In this episode, Wil Reynolds, VP of Innovation at Seer Interactive, discusses various topics related to the impact of AI and automation on search, SEO, job markets, and opportunities for young people. Experts share their thoughts on AI-generated content, strategies for website testing, the potential disruption and economic value of ads, and concerns about job displacement. While highlighting challenges, the episodes also emphasize the opportunities for innovation and equal access to opportunities in an automated world.
Wil Reynolds is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in the digital marketing industry. Currently serving as VP Innovation at Seer Interactive, a leading SEM/SEO consulting firm based in Philadelphia, Wil’s expertise lies in attracting and retaining online success for clients through strategic planning and ROI-driven approaches. With a track record of excellence, Wil’s career showcases his commitment to delivering results and fostering a vibrant community of professionals. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Cache Flow:
- Using AI to produce higher-quality content faster can be a cost-effective solution.
- The Michelin Star example illustrates how perception and association can elevate a brand.
- The landscape of search is evolving, and Google’s potential shift to an interactive agent model may disrupt the traditional 10link format.
- AI may lead to job losses, especially for those in entry-level positions, which could negatively impact marginalized groups.
- The market takes time to reduce prices but increases instantly.
- Many larger organizations may invest money in addressing the issue of automation, but they often fail to actively participate in providing equal opportunities for young people.
- 39:38 – “Where are people going to get a chance to prove themselves if so much of the work that they started off gets automated? So it’s not just that people are going to lose their jobs. I think it’s the people that have been told for years, it’s like, you know, who’s left holding a bag right now on student loan debt? Black people who were told this is the way to economic success. You have to get a degree. And then all of a sudden it’s like, well I got to go get a degree, so I’m going to take out these loans. And then all of a sudden they get out of school, and it’s like, oh, that degree’s not going to get you a job doing entry level coding.”
- 25:15 – “Client goes “Man, once this is 10% of my conversions, I don’t care about search terms, I care about the economic value. Once 10% or more of my conversions are being affected by answer boxes, then I want to know da da da, and I’m going to take action.” So then for us in our platform, we set up that alert at the individual client level. Hey clients, we now have percentage of answer boxes combined with your paid data in this.”
- 17:14 – “And obviously like the big topic of conversation right now is that Google is going to cannibalize their cash cow, which is this Google Ads by replacing the 10 links, like the format that you know has been searched for the entire cycle, the entire history of searches that you input a query, you get 10 links and that paradigm is, you know, kind of ripe right now to completely flip on its head with this new interactive agent model.”
- 33:12 – “I’ve seen so many times people are just expecting you can just log into Google Analytics, and it’s all going to be there. It’s, it’s so much work to really get a great analytics or BI system in place.”
- 48:27 – “If it used to take you x number of people to write content, X number pieces of content, and now it takes you one plus AI, well, what’s going to happen to those nine people? Right? And I think what’ll happen is more people will go into other jobs… Brian: To the same point, though, the market will eventually work itself out. Like if it actually, you know, companies that just reduce their headcount by half, they’re, you know, and they keep trying to charge the same rates and just like fatten their margin. Eventually, someone else is going to come in and do it for less.”
