The Future of SEO in the Age of AI

A field guide for marketing leaders who want sustainable growth

If you lead marketing at a substantial company, your reality is simple. You are accountable for pipeline, you are balancing brand and demand, and you need channels that scale with less waste. SEO still does that. AI did not end SEO. It raised the bar. The winners will be the teams that build authority, fix the fundamentals, and publish the most trustworthy answers at the right cadence.

My philosophy has not changed with AI. Slow and steady still wins the race. Lasting results come from a strong online reputation. That is not a slogan. It is a daily discipline across content, technical, and authority building.

What changed and what did not

AI changed how information is discovered and summarized. It did not change the need for citations, corroboration, and trust. Large language models (LLMs) still rely on third party mentions and authoritative sources. When your brand is quoted, referenced, and linked by credible sites, you show up more often. That was true years ago. It is even more true now.

At the same time, the fundamentals still matter. Complete metadata. Clean technical foundations. Intent aligned content that answers the real question. If you ignore those, AI only exposes the gaps faster.

Two myths I correct all the time

• Myth one. SEO always takes a long time. Not true. If your brand already has domain authority, technical health, and unused content assets, you can move leading indicators quickly. Think impressions, non brand clicks, and answer engine visibility.

• Myth two. SEO is an instant fix. Also not true. If your site has technical debt, thin content, weak internal linking, and little third party validation, it will take time to rebuild trust. Momentum compounds when you publish and promote consistently.

How we work and why it matters

Big Fin SEO is selective. We partner with leaders who want staying power, not flashes in the pan. That selectivity helps us build real partnerships and accountability over time. Our approach is a five step process that creates durable gains.

1. Foundational SEO
   Audit the stack. Fix critical errors that block indexation and discovery. Establish measurement that the board can understand.

2. Keyword research
   Model demand around problems, not only product terms. Map queries to journeys. Identify gaps where competitors rank but you do not.

3. Technical SEO
   Improve crawl efficiency. Resolve duplication. Strengthen internal linking so authority flows to the pages that drive revenue.

4. On page SEO
   Build pages that answer the complete question. Cover entities, definitions, examples, data, and next steps. Optimize metadata fully.

5. Off page SEO
   Earn citations and links from credible sources. Use digital PR, partnerships, and assets worth referencing.

The AI reality that most teams miss

AI surfaces sources that are cited and consistent across the web. If your brand is invisible to editors, analysts, trade media, and industry partners, you are invisible to AI as well. That is why link building still matters. Not as a stunt or a scheme. As the outcome of real authority. Your best friends are original research, newsworthy updates, partnerships, and expert commentary that others want to mention.

The strategy that keeps surprising people

Press releases still work when done right. I do not publish them for vanity. I publish them to manufacture real world signals that search and AI systems can verify. The keys are simple.

• Make it newsworthy. Product launches. Executive moves. Partnerships. Research. Community impact.
• Include proof. Data points, quotes, timelines, and next steps.
• Use structured elements. Clear headline, subhead, boilerplate, and primary link targets.
• Pitch humans. Do targeted outreach to editors and niche outlets, not only mass distribution.
• Close the loop. Update the site with a matching newsroom post, internal links, and shareable assets.

The result is coverage, citations, and a stronger brand entity that machines can trust.

How I plan for AI search and classic search together

• Treat each priority topic as a hub. Publish a comprehensive pillar page that answers the executive question and link to deep dives.
• Build entity rich content. Name the concepts, standards, products, people, and places that define your space.
• Show experience and proof. First party data, step by step detail, screenshots, and outcomes.
• Publish expert quotes. Credible names raise trust.
• Summarize clearly. Add executive summaries so AI and busy leaders can extract the gist.

Technical and metadata must be complete

You cannot earn trust on a shaky foundation. Complete titles and descriptions. Logical H1 and H2 structure. Canonicals in place. XML sitemaps that actually reflect the content you want indexed. Performance that does not make a mobile user wait. These SEO basics are not glamorous. They are table stakes for sustainable results.

What success looks like at the VP level

I manage SEO like a portfolio with leading and lagging indicators.

Leading indicators
• Crawl stats, index coverage, Core Web Vitals, internal link distribution
• Topical coverage against the content map
• Impressions and non brand clicks for target clusters
• Share of voice across answer boxes and summaries

Lagging indicators
• Marketing qualified opportunities influenced by organic
• Pipeline and revenue attribution from organic
• Assisted conversions where organic opens or accelerates deals

Report these monthly, then review quarterly with the business. SEO earns respect when it speaks the language of growth and risk.

Case studies and lessons learned

You can review full case studies on our site. What you will notice is a pattern. We pick a few themes that matter to the business. We build the content and authority to own those themes. We fix the technical issues that block discovery. We scale what works and cut what does not. When a project does not go as planned, we document the miss, adjust the inputs, and reallocate effort. That is how compounding works.

A practical 90 day plan to future proof your SEO

Days 1 to 14
• Audit technical health and fix showstoppers
• Build the keyword and topic map tied to revenue themes
• Define the content hubs and the internal linking plan
• Confirm analytics, goals, and dashboards

Days 15 to 45
• Publish two to four cornerstone pages that answer executive questions
• Refresh top ten existing pages with entity coverage, better structure, and stronger calls to action
• Launch one credible press release with targeted pitching
• Secure five to ten natural citations through partnerships and PR

Days 46 to 90
• Expand the hub with supporting assets
• Roll out expert quotes and original data to attract links
• Tune internal links so authority flows to the money pages
• Review results, remove friction, and lock the cadence

This is not theory. It is the slow and steady approach that continues to work in an AI heavy environment.

How I think about risk

Avoid shortcuts that create drag later. Ignore paid link schemes. Do not publish thin, generic AI copy. Do not ship content without a clear job to be done. Do not let technical debt pile up. Do not outsource your point of view. Your brand voice is an asset. Protect it.

What you get when you work with us

• A seasoned partner who treats SEO like a growth system
• Clear plans that your team can execute with or without us
• Consistent publishing that earns authority and trust
• Reporting that connects SEO to pipeline and revenue

If you want a durable organic growth engine that stands up in an AI world, schedule a consultation with Big Fin SEO. We will review your current position, show you the fastest path to credible gains, and outline a plan your team can execute.

If you want me to tailor this draft to a specific industry such as healthcare, education, or SaaS, say the word and I will adjust examples and language to match your audience.