This content was created by Eric Siu. This content was uploaded by Eric Siu. This is a YouTube video titled "Why Traditional SEOs are Fcked (And What To Do)" (published 2025-02-06) featuring a conversational discussion between Eric Siu and Neil Patel. The hosts discuss the decline of traditional SEO practices, the need for “search everywhere” optimization across platforms (Google, Instagram, Amazon, ChatGPT, etc.), the impact of AI (arguing AI-enhanced people will outcompete others), practical recruiting tips for evaluating SEOs, and a promo for Neil’s agency (NP Digital) and tools. The transcript is an English back-and-forth aimed at SEOs and agency owners with actionable advice and platform search-volume stats.
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Why traditional SEOs are screwed, and here's what to do about it.
All right, why are they traditional? Why are traditional SEOs screwed?
You know, it's interesting because traditional SEOs, they're still doing SEO the same way it was done 10 years ago. So they're still doing the same content, they're still doing the same link building. We're not saying those things aren't important, but they're not looking at it from a holistic standpoint now where you have to take everything into account. It's no longer just Google search engine, it's everything that we've been talking about, which is search everywhere optimization.
Dude, I really don't meet too many traditional SEOs anymore.
I meet a ton.
Really?
Yeah, they just, a lot of people refuse to adapt.
Well, almost all the marketers that I know have already adapted. That's why when you put the topic of why traditional SEOs are screwed, I'm like, who's really doing traditional SEO anymore?
It's because they're not adapting. And you know what's interesting? So I sit in on interviews on people that we're recruiting, And more often than not, you'd be surprised. You ask them, hey, like, so what are you, what are you doing? Like, how's SEO different now? It's like, oh, you know, more or less doing the same. I'm like, so what are you reading? Who are you following? Oh, yeah, yeah, I, you know, I follow these people on Twitter. Who? I don't know. So what are you doing with AI right now? Oh yeah, I use ChatGPT here and there. It's like they aren't adapting just by the way they're giving the answers. They're very sheepish answers too.
They're not detailed enough. If someone isn't giving detailed enough answers, that usually means they're just bullshitting and they don't know the real answer.
And usually what happens, this is a little recruiting tip for everyone, or just the If you want a tip, just to know if someone actually knows what they're talking about, is just ask them details one time, two times, three times, but a third time, usually they fall apart. You peel the onion.
Dude, if someone told me like, yeah, I follow a lot of SEOs on X or Twitter, and you ask who are they? And they're like, oh, you know, I'd be like, what's your Twitter handle?
I'll just pull it up and be like, let's go through your followers.
Yeah.
Or people you're following.
Which ones are the SEOs that you're following?
Yep.
If they can't also name it, that means they may be potentially following people, but they're not paying attention to any of the content or reading or learning from it.
Yeah.
So it doesn't matter.
You can't go into this world and not be an avid learner. You have to be what they call an autodidact, which is you're learning on your own. And it's okay. So the what to do part, we talked about search everywhere optimization, we can go a little deeper into that in a second. But I think what— not even that, I think I know what I've been telling my team quite a bit is, AI is not coming to take your job. People that are AI enhanced are coming to take your job and things are just going to get a lot more efficient. You see all like every week there's a new story about so-and-so company either didn't hire more people or got so much more headcount efficiency with, with all this stuff. Right. And so you better be learning, you better be adapting. All right. So I wanted to take a moment to tell you about my podcast co-host Neil's agency called NP Digital, and they work with a whole host of global companies or global organizations. Also, Neil has SEO tools such as Ubersuggest, All you have to do is go to npdigital.com to learn more and we'll see you on the other side.
Yeah, so with search everywhere optimization, the, you know, 10,000-foot view is there's 45.1 to 46.1 billion searches on a daily basis. Google makes up 8.5 billion. Instagram is at 6.5. Amazon's at 3.5. And there's ones in between those rankings-wise. Pinterest, heck, is I think 2.4. Even the Amazon apps or app store Apple App Store is 500-ish million per day. ChatGPT is roughly a billion a day. But Google roughly controls 18% of the market share. And if you're selling handbags, let's say you're Louis Vuitton, if someone types in a handbag on Google, you want them to see your handbag. If someone types in handbag on Amazon, you want them to see that Louis Vuitton handbag. Same with all the other channels out there. that are applicable for your ideal users. Like if someone type into ChatGPT, hey, I'm looking to purchase a nice designer handbag, what's your recommendation for the first high-quality handbag? You would want them to mention your name. It may not cause a direct conversion, but indirectly it's getting your brand out there. And to me that is winning. And what you'll find is in the long run that'll cause quite a bit of your sales to go up.
So anyway guys, that's it for today. Please don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and go to marketingschool.io/agency if you want to join 50+ other agency owners to grow your agency faster.
