Voices of Search Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: Will LLM based discovery replace traditional search results within 12 months?
Date: September 30, 2025
Host: Jordan Cooney (I Hear Everything)
Guest: Guy from Webflow

Overview

This episode tackles a pressing question in the SEO and search landscape:
Will large language model (LLM) based discovery replace traditional search results within the next 12 months?

Jordan Cooney and Guy from Webflow engage in a rapid-fire “lightning round” debate, exploring the evolving roles of LLMs (like OpenAI's models and Google's Gemini) and discussing the competitive dynamics between major tech giants. The discussion covers the current and future state of AI-powered discovery, the strengths and strategies of Google vs. OpenAI, and the likely direction of online search experiences.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Will LLMs Replace Traditional Search Soon?

• Guy’s View:

  • Replacement is not happening within 12 months.
  • Both traditional search and LLM-based discovery will coexist; each serves different informational needs.
  • Quote:

    “I would say no in the 12 month time frame. But ... both are going to remain. They each serve a purpose... my personal guess, they somehow merge over time because you need both probabilistic and deterministic answers.”
    — Guy from Webflow [01:09]

  • SEO is not dead and won’t be soon.

• Jordan (Host) Adds:

  • Google remains in control of how users seek information, which gives them a massive competitive advantage, even over OpenAI.
  • Quote:

    "Google still has this huge control over data and how consumers look for information that not even OpenAI has yet. And so that's a huge advantage in their ability to craft an experience that's relevant..."
    — Jordan Cooney [01:37]

2. Brand and Data Matter in the AI Arms Race

• Guy’s Point:

  • If LLMs are becoming similar, brand recognition becomes a primary differentiator.
  • OpenAI is ahead of most competitors except Google in terms of brand awareness.
  • Quote:

    “Then brand name matters a ton. OpenAI is, one could argue, well ahead of the others except Google in that brand recognition and that that will matter over time to who goes to which LLM to ask questions.”
    — Guy from Webflow [01:59]

• Jordan’s Follow-up:

  • Google’s technical lead (web crawl and data) remains unmatched.
  • Gemini, Google's core LLM, is being threaded into all Google services—from Gmail to search.
  • Quote:

    “Google's made it very clear that they're going to make Gemini this core functioning AI tool that exists in your Gmail... in your local search experience... it will become the clippy of just the way you search online.”
    — Jordan Cooney [02:28]

3. The Next Battle: Becoming the User’s True Digital Assistant

• Guy’s Outlook:

  • Predicts a multi-trillion dollar "bloody battle" between OpenAI and Google.
  • The goal: building AI systems with “infinite context window” that personalize and manage the user’s digital life.
  • Quote:

    “This could be a multi trillion dollar battle between OpenAI and Google... infinite context window that has access to your entire life... proactively helpful in doing things around your life.”
    — Guy from Webflow [03:24]

• Jordan’s View:

  • The ultimate goal is not just LLM capabilities, but becoming the user’s true agent or assistant.
  • The winner will be the one that delivers true day-to-day user assistance, not just better search.
  • Quote:

    “That true agent or that true assistant... is still yet I think to have won the market. And so we're still pioneering in that, in that zone.”
    — Jordan Cooney [04:11]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “SEO is dead. I don't believe it's dead. I don't believe it will be.”
  — Guy from Webflow [01:13]
• “Google's got... the best crawl of the web in the world.”
  — Guy from Webflow [02:23]
• “It will become the clippy of just the way you search online.”
  — Jordan Cooney [02:28]
• “Multi trillion dollar battle... infinite context window... personalized... proactively helpful...”
  — Guy from Webflow [03:24]

Key Segment Timestamps

• [00:43] – Start of the “Lightning Round”
• [00:46] – Main question: Will LLM-based discovery replace search within 12 months?
• [01:09] – Guy’s core answer and reasoning
• [01:37] – Jordan on Google’s unique advantage
• [01:59] – The importance of brand in LLM adoption
• [02:28] – Gemini’s expansion across Google products
• [03:24] – The trillion-dollar fight for the user’s life assistant
• [04:11] – Market is still looking for a true “agent/assistant”

Tone and Style

The conversation is energetic, insightful, and practical—it blends informed speculation about LLMs and AI search, with a business-savvy look at the big tech competition. Both speakers bring optimism about the future, skepticism toward hype (like “SEO is dead”), and strategic focus on data, brand, and user experience.

Summary for Listeners

• Traditional search isn’t going away in 12 months—even as LLMs rapidly improve.
• Google and OpenAI are fiercely competing to become users’ all-knowing, proactive digital assistants.
• Brand recognition and depth of data access will likely shape the future of AI-powered discovery.
• The transition to AI-first search is coming, but not as a sudden replacement—expect convergence and collaboration between LLM and traditional search technologies.
• The “battle” to become the primary interface for user queries—and to integrate into users’ digital lives—will define the next era in search and content marketing.

For more:

• Visit voicesofsearch.com
• Contact Guy from Webflow via [LinkedIn] (see show notes)
• For more on Webflow: webflow.com