SEO is just not worth it nowadays.

Before I get to the meat of this blog post, I just want to explain that I'm not some guy that's peddling any agenda. I'm just looking at the data. I'm a 20-year veteran in the SEO game. I cut my teeth in SEOBook.com and Wickedfire forums back in the day. I lived as an affiliate for over a decade.

SEO in 2024 and beyond is just not worth it

Given the current search landscape in 2024, companies in competitive, saturated niches should likely prioritise other marketing strategies over SEO:

1. Ad dominance: Google Ads' machine learning capabilities ensure ads appear above organic results for virtually all commercially viable terms, including long-tail keywords.
2. AI overviews: Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) and AI-generated summaries significantly reduce organic click-through rates, with some studies showing organic traffic drops of 18-64%.
3. Limited visibility: With multiple ads, AI overviews, and other SERP features, organic listings are pushed further down, receiving minimal visibility and fewer clicks.
4. High competition: Established competitors in saturated niches likely have strong SEO foundations, making it extremely difficult to overtake.
5. Resource intensive: SEO requires significant time, effort, and often financial investment, with uncertain returns, especially in competitive markets.

While some basic SEO practices should still be implemented for overall online presence, extensive SEO efforts are not worth the effort. Some SEOs strawman by saying things like, try to rank if you have lots of 404s or your robots.txt isn't correct.

I'm not arguing that I'm arguing that even top-end SEO (like good quality content and high quality backlinks) isn't really going to move the dial much nowadays in terms of monetisable traffic. Google just puts too many ads above you, so even if you're number 1, you are number 5.

You're better off just paying Google for the traffic and having it as a cost of business. If you master Google Ads, you're going to be highly successful. As an GA4 consultant, I see the people that are really making the money – and they are mainly those that pay for ads. You get people that maybe have a decade-old SEO site; they make money as well. But new people very rarely make any money because it's just too hard these days.

Not only me

Himanshu Sharma from optimizesmart says the same thing.

Why Ranking High on Search Engines Is Becoming Irrelevant

For over a decade, my top traffic-generating article has consistently ranked in the top 3 for the keywords “best Excel charts” on Google. But recently, I’ve noticed a significant drop in traffic after the launch of AI overviews in over 100 countries, followed by the introduction of ChatGPT search.

This is just one example, and I have countless others to share. But when you ask an SEO expert about this shift, their response is often, “Nothing is over.” While it may not be “over” yet, do you really want to wait around for it to be?

Here’s why I believe this change is inevitable:

AI Bots Are Changing the Game

AI bots now summarize content directly and almost perfectly from top search results, allowing users to get the information they need without clicking through individual data sources. This means less need for users to visit websites, diminishing the traffic and engagement that websites have traditionally relied on.

The Declining Demand for SEO

With AI bots delivering the answers users need, the demand for SEO is starting to wane. The traditional focus on ranking high on search engines becomes less effective when AI tools provide instant summaries directly on the search page.

Lower Conversion Rates from AI Traffic

What’s even more concerning is that AI-driven traffic tends to convert at a much lower rate than organic search traffic. Brand mentions in AI-enabled search results aren’t a sustainable long-term strategy. Users can get the information they need directly from AI bots, bypassing websites altogether, which means businesses aren’t seeing the same conversion benefits they once did from search engine traffic.

The Future of SEO and Content Marketing

Businesses are beginning to recognize the limitations of SEO and content marketing in this new era. If AI can meet users’ needs without driving traffic to websites, investments in SEO may yield little to no return. In the long run, SEO as we know it may not be the strategy that businesses can rely on for growth.

The SEO landscape is shifting, and it’s crucial for businesses to adapt to the new ways users access and engage with information online. Waiting for this change to unfold may leave you behind as AI-driven solutions continue to take center stage.

Paid is the way to go

The SEO gravy train has well and truly crashed. Google are now focused on extracting as much money as they can from searches, and with AI making websites mostly irrelevant, SEO is just not a good place to put your money.

