Keywords are dead. The AEO bros have spoken. Targeted words and phrases have stopped working ‘coz AI, innit’. Googling a search query/keyword won’t bring up shit now. As for all those keyword tools you’re using? BURN THEM. Meanwhile, back in the real world, keywords still matter (but search is changing).
“You don’t have to be mad to work here, but it helps.” That currently sums up the SEO industry. If you’re not mad yet, you soon will be because the catastrophising of LLM tech will, at some point, drive you crazy. Apparently, SEO died thanks to two years of generative AI drama.
Keywords remain, well, key.
I talk about keywords a lot. I’ve built my business around them. It’s not very fashionable to mention keywords coz the SEO trend is brand identity for AI citations. But I’ve never been fashionable, and as keywords remain a ranking factor, I don’t give two shits. If I had a quid for every time I read a LinkedIn post stating ‘SEO is no longer about keywords’, I could probably afford a Big Mac meal. That’s around eight quid. I’ve read a post like that approximately eight times.
I’m trying to rein in the hyperbole.
No, keywords aren’t all SEO is. Keywords might be one of many things wrong with your website. And yes, sites can be crawled without keywords, but keywords tell search engines what the content is about, and that’s where indexing comes in. A site without keywords is like doing SEO with one hand tied behind your back: it’s a struggle. Sometimes, when I perform a quick diagnostic audit, I’ll receive a message like, ‘no information exists on Google’ or summat similar. Quite often, that’s a keyword problem. Effective crawling and indexing begin with Keywords. That’s good, SEO sense.
If you had a quid for each time you read the word ‘keyword’, you’d probably be a tenner up.
The broad keyword assigned to your homepage is your website’s entry to organic traffic. As is any focus keyword attached to any web page. They’re absolutely a thing, and a thing you need to kickstart search engine visibility.
I recently changed my business offering. Before the start of 2026, I consistently ranked with the phrase ‘SEO content writer’. That’s been the case for five years. Now my homepage keyword is ‘freelance SEO consultant’ and whaddaya know, traffic has fallen off a cliff, so I know just how important keywords are.
Search is changing.
Unless you live in a cave (or you don’t care), it’s impossible not to notice search evolving. LLMs have shaken shit up, but SEO always adapts. I dunno about you, but I’m still googling. Traditional search engines haven’t ceased to exist. Google still refers the majority of search traffic to websites; also, Google is AI. Gemini (Google’s LLM) produces the AI Overviews. So Google isn’t being left behind; it’s adapting, and it’s at the forefront of AI technology.
Google’s going strong, and keywords count. Search terms have been effortlessly blending with well-constructed, thoughtfully considered, audience-centric content since god knows when. Sure, keywords might lose their SEO significance. An entry to traffic might be something more nuanced. The truth is, no one really knows, so we gotta stick with keywords for now.
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