Voices of Search // A Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Content Marketing Podcast Will traditional SEO tracking tools be replaced by AI visibility tracking tools?
Jan 22, 2026
Eli Schwartz, a growth advisor and SEO expert known for his work with Tinder and Coinbase, delves into the pitfalls of AI visibility tracking and its failure to measure conversion effectively. He critiques the trend, likening it to outdated rank tracking practices and highlights the limitations of relying on ephemeral metrics. Eli also presents his unique first-click attribution method, emphasizing the need for a cohesive marketing strategy that integrates SEO with brand and paid channels for sustainable organic growth.
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AI Visibility Is Momentary
- AI visibility captures a transient LLM response at a moment in time and may not reflect lasting search performance.
- Eli Schwartz argues historical ranking and crawl data from traditional tools provide more stable, actionable signals.
Historical Crawls Beat One-Off LLM Checks
- Traditional SEO tools crawl, cache, and provide historical views that reveal enduring search trends and competitor performance.
- Eli Schwartz says that long-term ranking history is a stronger data point than short-lived AI prompt ranks.
Tech Capabilities Determine Tool Relevance
- Losing the technology race to build robust crawling and caching ruins an SEO tool's relevance.
- Eli Schwartz cites Moz's decline as evidence that technical capability wins in the SEO tooling market.
