Voices of Search Podcast

Episode: One word that describes the current state of SEO integration
Date: August 29, 2025
Host: Jordan Cooney
Guest: Amy Jarenka (SEO Sustainable)

Overview

In this concise and lively episode, host Jordan Cooney and guest Amy Jarenka distill the current mood of SEO integration into a single word, capturing the rapidly shifting landscape shaped by AI, new technologies, and a changing mindset among SEO professionals. Amy shares her observations of an industry defined by creativity, experimentation, and the friction between enthusiasm and resistance to change. The episode is a quick deep-dive into the culture and mindset of modern SEO practitioners.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. One Word for SEO in 2025 — “Wild”

• Main Question: Jordan opens by asking Amy what single word describes the current state of SEO in light of AI’s impact and rapid change.
• Amy’s Response:
  • “Wild. It’s either wild or bonfire. But that’s more than one word. Yeah, it’s wild. It’s wild. It’s wild...”
  • Amy expresses both excitement and chaos in modern SEO, emphasizing a sense of creative volatility.
  • SEO has always attracted those who thrive by “poking things with a stick”—testing, theorizing, and building new tactics.

Quote:
“It’s wild to see so many people like me who are like, this is so exciting and let’s poke it with a stick...Let’s come up with new ideas and what’s your theory?...And it’s also absolutely wild to me, the people that are like, ‘this is a waste of time.’ ...This is like kind of resistance to it.”
— Amy Jarenka, [00:52]

2. The Cultural DNA of the SEO Industry

• Imagination and Invention:
  • SEO’s roots are experimental and rebellious. Amy recalls how even the naming of algorithm updates (like Fred, Panda, Penguin) came about with humor and inventiveness.
  • SEO was made a marketing channel by the practitioners themselves, not by design.
  • The industry embraces testing, inventing, and humor as cultural hallmarks.
• Resistance to Change:
  • Amy finds it striking that, despite this inventive culture, there’s also entrenched resistance among some professionals unwilling to adapt to shifts like AI.

Quote:
“SEO wasn’t even supposed to be a marketing channel. SEOs made it a marketing channel. Did it have a name then? No. They invented it. Right. So I feel like the whole industry has been based off of that. Right. What can we invent for ourselves and make for ourselves, you know?”
— Amy Jarenka, [01:42]

3. The “Wild” Opportunity

• Amy reiterates that it’s a fertile time for those who want to innovate, with immense opportunity for those who thrive on change and creativity.
• She notes the divide between those embracing the moment and those resisting, wondering how some can work in SEO but reject change.

Quote:
“I think it’s wild that we’re in a spot in a time where us that are into that really can thrive. I mean, there’s just so much we can do. And I also think it’s absolutely wild that there’s so many people in this industry that are fighting that kind of like, where’d you come from?”
— Amy Jarenka, [03:36]

4. Change Is Hard — Closing Thoughts

• Jordan summarizes by noting, “Change is hard, Amy. You know, I don’t think everyone wants to adopt it.”
• He thanks Amy and wraps up the episode, encouraging listeners to continue seeking answers in the data.

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Amy Jarenka, on SEO’s spirit:
  “This has always just been a fun, imaginative, you know, let’s see what we can do. We’re going to make this a real thing sort of industry.” [01:42]

• Jordan Cooney, on resistance:
  “Change is hard. Change is hard, Amy. You know, I don’t think everyone wants to adopt it.” [03:50]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:43] — Jordan asks the “one word” question
• [00:52] — Amy calls SEO “wild,” elaborates on excitement vs. resistance
• [01:42] — Origins of SEO’s inventive culture, naming of algorithm updates
• [03:36] — Amy reflects on present opportunities for creative SEOs

Tone and Takeaways

This episode captures the irreverent, experimental energy at SEO’s core. Amy passionately describes a field in flux, energized by creativity but also facing internal friction. The current state is “wild”—full of possibilities for those willing to embrace change, and baffling to those stuck in the past.

Final Thought:
The answers are always in the data.