Voices of Search // A Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Content Marketing Podcast AI-Powered Search: Disruptive Risk or Strategic Advantage?
May 19, 2025
Mike Walrath, CEO of Yext and an expert in digital advertising, discusses the transformative impact of AI on search and business visibility. He explores how Google's monetization is threatened by new AI competitors and emphasizes the necessity for companies to optimize data for machines. The conversation highlights opportunities in local search and the importance of utilizing granular competitive intelligence. Walrath also focuses on the changing landscape of digital advertising, stressing the need for brands to reassess their strategies for greater organic visibility.
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Yahoo's Monetization Dilemma
- Mike Walrath shares his experience overseeing digital ad marketplaces at Yahoo in 2007.
- He observed that over-monetizing search results led to loss of users to Google's simpler experience.
Google AI For Unmonetizable Queries
- Google serves AI overviews for unmonetizable local queries to maintain monetization.
- This explains why local pack impressions drop without impacting clicks or conversions.
Structure Data for AI Agents
- Prepare your business data in structured form for AI consumption.
- Constantly update data since AI agents require dynamic information, not static pages.