{"id":4807,"date":"2025-10-10T10:47:21","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T10:47:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/?p=4807"},"modified":"2025-10-29T07:11:43","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T07:11:43","slug":"seo-in-the-age-of-ai-why-traffic-isnt-the-goal-anymore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/seo-in-the-age-of-ai-why-traffic-isnt-the-goal-anymore-4807\/","title":{"rendered":"SEO in the Age of AI: Why Traffic Isn\u2019t the Goal Anymore"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SEO is transforming again. And this time, it is not just another algorithm update. It is a complete mindset shift brought on by AI Overviews, generative search and automation tools that are redefining what it means to \u201crank.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the latest episode of Stan Ventures\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/6tb3lKVeUqrCOkDSWMHGw4?si=1PP2iNjHTN-nxUSyCewCtA&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=82beb1a4334d4234\">SEO on Air Podcast<\/a>, host Aaron sat down with Jonathan Benz, Growth Strategist at Direct Online Marketing, to discuss what SEO really means in 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4808\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-3.png\" alt=\"SEO ON AIR\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-3.png 1600w, https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-3-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-3-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With more than two decades of experience, spanning agencies, in-house roles and startups Benz has witnessed SEO\u2019s entire evolution: from keyword stuffing and link farms to intent-driven strategies and AI-generated search summaries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what\u2019s important is his core message, the goal is not traffic anymore; it is business outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s see how his insights reshape the way we think about SEO today.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 38%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%;\"><iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 0;\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/6tb3lKVeUqrCOkDSWMHGw4\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\"><\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/seo-in-the-age-of-ai-why-traffic-isnt-the-goal-anymore-4807\/#what-has-20-years-in-seo-taught-jonathan-benz\" >What Has 20 Years in SEO Taught Jonathan Benz?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/seo-in-the-age-of-ai-why-traffic-isnt-the-goal-anymore-4807\/#the-roi-dilemma-why-seo-feels-harder-to-justify\" >The ROI Dilemma: Why SEO Feels Harder to Justify<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/seo-in-the-age-of-ai-why-traffic-isnt-the-goal-anymore-4807\/#the-ai-question-is-it-a-threat-or-an-ally\" >The AI Question: Is It a Threat or an Ally?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/seo-in-the-age-of-ai-why-traffic-isnt-the-goal-anymore-4807\/#is-ai-killing-seo\" >Is AI Killing SEO?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/seo-in-the-age-of-ai-why-traffic-isnt-the-goal-anymore-4807\/#what-is-the-winning-seo-strategy-in-2025\" >What Is the Winning SEO Strategy in 2025?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/seo-in-the-age-of-ai-why-traffic-isnt-the-goal-anymore-4807\/#the-vanity-metrics-trap\" >The Vanity Metrics Trap<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/seo-in-the-age-of-ai-why-traffic-isnt-the-goal-anymore-4807\/#content-strategy-in-the-ai-era\" >Content Strategy in the AI Era<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/seo-in-the-age-of-ai-why-traffic-isnt-the-goal-anymore-4807\/#what-should-businesses-do-next\" >What Should Businesses Do Next?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/seo-in-the-age-of-ai-why-traffic-isnt-the-goal-anymore-4807\/#the-takeaway-seo-is-not-dead\" >The Takeaway: SEO Is not Dead<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"what-has-20-years-in-seo-taught-jonathan-benz\"><\/span><b>What Has 20 Years in SEO Taught Jonathan Benz?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI hate to say I have seen it all,\u201d Benz began, \u201cbut after 21 years in SEO, I have sure seen a lot.\u201d As he explained, his work with Direct Online Marketing centers around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/how-to-onboard-30-seo-clients-in-30-days\/\">helping clients grow<\/a> in three ways:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Generating more leads for B2B and service-based businesses<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Driving more sales for eCommerce brands<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increasing traffic for publishers and media sites where visibility fuels revenue<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But across all those categories, Benz said, the fundamentals of SEO have not changed:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou still need a fast website, an engaging user experience, and strong keyword targeting supported by authority signals. Those have always been the core truths.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What has changed is the expectation, from businesses and search engines alike. SEO is no longer about appearing; it\u2019s about performing.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the-roi-dilemma-why-seo-feels-harder-to-justify\"><\/span><b>The ROI Dilemma: Why SEO Feels Harder to Justify<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Benz pointed out that one of the biggest struggles for<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/managed-seo-services\/\"> SEO professionals<\/a> today is proving return on investment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEveryone struggles with two things,\u201d he said. \u201cROI justification and turnaround time.\u201d ROI is tricky because SEO is not a one-click game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is layered like involving brand authority, technical optimization and user trust.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And in an era when AI answers appear instantly at the top of search results, proving that SEO drives conversions is more complex than ever.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second pain point, he explained, is content approval bottlenecks. Many organizations rely on subject matter experts (SMEs) for fact-checking and thought leadership but those experts often have limited time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Benz shared a few ways to make the process smoother:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create a repository of SME quotes via quick email responses.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conduct interviews with experts and turn their insights into evergreen content.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use SMEs as peer reviewers rather than primary authors.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He even suggested using custom GPTs trained on expert materials, which is a clever new-age twist that allows teams to simulate SME input quickly without sacrificing accuracy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThink of it as ghostwriting for the AI era,\u201d he said. \u201cYou are creating a system that learns the expert\u2019s voice and opinions, then using it as a co-pilot for content creation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the-ai-question-is-it-a-threat-or-an-ally\"><\/span><b>The AI Question: Is It a Threat or an Ally?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When asked his thoughts on AI, Benz smiled:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI am not an artificial intelligence. I believe it makes us better, more creative, more productive, and free to focus on the human part of work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He compared AI\u2019s impact on marketing to automation in manufacturing. Just as factories evolved to balance machinery with human supervision, knowledge workers now need to strike the same balance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou\u2019ve got two choices,\u201d he said. \u201cEither resist it and risk irrelevance or learn to use it as a companion tool. AI won\u2019t replace professionals entirely, but it will redefine what being a professional means.