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SEO in an AI World: All Change

Watch or Listen | My 2 Cents Podcast Episode #5

Chris Hamlin [Expert SEO Consultant]

Much like Mark Twain, SEO has had its fair share of premature obituaries — and we think the rumours of its death ARE greatly exaggerated. Which is why this month, we’ve brought in someone who’s been proving that for more than two decades.
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We’re joined by our very special guest: Chris Hamlin, who is a 20+ year SEO veteran who’s worked across ecommerce, tech, travel and banking for brands including eBay, Harvey Norman, Suncorp and Tourism Australia. He’s also the founder of byMarketers.co, a go-to library of resources and templates for marketers — including ready-to-use GA4 and Looker Studio dashboards.
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Chris Hamlin: Goodbye, Page... Nov 27 · My 2 Cents Marketing Pod... 24:40   ​

Has Google Killed SEO | Survey Results

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103 Aussie marketers contributed to our survey - thank you!

Q: We asked marketers how Google's AI-driven search results have affected their website traffic?

Our survey results echo what we’re seeing globally: AI-driven changes to search are impacting marketers, but not in a uniform or catastrophic way. About half reported some level of traffic decline, while more than a third saw no change or even an increase — a reminder that the effects vary wildly by category and intent. And the 14% who were “unsure or haven’t measured it” offer a gentle reminder that marketers sometimes feel the impact of AI long before they bother to quantify it. Overall, it’s less an SEO collapse and more an uneven, early-stage shift.

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According to our podcast guest, Chris Hamlin, this range of responses isn’t surprising: there has been a "permanent shift in traffic that will become the new normal". However, AI hasn’t broken SEO, it’s just changed the rules again.

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Q: We asked marketers how they are addressing the rise of AI-driven Search?

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When we asked marketers what one change they’ve made to SEO or content in the age of AI, a clear theme emerged: don’t panic, get sharper. Some are levelling up authority with structured content and unique data that actually gives people a reason to click. Others are hedging their bets, turning top content into short videos and email to build traffic Google can’t intercept. And a growing group is watching the numbers differently — tracking when impressions rise but clicks don’t, a tell-tale sign that AI features are stepping in.

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Bottom line: the best marketers aren’t ditching SEO — they’re evolving their strategy to keep pace with the changes. Acccording to Chris, this entails embracing AI for content generation, but judiciously checking verifiable facts and always ensuring that's there a unique, human layer.

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