TL;DR Summary:
SEO Legacy: Heather Lloyd-Martin’s story shows that SEO copywriting existed before Google, and its core idea has always been simple: write content people can actually find and use.AI, Not Replacement: AI can speed up research and brainstorming, but the human writer still matters for voice, accuracy, and trust.Old Ideas, New Labels: GEO may sound new, yet the best approach still looks a lot like classic SEO copywriting, which means clear, people-first content wins.Does good SEO copywriting still work the same way it did before Google existed? Search Engine Land published a new interview with SEO copywriting pioneer Heather Lloyd-Martin on September 21, 2026, and her answer matters right now because the industry is deciding how much AI should change the way people write for search.
SEO copywriting started before Google, and that history gets forgotten
Lloyd-Martin began working online before Google existed. She optimized content for AltaVista, one of the earliest search engines, alongside Jill Whalen, who handled the technical side of their work. Together they launched the Rank Write newsletter and built a name on the Search Engine Strategies conference circuit. Lloyd-Martin says some newcomers to the field believe SEO copywriting started around 2010. She calls this a gap in industry knowledge, not a fact. Understanding this history matters because it shows SEO copywriting predates Google by years, and many of its core ideas were set long before algorithms got complicated.
A recession tested SEO copywriting as a business model
The 2008 recession hit Lloyd-Martin hard. She lost every client in a single stretch of time. Companies cut outside services, restructured, or closed. At a gathering at Buddy Guy’s in Chicago, other search veterans admitted the same thing was happening to them. One had lost a million-dollar contract. Lloyd-Martin responded by pivoting into SEO copywriting certification and training, work she continued for about 12 years. This shows SEO copywriting as a career can survive economic shocks, but it often requires a change in business model, not just better writing.
AI changed her workflow but not her SEO copywriting principles
Lloyd-Martin says she was “an AI hater for a very, very long time.” She worried about AI Overviews spreading inaccurate summaries and watched companies replace writers with ChatGPT to cut costs. She later started using ChatGPT herself, for research, sentiment analysis on reviews, and brainstorming. She heard directly from a company on a sales call that had reversed its decision to remove writers, telling her, “We realized we made a mistake. We need to have a human in the loop.” Lloyd-Martin now treats AI as a research assistant, not a replacement. This distinction matters for anyone doing SEO copywriting today: the tools changed, but the need for a human voice did not. Platforms such as WordHero are built around this same idea, using AI to speed up research and drafting while still relying on the writer to apply keyword strategy and shape the final message so it sounds like a person, not a machine.
GEO terminology is new, but the SEO copywriting approach isn’t
Lloyd-Martin pushes back on the idea that generative engine optimization, or GEO, the practice of optimizing content for AI-generated answers, requires a new approach. She says, “it’s sort of back to writing good content for people.” She points out that each generation of search marketer tends to rename existing ideas. Her own article positioning, she says, has stayed the same for years because it still works. For readers trying to sort real change from repackaged advice, this is a useful check: ask whether a new term describes a new practice, or just a new label for SEO copywriting fundamentals.
Unsung figures shaped SEO copywriting before it had a name
Lloyd-Martin names Shari Thurow and Catherine “Cat” Seda as early search marketers who don’t get enough credit. Thurow, she says, “does not get the credit that she deserves.” Both worked in the industry when few women held visible roles in search. Recognizing this history matters because it corrects a common assumption that SEO copywriting is a recent invention.
The main thing to watch is how you treat AI tools in your own writing process. Use them for research and feedback, but keep a person responsible for voice, accuracy, and connection with readers. Lloyd-Martin’s 25 years point to one lesson: well-written, people-first content outlasts every shift in search technology. Tools like WordHero reflect this same balance, pairing AI-assisted drafting with built-in keyword guidance while still leaving the human writer responsible for voice, accuracy, and final polish.
