Is SEO dead? Not even close. But it's changing shape fast, and the businesses treating it like a checklist are about to fall behind.

In this episode, I sit down with Eric Ritter, founder of Digital Neighbor and self-described "SEO Sommelier," to talk about what actually matters in SEO now that AI has entered the chat. Eric's been running his agency for nine years, and he's watching the field split into two camps: businesses churning out AI-generated content that blends into a "sea of sameness," and businesses using AI as a tool to sharpen a perspective no one else has.

We get into:

• Why search doesn't just mean Google anymore — and what "search everywhere" means for how you show up on TikTok, Pinterest, and AI tools like ChatGPT and SearchGPT
• The three legs of the SEO stool: content, technical optimization, and backlinks — and how AI is reshaping each one
• Why Google has always rewarded originality (and always punished copy-paste content) — and why that matters more, not less, in an AI-saturated web
• Practical, low-lift ways to build backlinks: directory listings, sponsorships, vendor relationships, and old-school digital PR
• Why branding and a distinct point of view might be the real SEO strategy of the next few years

Eric also shares the story of how a client's questionable hiring decision — "he has a blog, so he must know what he's talking about" — is what pushed him into podcasting in the first place, and why having a platform (podcast, book, blog) still shortcuts credibility even when it shouldn't have to.

Connect with Eric: LinkedIn (Eric Ritter) | digitalneighbor.com