{"id":732799,"date":"2026-06-11T18:05:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T15:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/interviewing-seos-in-an-ai-first-world\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T18:05:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T15:05:14","slug":"interviewing-seos-in-an-ai-first-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/interviewing-seos-in-an-ai-first-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Interviewing SEOs in an AI-first world"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2ca1d5c2b07\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2ca1d5c2b07\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/interviewing-seos-in-an-ai-first-world\/#One_group_of_SEO_talent_is_becoming_dramatically_more_valuable_The_other_is_watching_their_skill_set_become_a_commodity\" >One group of SEO talent is becoming dramatically more valuable. The other is watching their skill set become a commodity.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/interviewing-seos-in-an-ai-first-world\/#The_first_SEO_jobs_AI_comes_for\" >The first SEO jobs AI comes for<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/interviewing-seos-in-an-ai-first-world\/#What_AI_still_struggles_to_do\" >What AI still struggles to do<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/interviewing-seos-in-an-ai-first-world\/#The_new_SEO_career_framework\" >The new SEO career framework<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/interviewing-seos-in-an-ai-first-world\/#What_Id_look_for_if_I_were_hiring_today\" >What I\u2019d look for if I were hiring today<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/interviewing-seos-in-an-ai-first-world\/#Topics_on_this_page\" >Topics on this page<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"One_group_of_SEO_talent_is_becoming_dramatically_more_valuable_The_other_is_watching_their_skill_set_become_a_commodity\"><\/span>One group of SEO talent is becoming dramatically more valuable. The other is watching their skill set become a commodity.<br \/>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"bialty-container\">\n<p>The search industry is experiencing something many of us have never seen before.<\/p>\n<p><em>The supply of search talent now exceeds the demand for search talent.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Blame artificial intelligence. Blame the economy. Blame years of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.seoforlunch.com\/i\/168015503\/business-priorities-over-seo-checkboxes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">checkbox SEO<\/a> execution becoming increasingly commoditized.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever the reason, the result is the same.<\/p>\n<p>Search layoffs are up. Job openings are down. The market is more competitive than at any point in my 15+ year career.<\/p>\n<p>The uncomfortable reality is that many of the skills that once made an SEO valuable are becoming easier to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.seoforlunch.com\/p\/compromise\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">automate, outsource, or generate with AI<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Pull up a chair.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s talk about why this is h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ening, what skills are becoming table stakes, and what employers should actually be looking for when hiring SEO talent in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/about:blank\" width=\"480\" height=\"320\" style=\"border: 1px solid #EEE; background: white\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" data-rocket-lazyload=\"fitvidscompatible\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.seoforlunch.com\/embed\"><\/iframe><noscript><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seoforlunch.com\/embed\" width=\"480\" height=\"320\" style=\"border: 1px solid #EEE; background: white\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/noscript><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-first-seo-jobs-ai-comes-for\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_first_SEO_jobs_AI_comes_for\"><\/span>The first SEO jobs AI comes for<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding AI is that it\u2019s coming for SEO jobs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I don\u2019t believe that\u2019s what\u2019s happening.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What I do believe is happening is that AI is changing which SEO skills employers are willing to pay a premium for.<\/p>\n<p>Historically, a significant portion of SEO work revolved around gathering information and generating recommendations. Technical audits, content briefs, keyword clustering, schema markup, metadata recommendations, and competitive analyses all required time, experience, and effort.<\/p>\n<p>Those activities still matter today.<\/p>\n<p>The difference is that they are becoming dramatically easier to produce.<\/p>\n<p>An SEO can now use AI to generate a first-pass audit, content brief, or optimization recommendation in minutes. What once took hours can often be accomplished in seconds.<\/p>\n<p>This doesn\u2019t make the output worthless. It simply changes where the value resides.<\/p>\n<p>For years, many organizations treated recommendations as the deliverable. The audit was the deliverable. The roadmap was the deliverable. The deck was the deliverable.<\/p>\n<p>But recommendations were never the end goal.<\/p>\n<p>Recommendations only create value when they lead to prioritization, implementation, and measurable business outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>AI helps solve the problem of idea generation.<\/p>\n<p>It does very little to solve the implementation problem.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why I believe the first SEO jobs AI comes for are those centered around producing recommendations rather than driving outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>As the cost of generating recommendations approaches zero, employers naturally place greater value on the people who can determine which recommendations matter and implement them.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, AI is commoditizing parts of SEO execution.<\/p>\n<p>It is not <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.seoforlunch.com\/p\/blind-trust\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">commoditizing judgment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-ai-still-struggles-to-do\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_AI_still_struggles_to_do\"><\/span>What AI still struggles to do<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As AI becomes better at generating recommendations, the value of SEO talent shifts elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>Prioritization. Testing. Communication. Influence. Judgment.<\/p>\n<p>These aren\u2019t new skills. They\u2019ve always mattered.<\/p>\n<p>The difference is that they are quickly becoming the primary differentiators.<\/p>\n<p>Most organizations don\u2019t suffer from a shortage of ideas. They suffer from a shortage of alignment, execution, and good decision-making.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Finally, there is judgment.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A few weeks ago, I found myself disagreeing with Gemini about a topic I know extremely well. The answer sounded reasonable. The explanation was polished. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.seoforlunch.com\/p\/ai-in-the-wild\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The problem was that it was wrong.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>As AI becomes more capable, the ability to identify when it is confidently wrong becomes a skill in itself.<\/p>\n<p>The future SEO isn\u2019t the person who can generate the most recommendations.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the person who knows which recommendations actually matter.