The Work Moves First. The Labels Follow. Vote Inside.

Musings Between the Waves …

I do my best thinking between sets of waves. Some people have their shower thoughts. Mine happen out in the lineup, waiting for the next set. Just floating and thinking. Here’s one of those between-the-waves moments.

Language in tech always shifts after the work does. Microblogging became social media. Content marketing became inbound, which turned into demand generation.

The word "webmaster" split into specialists: web designer, web developer, SEO, UI/UX, and content strategist. Each new role needed a new name.

SEO is the perfect example. It started with meta tags and keyword stuffing. Then link building took over. After that, it was semantic SEO, entities, and voice search. Now it is all about AI search. Each phase changed how the work was done, and only then did the words catch up.

Today, traditional rank trackers are behind. They still report "position 3 for keyword X" but blue-link rankings mean less when real AI answers are showing up in ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and Bing.

Brands should not only care about a ranking number. They care if their brand is included in the answers. That is why I built AIRS Analyzer (AIRS = AI Results).

Not just another tracker, but a tool for analyzing what actually shows up in AI Search Results.

Now, all the old tracker companies are scrambling to add "AI Results" features. They are reacting because they see the shift.

But while they bolt on new features, we are already living in this reality. We are analyzing AI responses and meaning, not just reporting positions.

Anyone sticking to "old school SEO is still valid" needs a reality check. Thinking all of last decade's tactics will win in future search is wishful thinking.

If your SEO / agency is still selling that line, it’s time to reconsider the relationship

Shoot, Google is rolling out an update right now. "Last week SEO" will not be enough. If you are still selling rankings, you are behind.

So is it still SEO? Is it time for GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)? Or will SEO become “Search Everywhere Optimization” and force us to say tSEO for “traditional SEO”? Or maybe we’ll see ten new acronyms before the year is out.

All I know is the terms will keep shifting. The need to adapt will not.

If your mindset and your tools do not match the new landscape, it is time to reposition.

The work moves first. The label always follows.

• This is a reprint of my first ever LinkedIn Pulse article I created while on the road.