Voices of Search Podcast

Episode: Does SEO tool consolidation help or hurt enterprise teams?

Date: February 6, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Jordan Cooney interviews Will Critchlow, CEO of SearchPilot — a leading SEO A/B testing platform for enterprise sites. The conversation centers around the evolving landscape of SEO, particularly focusing on Google's adaptation to AI and the industry trend of SEO tool consolidation. The episode delves into perceived threats to Google's dominance, the importance of generational shifts, and recent moves in big tech partnerships that may shape the future of search.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Google's Biggest Threat in AI Search

• Will Critchlow sees the generational shift—specifically, losing younger users to other platforms—as the main risk to Google’s dominance.
  • “If they lose the kids, they lose the taste makers and it becomes the thing that people do to do something else. Then it's hard to come back from.”
    — Will Critchlow [01:12]
• Losing favor with younger generations risks relegating Google to a secondary option, eroding its cultural relevance.

2. Strategic Partnerships: Google & Apple

• Will highlights the significance of the recent Google-Apple deal, describing it as mutually beneficial and indicative of market consolidation among big tech:
  • “I love when two monopolies both get to exploit each other at once. It's not actually clear to me who's exploiting whom and in fact which one should be paying which one.”
    — Will Critchlow [02:59]
• The conversation underscores the power dynamics and strategic maneuvering between tech giants, suggesting that such deals help both companies fend off external threats.

3. The Macro Threat: Changing Consumer Tides

• Beyond technical advancements and business deals, Will warns that the biggest threat is if the overall consumer preference shifts away from Google.
  • “But I think the big macro threat is just what if the tide turns?”
    — Will Critchlow [02:59]
• The hosts agree that adapting to user behavior is more crucial to Google’s survival than any single tactical move.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On generational influence:
  “If they lose the kids, they lose the taste makers and it becomes the thing that people do to do something else. Then it's hard to come back from.”
  — Will Critchlow [01:12]

• On tech partnerships:
  “I love when two monopolies both get to exploit each other at once. It's not actually clear to me who's exploiting whom and in fact which one should be paying which one.”
  — Will Critchlow [02:59]

• On existential risks:
  “But I think the big macro threat is just what if the tide turns?”
  — Will Critchlow [02:59]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:44] — Introduction of guest Will Critchlow, CEO at SearchPilot
• [01:12] — Discussion on the largest threat to Google's future: generational shifts
  (“If they lose the kids…” — Will Critchlow)
• [02:59] — Analysis of Google and Apple’s partnership, tech industry consolidation, and macro threats
  (“I love when two monopolies…” / “But I think the big macro threat is just what if the tide turns?” — Will Critchlow)

Summary of Takeaways

• The future of search and SEO is being shaped as much by societal shifts and user trends as by technology.
• For Google, maintaining cultural relevance, especially with younger audiences, is vital in the age of AI.
• Strategic partnerships among tech giants (like Google and Apple) point to increasing consolidation but may not guarantee future dominance if consumer sentiment changes.
• The “tide turning” — representing a wholesale shift in user behavior — remains the ultimate threat to legacy platforms.

For more insights from Will Critchlow, connect via LinkedIn or visit searchpilot.com.

Host: Jordan Cooney
Guest: Will Critchlow (CEO, SearchPilot)