Traffic is dead. Revenue isn't.

Traffic is collapsing—and most people still haven’t adjusted. Look at the data: major publishers are down 60–97% in traffic. That’s extinction-level.

The reason why is simple: AI answers the question before the click ever happens. So if you’re still optimizing for traffic, you’re optimizing for a metric that’s disappearing.

Here’s what actually matters now:

Informational content is getting crushed
“What is SEO?” is dead. AI gives instant answers. No clicks needed.

Transactional intent is still printing money
People still buy. They still compare. They still convert.
If you’re not capturing that layer, you’re leaving revenue on the table.

Revenue > traffic (it always has been)
This isn’t new—but now it’s unavoidable.
If your KPI is still sessions, you’re behind.

Search is no longer just Google
Your audience is on ChatGPT, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, and newsletters.
If you’re not showing up everywhere, you’re invisible.

Adaptation isn’t optional—it’s survival
The companies winning right now didn’t tweak their strategy.
They rebuilt it.

You don’t evolve by protecting the past. You evolve by replacing it. And this is where most companies get stuck.

They keep doing:

• More blogs

• More keywords

• More “SEO best practices”

None of that works the same anymore.

What works now is this:

Search Everywhere Optimization (SEO 2.0)

• Show up in AI answers

• Rank in traditional search (where it still matters)

• Own YouTube, social, and community channels

• Build authority that AI systems pull from

Because the game isn’t “get the click.”

The game is: get chosen—anywhere the decision happens. You can learn more about this here.

If you’re still playing the old SEO game, you’re already behind. I’m helping companies shift to this new model with Search Everywhere Optimization, so you’re not dependent on a single channel that could disappear overnight.

To staying ahead of the curve,
Eric Siu

P.S.

1 - If you want to grow faster using the power of AI, my agency Single Grain is offering free marketing plans to qualified Leveling Up newsletter subscribers, check it out here.
2 - We’re hiring AI-forward performance ad creative strategists, AI-forward SEOs and paid media people, AI short form creators, AI automation interns, and more. If you’re interested, apply at our Careers page.
3 - We launched ClickFlow to help automate and scale SEO.
4 - Interested in creating 1:1 personalized LinkedIn ads in minutes instead of weeks? Sign up for the Karrot.ai waitlist.
5 - For more in-depth marketing content, check out my Leveling Up YouTube channel
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