There's loads of hand-wringing about Google traffic these days. Google Discover is getting bigger, but is toying with AI summaries. The traffic from this new-ish feature is somewhat unpredictable, but new shocking developments show it is prone to misinformation.

We wanted to get a sensible steer on how news publishers should navigate this storm. We spoke with content strategist Steve Wilson-Beales, who recently left his post as head of SEO and editorial product for Global. Answers have been shortened for brevity.

Q: Everyone’s worried about the "death of SEO” in a zero-click search future. What’s your take?

Steven Wilson-Beales: Google’s move to AI-driven search has been tough on publishers, but the shift started long before AI Overviews—zero-click searches were already rising. This is both an existential threat and an opportunity.

For too long, publishers have chased big reach numbers instead of building loyal, engaged audiences. In the short term, we’ll have to focus on users who already know us, but that’s not sustainable. Now is the time to challenge old workflows and get closer to our audiences.

SEOs are more important than ever—not just for Google rankings, but for understanding audience needs and working across departments. As AI visibility tools flood the market, don’t rush to buy the latest........

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