Episode 77
The Real Reason Your Organic Traffic Dropped 80%
Google is processing more searches than ever, yet most brands are watching organic traffic drop 30 to 80 percent. Todd Juneau and Kelly McGuire sit down with search expert Tanner Zoromski to explain why both things are true, and what AI overviews, Google SGE, ChatGPT, and Gemini mean for SEO, GEO…
Chapters
- 00:00:00 — SEO Isn't Dead: Meet Search Expert Tanner Zaromsky
- 00:02:26 — From Blue Links to AI Overviews: How the SERP Evolved
- 00:05:14 — Quick Answers vs AI Exploration: How Search Behavior Is Splitting
- 00:08:17 — What Hasn't Changed: Technical SEO and Search Intent Fundamentals
- 00:10:22 — Explaining the 30 to 80 Percent Organic Traffic Drop
- 00:13:51 — Why Brand Building Now Starts Before the Search
- 00:16:41 — Rapid Fire: SEO Myths, True or False
- 00:21:33 — GEO and AEO: Can You Game AI Search Results?
- 00:25:23 — Optimizing for ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini
- 00:28:36 — Will Google Penalize AI-Generated Content?
Show notes
Google is processing more searches than ever, yet most brands are watching organic traffic drop 30 to 80 percent. Todd Juneau and Kelly McGuire sit down with search expert Tanner Zoromski to explain why both things are true, and what AI overviews, Google SGE, ChatGPT, and Gemini mean for SEO, GEO, and AEO in 2026.
This episode covers technical SEO fundamentals, search intent, the real impact of AI overviews on organic traffic, how Reddit and YouTube now shape AI search results, whether GEO and AEO can be gamed, which large language models matter most for your brand, and why AI-generated content may be setting brands up for a reckoning.
If you're a marketer, CMO, or brand trying to make sense of search in the age of AI, this is the conversation you need.
Chapters:
- (00:00:00) - SEO Isn't Dead: Meet Search Expert Tanner Zaromsky
- (00:02:26) - From Blue Links to AI Overviews: How the SERP Evolved
- (00:05:14) - Quick Answers vs AI Exploration: How Search Behavior Is Splitting
- (00:08:17) - What Hasn't Changed: Technical SEO and Search Intent Fundamentals
- (00:10:22) - Explaining the 30 to 80 Percent Organic Traffic Drop
- (00:13:51) - Why Brand Building Now Starts Before the Search
- (00:16:41) - Rapid Fire: SEO Myths, True or False
- (00:21:33) - GEO and AEO: Can You Game AI Search Results?
- (00:25:23) - Optimizing for ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini
- (00:28:36) - Will Google Penalize AI-Generated Content?
Links and Resources:
- Tanner Zoromski on LinkedIn
- Kelly Maguire on LinkedIn
- Todd Juneau on LinkedIn
- Vuja Dé Digital
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About Contrary to Popular Opinion
Contrary to Popular Opinion is the show where marketing's conventional wisdom gets cross-examined. Hosts Todd Juneau and Kelly McGuire take the advice every marketer repeats — and test whether it actually builds brands or just follows the crowd — drawing on decades inside the advertising business to give leaders permission to do the thing nobody else is doing.