SEO 101 Ep 518: Year-End SEO Changes, Google AI Blunders, and the Small Business SEO Playbook for 2026

Podcast: SEO 101
Hosts: Ross Dunn & Scott Van Achte
Date: December 18, 2025

Episode Overview

In their final episode before the holidays, Ross Dunn and Scott Van Achte reflect on a transformative year in SEO, delving deeply into the rapid impact of AI—not just on search engines, but digital life as a whole. They analyze Google’s shifting AI search landscape, recent blunders and challenges, and offer a detailed, actionable SEO playbook for small businesses heading into 2026. The conversation blends accessible insight for beginners with real talk about algorithm changes, AI accuracy, and the (frustrating) persistence of spammy tactics in local search.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A Year of Unprecedented AI Change

• The Speed of AI Development:

  • The hosts marvel at the rapid leap in AI capability, expressing both awe and unease at how unpredictable the near future is.
  • “Who would have thought that we're this close to...Arnold Schwarzenegger coming back and murdering somebody. Right? ...It's terrifying thinking where is it going to be...in a year from now.” — Scott (02:56)

• Limits to Predicting the Future:

  • Ross cites experts (including AI architects themselves) who admit they can’t reliably forecast even five years ahead in AI.
  • “As soon as AI becomes super intelligent, no one can guess what's coming… Anyone who thinks they know is guessing…” — Ross (03:28)

2. Google Admits AI Missteps

• Sergey Brin Quote:

  • Google cofounder Sergey Brin acknowledged that Google “for sure messed up in that we under invested and sort of didn’t take it as seriously as we should have…OpenAI ran with it, which is good for them.” (05:19)
  • The hosts explain the significance of the “Transformer” breakthrough in AI, linking it to current generative models.

• AI Mode & Search Factors:

  • Google’s Robbie Stein lists five SEO factors for ranking in AI search mode:
    1. Directly answering user questions
    2. High quality content
    3. Fast load time
    4. Originality
    5. Citing authoritative sources
  • “Is it high quality? There's a loaded one.” — Ross (08:24)

• AI SEO: Not Separate, Just Evolved

  • Google’s official stance (via Danny Sullivan, John Mueller, and Nick Fox) is that AI SEO isn’t a fundamentally new discipline.

  • “The way to optimize to do well in Google’s AI experiences is very similar. I would say the same, as how to perform well in traditional search.” — Nick Fox (12:31)

  • Ross’s Take:

    • Structuring content deliberately to match new ranking needs (e.g., headings, clarity, chunking) can make a substantial difference—but trust and authority remain essential.
    • "You need to have a certain amount of trust that has been built and authority. None of this will be accomplished in a vacuum.” — Ross (13:57)

3. What’s Happening with AI Overviews?

• Semrush Survey Data:

  • Surge and pullback: From 6.5% of queries in January ’25, AI overviews peaked at 25% in July, then dropped to 16% by November. (16:04)
  • Reduced zero-click searches: Zero-click rates dropped from 33.75% to 31.53%, suggesting slightly MORE traffic is reaching sites, despite AI boxes.

• Shift in Intent:

  • AI overviews, once mostly for informational queries, are now showing up more in commercial and transactional queries—areas with bigger revenue impact for Google.

• User Experience:

  • Both hosts find AI overviews and AI mode underwhelming or untrustworthy at times.
  • “I was trying to figure out what are the statistical odds of getting a 29 [cribbage] hand...AI overviews gave...1 in 280,000…and described it wrong...Then ChatGPT gave me a different wrong answer.” — Scott (19:58–21:04)
  • Ross notes: AI can compose very convincing but baseless “research” and even get simple factual rules very wrong.

4. Alarming AI Hallucinations and Defamation

• Case Study: Dr. Ed Hope

  • Google’s AI overview fabricated damaging claims about UK physician Dr. Ed Hope, falsely writing he’d been suspended for misconduct.

  • “Google AI said he was suspended...profited from selling sick notes...exploited patients...despite no investigations...It was able to replicate more hallucinations and false claims about him.” — Ross (27:02)

  • Legal experts question whether platforms are liable for AI-generated defamation.

  • “He should own Google by the end of 2026...I’ll make that a prediction.” — Scott (29:12)

5. Persistent Bugs & Console Issues at Google

• Search Console Delays:

  • Google fixed a months-long bug in indexing report delays and performance reports. Notification emails about indexing are now being sent again.