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And that&#8217;s the heart of it. AI is not the enemy of SEO, it is the accelerator. But only for those who know how to use it strategically.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"is-ai-killing-seo\"><\/span><b>Is AI Killing SEO?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This question sparked one of the most thought-provoking discussions in the episode.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Benz\u2019s take was simple but powerful:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAI is not killing SEO, it is forcing us to focus on what really matters.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For years, marketers equated success with traffic growth. More blogs meant more keywords.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More keywords meant more visibility. But as he explained, that equation does not hold anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe spent years saying, \u2018Just publish more content, and they will come.\u2019 But that is not how it works now. With AI Overviews, users might never even see your page and Google might summarize it for them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The traditional \u201ccontent equals traffic\u201d strategy has expired. Now, SEOs must rethink what success looks like, not in terms of visits, but in terms of value.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"what-is-the-winning-seo-strategy-in-2025\"><\/span><b>What Is the Winning SEO Strategy in 2025?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Benz, the future of SEO is not about generating traffic, it is about attracting the right traffic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt is not about volume anymore,\u201d he said. \u201cit is about intent. The right user on the right page at the right moment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He explained that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/how-automated-seo-software-scales-agile-solutions-in-2025-2371\/\">modern SEO success<\/a> relies on three steps:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Identify high-value pages<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 The ones that actually convert or generate revenue.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Drive visibility to those pages<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through strategic backlinks, internal linking, and contextual signals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Align SEO goals with business outcomes.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes, the most effective change isn\u2019t publishing more blog posts; it\u2019s adding an FAQ to your service pages, improving CTAs or fixing site architecture to guide visitors toward conversion paths.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou can\u2019t play the game of endless content anymore,\u201d Benz added. \u201cIt is about making your existing ecosystem work harder.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the-vanity-metrics-trap\"><\/span><b>The Vanity Metrics Trap<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aaron pointed out how this obsession with vanity metrics also exists on social media and influencers chasing views instead of engagement. Benz immediately connected that idea to SEO.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cExactly,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can have a million visits, but if those people don\u2019t buy, subscribe or engage, what\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He urged marketers to go beyond impressions and clicks to measure deeper interactions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Engagement, leads and conversions are the metrics that prove SEO\u2019s business value, not traffic charts that look good in reports but don\u2019t move revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTraffic without a system to monetize it is just noise,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That shift from more visitors to more valuable visitors is what he believes separates modern SEO from its pre-AI past.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"content-strategy-in-the-ai-era\"><\/span><b>Content Strategy in the AI Era<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of Benz\u2019s most striking observations was about how AI changes content creation itself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf you are publishing surface-level content, you are just training AI systems to replace you,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In other words, the more repetitive your content is, the easier it is for AI to summarize or replicate. The only way to stand out is to produce deep, experience-based insights and content that answers questions AI can\u2019t fully explain.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He encouraged marketers to shift their focus from quantity to quality, crafting pages that reflect brand expertise, credibility and originality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTurn your website into a sales machine,\u201d he advised. \u201cEvery page should move users closer to a conversion. Otherwise, you\u2019re just feeding the algorithm.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"what-should-businesses-do-next\"><\/span><b>What Should Businesses Do Next?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the discussion wrapped up, Benz shared advice for businesses navigating this AI-driven SEO world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, <\/span><b>fix your data.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Without accurate analytics, you can\u2019t measure or optimize what matters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Second, <\/span><b>audit your strategy.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Many companies are still stuck chasing outdated SEO metrics.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And third, <\/span><b>stay adaptive.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The pace of change in search and AI is relentless. Flexibility, not fear, is the winning mindset.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf you are uncertain about your data setup or your strategy for the AI era, it is time to pause and re-evaluate,\u201d Benz said. \u201cReach out, get a real audit done by people who understand this shift, not by bots.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is advice that feels both practical and urgent.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the-takeaway-seo-is-not-dead\"><\/span><b>The Takeaway: SEO Is not Dead<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As this SEO on Air episode made clear, the future of SEO is not about chasing algorithms, it is about understanding people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Traffic for traffic\u2019s sake is over. The SEOs who will thrive are those who connect every keyword, every click and every piece of content to measurable business impact.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jonathan Benz\u2019s perspective reminded us that SEO\u2019s soul has not changed and it is still about connecting users to solutions. The only difference? AI has raised the bar for what counts as meaningful connection.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe are not fighting AI,\u201d Benz concluded. \u201cWe are learning to work alongside it to make SEO more intentional, strategic and human.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SEO is transforming again. And this time, it is not just another algorithm update. It is a complete mindset shift brought on by AI Overviews, generative search and automation tools that are redefining what it means to \u201crank.\u201d In the latest episode of Stan Ventures\u2019 SEO on Air Podcast, host Aaron sat down with Jonathan [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4808,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai","category-seo"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SEO in the Age of AI: Why Traffic Isn\u2019t the Goal Anymore - Stan Ventures<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jonathan Benz explains why AI is redefining SEO success in 2025\u2014where outcomes matter more than traffic. 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