Final Digital resources-1

Search is splitting across Google, ChatGPT, Claude, Reddit, and YouTube. SEO veteran Richard Conway explains what "search everywhere optimisation" really means, and what NZ marketers should do about it right now.

Every few years, someone declares SEO dead. This time feels different, and in some ways it is. New Zealand businesses spend around $1.6 billion a year on search, yet 60% of searches now end without a single click. People are getting their answers directly from AI tools, Reddit threads and YouTube videos, and ranking number one on Google no longer guarantees you'll show up in any of them.

So is it time to panic? Not according to Richard Conway.

Richard has spent 20 years in SEO and leads performance agency The Optimisers, working across SEO, AEO, GEO and agentic discovery. In this conversation with Pooja Gupta, he cuts through the noise with a clear, honest take on where search is heading and where your effort should go first.

Watch the full conversation here:

 

What they cover

Is SEO dead or just evolving? Richard's answer will reassure anyone who's invested years in organic search, but it comes with a catch. The fundamentals still matter. Where and how you apply them is what's changing.

Why ranking number one isn't enough anymore. Your Google position and your visibility in AI answers are two different games. Richard explains why a site that dominates traditional search can be invisible to ChatGPT, and what "machine readable" actually means for your website.

The traffic quality surprise. Visitors arriving from AI tools tend to convert better than traditional search traffic. Richard unpacks why, and what that means for how you measure success when fewer people are clicking through at all.

Where to focus first. The right move looks different depending on whether you run an e-commerce store, a B2B brand or a multi-location franchise. Richard gives practical, prioritised advice for each.

The cost of waiting. If you're planning to see how this all shakes out before acting, Richard puts a number on what another six months of waiting could cost you.

Want more from Richard?

Catch Richard live at Digital Day Out 2026 on Tuesday 28 July at the Cordis, Auckland, where he co-presents with Sophie Neate (ABB) on Reddit marketing. Aotearoa's biggest showcase of digital marketing trends, all in one day.