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Since 2009, I've generated hundreds of
millions of visitors from Google search.
But for the first time in 17 years, I'm
questioning everything I know about SEO.
SEO used to be simple. You'd find a
keyword, post, optimize content, get
back links, and boom, huge traffic, huge
income. But that playbook is dead. Why?
Mostly because of AI. AI has flooded
Google with cheap, mass-produced
content. And in response, Google has
cracked down harder than ever, erasing
perfectly legitimate websites from
search results. But that doesn't mean
SEO is dead. Google still gets 5
trillion searches a year. That's roughly
100 times more conversations than Chat
GPT is expected to have this year. SEO
has just evolved. And if you don't
evolve with it, you're going to waste
months or years on strategies that don't
work anymore. So, in this video, I'm
going to share exactly what I'd do if I
was learning SEO from scratch in today's
AI era. Now, despite all the changes AI
has brought to SEO, fundamentals haven't
gone anywhere. People still search using
keywords and topics. You still need to
create content that search engines can
find, index, and understand. And
backlinks, they still help pages rank
high in Google. So, the first thing I do
to learn SEO in this new AI era is to
learn the fundamentals of search engine
optimization because they haven't
changed. Now, learning the fundamentals
and getting good at executing them used
to be enough to drive tons of free
search traffic before AI tools, but
they're no longer enough to stay
competitive. And the reason comes down
to a mental shift most people, even pro
SEOs, haven't figured out yet. Before AI
content tools became mainstream, ranking
on Google was easy. People would copy
the top ranking page, add a few extra
points to make it feel original.
Sprinkle in some keywords and cover
subtopics, get a few backlinks to the
page, and first page rankings would come
fast. And because it worked, everyone
did it. SEO copywriting became so
mechanical that writing for SEO became
an industry phrase. But here's the flaw.
Search engines don't buy from you,
people do. Now that AI can mass-produce
this kind of content, it doesn't seem
like Google wants to reward writing for
algorithms the way it once did. Instead,
it seems like Google is doubling down on
what it's always wanted to deliver the
most relevant and useful result for any
given search query. And are they getting
it right all the time? Not even close,
but they're trying. So, if I were
learning SEO today, I'd ignore many of
the outdated mechanical approaches to
writing for search engines and instead
focus on creating genuinely useful
content with a user obsessed mindset.
What does that mean? Well, let's say you
wanted to rank for the query, how to
start a YouTube channel. Instead of
asking, how do I rank for this keyword?
What do I have to cover? Start by
getting obsessed with what the searcher
actually wants to know. Are they a total
beginner? Do they need gear
recommendations? Are they struggling to
find a niche or something else? Then dig
deeper. Why do they want to start a
YouTube channel? Is it a creative outlet
or a way to make money? How do they want
the information? Would a checklist,
step-by-step tutorial, or interactive
guide help most? If you don't understand
the searcher's intent, you'll end up
creating content that doesn't actually
help the people you're trying to serve.
But if you nail what they're really
looking for, you won't just rank higher.
You'll keep people engaged, build trust,
and convert more visitors into
customers. Now, that doesn't mean you
should ignore AI tools. In fact, I think
that every SEO, new and experienced,
should be embracing AI tools rather than
resisting them. The problem with generic
robotic AI content isn't the tools, it's
how people are using them. AI tools are
faster and better than most of us at
brainstorming, writing, and analyzing
data. But the quality of its output is
only as good as the guidance it
receives. Take Joe Schmo, a guy who
knows nothing about SEO. He can't guide
AI to produce good content or to
optimize his site for better performance
because he doesn't understand SEO
himself. So, what happens? AI ends up
guiding him. But take Sam Edward O, a
dude that's helped millions of people
learn SEO and get traffic to their site.
He'll probably do keyword research on
his own, do some audience research, and
collect clues about that audience from
Google search results. Then he'll take
what he's found, feed it to a tool like
Chat GBT, and guide it to help him
execute on his SEO strategy. And I
actually shared the exact tactics and
processes in a video when I used Chat
GPT to rank number one in Google in 1
hour. AI isn't going anywhere. It's one
of the most revolutionary technologies
since the internet itself. So instead of
avoiding it, learn how to use it
properly. And SEO goes way beyond just
content creation. So the use cases are
truly endless. Bottom line, use AI as an
assistant, not a replacement. train
yourself to be the operator and you get
those operating skills through strong
SEO fundamentals and firsthand
experience. All of which you can learn
for free in our free SEO course for
beginners. Now, learning SEO shouldn't
just be about learning what to do. It's
also about knowing what to prepare for
because once the traffic starts rolling
in, it's going to feel like free money.
And that's when things get dangerous.
Google's going to keep sending you free
and consistent traffic that doesn't fade
over time because that's SEO by design.
The harsh reality is that that traffic
can vanish overnight. It's happened to
hundreds of creators and we've actually
heard their stories and shared them on
our YouTube channel. It's real. It hurts
and it's unpredictable. So, if I were
learning SEO from scratch today, I would
be preparing myself to diversify beyond
just Google. I know that sounds
counterintuitive in a video about
learning SEO, but SEO isn't just about
Google. The skills you'll build while
learning and doing SEO, like keyword
research, understanding search intent,
link building, and technical SEO, will
apply to nearly every searchdriven
platform in some way, shape, or form.
For example, when I first started with
YouTube SEO, I knew nothing about it.
But I applied my Google SEO skills to
YouTube and we're now consistently
getting over a million views from
YouTube search alone that are important
to our business. I've done the same with
Pinterest, Reddit, eBay, Quora, and the
list goes on. From my experience, any
platform that sorts and surfaces content
based on user queries follows similar
core principles. But if you can master
Google SEO, you'll be way ahead of the
curve when optimizing for other search
engines. At its core, SEO is still about
one thing, connecting searchers with the
best search results. But in a world
where AI can turn out endless mediocre
content, copying what already exists
isn't enough. And honestly, it shouldn't
be enough. You need to be worth finding.
So, if you want to learn SEO and
actually succeed in the AI era, check
out our free SEO course for beginners
and then apply the rest of what I've
shared with you today.

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