# The Death of Clicks? Rand Fishkin on Brand, AI & the Future of Marketing

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-edward-show-6568456/the-death-of-clicks-rand-fishkin-on-brand-ai-the-future-of-marketing
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-edward-show-6568456/the-death-of-clicks-rand-fishkin-on-brand-ai-the-future-of-marketing.md
Podcast: [The Edward Show](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-edward-show-6568456)
Published: 2026-05-20T14:04:00+00:00
Episode link: https://9342edaa-17ad-4315-a037-ec4dfabd63f7.libsyn.com/the-death-of-clicks-rand-fishkin-on-brand-ai-the-future-of-marketing
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/9342edaa-17ad-4315-a037-ec4dfabd63f7/The_Death_of_Clicks_Rand_Fishkin_on_Brand_AI__the_Future_of_Marketing1.mp3?dest-id=4081527
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-edward-show-6568456/episodes/the-death-of-clicks-rand-fishkin-on-brand-ai-the-future-of-marketing
Duration seconds: 4464

## Resource

E1050: Rand Fishkin returns to the show to talk about what is actually changing in marketing right now. Search traffic is shrinking. AI answers are replacing clicks. Platforms are keeping users inside their ecosystems. And many marketers are still operating like it's 2015. We break down what "zero-click marketing" really means, why brand matters more than ever, and what founders should be doing instead of chasing vanity rankings. We also go deep into AI, PR, profitability, and how to build something that lasts. Topics we cover: - Why links may matter less than mentions - The shift from traffic-driven marketing to influence-driven marketing - What zero-click marketing actually looks like in practice - Why ranking for informational keywords is no longer a complete strategy - How AI is changing research, buying behavior, and brand perception - The risks and ethics of AI-generated content - Why many affiliate and pure publisher sites are in trouble - The difference between building a brand and chasing search volume - How to measure off-site marketing without relying on clicks - Time-based and location-based experiments for attribution - Why PR is still one of the most undervalued marketing channels - How to think about short-term marketing "hacks" versus long-term positioning - Why profitability gives bootstrapped founders leverage - What Rand learned from leaving Moz and starting SparkToro - How teaching and communication became his most valuable skills Rand also shares: - How Alertmouse reached 5,000 users in about 100 days - Why product improvement drove more growth than new channels - How to decide which marketing channels to ignore - Why some companies survive Google updates while others disappear - What makes a marketing strategy durable This episode is not about pan…

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