Optimizing For Traditional Search Engines Vs AI Platforms - Voices of Search // A Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Content Marketing Podcast

Summary4 min read

Voices of Search Podcast: Optimizing For Traditional Search Engines Vs AI Platforms

Podcast Information:

Title: Voices of Search // A Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Content Marketing Podcast
Host: Jordan Cooney
Guest: Chris Andrew, Co-Founder and CEO at Scrunch AI
Release Date: April 24, 2025

Introduction

In the April 24, 2025 episode of Voices of Search, host Jordan Cooney welcomes Chris Andrew, the Co-Founder and CEO of Scrunch AI—a company dedicated to helping businesses optimize their presence across generative AI platforms. The episode delves into the evolving landscape of search engine optimization (SEO) amidst the rise of AI-driven search platforms.

Optimizing for Traditional Search Engines vs. AI Platforms

Lightning Round: Choosing Focus Areas

At the onset, Jordan poses a critical question to Chris: "Would you choose to optimize for traditional search engines or AI platforms if you can only focus on one for the next quarter?" (00:42).

Chris Andrew's Response:

Chris navigates the dilemma by emphasizing the foundational role of traditional SEO in supporting AI platform optimization:

"I think I would focus on the tactics that AI models need, but in a traditional search way. Traditional search engine optimization is the foundation for how these models are deciding what to look at..." (01:10)

He underscores that without strong traditional SEO—being ranked by giants like Google and Bing—AI models are less likely to surface a business's content. Chris advocates for a harmonious approach, suggesting that optimizing for human intent inherently benefits both traditional and AI-driven search outcomes. He cautions against sidelining traditional SEO, highlighting Google's dominance in driving over 90% of traffic for most businesses:

"It's a very risky strategy to say SEO is dead when Google represents 90% plus traffic for most businesses today." (01:40)

Investment Strategies: Traditional SEO vs. AI-Based Search

Deep Dive: Allocating Resources

Continuing the discussion, Jordan asks Chris how he would allocate investment between AI-based search experiences and non-AI (traditional) placements:

"If you have to do a toss up between investing heavily in AI-based experiences in the search versus non-AI placements. How would you invest between those two?" (02:43)

Chris Andrew's Insights:

Chris advocates for a substantial investment in AI outcomes, citing the dynamic nature of AI-driven search indexing:

"I'd invest heavily in the AI outcomes. The results for AI-generated returns are actually changing faster because the models are accessing your content in basically real time." (03:03)

He explains that AI models process and utilize content nearly instantaneously, allowing for rapid incorporation of updated information:

"If you make a change to your content pages today, there's a very high likelihood of having that content returned in a new GPT result, perplexity result, AI overview within five seconds." (03:45)

This real-time indexing contrasts sharply with traditional search engines, which may take days to reflect content changes. Chris highlights the strategic advantage of AI platforms in maintaining up-to-date and highly relevant search results, making them a priority for investment.

Key Insights and Conclusions

Interdependence of Traditional SEO and AI Platforms:
- Traditional SEO remains critical as it forms the backbone upon which AI models build their search capabilities.
- Ensuring high rankings in conventional search engines enhances visibility across AI-driven platforms.
Content for Human Intent:
- Creating content that addresses human intent not only satisfies traditional SEO criteria but also aligns with how AI models interpret and utilize information.
- Simplistic and human-focused content avoids unnecessary complexity, making it versatile for various search environments.
Dynamic and Real-Time Optimization:
- AI platforms offer the advantage of real-time content indexing, enabling businesses to adapt swiftly to changes and capitalize on trending queries.
- Investing in AI-driven search optimization allows for more agile and responsive marketing strategies.
Avoiding the SEO Myopia:
- Dismissing traditional SEO in favor of AI platforms is precarious given the latter's reliance on established search engine rankings.
- A balanced approach that leverages the strengths of both traditional and AI-based SEO practices is recommended for sustained organic growth.

Notable Quotes

Chris Andrew on Traditional SEO Foundations:

"Traditional search engine optimization is the foundation for how these models are deciding what to look at..." (01:10)
On the Real-Time Advantage of AI Platforms:

"If you make a change to your content pages today, there's a very high likelihood of having that content returned in a new GPT result...within five seconds." (03:45)
Caution Against Neglecting Traditional SEO:

"It's a very risky strategy to say SEO is dead when Google represents 90% plus traffic for most businesses today." (01:40)

Conclusion

The episode underscores the evolving dynamics between traditional search engines and emerging AI platforms. Chris Andrew articulates a strategic framework where traditional SEO remains indispensable, even as AI-driven search becomes more prevalent. By focusing on content that caters to human intent and leveraging the real-time capabilities of AI, businesses can navigate the complex SEO landscape effectively.

