This submit was sponsored by NESS. The opinions expressed on this article are the sponsor’s personal.
For anybody who isn’t listening to information search engine marketing as a result of they really feel it isn’t their related area of interest – suppose once more.
The foundations of search engine marketing are underpinned by publishing content material. Subsequently, information search engine marketing is related to all search engine marketing. We’re all publishers on-line.
John Shehata and Barry Adams are the consultants inside this vertical and, between them, have expertise working with many of the high information publications worldwide.
Collectively, they based the Information and Editorial search engine marketing Summit (NESS) in 2021, and within the final 4 years, the search engine marketing business has seen probably the most vital and fast modifications because it started 30 years in the past.
I spoke to each John and Barry to get their insights into a few of the present points SEOs face, how search engine marketing can survive this AI-first period, and to get a preview of the matters to be mentioned at their upcoming fifth NESS occasion to be held on October 21-22, 2025.
You’ll be able to watch the complete interview on the finish of this text.
search engine marketing Repackaged For The AI Period
I began out by commenting that lately, at Google Search Central Stay in Thailand, Gary Illyes got here out to say that there isn’t a distinction between GEO, AEO, and search engine marketing. I requested Barry what he considered this and if the introduction of AI Mode goes to proceed taking away writer site visitors.
Surprisingly, Barry agreed with Google to say, “It’s search engine marketing. It’s simply search engine marketing. I absolutely agree with what the Googlers are saying on this entrance, and it’s not usually that I absolutely agree with Googlers.”
He went on to say, “I’ve but to seek out any LLM optimization technique that’s not additionally an search engine marketing technique. It’s simply search engine marketing repackaged for the AI period in order that businesses can cost extra money with out truly creating any extra added worth.”
AI Mode Is A Menace To Writer Site visitors
Whereas AI Overviews have drawn vital consideration, Barry identifies AI Mode as a extra severe menace to writer site visitors.
In contrast to AI Overviews, which nonetheless show conventional search outcomes alongside AI-generated summaries, AI Mode creates an immersive conversational expertise that encourages customers to proceed their search journey inside Google’s ecosystem.
Barry warns that if AI Mode turns into the default search expertise, it could possibly be “insanely damaging for the online as a result of it’s simply going to make loads of site visitors evaporate with none probability of restoration.”
He added that “When you can preserve your site visitors from search in the mean time, you’re already doing higher than most.”
Shifting Up The Worth Chain
At NESS, John might be talking about easy methods to survive this AI-first period, and I requested him for a preview of how SEOs can survive what is occurring proper now.
John highlighted a significant difficulty: “Primary, I feel SEOs want to maneuver up the worth chain. And I’ve been saying this for a very long time, SEOs can’t be solely about key phrases and rankings. It needs to be a lot greater than that.”
He then went on to speak about three key areas as options: constructing topical authority, site visitors diversification, and direct viewers relationships.
“They [news publishers] want to consider income diversification in addition to going again to some conventional income streams, similar to occasions or syndication. Additionally they have to construct their very own direct relationships with customers, both by means of apps or newsletters. And newsletters by no means acquired the eye they deserve in any of the totally different manufacturers I’m accustomed to, however now it’s gaining extra traction. It’s extraordinarily necessary.”
High quality Journalism Is Essential For Publishers
Regardless of the AI disruption, each John and Barry stress that technical search engine marketing fundamentals stay necessary, however to a degree.
“It’s a must to be sure the foundations are in place,” Barry notes, however he believes the technical can solely take you up to now. After that, funding in content material is important.
“When these foundations are on the degree the place there’s not a lot worth in getting additional optimization, then the writer has to do the onerous work of manufacturing the content material that builds the model. The inspiration can solely get you up to now. However in the event you don’t have the inspiration, you might be constructing a home on quicksand and also you’re not going to have the ability to get a lot traction anyway.”
John additionally famous that “it’s necessary to double down on technical parts of the location.” He went on to say, “Whereas I feel it’s good to have a look at your schema, your pace, the entire parts, the plumbing, simply to make it possible for no matter channel you’re employed with has good entry and good understanding of your information.”
Barry concluded by reaffirming the significance of content material high quality. “The content material is admittedly what must shine. And in the event you don’t have that in place, in the event you don’t have that distinctive model voice, that high quality journalism, then why are you in enterprise within the first place?”
The AI Brokers Query
James Carson and Marie Haynes are each talking about AI brokers at NESS 2025, and once I requested Barry and John concerning the introduction of AI brokers into newsrooms, the dialog was each optimistic and cautious.
John sees vital potential for AI to deal with analysis duties, doc summarization, and primary content material creation for standardized reporting like market updates or sports activities scores.
“A variety of search engine marketing groups are utilizing AI to suggest Google Uncover headlines that intrigue curiosity, checking sure search engine marketing parts on the location and so forth. So I feel increasingly we’ve got seen AI built-in to not write the content material itself, however to information the content material and optimize the effectivity of the entire course of.” John commented.
Nonetheless, Barry stays skeptical about present AI agent reliability for enterprise environments.
“You can not give an AI agent your bank card particulars to start out buying in your behalf, after which it simply begins making issues up and finally ends up spending 1000’s of your {dollars} on the unsuitable issues … The AI brokers are nowhere close to that maturity degree but and I’m not completely positive they’ll ever be at that maturity degree as a result of I do suppose the present massive language mannequin expertise has elementary limitations.”
John countered that “AI brokers can save us a whole lot of hours, a whole lot.” He went on to say, “These three parts collectively, automation, AI brokers, and human supervision collectively is usually a actually highly effective mixture, however not AI agent utterly solo. And I agree with Barry, it may well result in disastrous penalties.”
Wanting Ahead
The AI-first period calls for trustworthy acknowledgment of modified realities. Simple search site visitors progress is over, however alternatives exist for publishers keen to adapt strategically.
Success requires specializing in distinctive worth propositions, constructing direct viewers relationships, and sustaining technical excellence whereas accepting that conventional progress metrics might now not apply.
The long run belongs to publishers who perceive that survival means specializing in their viewers to construct genuine connections that worth their particular perspective and experience.
Watch the complete interview under.
When you’re a information writer, or an search engine marketing, you can’t afford to overlook the fifth NESS on October 21-22, 2025.
SEJ readers have a particular 20% low cost on tickets. Simply use the code “SEJ2025” on the checkout right here.
Headline audio system embrace Marie Haynes, Mike King, Lily Ray, Kevin Indig, and naturally John Shehata and Barry Adams.
Over two days, there are 20 audio system representing the very best information publishers similar to Carly Steven (Day by day Mail), Maddie Shepherd (CBS), Christine Liang (The New York Instances), Jessie Willms (The Guardian), amongst others.
Take a look at the complete schedule right here.
Featured Picture: Shelley Walsh/Search Engine Journal/ NESS
