“Old school SEO is going to be more important than ever – because even AI is now Googling things to give you a response.” – Fery Kaszoni
Fery Kaszoni is the founder of Search Intelligence, a UK-based digital PR and link-building agency that grew from £100K in revenue in 2020 to £5.5 million by 2024. One of the most recognized thought leaders in the digital PR and AI search space, Fery built and openly shared the playbooks that shaped how agencies approach PR-led link building – and he’s now turning his attention to building software tools that sit at the intersection of search, AI, and development.
Episode Summary
In this episode of Beyond the Search Bar, host Russ Macumber catches up with Fery Kaszoni to explore what’s changed in the world of search since they last spoke – and a lot has. Fery shares his philosophy on why traditional SEO isn’t dying but is becoming more valuable in an AI-driven world, why smaller brands have a rare window of opportunity right now, and how his agency is evolving beyond services into software. The conversation also dives deep into what’s actually working in digital PR today, including two practical tactics any team can implement immediately.
Key Takeaways
- Old School SEO Powers AI Search: AI answer engines rely on organic search results to generate accurate responses – meaning demand for traditional SEO is set to increase, not decrease, as AI agents conduct millions of searches on behalf of users.
- It’s Search Optimization, Not Just SEO: The foundations haven’t changed – create content, build links – but the execution must evolve. Comprehensive, 6,000-word mega-guides outperform generic content because AI needs depth to use your page as a foundational reference.
- AI Search Investment Is Like Buying Stock: Most brands investing in AI visibility are doing so on the hope of future returns, not current measurable ROI. There’s no Search Console for ChatGPT – yet – and honest agencies need to communicate this clearly.
- Smaller Brands Have a Window Right Now: Large enterprises move too slowly to capitalize on emerging AI search opportunities. Agile mid-market brands that act now can grab market share before the big players catch up.
- Digital PR Builds Brand Authority, Not Direct AI Citations: Digital PR is powerful for elevating brand authority in organic search and long-term AI training data – but it won’t reliably make you the “top cited brand” in AI search on its own. That narrative requires a different content strategy.
- Trust Signals Are Now Non-Negotiable in PR Outreach: Journalists are increasingly skeptical of fake AI-generated experts. Showing real people with real LinkedIn profiles, photos, and email addresses dramatically improves campaign pickup rates.
- TikTok Influencers as Campaign Co-Authors: Partnering with even micro-influencers (10K–30K followers) in a relevant niche as a co-thought leader within your PR campaign adds credibility and significantly increases the likelihood of journalist pick-up.
Timestamped Summary
- 00:00–03:00 – Fery’s hot take: why organic SEO is about to 100x in importance as AI bots use Google to generate accurate answers.
- 03:01–06:11 – Russ and Fery debate whether the last 18 months is the biggest shift in search since Google went mainstream in the late 90s. (Fery says yes – and it all happened in the last year.)
- 06:12–09:31 – Why Fery believes it’s “search optimization,” not just SEO – and how 6,000-word comprehensive content pieces are beating major brands in AI search right now.
- 09:32–12:00 – Measuring ROI in AI search: why it’s like buying Tesla stock, and how to have that conversation with clients who want click data that doesn’t exist yet.
- 12:01–16:00 – Why big enterprise brands are sitting on their hands while smaller brands make moves – and what Russ observed at a masterclass with the world’s biggest brands in New York.
- 16:01–18:40 – How Search Intelligence grew from £100K to £5.5 million in four years, and the evolution into product-led growth with AI-first tools.
- 18:41–21:40 – Inside the two tools Fery has launched: a digital PR distribution platform and Search Intelligence AI for visibility tracking and content creation – plus a teaser on a third tool for developers.
- 21:41–25:10 – How Fery has become hands-on in product development (think Zuckerberg moving his desk into the engineering team) and why AI coding has reignited his passion for building.
- 25:11–29:54 – The links vs. mentions debate: why brand mentions from digital PR help at the training data level, but why links still matter most for maximum SEO and AI impact.
- 29:55–32:33 – What’s working in digital PR right now: why adding real people, LinkedIn profiles, and photos to expert commentary campaigns is delivering more pickups than ever before.
- 32:34–36:45 – The TikTok influencer tactic: how pairing a niche micro-influencer with your client as a co-thought leader creates more compelling, journalist-friendly campaigns – with a brilliant mattress brand example.
- 36:46–38:20 – Closing thoughts and where to connect with Fery on LinkedIn.
