SEO Is Dead (Again): Why You Shouldn’t Care About Rankings

The Funeral That Never Ends

Every year, like clockwork, someone declares “SEO is dead.” And every year, the SEO crowd collectively rolls their eyes, fires up another webinar, and insists that — no, SEO is alive and well, thank you very much. But let’s be honest: SEO isn’t so much alive as it is a zombie staggering around in search results, kept “undead” by consultants and agencies who need it to pay the rent.

The truth? Rankings don’t matter nearly as much as you think. Yep, I said it. You can clutch your keyword spreadsheets and your Ahrefs subscription all you want, but if you’re still obsessing over whether you rank #1 for some vanity keyword, you’re missing the entire point of marketing in 2025.

The dirty little secret is this: Google doesn’t care about you. Your customers don’t care about your rankings. And the algorithm? It’s laughing at you while you desperately try to please it.

So let’s do something radical: stop worshipping at the altar of SEO and start focusing on things that actually move the needle. Buckle up, because I’m about to dismantle the sacred cow of search and show you why “best practices” are really just busywork.

Stop Worshipping Google

Marketers treat Google like some kind of digital deity. Entire careers revolve around decoding its mysterious commandments: “Thou shalt use long-tail keywords.” “Thou shalt build backlinks.” “Thou shalt optimize thy metadata.”

But here’s a reality check: Google doesn’t want you to win. It wants Google to win. Every algorithm update isn’t designed to help your brand rank higher — it’s designed to keep you on the treadmill. Panda, Penguin, BERT, Helpful Content — they’re all just new ways of reminding you who’s in charge.

Meanwhile, the real winners aren’t the ones bowing to the algorithm; they’re the brands building audiences independent of search. Think of creators blowing up on TikTok. Or niche newsletters with rabid fan bases. None of them are praying to the SEO gods, yet they’re crushing it.

Look at Duolingo. Their marketing isn’t fueled by SEO hacks. It’s fueled by an owl mascot doing unhinged TikToks that rack up millions of views. Or consider MrBeast, whose YouTube empire was built on spectacle and shareability, not “keyword optimization.” These brands aren’t clinging to Google’s scraps; they’re carving their own tables.

So, the next time you’re tempted to panic about your drop from position #3 to #7, ask yourself: Does your customer care? Or are you just playing Google’s game because you’re too scared to leave the casino?

Logos Don’t Sell, Offers Do

Let’s address another marketing myth while we’re at it: your logo isn’t that important. Neither is your color palette, your pixel-perfect website design, or the fact that your favicon looks slightly different on Safari.

What actually sells? Offers. Clear, irresistible, can’t-say-no offers.

You can spend six months on SEO-optimized blog posts about “10 Best Project Management Tools in 2025,” or you can just roll out a ridiculous offer like “Get unlimited project management help for $1 in your first month.” Which do you think will get more signups?

Spoiler: nobody bought from Domino’s because they had a great logo. They bought because the offer was 30 minutes or it’s free. That’s the kind of clarity that cuts through the noise — not your “SEO-friendly” H2 tags.

And if you’re still unconvinced, think about Tesla. Their marketing budget? Practically zero. Their offer? A futuristic car that doubles as a flex status symbol. Their logo didn’t create that; their outrageous offer did.

Content Isn’t King — Distribution Is

Ah yes, the old chestnut: Content is king. How many times have you heard that one? If content is king, then why are so many “content kings” broke?

The internet is littered with brilliant content that nobody ever reads because it never gets in front of the right people. The uncomfortable truth is: distribution beats content every single time.

Would you rather write the world’s smartest blog post that gets 200 views, or a half-decent tweet thread that reaches 200,000 people? Exactly.

And here’s the kicker: SEO isn’t distribution, it’s a slot machine. You put in time, effort, and backlinks hoping the algorithm will one day reward you. Social platforms, email lists, partnerships — that’s distribution you can actually control.

Take Morning Brew, for instance. Their newsletter growth wasn’t powered by SEO blogs but by viral referrals and word-of-mouth sharing. They understood that content without intentional distribution is like a band rehearsing in an empty garage — you might sound amazing, but nobody’s listening.

So quit pretending your 4,000-word keyword-stuffed guide is going to magically “go viral” because you followed “on-page optimization best practices.” Without distribution, it’s just digital dust.

Best Practices Are Just Average Practices

“Follow SEO best practices,” they say. Translation? Do exactly what everyone else is doing and then wonder why you don’t stand out.

Best practices are for the middle of the pack. They’re safe. They’re boring. They’re the corporate equivalent of wearing khakis to a wedding.

You know what actually works? Breaking the rules. Forget “optimal keyword density.” Write with a voice that makes people stop scrolling. Forget obsessing over bounce rates. Create something so good that people screenshot it and send it to their friends.

Brands that play it safe with SEO best practices might survive, but they’ll never dominate. The ones that dare to ignore the handbook — they’re the ones rewriting the rules.

Look at Liquid Death. Their SEO footprint is almost laughable compared to the beverage giants. But their irreverent branding and edgy distribution (like selling water in a beer can) made them explode into a billion-dollar company. They didn’t follow “best practices.” They became the practice.

The Myth of Ranking = Revenue

Let’s kill another sacred cow: the idea that higher rankings automatically equal higher revenue. Sounds nice, but it’s fiction.

Plenty of companies rank at the top of Google for their niche keywords and still struggle to convert. Why? Because ranking gets you eyeballs, not loyalty. If your product, offer, or brand is forgettable, your #1 spot will just funnel leads to competitors who actually know how to close.

Meanwhile, look at brands thriving with minimal or no SEO strategy. Gymshark didn’t rise to global dominance by obsessing over “fitness clothing keywords.” They built a rabid online community and leveraged influencers long before it was trendy. Airbnb didn’t start by keyword optimizing “short-term apartment rental.” They hacked Craigslist for distribution.

Ranking is a vanity metric. Relationships drive revenue.

Actionable Anti-Rules for 2025

Alright, enough ranting. Let’s get practical. If you’re ready to stop being Google’s pawn, here are five “anti-rules” to run with:

1. Stop treating Google as your primary traffic source. Build an email list, a LinkedIn following, or a podcast audience you actually control.
2. Prioritize offers over optimization. A clear, irresistible offer will out-convert a “perfectly optimized” website every time.
3. Invest in distribution, not just creation. Spend as much time sharing and promoting as you do writing.
4. Break a best practice on purpose. Want to stand out? Try doing the exact opposite of what the SEO blogs say.
5. Measure what matters. Stop obsessing over rankings and start tracking leads, sales, and actual conversations.

If you apply these anti-rules, you’ll start seeing what SEO purists don’t: real growth that doesn’t depend on Google’s ever-changing whims.

Rankings Won’t Pay the Bills

Here’s the hard truth: rankings are an ego metric. They make you feel good in a quarterly report, but they won’t keep the lights on. Customers don’t care if you’re #1 in Google; they care if you solve their problem, today, faster and better than anyone else.

So go ahead — prove me wrong. Keep chasing rankings, keep tweaking metadata, keep sacrificing goats to the SEO algorithm gods. Or try something different: focus on building an audience, creating irresistible offers, and getting your message in front of real humans.

Do that for 30 days. Then tell me if I’m full of it. I’ll be waiting.