Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary:

Voices of Search — Will traditional SEO tracking tools be replaced by AI visibility tracking tools?
Date: January 22, 2026
Host: Jordan Cooney
Guest: Eli Schwartz (Growth Advisor, SEO Consultant, Author of Product Led SEO)

Overview

In this episode, Jordan Cooney and Eli Schwartz dive into the future of SEO tracking tools, debating whether traditional platforms like Semrush, Ahrefs, and Conductor will be replaced by new AI visibility tools. The discussion explores the technological strengths of established SEO trackers, the limitations of AI-based models for visibility tracking, and what truly drives valuable insights in the current SEO landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Core Question: Will AI Replace Traditional Tracking Tools?

Jordan Cooney ([00:43]):
“Do you believe that traditional SEO tracking tools will vanish in the upcoming year and be replaced by AI visibility tracking tools?”

Eli Schwartz’s Position:

Dismisses idea of replacement ([01:02]):
“How’s this controversial? No?”
Eli Schwartz immediately rejects the idea that traditional SEO tools are on the verge of obsolescence, calling the discussion “not really controversial.”

Unique Advantages of Traditional SEO Tools

Comprehensive and Historical Data ([01:07] – [01:59]):
- Traditional tools (Semrush, Ahrefs, Conductor, Similarweb) provide a technical “lift” by:
  - Crawling the web and storing snapshots
  - Offering historical views of your site and competitors
  - Tracking keywords and ads over extended periods
- Quote:
  “Telling me that whatever sort of prompt I ranked on two weeks ago is absolutely useless for today because I may never rank on it again. Search is so much more consistent. So telling me my competitors ranked on this thing for the last 10 years and now doesn’t is a much better data point.” (Eli Schwartz, [01:35])

Limitations of AI Visibility Tools

Short-term and Volatile ([01:30] – [01:59]):
- AI visibility often works by sending API calls to large language models (LLMs) and caching results situationally.
- These tools lack the depth and historical consistency required for actionable SEO strategy.
- Quote:
  “AI visibility is basically an API call to whatever LLM and then it pulls back and it caches it at some point in time... That’s absolutely useless for today because I may never rank on it again.” (Eli Schwartz, [01:23])

The Unmatched Value of Traditional Tech

Technology and Holistic Approach ([03:29] – [03:57]):
- Established platforms continue to innovate, providing holistic solutions beyond mere “visibility.”
- Failure to adapt or lead in technology is what leaves some companies behind (e.g., Moz).
- Quote:
  “Moz is sort of an afterthought in this space because they lost the technology race... Semrush and Ahrefs and Conductor and Similarweb, they figured out how to have the technology questions answered of crawling the web and caching the web and making you be able to do a lookup at any point in time to find out who’s ranking on the keyword, what does the page look like? That’s the challenge. And Moz wasn’t up to that.” (Eli Schwartz, [03:44])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Eli Schwartz on AI’s Limitations:
“Telling me that whatever sort of prompt I ranked on two weeks ago is absolutely useless for today because I may never rank on it again.” ([01:35])
Eli Schwartz on the Value of Consistent Data:
“Telling me my competitors ranked on this thing for the last 10 years and now doesn’t is a much better data point than who had an SEO prompt or an LLM prompt two weeks ago.” ([01:50])
Eli Schwartz on the Tech Race:
“Moz is sort of an afterthought… they lost the technology race.” ([03:44])
Jordan Cooney wraps up:
“The answers are always in the data.” ([04:06])

Timestamps for Key Segments

00:43: Main question introduced by Jordan: Will AI visibility replace traditional SEO tracking?
01:02: Eli Schwartz’s immediate “No” and opening argument.
01:07–01:59: Detailed breakdown of traditional tool advantages and AI limitations.
03:29: Eli reinforces traditional tools’ holistic edge; tech race example with Moz.
04:06: Episode conclusion and closing thoughts.

