Is SEO Really Dead? A Hot Take on the Digital Marketing Podcast’s Bold Claim

On many episodes of the Digital Marketing Podcast, Ciaran Rogers, Daniel Rowles, and Louise Crossley make a claim that always gets attention:
“SEO is dead.”

To be fair, they’re not the first to say it, and won’t be the last. But are they right? Or just stirring the pot?

Let’s break it down.

Why They’re (Kind of) Right

• Search behavior has changed. TikTok, YouTube, and AI chat tools are eating away at traditional Google search volume.

• Zero-click results dominate. Google is increasingly keeping users on its own platform, reducing organic traffic even for well-ranked pages.

• AI-generated content is flooding the SERPs. And it's harder than ever to stand out with "just another blog post."

In that context, traditional keyword stuffing and ranking hacks are dead.
The SEO playbook of 2010? Gone.

Why They’re Still Wrong

Here’s the catch: SEO isn’t dead. It’s evolving and in some ways, stronger than ever.

• High-intent search still drives revenue. “Best electrolyte powder for runners” is still a money keyword. So is “where to buy [brand] near me.”

• Owned content compounds over time. SEO is still one of the few channels where work today can drive traffic tomorrow—for free.

• New platforms = new search engines. Optimizing for TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube—it’s all SEO. Just not on Google.

Smart brands aren't abandoning SEO. They're rethinking what it means. They’re integrating it into product pages, influencer landing pages, blog content, and even Amazon and TikTok Shop strategies.

My Take

SEO is dead only if you define it as ranking #1 on Google for a broad keyword and calling it a day.

But if you see SEO as intent-driven content optimization, performance-backed discoverability, and a way to own your demand instead of renting it—then it’s not just alive, it’s vital.

So to Ciaran, Daniel, and Louise: thanks for the provocation. But let’s not bury SEO yet. Let’s evolve it.