Will AI Systems Be Able To Fully Diagnose Traffic Drops And Identify Fundamental Issues?

Summary

Voices of Search Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: Will AI Systems Be Able To Fully Diagnose Traffic Drops And Identify Fundamental Issues?
Host: Tyson Stockton
Guest: Sam Torres, Gray Co
Release Date: May 10, 2025

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Introduction

In this insightful episode of the Voices of Search podcast, host Tyson Stockton delves into the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) in diagnosing traffic drops and identifying the underlying issues affecting website performance. Joined by Sam Torres from Gray Co, the discussion navigates the current landscape of SEO tools and the potential future role of AI in search engine optimization.

Main Discussion: AI's Role in Diagnosing Traffic Drops

Assessing AI's Diagnostic Capabilities

Tyson Stockton initiates the conversation by posing a critical question: "Will AI systems be able to fully diagnose traffic drops and identify the fundamental issues within the next 12 months?" (00:43). This sets the stage for a deep dive into the effectiveness and limitations of AI in SEO.

Sam Torres' Insights on AI Limitations

Sam Torres provides a grounded perspective, expressing skepticism about AI's ability to pinpoint fundamental SEO issues comprehensively. She states:

"I do not think they'll be able to identify the fundamental issues in an effective way. ... It's very rarely one thing unless you like. ... It's always going to be a myriad of factors." (02:23)

Torres emphasizes that modern SEO challenges are multifaceted, often resulting from a combination of factors rather than a single, identifiable issue. She argues that AI systems, as they stand, may struggle to account for this complexity.

The Human Element in SEO Diagnosis

Further elaborating, Torres shares her observations on AI's diagnostic approach:

"Once it finds one thing, it's like, oh, I'm done. They're like, no you're not. You keep looking. ... We need to keep digging. We need to go through the list because yeah, that looks like it might be it, but it might not be the only thing." (02:23)

This highlights a critical limitation of AI: the tendency to halt analysis after identifying an initial issue, potentially overlooking subsequent problems that contribute to traffic fluctuations.

Key Insights and Conclusions

Complexity of SEO Issues

The conversation underscores the inherent complexity in diagnosing SEO problems. Unlike simpler scenarios where a single issue can cause a traffic drop (e.g., setting a "no index" tag inadvertently), most real-world situations involve multiple interrelated factors. This complexity poses a significant challenge for AI systems aiming to provide comprehensive diagnostics.

AI as a Supplementary Tool

While recognizing the current limitations, the discussion implicitly acknowledges that AI can still play a valuable role in SEO by identifying obvious issues quickly. However, the nuanced analysis and continuous investigative process required to uncover all underlying problems remain areas where human expertise is indispensable.

Future Prospects

Looking forward, the episode suggests that while AI will continue to advance and potentially improve its diagnostic capabilities, achieving the level of sophistication needed to fully diagnose and resolve SEO traffic drops within the next year remains uncertain. The blend of AI efficiency and human analytical skills appears to be the optimal approach for effective SEO management.

Notable Quotes

• Tyson Stockton (00:43):
  "Will AI systems be able to fully diagnose traffic drops and identify the fundamental issues within the next 12 months?"

• Sam Torres (02:23):
  "I do not think they'll be able to identify the fundamental issues in an effective way. ... It's very rarely one thing unless you like. ... It's always going to be a myriad of factors."

• Sam Torres (02:23):
  "Once it finds one thing, it's like, oh, I'm done. They're like, no you're not. You keep looking. ... We need to keep digging. We need to go through the list because yeah, that looks like it might be it, but it might not be the only thing."

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with Tyson Stockton thanking Sam Torres for her valuable insights and encouraging listeners to connect with her through LinkedIn and the Gray Company website. The discussion leaves listeners with a balanced view of AI's current capabilities in SEO diagnostics and the indispensable role of human expertise in navigating complex search engine challenges.

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Transcript

[A]

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, Tyson Stockton.

[B]

With that, it's going to bring us around to the lightning round of the show. Final one so Trender trash AI systems will be able to fully diagnose traffic drops and and identify the fundamental issues within the next 12 months.

[C]

This podcast is also sponsored by Ahrefs. What if I told you that you could monitor your website's SEO, health, backlinks and organic rankings at no costs? Sounds too good to be true. Well, it's not, because my friends at Ahrefs just launched Ahrefs Webmaster Tools. Ahrefs new Webmaster Tools product quickly helps you improve your site's visibility by pointing solutions to over 100 technical issues that might be holding your search performance performance down. Plus, AWT monitors for backlinks so you'll know the most linked to pages and how those links are affecting your rankings. And AWT shares what keywords your website ranks for and compares how you stack up against competitors for key metrics like search volume, keyword difficulty and traffic value. Look, monitoring your website used to require multiple expensive tools and now, thanks to Ahrefs, that's not the case anymore. So because AWT will help you monitor your SEO, health, backlinks and keywords for free, and no, it's not one of those 14 day free trial offers. It's a powerful site audit tool that will keep working for you for free. So check out Ahrefs webmaster [e-mail] AWT that's a h r e f s.com AWT a first part.

[D]

Yes. So they'll be able to fully identify the traffic drops. I do not think they'll be able to identify the fundamental issues in an effective way. And by that I mean I don't think they'll be able to identify what actually is the problem. And I will say the Internet. And you know, 10 years ago there used to be like, oh, it's this one thing and once we fix that, it's fine. No, it's going to be a myriad of factors. It is very rarely one thing unless you like. I mean, right. We can all think of the ways to tank a site. Did you set up a no index tag on all your pages? That'll do it, right? But short of something like that, it's always going to be a myriad of factors. And I don't think an AI system in the next 12 months is going to be able to properly weigh and even account for that. And what I've seen so far is like, once it finds one thing, it's like, oh, I'm done. They're like, no you're not. You keep looking. And I mean, I think that's true for maybe junior and inexperienced as well as they find the one thing. And they, they're like, yes, I found it. That I think that just comes with experience of knowing like it's going to be more than one thing. We need to keep digging. We need to go through the list because yeah, that looks like it might be it, but it might not be the only thing.

[C]

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[B]

That's a great call out that it's like, yeah, again, having that experience of like, oh, just because you found one doesn't mean there's no more. So I think that's a great call out.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

All right, so that wraps up this episode of the Voice of Search podcast. Thanks to Sam Torres from Gray Co for joining us. And if you'd like to contact Sam, you can find a link to her LinkedIn profile in the show notes. And you can always go over and get more information about her and her company at the Gray Company. And if you haven't subscribed yet and you'd like a daily stream of SEO and content marketing knowledge in your podcast feed.

[C]

And a special thanks to Ahrefs for sponsoring this podcast. Monitoring your website used to require multiple expensive tools, but that's not the case anymore. Thanks to Ahrefs because they just launched their Ahrefs Webmaster Tools product, which monitors your SEO health, helps you keep track of your backlinks, and gives you the insight into what keywords are performing for free. So check out Ahrefs webmaster [e-mail] awt that's ahrefs a h r e f.

[B]

S.Com awt hit that subscribe button in your podcast app or like and subscribe on YouTube and we'll be back in your feed the following day. So that's all for today. Thanks again for stopping by the Voice of Search podcast and we'll see you in the next episode.

[D]

Sam.