Podcast Summary: Voices of Search – "SEOs building lightweight tools in IDEs – trend or trash?"

Release Date: November 20, 2025
Host: Tyson Stockton
Guest: Rylan Bacorn (Bokeaday)

Overview

This episode explores the rising trend of SEOs and marketers building lightweight, often AI-assisted, tools within Integrated Development Environments (IDEs). Host Tyson Stockton and guest Rylan Bacorn discuss whether this is a passing fad or a transformational shift, examining how these tools and automations are impacting not just SEO, but workflows across entire organizations. The conversation is forward-looking, contemplating the future of tool development, routine automation, and the necessity for professionals to adapt to a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Evolving Role of IDEs and Background Automation

[00:43–02:52]

• Automation moving into the background:
  Rylan predicts that as technology advances, more of the complex orchestration happens behind the scenes, with users interacting less directly with the tools themselves.

  • Quote [01:09]:

    "We'll have less and less touch points with what's actually being orchestrated. We should know what's going on. So this is happening. Yeah, they're going to move more into the background. You're going to be interacting with them less and less and less." — Rylan Bacorn

  • Emphasizes the importance for professionals to learn how these systems work now, so they can still troubleshoot and understand issues when they arise.

• AI assistants learning from you:
  Rylan talks about the increasing sophistication of real-time or system agents—AI tools that adapt to your workflows for highly tailored automation.

  • Quote [02:13]:

    "You'll be able to wrangle these tools to do precisely what you want with less and less interaction. So I only see them getting better and I only see more and more people using them." — Rylan Bacorn

• Main takeaway:
  IDE tooling and AI agents are integrating more deeply into the workflow, reducing manual input over time, and broadening their user base beyond programmers and SEOs.

2. The Expansion Beyond Content and Data Analysis

[04:30–05:55]

• Beyond content production:
  Tyson notes that discussions often focus on content creation or data analysis, but the real opportunity is automating repetitive, mundane tasks—freeing up cognitive space for higher-value work.

  • Quote [04:42]:

    "There's probably a lot of just meaningless activities that we have to do constantly. That could be great starting ground to play around here." — Tyson Stockton

• Cross-departmental automation:
  Rylan highlights real-world applications such as HR teams leveraging locally hosted databases and AI-powered tools to instantly answer common staff queries (like holiday schedules), improving productivity organization-wide.

  • Example: Integrating tools like NoCODB or N8N to automate internal service queries.

• Technological disruption as necessity:
  Rylan draws a parallel to industrial history:

  • Quote [06:38]:

    "It's not any different than any technological disruption that's happened in the past. You know, the mechanical wire loom is a good example. You can make clothes by hand, but you're going to be an artisan and you're going to have to charge significantly more if you want to stay in business. So learn the mechanical wire loom 100%." — Rylan Bacorn

3. The Call to Action: Embrace and Understand the Tools

[05:12–06:51]

• Urgency to adapt:
  Both agree that with competitors already innovating, professionals in every department must familiarize themselves with these tools to avoid being left behind.
• Productivity and competitive edge:
  Organizations not embracing automation risk operational inefficiency and increased costs, similar to businesses in prior eras that were slow to industrialize.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On background automation:
  "We're going to be interacting with them less and less ... It's important to get on things now so that you understand what's happening in the background. Because troubleshooting involves getting into the weeds." — Rylan Bacorn [01:09]

• On AI agents learning user preferences:
  "You'll be able to wrangle these tools to do precisely what you want with less and less interaction." — Rylan Bacorn [02:13]

• On automating beyond SEO:
  "There's probably a lot of just meaningless activities that we have to do constantly. That could be great starting ground to play around here." — Tyson Stockton [04:42]

• On historical parallels to current disruption:
  "So learn the mechanical wire loom 100%." — Rylan Bacorn [06:38]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:43] – Future of IDEs and background automation
• [02:00] – AI agents and low-touch workflows
• [04:30] – Applications beyond SEO: automating HR and repetitive tasks
• [06:38] – Importance of adapting to technological disruption

Tone & Language

The episode is conversational, approachable, and forward-looking, balancing technical insights with relatable analogies. Rylan brings a sense of optimism and practicality, while Tyson grounds the discussion in real-world SEO and business applications.

Summary Value

Listeners will come away with a clear understanding of how lightweight, AI-powered tools within IDEs are shaping the future of SEO and organizational workflows. The episode issues a strong call to action to learn and implement these automations—making a case that this is not a passing trend, but vital to staying relevant and competitive in the evolving landscape of digital work.