SEO is not becoming less relevant because of AI. It is becoming more important. Instead of optimizing for a single search engine, marketers now have to think about visibility across Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, and other AI-powered discovery platforms.

In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Adam Sockel hears from Darren Shaw, Founder of Whitespark, about why traditional SEO remains foundational in an AI search world. Darren explains how AI platforms rely on websites, traditional search results, and retrieval processes to generate answers, and why businesses still need strong technical SEO, content, Google Business Profiles, brand building, and digital PR if they want to show up when customers search.

You’ll learn:

• Why SEO is becoming more important as search expands across AI platforms
• Why ranking in traditional search can directly influence whether your business appears in AI-generated results
• How your website and Google Business Profile act as key sources of information for search and AI platforms
• Why brand building and digital PR are becoming even more important for visibility in an AI search world

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Why we wanted to hear from Darren Shaw

(01:21) Why SEO matters more than ever

(01:36) Optimizing across AI search platforms

(02:41) Your website remains the source

(03:02) How AI uses search results

(03:53) Google Business Profile and AI

(04:37) Brand building matters even more

(05:29) Why SEO is foundational for 2026

Straight to Voicemail is for CMOs, CEOs, and Heads of Marketing in B2B tech who want insights from the people who've been there. Each episode centers on one big question answered like a voicemail you'll want to play again.

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