Why every SEO needs to become a challenger
The most valuable SEO isn’t the person who completes the most tasks. It’s the person willing to fight for the work that actually matters.
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Nick LeRoy's latest articles
Your boss is nervous about AI, too
While we argue about AI tactics, your boss is wondering whether the company is about to miss the next big thing.
The best SEO hires bring judgment, not just expertise
Technical SEO is only part of the equation. Here’s how to assess senior candidates for judgment, problem-solving, and business impact.
The trust crisis: SEO desperately needs accreditation
Anyone can call themselves an SEO or AI search “expert.” Here’s what a credential based on actual competency could look like.
The SEO career playbook is dead. Good!
Still using 'years of experience' as your only trust signal? Don’t be surprised when your next experience is figuring out unemployment.
The ghosting epidemic: Why efficiency killed basic professional courtesy
Ghosting prospects, candidates, partners and vendors wastes time and damages relationships. Closing the loop still matters in business.
The dehumanization of SEO: Displaced by code, ignored by communication
When SEO gets reduced to keywords, audits, and content production, software will always look cheaper. That’s where the real risk begins.
AI works best when it removes work, not judgment
AI becomes risky when you delegate judgment. It becomes an “easy button” when you delegate tedious, repetitive, and mundane work.
If an AI watermark scares you, your content may be the real issue
AI watermarks don’t determine search performance. What matters is whether your content is original, useful, accurate, and worth publishing.
The next AI money grab: Charging for editorial corrections
Publishers already monetized links, placements, and removals. Correcting the information shaping AI answers could be their next money grab.
Why SEO uncertainty is creating opportunities for challengers
When market leaders get nervous, years of competitive advantage become vulnerable. Search uncertainty creates an opening to close the gap.
You can’t demand the click if you won’t give the link
Publishers demanding citations and traffic from AI platforms should give the same credit to the data, research, and reporting they use.
Selling SEO or AI services? Your sales team needs more than a pitch deck
When sales is rewarded for closing deals and delivery is judged on results, unrealistic SEO and AI promises become almost inevitable.
The worst thing you can be in an SEO job interview is forgettable
SEO skills are now the baseline. Learn how side projects, experiments, and other tangible work can make you more memorable.
Google’s job Indexing API isn’t the shortcut you think it is
Learn the difference between notification, crawling, and indexing, and use a free tool to check whether your API is doing what you expect.
Stop saying ‘best practice’ and start bringing proof
SEO stops sounding like black magic when you can point to the exact Google doc that backs it up. Here's how to use it to earn buy-in.
Why AI deliverables should be judged by outcomes, not effort
If two deliverables produce the same outcome, should it matter whether one took 20 hours or 20 minutes? AI is forcing that conversation.
What if you were held accountable for your AI slop?
A ruling against Google signals a broader shift: companies may be responsible for AI-generated errors, even when humans didn't write them.
Google just released an AI opt-out feature. Your competitors hope you use it.
Users aren't opting out of AI Overviews or AI Mode. If your content disappears from those experiences, someone else will take its place.
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.
AI in the wild: Confident, wrong, and weirdly expensive
AI doesn’t need to be fully correct to sound convincing. Three Gemini conversations reveal why expertise and skepticism still matter.
Introducing ‘YBYS’: Your brand = Your SEO
The easiest way to survive AI search may be the least exciting SEO advice ever: build a real brand.
When did 25% efficiency become not enough?
AI hype has created unrealistic expectations around automation, making meaningful productivity gains feel like failure.
The legal consequences of using AI — and the safest way to do it
AI creates growing risks around copyright, privacy, misinformation, and compliance. Here’s how organizations can reduce legal exposure.
AI’s impact on search isn’t a secret (How to talk to execs about the new era of search)
Organic traffic is falling as AI reshapes search. Here's how to brief leadership with data, reset expectations, and adapt your SEO strategy for AI visibility.
What is AI, actually, and how is it affecting SEO?
Feeling overwhelmed by AI buzz? Learn what matters, what’s noise, and how to stay ahead when it comes to AI, LLMs, and generative tools.
How to write an effective SEO job description
Learn five of the biggest mistakes to avoid when writing SEO job descriptions and how to make your job listing stand out.