If you want to succeed, you're best off paying Google for ads, Meta, or Amazon. SEOs that sell services probably do believe that they're still doing good, but just look at the search engine results page. Ask yourself what keyword you'd want to rank for and see how far down the page you are, even if you're #1. You'll see that everything I said is totally correct.

Just to be sure, I asked o1-preview about it and it came up with this.

The Impact of Google's Machine Learning on Ad Placement

Google's machine learning capabilities have revolutionized how ads are displayed. The algorithms are now so sophisticated that they can efficiently place relevant ads above organic results for virtually any keyword with commercial intent. This includes long-tail keywords, which were once the cornerstone of organic SEO strategies due to their lower competition and higher conversion rates.

• No More Long Tail Advantage: The traditional SEO strategy of targeting long-tail keywords has lost its effectiveness. With Google's ability to monetize these less competitive keywords through precise ad placement, the organic listings for these terms are now pushed further down the page.
• Organic #1 is the New #5: With up to four ads occupying the top positions, achieving the #1 organic ranking doesn't guarantee visibility. Your site effectively starts at position five, significantly reducing the likelihood of attracting clicks.

The High Cost and Low Probability of SEO Success

Investing in SEO to reach the top organic position is more resource-intensive than ever before.

• Significant Investment Required: High-quality content creation, link-building, and technical SEO demand considerable time, expertise, and financial resources. The effort to climb the ranks is substantial, especially in competitive niches.
• Fierce Competition: Only one site can occupy the #1 organic spot for any given keyword. This winner-takes-all scenario means that despite substantial investments, most businesses won't achieve the top position. For every site that succeeds, hundreds of others do not.
• Diminishing Returns: Even if you achieve a high organic ranking, the presence of multiple ads and SERP features above your listing diminishes the potential return on investment. The click-through rates (CTR) for organic results have been declining as users engage more with ads and AI-generated summaries.

The Illusion of the Long Tail in SEO

The concept of the long tail in SEO is becoming obsolete.

• Ads Dominate All Keywords: Google's monetization strategies mean that even niche, long-tail keywords now attract ads. There's no refuge from paid placements in the search landscape.
• Reduced Organic Opportunities: The space for organic listings is shrinking. Featured snippets, AI overviews, and other SERP features are taking up more real estate, leaving fewer opportunities for organic visibility.

Reassessing Marketing Strategies

Given these challenges, it's imperative to reconsider where to allocate marketing resources.

• Paid Advertising as a Necessity: Relying on organic SEO alone is no longer viable for businesses seeking significant online visibility. Mastery of platforms like Google Ads is becoming essential for reaching potential customers.
• Cost of Doing Business: Paid ads should be viewed as a fundamental cost of operating in the digital marketplace, much like rent or utilities.
• Diversifying Marketing Efforts: Explore other channels beyond traditional SEO, such as social media marketing, influencer partnerships, and content syndication, to reach your target audience effectively.

Conclusion: The Evolving Digital Marketing Landscape

The reality is that SEO in 2024 and beyond presents diminishing returns, especially in competitive and saturated markets. The combination of ad dominance, AI overviews, and intense competition makes it an increasingly unreliable strategy for driving monetizable traffic.

Businesses need to adapt by:

• Embracing Paid Advertising: Allocate resources to platforms where you can secure visibility and measure returns more predictively.
• Innovating Marketing Approaches: Stay ahead by leveraging new technologies and platforms that align with changing consumer behaviors.
• Continuous Evaluation: Regularly assess the effectiveness of your marketing strategies in the context of the evolving digital environment.

Ben

Ben has a BEng (Hons) in Computer Science and 20 years of experience in online marketing, specialising in SEO, lead generation and affiliate marketing. After spending over a decade as an igaming affiliate, he has decided to concentrate on GA4 training and SEO Audits.