If you’ve been tirelessly chasing a spot on Google’s first page, you might be asking yourself if all that effort is still worth it.
Leadership is breathing down your neck, and their go-to strategy is to “optimize keywords” like it’s 2015. Meanwhile, you’re grinding away, pulling every SEO trick out of the bag, and still falling flat.
And now, you’re wondering whether ranking on page one is even as crucial as it's made out to be.
You’ve heard the whispers: “SEO is dying.” Maybe you’ve even said it yourself. But you can’t quite figure out why everything that used to work is suddenly broken.
If this sounds familiar, let me break the news to you—you’re not losing your mind. You’re just stuck in a game that doesn’t work anymore.
The fact is, SEO, as we knew it, is dead.
So, if you’re ready to explain to your CEO and CFO why it’s time to move beyond SEO, keep reading as we break down why the old strategies are failing—and what to do next.
Many SaaS leaders still believe that content marketing is synonymous with SEO. They cling to decade-old strategies, expecting the same results they saw in 2015.
Back then, most searches did start on Google. So, the game was simple: figure out the keywords you want to rank for, see what has been written there, then write something better and watch as you start climbing pages.
Fast forward to today, and that strategy is on life support.
Ranking on page one of Google? Forget it. The chances of breaking through are slim to none...
Why?
AI-generated snippets are now taking priority over traditional content, pushing organic results further down.
And let’s face it—the big players dominate page one. A recent study by Datos and SparkToro shows that for every 1,000 searches on Google in the United States, only 360 clicks make it to a non-Google-owned, non-Google-ad-paying property.
We recently talked about this SEO decline on our SaaS Backwards podcast with Rand Fishkin, CEO of SparkToro. He didn’t mince words: “You can feel the big brand dominance over the last 10 years in Google. It's no longer a place where you can search and find passionate amateurs or really unique websites.”
It doesn’t stop there. Gartner predicts that AI chatbots and other virtual agents will cause traditional search engine volume to drop 25% by 2026.
We’re already seeing a shift in the way businesses find new products and services.
Think about it–if you were searching for a demand generation agency specializing in SaaS, is your first step Google?
Probably not. You’re more likely to hit up your network, ask for referrals in communities, and maybe hit up sites like Clutch.co that have validated customer rankings and comments.
After hearing about the agency through word of mouth, that’s when you’d go look them up online.
But here’s the problem: it still might *look* like Google’s bringing in leads because the attribution says “direct traffic,” but it’s not. And CEOs and CFOs are tricked into pouring money into the wrong channel.
So, SEO as we know it is on the decline. But you still need to create content to drive new business. Now what?
First things first: Keywords shouldn’t be the foundation of your content strategy anymore.
Instead, focus on understanding what is of value to your potential customers and provide insights about how to run their business better.
The bottom line? Create content your audience *actually* wants.
Consider who you’re targeting and what they care about. Your amplifiers—people who’ll spread your content—are looking for something different from your customers or prospects.
Rethink thought leadership. Focus on creating content that not only grabs the attention of your target but also moves them off their status quo.
“It can’t be about pushing your product,” Rand advises. “It’s about offering something useful and interesting to amplifiers, and that might mean stepping out of your comfort zone.”
Once you’ve nailed that, then—and only then—can you work out how to get it in front of them.
And you can’t rely on the usual big platforms anymore. It’s time to get creative about where to place your message.
Not sure where to begin? Try building your own platform—maybe a YouTube Channel or even a live event—to reach your audience directly. Or better yet, start your own podcast and let your audience tell you what they care about.
Run some A/B tests. Publish unique research. Post on LinkedIn and see what resonates.
Once you identify what works, double down on it to expand your reach.
Still scratching your head about where to start or what content your audience wants? Don’t sweat it—we’ve got your back.