Connect with Chris Andrew:

LinkedIn: LinkedIn Profile
Scrunch AI: scrunchai.com

Subscribe: For more insights on SEO and content marketing, subscribe to the Voices of Search Podcast on your preferred podcast platform or visit voicesofsearch.com.

Ready to enhance your brand's voice? Explore podcast production, growth, and monetization solutions at iheareverything.com.

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Transcript6 lines

[00:00]
Jordan Cooney
The Voices of Search Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com welcome to the Voices of Search Podcast. A member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network, ready to expedite your company's organic growth efforts. Sit back, relax, and get ready for your daily dose of search engine optimization wisdom. Here's today's host of the Voices of Search Podcast, Jordan Cooney.
[00:43]
This is the Voice of Search Podcast. I'm Jordan Cooney, and joining us today is Chris Andrew, co founder and CEO at Scrunch AI, which helps businesses optimize their presence across generative AI platforms. All right, Chris, let's dive into our lightning round toss up. Would you choose to optimize for traditional search engines or AI platforms if you can only focus on one for the next quarter?
[01:10]
Chris Andrew
It's a very tricky question. I think I would focus on the tactics that AI models need, but in a traditional search way. And I realize that's kind of a dodge on your answer because traditional search engine optimization is the foundation of for how these models are deciding what to look at, right? So if you're not being ranked by Google, by Bing, by OpenAI's Search Index, their new search bot, you're very unlikely to be surfaced from an AI perspective. Now, the long tail of content means they're looking further into the search results to find the right match, but I think there's a situation here where these two things do play nicely together, right? There's no reason you need to have a ton of complexity on your page with a bunch of JavaScript. I think you can serve Google and the AI models if you think about writing for humans. I think if you think about creating content for human intent, you're going to be able to win at both games. I think it's a very risky strategy to say SEO is dead when Google represents 90% plus traffic for most businesses today. I see that shifting very rapidly in some cases. But I would say I would not be walking away from traditional search engine optimization. I would be thinking very, very heavily about how AI optimized content, the way models read and interpret, can still fit into your overall search practice. So don't mean to dodge the question by picking just one or picking two, but I think that's how I would think about it if I were a marketer in a brand position.
[02:43]
Jordan Cooney
If we're to stay just with traditional search, right? Just the conventional Google or Bing search experiences. And you had to do a toss up between investing heavily in aios or AI based experiences in the search versus non AIO placements. How would you invest between those two?
[03:03]
Chris Andrew
I'd invest heavily in the AIO outcomes. And there's two reasons why the results for AI generated for returns are actually changing faster. And part of the reason is in many cases the models are accessing your content in basically real time. So I'm asking a prompt. Prompt is often turned into a search query. Behind the scenes, a search index is returned. The model is determining what pages to look at and looking at that content in essentially real time to answer and cite your page as a source. That's a very dramatic shift, right? If it used to be, wait three days, wait 10 days for the next time you get indexed. That's the next time you're going to have a content change. We're shifting to a world where you're able to make a change to your site today, and there's a chance that an AI overview or a GPT generated result is going to leverage that new content five seconds later. Because it's crawling that page in real time. It's like, okay, this page looks relevant. The title and description seem meaningful. Let me go download and scrape this content and see if I can use it to answer my question. So if you make a change to your content pages today, you have a very high likelihood of having that content returned in a net new GPT result, perplexity result AI overview. And so I think I would heavily optimize for those AI experiences on my search team.
[04:22]
Jordan Cooney
Okay, that wraps up this episode of the Voices search podcast. A huge thank you to Chris Andrew from Scrunch AI for joining us. If you'd like get in contact with Chris, you can find a link to his LinkedIn profile in our show notes or visit voicesofsearch.com for more information about Scrunch AI, visit scrunchai. Com. If you haven't subscribed yet and want a daily stream of SEO and content marketing knowledge in your feed, hit the subscribe button in your podcast app or on YouTube and we'll be back in your feed soon. Okay, that's all for today, but until next time, remember the answers are always in the.