Is the obsession with AI search SEO causing businesses to overlook golden opportunities in video marketing? It's a question that's sparking heated debates in the digital world right now, and if you're a marketer or business owner, you might be missing out on huge potential without even realizing it. Stick around, because we're about to dive into some eye-opening insights from a recent Ahrefs podcast that could change how you approach online visibility and sales growth.
A fresh discussion on the Ahrefs podcast highlighted two critical challenges in adapting to AI-driven search trends. These pitfalls can lead companies to fall short of their full potential, ignoring straightforward ways to boost traffic and revenue. The talk shines a light on the divide between ambitious hopes for AI technologies and the concrete benefits waiting to be seized from other, more established channels.
But here's where it gets controversial: could YouTube be the unsung hero of search engines that everyone's ignoring? Let's break this down for beginners – AI search SEO refers to optimizing your content so it ranks well in AI-powered tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity, which pull answers from the web. Meanwhile, traditional search engines like Google and YouTube handle billions of queries daily. YouTube, as the podcast points out, isn't just a platform for fun videos; it's the world's second-largest search engine by user queries typed into its search bar. That means more people are asking questions on YouTube than on any other search site except Google itself. For businesses, this translates to a massive chance to drive more visitors to your site, build your brand, and even convert viewers into customers through strategic video content.
It seems obvious that companies should prioritize YouTube as part of their marketing mix, yet many are pouring resources into fine-tuning for AI answer engines that attract only a tiny fraction of the traffic YouTube does. Patrick Stox from Ahrefs put it bluntly: “YouTube is the second largest search engine. There’s a lot of focus on all these AI assistants. They’re in total driving less than 1% of your traffic. YouTube might be a lot more. I don’t know how much it’s going to drive traffic to the website, but there’s a lot of eyes on it. I know for us, like we see it in our signups, …they sign up for Ahrefs. It’s an incredible channel that I think as people need to diversify, to kind of hedge their bets on where their traffic is coming from, this would be my first choice. Like go and do more video. There’s your action item. If you’re not doing it, go do more video right now.”
Tim Soulo, Ahrefs' Chief Marketing Officer, echoed this surprise, wondering why so many are gazing three or five years into the future at speculative AI gains, while neglecting the proven strengths of YouTube today. He shared: “I feel that a lot of people get fixated on AI assistants like ChatGPT and Perplexity and optimizing for AI search because they are kind of looking three, five years ahead and they are kind of projecting that in three, five years, that might be the dominant thing, how people search. …But again, if we focus on today, YouTube is much more popular than ChatGPT and YouTube has a lot more business potential than ChatGPT. So yeah, definitely you have to invest in AI search. You have to do the groundwork that would help you rank in Google, rank in ChatGPT and everything. …I don’t see YouTube losing its relevance five years from now. I can only see it getting bigger and bigger because the new generation of people that is growing up right now, they are very video oriented. Short form video, long form video. So yeah, definitely. If you’re putting all your eggs in the basket of ChatGPT, but not putting anything in YouTube, that’s a big mistake.”
Patrick agreed, pointing out that platforms like Instagram and TikTok are booming with short-form videos that captivate audiences worldwide. He urged everyone to explore how video fits into their overall strategy. For instance, imagine a small bakery creating quick tutorial videos on YouTube showing how to bake the perfect loaf – this could attract thousands of viewers searching for "easy bread recipes," leading to more website visits and sales.
And this is the part most people miss: the blurred lines between SEO and video platforms. Some SEO experts might think their job ends with Google rankings, viewing YouTube as someone else's turf. But the reality is, people flock to YouTube for reviews, tutorials, and product research – with search volume second only to Google. As a beginner-friendly tip, think of it as expanding your SEO toolkit: optimize video titles, descriptions, and thumbnails just like you would web pages to capture that organic search traffic.
Shifting gears to the second key issue, the podcast tackled the unrealistic burden placed on SEO to fix every traffic and visibility hurdle. Patrick Stox and Tim Soulo stressed that stellar rankings and marketing success ultimately hinge on delivering top-notch products, services, and content. If your offerings have flaws, they'll breed dissatisfaction that spills over into social media backlash – and no amount of SEO wizardry can fully erase that.
Patrick elaborated: “We only have a certain amount of control, though. We can go and create a bunch of pages, a bunch of content. But if you have real issues, like if everyone suddenly is like Nvidia’s graphics cards suck and they’re saying that on social media and Reddit and everything, YouTube, there’s only so much you can do to combat that. …And there might be tens of thousands of them and there’s one of me. So what am I gonna do? I’m gonna be a drop in the bucket. It’s gonna be noise in the void. The internet is still the one controlling the narrative. So there’s only so much that SEOs are gonna be able to do in a situation like that. …So this is going to get contentious in a lot of organizations where you’re going to have to do something that the execs are going to be yelling, can’t you just change that, make it go away?”
They illustrated this with a real-life story from Ahrefs: a couple of years back, they adjusted their pricing to make their tools more accessible, but users protested loudly. Despite their efforts to clarify and steer the narrative through FAQs and communications, the uproar persisted. In the end, they reverted the changes to satisfy their customers. This example shows how positive buzz isn't always an SEO fix – even as SEO, alongside Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Google Earth Optimization (GEO), is increasingly tasked with fostering good vibes for AI recommendations from tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity.
Here's a controversial twist: is AI search really the future, or are we overhyping it while underinvesting in evergreen platforms like YouTube? It's a debate worth having – especially when you consider that a bad product can tank even the best-optimized AI presence, turning potential leads into critics instead.
Wrapping it up with some key takeaways to guide your strategy:
- Strike a balance between AI search and immediate wins: Don't let the allure of cutting-edge AI overshadow proven channels like video; some companies are overcommitting to AI at the cost of multimodal search opportunities.
- Harness YouTube's immense reach: As the second-biggest search engine, it's a powerhouse for attracting traffic and boosting brand recognition.
- Set realistic SEO goals: Remember, SEO, AEO, and GEO can't band-aid deep-rooted issues with subpar products, services, or customer opinions. Sustainable success in AI search requires not only smart optimization but also nurturing a positive brand image.
For a deeper look, check out the video around the 36-minute mark.
Featured Image by Shutterstock/Collagery
What do you think? Are you prioritizing AI search over YouTube in your marketing plan, or is video already a big part of your strategy? Do you agree that SEO can't fix a fundamentally flawed product, or should it try harder? Share your thoughts in the comments – I'd love to hear differing opinions and spark some discussion!
