Weekly SEO Rewind : Will We Still Need The Search Box?

Join Loren Baker and Roger Montti in this week’s SEO Rewind #8 as they explore the latest in Google’s AI strategy, the November-December core updates, and the future of search as we know it. 🤖🔍 Here’s what we cover: - Holiday Update Patterns: Why Google loves rolling out core updates over long weekends and what the latest one signals. - Overviews Taking Over SERPs: How Google’s AI and ads are pushing organic results further down, especially in niches like healthcare, finance, and restaurants. - Gemini and “Agentic Search”: Is Google’s new AI system a game-changer for users or a growing challenge for publishers? - The End of the Search Box?: Could AI-driven tools and deep research summaries make traditional search queries obsolete? Roger shares insights on the “dystopian” direction of search and why brands must adapt by prioritizing user context, authenticity, and expertise to stay ahead in an ever-evolving SEO landscape. Whether you’re an SEO pro or a curious marketer, this episode unpacks the big shifts reshaping search and how to navigate them. What do you think? Are we moving beyond the search box? Share your thoughts in the comments! 📌 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell to stay updated with the latest SEO trends and strategies from Search Engine Journal. [00:00] Intro [01:09] The effects of Google’s December Core Update [05:24] AI Overviews and their impact on the SERP (BrightEdge's latest report) [12:00] Gemini and new search products - How users might view and use them [16:54] The Future of the Search Box [22:16] Deep search and the Agentic search feature [26:45] Is Deep Search and AI helping or hurting search? Who has the advantage? [31:54] What can site owners, writers, marketers and others do to prepare for these expansions? [35:22] Is there a point where websites and publishers will stop providing AI and search with information? #SEO #GoogleUpdates #AI #SearchBox #DigitalMarketing