Last Updated on December 19, 2024
For a long time, working in organic growth felt a bit… predictable.
Sure, there were occasional algorithm updates or shiny new tools, but the fundamentals didn’t really change. Build a content playbook. Target keywords. Win backlinks. Optimize for search intent.
It was comforting, in a way—a sense that you could follow the rules and see the results.
Marketers were often locked into a cycle of creating content for each other—long, sprawling guides that were admired within the industry but rarely connected meaningfully with the customers they were supposed to serve.
It felt like we were trapped in a self-congratulatory echo chamber, what I’ve called SEO’s version of the peacock’s tail—all flash, little function. A maladaptive Fisherian Runaway triggered by a constant cat-and-mouse game with Google as well as competitors running the same playbook.
Now, everything’s changed.
We’re standing on the edge of a new frontier, one where the old rules don’t apply and the possibilities feel limitless. Chaos is a ladder—and for those of us willing to embrace it, this is the most exciting moment to work in organic growth.
Why This Moment Feels Different
There was a time, not so long ago, when success in SEO meant following the playbook. Brian Dean’s skyscraper technique. HubSpot’s endless stream of ultimate guides. You could win by simply building bigger, flashier, more comprehensive content.
But in that frenzy to outrank competitors, something got lost.
Marketers stopped thinking about what their ICPs actually cared about.
Content became more about the vanity metric of traffic than about driving revenue or solving customer problems. And slowly, it stopped working.
You’ve probably noticed this shift yourself.
The “traffic trap” we’ve been talking about for years has become impossible to ignore. Traffic alone isn’t enough—not for investors, not for leadership, and not for real growth.
And as AI strips away irrelevant TOFU traffic – the proverbial tide washing out – we’re left with the possibly unnerving truth that this traffic never mattered anyway. Many are seeing leads staying the same or increasing despite these drops.
Incremental revenue and qualified pipeline have become the only KPIs that matter, as they always should have been.
At the same time, consumer behavior has fundamentally shifted, accelerated by AI’s rapid adoption as well as the rise of new platforms and social sites for information and commercial discovery. Search is no longer about broad keywords or static roadmaps.
When I use ChatGPT, I’m not typing in “content marketing” or “SEO.” I’m asking very specific, personal questions. I’m looking for tailored solutions, not generic advice.
That change in behavior demands a new way of thinking about organic growth.
Why This Feels Like the New Frontier
As a history buff, specifically one focused on Cold War history, I really, really struggled not to do what I wanted to do in this newsletter, which was just rewrite JFK’s new frontier speech, but with SEO sprinkled in…
“Today, we stand at the edge of a new frontier—not unexplored lands or distant planets, but the way businesses grow and thrive in a digital-first world. This frontier is SEO, and it’s undergoing a seismic shift.”
This was me writing this:
You’re welcome.
This moment reminds me of the stories I used to hear about the early days of paid social or even the dawn of Google Ads. Back when platforms were new and untested, and arbitrage opportunities felt endless. I used to envy those moments. Now, I think we’re living through one of them ourselves.
But unlike those past moments, this isn’t just a short-term arbitrage play. It’s deeper than that. It’s a chance to rebuild from the ground up. The shift isn’t just technological—it’s psychological. The customer journey itself is changing, and with it, so are the ways we approach organic growth.
That’s why I’m excited.
I don’t want to just follow the rules. I want to write them.
What Comes Next
So, what does this look like in practice?
For starters, it means getting back to the basics—the real basics. Talking to your customers. Listening to their pain points. Synthesizing insights from sales calls, customer interviews, and search data. Using AI not to churn out more listicles, but to help streamline the messy, beautiful work of understanding what your audience actually needs.
And maybe most importantly, it means letting go of old assumptions.
For years, keywords have been the foundation of SEO strategy. But what if they’re just one input among many? What if they’re not the starting point at all? Instead of asking, “How do I rank for this term?” we should be asking, “How do I solve this problem?” The answers won’t come from a roadmap or a guide—they’ll come from experimentation, from paying attention to the flux and adapting in real time.
I’ll be honest: it’s hard. It’s messy. It’s uncertain.
But it’s also thrilling.
Flux and chaos always create opportunity. If you’re in organic growth, this is your moment. The dust hasn’t settled yet—and that means you get to shape what comes next.
Actually, I’m curious, are you excited right now? Hit reply and let me know—I’d love to hear your thoughts (and possibly chat with you / get you on our podcast).
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