In this episode of The Visibility Brief, Yext SVP of Marketing Rebecca Colwell is joined by Leigh McKenzie, Director of Online Visibility at Semrush, to explore how one of marketing’s most established roles is being fundamentally reshaped by AI.

For more than two decades, SEO meant understanding Google—how it crawled, how it ranked, and how to win clicks. But that playbook is no longer enough. AI is changing how people search, how answers are delivered, and how brands get discovered.

So what does the job of an SEO actually look like now? And how should teams evolve when visibility depends on much more than a website?

Drawing on his experience at Semrush, where he's had a front-row seat to the evolution of search, Leigh makes the case that SEO isn't disappearing — it's growing into something bigger, more strategic, and more cross-functional than ever.

The episode breaks down:

Why traditional SEO thinking is no longer enough
How consumer behavior is changing the search landscape
Why SEO is becoming a cross-functional discipline
Why your website is only part of the equation
How mass content and quick-win tactics can quietly hurt long-term visibility and trust
What SEO teams should stop, start, and rethink

If you’re leading an SEO or marketing team and trying to understand how your role is changing, this episode will help you zoom out, rethink your priorities, and position yourself — and your brand – for what comes next.

What SEO Actually Looks Like in an AI-Driven World