Podcast Summary: Voices of Search

Episode: Game plan for making sure your brand wins visibility across AI and agent search
Date: November 8, 2025
Host: Tyson Stockton
Guest: Killian Dunn (Telepathic)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Tyson Stockton speaks with Killian Dunn about strategic approaches brands can take to ensure they remain visible in an evolving search landscape—specifically as AI and agent-led search gain prominence. The conversation centers on practical frameworks, adapting to rapid changes in search, and broadening your SEO strategy beyond just your website.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. SEO Hierarchy of Needs

• Framework: Killian compares building an SEO strategy to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—start with the fundamentals and climb up.

  • Audit Your Level: Assess where your organization is on the SEO pyramid before moving forward.
    • “First, we need air and food before we can think about personal fulfillment… First step will be to audit what layer you're at.” — Killian Dunn [00:59]
  • Tailored Content: Produce content and apply strategies suitable for your stage (beginner, intermediate, advanced).
    • “If you’re not getting indexed… don’t worry about any sort of having your content in a Q and A format. That's secondary.” — Killian Dunn [01:10]

• Best Practices:

  • Develop guides and playbooks for each stage of SEO maturity.
  • “We try and tailor it to those who are different needs. So guides based on those who are beginners versus intermediate versus really sophisticated SEO teams.” — Killian Dunn [01:54]

2. Don’t Skip the Fundamentals

• Sequential Progression: Emphasize mastering foundational tasks before chasing advanced tactics.
  • “Don’t go to level three before you’ve completed level one.” — Killian Dunn [02:28]

3. Expand Your SEO Strategy Beyond Your Own Website

• New SEO Landscape: Visibility isn’t limited to your domain; now, it’s also about broader web presence due to AI and agent-led search.
  • “My strategy within search is beyond the four walls of my own domain… you need to be thinking about all the other placements online.” — Killian Dunn [02:51]
  • “More so than in the past, a successful SEO strategy has to look beyond just your domain and into other placements online as well.” — Killian Dunn [03:17]

4. Emerging Importance of Social & Community Platforms

• Reddit as a Search Destination:
  • Visibility Fluctuations: Recent discussions on changes to Reddit’s ranking and its impact on search visibility, sparked by reported drops after Google’s algorithm updates.
    • “Reddish is now suddenly not ranked at all due to Google’s… change… most of the research has come from a single study that seems a little bit questionable… It's caused a huge backlash and a huge stock drop in Reddit…” — Killian Dunn [03:43]
  • Skepticism Over Panic: Be cautious about overreacting to single data points; thorough analysis is crucial.
    • “Everything's moving so quickly that a single… publication might swing huge markets.” — Killian Dunn [04:32]
• Platform Evaluation:
  • Brands should assess every channel’s value relative to their business.
    • “It’s more important than ever to assess each channel one by one, see which is valuable for your own use case…” — Killian Dunn [04:41]

5. Follow the Money & Structural Advantages

• Reddit’s Unique Value:
  • As a structured, data-rich community with intrinsic ranking signals (votes, comments), Reddit is a “perfect training ground” for AI and search engines.
    • “Knowing the size, partnerships, knowing just kind of how perfect of a training ground Reddit is with like the built-in voting, ranking element of it. That's certainly not something that I would be sleeping on or ignoring as well.” — Tyson Stockton [04:50]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On SEO Strategy:
  “The way to think about it is through an SEO or organic search hierarchy of needs… The first step will be to audit what layer you're at. And then the plan comes from how to move to a higher layer.”
  — Killian Dunn [00:59]

• On Expanding Beyond Your Site:
  “A successful SEO strategy has to look beyond just your domain and into other placements online as well.”
  — Killian Dunn [03:17]

• On Reacting to Algorithm Changes:
  “Everything’s moving so quickly that a single… study, a single publication might swing huge, huge kind of markets.”
  — Killian Dunn [04:32]

• On Reddit’s Strategic Importance:
  “Knowing just kind of how perfect of a training ground Reddit is with like the built-in voting, ranking element of it. That's certainly not something that I would be… ignoring as well.”
  — Tyson Stockton [04:50]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• SEO Hierarchy of Needs Framework — [00:49–02:28]
• Don’t Skip SEO Fundamentals — [02:28–02:41]
• Thinking Beyond Your Website (AI-Agent Search Visibility) — [02:41–03:29]
• Reddit’s Ranking & Value in Search — [03:29–04:50]
• Final Thoughts on Structured Community Platforms — [04:50–05:13]

Takeaways

• Audit your SEO maturity and build upward—don’t skip foundational work.
• AI-era SEO requires diversified visibility: think beyond your website to channels and platforms where your audience (and search engines) are present.
• Be wary of industry panic based on limited data; validate major changes before making strategy shifts.
• Platforms like Reddit offer unique value for both visibility and AI training due to their structure and user engagement mechanisms.

For more insights or to connect with Killian Dunn, check the episode’s show notes for links.