We Got the "Why Need SEO" Question All Wrong

Had a coffee chat with a founder yesterday who asked the question I hear often: "With AI and social search, why do I need SEO anymore?"

My answer surprised him: "You don't. Not the 2015 version of it, anyway."

For years, "why need SEO" had a standard answer: Google traffic, leads, and authority. That's still true, but it's incomplete. The game has changed from Search ENGINE Optimization to Search EVERYWHERE Optimization.

Think about it. Your future clients aren't just on Google. They're asking questions in TikTok comments, searching for experts directly on LinkedIn, and prompting AI chatbots. If your visibility strategy begins and ends with your website, you're becoming invisible to a growing part of your audience.

So, the real "why" for SEO today is about presence, not just pages. It's about ensuring your expertise is the answer, regardless of where the question is asked.

This is why you need an SEO mindset that treats every platform as a search engine. Your LinkedIn profile is a landing page. Your insightful comment can be indexed by Google. A viral TikTok clip is a top-of-funnel keyword strategy.

Stop asking "Why do I need SEO?" Start asking, "Where is my audience searching, and how can I be the best answer there?" That's the modern need.