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-new-seo-career-framework\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_new_SEO_career_framework\"><\/span>The new SEO career framework<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For years, the career progression of an SEO was fairly straightforward.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Learn more about SEO. <strong>Get promoted.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Learn technical SEO. <strong>Get promoted.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Learn content strategy. <strong>Get promoted.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Learn analytics. <strong>Get promoted.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While those skills are still important, AI is rapidly reducing the value of knowledge for knowledge\u2019s sake. The ability to produce SEO recommendations is becoming more accessible every day.<\/p>\n<p>That doesn\u2019t mean expertise no longer matters. It means the skills layered on top of that expertise matter more.<\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s most valuable search professionals understand search. They understand AI. They understand how <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.seoforlunch.com\/p\/domain-and-brand-built-to-rank-not\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">businesses operate<\/a>. Most importantly, they know how to align people, priorities, and resources around a common objective.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1155\" height=\"243\" http: alt=\"Old vs new\" class=\"wp-image-479686\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/old-vs-new.png 1155w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/old-vs-new-768x162.png 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1155px) 100vw, 1155px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/old-vs-new.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1155\" height=\"243\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/old-vs-new.png\" alt=\"Old vs new\" class=\"wp-image-479686\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/old-vs-new.png 1155w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/old-vs-new-768x162.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1155px) 100vw, 1155px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Image generated via human-led AI<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The higher you climb within an organization, the less your success depends on your <em>ability<\/em> to identify problems and the more it depends on your ability to <span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">solve them<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>AI scales execution. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.seoforlunch.com\/i\/194122154\/the-middle-ground-nobody-wants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>People scale vision.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-id-look-for-if-i-were-hiring-today\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Id_look_for_if_I_were_hiring_today\"><\/span>What I\u2019d look for if I were hiring today<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If I were hiring an SEO in 2026, I wouldn\u2019t spend much time asking about canonical tags, title tags, or XML sitemaps.<\/p>\n<p>Not because those topics are unimportant, but because I can quickly determine whether someone understands the fundamentals.<\/p>\n<p>What I\u2019d really want to understand is how that person operates when things become messy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I\u2019d ask them to share a recommendation nobody agreed with.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Years ago, I argued that H1 tags provided virtually no ranking benefit.<\/p>\n<p><em>People laughed. Some openly disagreed. Eventually, John Mueller echoed a similar position, and Bill Slawski had been discussing the concept for years.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t care whether the candidate was right.<\/p>\n<p>I care whether they had the conviction to challenge assumptions and the communication skills to navigate disagreement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I\u2019d ask about a failed test.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Every experienced SEO has watched a seemingly great initiative die somewhere between recommendation and implementation. The difference is what happened next. Did they move on to the next project, or did they find a way to remove blockers and maintain momentum?<\/p>\n<p><strong>I\u2019d ask about a project that stalled.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Every experienced SEO has watched a seemingly great initiative die somewhere between recommendation and implementation. The difference is what happened next. Did they move on to the next project, or did they find a way to remove blockers and keep the momentum going?<\/p>\n<p><strong>I\u2019d also ask where AI gave them bad advice.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The common theme across all of these questions is simple.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not looking for someone who knows SEO. I\u2019m looking for someone who can turn SEO knowledge into outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>The easiest part of SEO has always been knowing what to do. The hard part is getting it done, generating tangible results.<\/p>\n<p>AI won\u2019t replace SEOs, but the lazy ones are toast.<\/p>\n<p><em>This post first appeared on the author\u2019s website and is republished here with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1774\" height=\"887\" http: alt=\"Leroy2\" class=\"wp-image-476987\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/05\/leroy2.jpg.webp 1774w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/05\/leroy2-768x384.jpg.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/05\/leroy2-1536x768.jpg 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1774px) 100vw, 1774px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/05\/leroy2.jpg.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1774\" height=\"887\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/05\/leroy2.jpg.webp\" alt=\"Leroy2\" class=\"wp-image-476987\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/05\/leroy2.jpg.webp 1774w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/05\/leroy2-768x384.jpg.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/05\/leroy2-1536x768.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1774px) 100vw, 1774px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ttd-topics-display\">\n<div class=\"ttd-topics-content\">\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Topics_on_this_page\"><\/span>Topics on this page<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"ttd-topics-links\">Search engine optimizationArtificial intelligenceAutomationLabor marketLabour economicsBill SlawskiChatbotGeminiJohn MuellerManagement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ttd-topics-show-extra-button\">+5 more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/interviewing-seos-ai-first-world-479683\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One group of SEO talent is becoming dramatically more valuable. The other is watching their skill set become a commodity. The search industry is experiencing something many of us have never seen before. The supply of search talent now exceeds the demand for search talent. Blame artificial intelligence. Blame the economy. Blame years of checkbox&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":732800,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/06\/Interviewing-SEOs-in-an-AI-first-world-featured-image.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-732799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/732799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=732799"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/732799\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/732800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=732799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=732799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=732799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}