
Your content should still follow SEO best practices: use keywords, structure it well, etc. But don’t just write—make your conclusions and insights stand out. Use callouts, bold text, and anything else that makes key takeaways impossible to miss.
2. Target low-difficulty, high-value keywords
Not all traffic is good traffic. You don’t need thousands of people reading your content every month. You need the right handful of people who are actually interested in what you do.
Everyone wants to rank for high-volume keywords, but those terms are ultra-competitive and often useless for conversion. Instead, start looking at low-volume, low-difficulty keywords that actually attract your target audience. If a keyword gets 20 or 40 searches per month, that’s fine—those might be the exact people who are actively looking for your solution.
Forget the vanity metrics. Find the people who actually need you.
3. Write for humans and AI
Most searches—whether on Google or ChatGPT—are questions. If you understand that, you can structure your content accordingly.
Think of AI like an eager intern that’s good at regurgitating structured information. If you feed it clear, well-organized answers, it’ll surface your content more often. That means:
Add an FAQ section or Q&A format to your articles.
Use natural language that mirrors how real people ask questions.
Avoid jargon and sales-y language—nobody searches for that nonsense.
Example: Instead of titling a section “Integrating the Google Docs Connector with JIRA,” just say “How do I get data from Google Docs into JIRA?” Simple. Conversational. Search-friendly.
Take off your marketing hat and think like a prospect. What are they asking? What words are they using? That’s where you start.
Yes, you still need to do SEO
SEO isn’t dead—it’s just old-school SEO that’s gone.
Content for the sake of content? Dead.
Keyword stuffing? Dead.
Chasing vanity traffic? Dead.
But high-quality, well-structured, insightful content? Still very much alive.
So stop listening to people saying SEO is over. It’s not. It just smells funny. And frankly, I think that’s a good thing.