• Local Review Bug:

  • Many businesses saw reviews vanish from Google Business Profiles; after two months, the bug is supposedly fixed, but some reviews haven’t returned.
  • Hosts promise a future guide on how to address missing review issues with Google. (39:08–39:58)

6. 2026 Small Business SEO Playbook

• Ross’s SEO Done Substack & Playbook Release:
  • Ross introduces his rebranded newsletter, now “SEO Done,” with a guide for small businesses facing the evolving two-path search landscape: classic SEO and AI-driven search.
  • Playbook highlights:
    • Synchronize your NAP (name, address, phone) everywhere
    • Repair technical landmines—switch to HTTPS (soon, Google will flag HTTP sites)
    • Ensure important pages aren’t blocked, navigation is crawlable, and site speed is tuned
    • Clarify your unique offerings/services and locations
    • Create dedicated, structured pages for top services/areas
    • Case study GPT: Included a free ChatGPT case study builder and more prompts for business owners
  • “I packed it full of stuff, so I do hope you find it useful and...share it too, please. It’s a lot of work.” — Ross (37:27–37:56)

7. Local SEO: Spam and Spammy Rankings Persist

• Google’s Local “Dumpster Fire”

  • Ross rants about the laughable state of Google local search:
    • Spammy keyword-stuffed business names (sometimes for closed businesses!) still dominate rankings
    • Despite Google’s own rules, spam outperforms legit businesses, especially in competitive verticals like law.
  • “It’s just dumbfounding to me how bad Google is managing spam on local and even following its own rules...It’s just so annoying now.” — Ross (40:05)
  • Example presented: A permanently closed business ranked #1 simply for having the right keywords in its name.

• Scott’s Take:

  • Points out that, ironically, this is easily solved with modern AI, making Google's inaction even more frustrating.
  • “This is an issue...that is for Google incredibly easy to filter out and fix. This wouldn’t be hard for them.” — Scott (43:26)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Pace of AI:
  “...It's an arms race right now for it. So it's kind of terrifying how fast it's going and that's what we're not even seeing at all. Just wow.” — Ross (03:28)
• On Google's Priorities:
  “Sullivan noted that the acronyms keep changing. Yes, but the advice does not: Write for humans, not for ranking systems, whether those systems are traditional searches or LLMs.” — Ross referencing Google’s public stance (11:29)
• On Authority and Trust:
  “None of this will be accomplished in a vacuum. Like, you can't just have a great article if you don't have the authority. If you don't have a great site...you have to earn it.” — Ross (13:57)
• On AI Blunders:
  “It’s one thing for AI to get weird complicated stuff wrong...but something like this, it shouldn’t be wrong on. It should be dead on perfect every time.” — Scott, on AI’s cribbage mistake (21:28)
• On Local Spam:
  “It’s just dumbfounding...how bad Google is managing spam on local and even following its own rules...It's been happening for over...almost two decades.” — Ross (40:05, 43:26)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• AI’s Unpredictable Growth & Sergey Brin’s Admissions — 02:08–06:31
• Google’s Five AI Mode Search Factors — 07:58–09:43
• AI SEO vs Traditional SEO: What’s (Not) Changed? — 10:54–13:57
• AI Overviews: Incidence & Impact According to Semrush — 16:04–17:37
• AI Inaccuracies with Factual Questions — 19:58–21:57
• AI-Generated Defamation (Dr. Ed Hope Case) — 27:02–30:16
• Google Console & Local Review Bugs — 30:42–39:58
• Small Business SEO Playbook for 2026 Highlights — 31:26–37:56
• Local SEO Spamby Tactics & Google’s Failure — 40:03–43:38

Tone & Takeaways

Ross and Scott’s style is unpretentious, direct, and peppered with dry humor. Their advice is grounded in real experience, and they provide actionable insight—especially for small businesses—without hype or techno-babble. The central messages:

• AI is revolutionizing SEO, but the core principles remain (mostly) the same
• Google’s AI ambitions are sometimes undercut by basic failures—both in search accuracy and spam handling
• Practical, fundamentals-focused SEO (including local optimization) is still the key move for small businesses preparing for 2026

Resource Mentioned:

• Ross Dunn’s SEO Playbook Substack: seodone.com

Next up: More 2026 predictions and trends in upcoming episodes.