The New SEO KPIs Every Agency Should Track

About This Episode

Are you measuring SEO success… or just tracking outdated metrics?

For years, agencies have focused on rankings, clicks, and organic traffic. But with ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and AI-powered search reshaping how people discover businesses, those metrics no longer tell the full story.

In this episode of SEO On-Air, host Koa Kauwe sits down with Ryan Hill (Glacial Multimedia) and Jordan Koene (PreVisible) to explore the new SEO KPIs agencies should be tracking as AI changes search, attribution, and customer behavior.

From ROI-focused reporting and AI visibility to brand authority, citations, engagement signals, and business outcomes, this conversation explains why modern SEO is no longer just about generating traffic it’s about generating measurable business impact.

Ryan and Jordan share practical insights on how agencies can adapt their reporting, educate clients about AI search, measure success beyond rankings, and build strategies that drive real growth in an AI-first search landscape. They also discuss why quality now outweighs quantity, how AI changes customer discovery, and why SEO professionals must evolve into broader digital marketers.

🎯 What You’ll Learn

• Why traffic is no longer the most important SEO KPI
• How AI search is changing SEO reporting and attribution
• Why ROI and business outcomes matter more than rankings
• The growing importance of brand authority and trust signals
• How AI visibility differs from traditional Google rankings
• Why agencies must educate clients about AI search
• The role of reviews, citations, and third-party authority
• How to build SEO strategies that perform beyond Google
• Why quality content beats content volume in 2026
• What the future of SEO measurement looks like

Whether you’re an SEO professional, agency owner, marketer, or business leader, this episode provides actionable insights into measuring the metrics that actually matter in today’s AI-driven search landscape.

Because the future of SEO isn’t about chasing more traffic.

It’s about proving real business value wherever your audience discovers your brand.

⏱️ Key Timestamps

00:01:50 – Meet Ryan Hill & Jordan Koene

00:04:31 – Is Organic Traffic Still a Valuable SEO KPI?

00:11:22 – Why Traditional SEO Playbooks No Longer Work

00:13:52 – Building Trust, Authority & Better Content for AI Search

00:18:02 – Reviews, Citations & Third-Party Authority Explained

00:21:29 – How LLMs Gather Information vs Traditional Search Engines

00:26:15 – What Clients Still Misunderstand About AI Search

00:36:11 – Quality vs Quantity: The New SEO Strategy

00:42:15 – What Separates Great SEO Agencies from the Rest

00:45:54 – The Future of SEO KPIs & Business-Focused Reporting