Optimizing the New Search: How Relevance Engineering Is Reshaping SEO | Mike King

Is traditional SEO enough in the age of AI-powered search?

In this episode of The Search Session, Gianluca Fiorelli talks with Mike King—the creator of “relevance engineering”—about how AI is reshaping the way we approach search. From building tools that mimicked AI Overviews back in 2020 to redefining what it means to optimize content today, Mike shares how he and his team at iPullRank have been leading the charge.

They dive into how client perceptions around AI have evolved, why visibility now depends on omni media content strategies, and how SEOs must think beyond blog posts to research, white papers, and systems-level thinking. Mike also breaks down the mechanics behind AI Overviews and explores the rise of agentic SEO—modular, automated systems built for the ever-shifting landscape of modern search.

As Mike says, we’re no longer just tweaking websites—we’re building engines for discoverability in the era of AI.

Timestamps:
(00:22) Meet Our Guest: Mike King
(01:11) How SEO Is Treating Mike King in 2025
(02:28) Enterprise Clients' Reactions to the Rise of AI in Search
(07:41) How SEOs Can Start Learning AI Search
(10:31) Relevance Engineering: A New Definition of SEO
(14:53) Inside Google’s AI Mode & AI Overviews Architecture
(17:57) SEO in the AI Era: Owning More Raffle Tickets
(20:21) Chunkable and Multimodal Content Strategy
(22:39) The Publishing Industry Under Pressure
(26:38) Memorability Over Visibility: The Real SEO Goal
(31:06) Context Matters More Than Mentions
(33:49) Speculating on the Future of Google Search Features
(36:49) The Risks of Filter Bubbles and Cognitive Atrophy
(39:24) Agentic Search and Modular Search Architecture
(41:56) Why Google Will Still Win the AI Search Race
(44:05) Measuring SEO Impact in the Age of AI
(46:25) The Fireside Questionnaire

This is the 20th episode of: The Search Session on YouTube

Where to find Mike King:
LinkedIn
X (formerly Twitter)
Website

Where to find Gianluca Fiorelli:
LinkedIn
X (formerly Twitter)
Bluesky
Website

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