Tone & Language

The conversation stays direct, opinionated, and slightly irreverent—especially with Eli’s initial “How’s this controversial? No?” His approach combines deep technical understanding with industry anecdotes, presenting his insights with a confident, matter-of-fact tone.

Summary Takeaway

While AI visibility tools are emerging in the SEO landscape, foundational SEO platforms maintain their critical edge due to their technical sophistication, historical data, and consistency in tracking. According to Eli Schwartz, these tools are not only here to stay but are irreplaceable for practitioners seeking actionable, long-term insights over fleeting AI-generated visibility.

Connect with the Guest:

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Transcript8 lines

[00:00]
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, Jordan Cooney.
[00:44]
B
All right, so maybe a controversial question next. We talked about the new tracking paradigm that's hitting all of marketing today. Do you believe that traditional SEO tracking tools will vanish in the upcoming year and be replaced by AI visibility tracking tools?
[01:03]
C
How's this controversial? No?
[01:06]
B
Okay, tell us more.
[01:08]
C
So I'm a big fan of Semrush, Ahrefs and Conductor, similar web like. All the same, they're great tools and what these tools offer is the technical lift around search visibility. So they can crawl your site. They have historical views of your site and your competitor sites. They have historical tracking of keywords. They have, you know, ads that they're storing on their platform. AI visibility is basically a API call to whatever LLM and then it pulls back and it caches it at some point in time. So telling me that whatever sort of prompt ranked I ranked on a prompt two weeks ago is absolutely useless for today because I may never rank on it again. Search is so much more consistent. So telling me my competitors ranked on this thing for the last 10 years and now doesn't is a much better data point than who had an SEO prompt or an LLM prompt two weeks ago.
[02:00]
D
So time for a one minute break to hear from our sponsor Pre Visible. So you're looking for SEO help and you got a couple of options. You could start replying to spam from agencies that claim they can get you to rank number one on Google. You could pay an hourly rate for a consultant who will inevitably nickel and dime you with hourly charges. Or you can work with a cookie cutter agency to quickly launch a strategy less project with low success rates. None of those sound very good now do they? Well, that's where Pre Visible's integrated consulting model comes in. Pre Visible draws From a collective 40 years of SEO and digital marketing experience to unlock your organic growth opportunities. They build custom solutions that combine strategy, technical expertise, content and reporting to effectively operationalize SEO for your business. Pre Visible's four stage approach ensures that your SEO programs thrive through by starting off with a strategy first approach. Then they support you in your efforts to create quality content, help you identify technical issues, and most importantly, they'll work with your cross functional teams to integrate your SEO strategies to make sure that your SEO budget actually drives results, not just your agency's bottom line. So join brands like Yelp, eBay, Canva, Atlassian Square, all who rely on the SEO consultants at Pre Visible. For more information go to Pre Visible IO that's Pre Visible P R E V I S I B L E I O.
[03:29]
C
These these tools are much more holistic. They are all dabbling. Obviously they have visibility because they need to, but I think the part that they do that is not AI visibility is so strong and can't be replicated. And if you want to look at a case in point around how important their technology is, Moz is sort of an afterthought in this space because they lost the technology race and Semrush and Ahrefs and Conductor and similar web. They figured out how to have the technology questions answered of crawling the web and caching the web and making you be able to do a lookup at any point in time to find out who's ranking on the keyword, what does the page look like? That's the challenge. And Moz wasn't up to that.
[04:07]
B
Absolutely. And that wraps up this episode of the Voices Search podcast. A huge thank you to Eli Schwartz, Growth Advisor, SEO Consultant and author of Product Led SEO for joining us. If you'd like to connect with Eli, you can find a link to his LinkedIn profile in our show notes or on the voicesofsearch.com you can also visit his personal website productled SEO.com if you haven't subscribed yet and want a daily stream of SEO content marketing knowledge in your podcast feed, hit the subscribe button in your podcast app or on YouTube and we'll be back in your feed every week. Okay, that's all for today, but until next time, remember the answers are always in the data.