AI is becoming more prominent in search, and recent studies show that when an AI overview appears in Google Search, click-through rates drop significantly. At the same time, users are increasingly discovering information through other platforms, applications, and digital methods rather than turning to Google as their first choice. This shift means that SEO professionals need to rethink their strategies and integrate SEO into a broader marketing framework.

Instead of treating SEO as a standalone channel measured by rankings and traffic, businesses must now incorporate it into a wider integrated marketing and communication strategy.

SEO has historically been evaluated using traditional metrics such as keyword rankings, traffic volume, and last-click attribution models. But with marketing becoming more interconnected and the customer journey more fragmented, SEO has to evolve as well.

This shift doesn’t mean SEO is losing its value. Rather, the playing field is changing rapidly. We are witnessing what could be considered a “black swan” event in how users engage with the internet. This change demands a more holistic view of SEO and its role in business growth.

What Is SEO RevOps?

One of the key strategies emerging from this shift is SEO RevOps (SEO Revenue Operations). Revenue Operations, or RevOps, is a model that unifies all revenue-generating departments under a shared set of goals. Instead of working in silos, teams collaborate to improve efficiency, align on business KPIs, and drive measurable growth.

Unlike traditional SEO models that focus on increasing traffic or improving keyword rankings, SEO RevOps aligns search strategies with broader business objectives. It integrates SEO with sales, marketing, and customer success to enhance brand visibility, optimise lead generation, and increase customer lifetime value.

Four Key Areas of SEO RevOps

The first key area is improving processes and efficiency. 

SEO teams need to analyse both third-party SEO tools and first-party business data to uncover insights, trends, and patterns. Beyond old SEO tactics, businesses should balance exploration vs. exploitation, investing resources in both long-term opportunities and immediate optimisations. SEO should shift from being reactive, where teams optimise only after traffic drops, to being proactive, identifying new areas of growth before competitors do.

The second area is adopting new technologies and tracking key metrics. 

The SEO landscape is no longer just about traditional ranking metrics. Implementing AI, automation, and machine learning can help scale efforts efficiently. Traditional ranking positions don’t hold the same weight as they once did.

Page one in 2015 is vastly different from page one in 2025.

AI-generated summaries dramatically impact click-through rates. SEO teams must look beyond ranking reports and focus on brand visibility, user behaviour, and touchpoints across multiple channels.

Understanding the customer journey and brand interaction is the third key area. 

Users no longer follow a straightforward path from search to conversion. They engage with brands across multiple channels, from social media to industry forums, email newsletters, and direct word-of-mouth recommendations. Businesses need to understand how user expectations and preconceived notions about products and services influence their decisions. This includes analysing customer churn, forecasting user needs, and ensuring content distribution across a much wider network than just organic search.

The fourth area is aligning SEO with revenue goals. 

Rankings and organic traffic measured traditional SEO. SEO RevOps, on the other hand, ties efforts to business-critical metrics like lead generation, conversion rates, customer acquisition costs, and customer lifetime value. For e-commerce businesses, this means focusing on Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), customer retention, return purchases, and cost per acquisition (CPA) rather than just traffic numbers. SEO success isn’t just about how many visitors land on a website but how those visitors contribute to overall business growth.

A More Collaborative SEO Approach

SEO teams can no longer work in isolation. SEO RevOps requires cross-functional collaboration with product teams to understand messaging and feature development better. Marketing teams must align SEO efforts with overall brand strategy. Sales and customer success teams need to address post-conversion engagement and ensure long-term customer retention. UX teams must create seamless experiences that align with search intent and user expectations.

A major focus is on experience forecasting, helping customers imagine the future use of a product or service before they even purchase it. By working closely with different departments, SEO can help reduce post-purchase friction, making users feel like they have discovered a gem rather than being underwhelmed by their experience.

The Future of SEO Is Revenue-Driven

SEO is not dead, but it is evolving. The days of measuring success solely through rankings and traffic are over. Businesses that adopt an SEO RevOps mindset will be the ones that thrive in this new era of digital marketing.

By focusing on revenue-driven SEO strategies, companies can build a stronger, more resilient approach to search marketing—one that drives real business impact, not just search engine rankings.