Is Traditional Search Dead? How to Market in the World of Ai Search

In this deep dive podcast on Ai Search - Andre Van Kets, Co-Founder of Discover Africa (Est. 2002) very kindly shares his wealth of knowledge with the New Zealand travel industry sharing his insights from what he has unveiled from being one of the top luxury safari providers in Africa, seeing from a data-side, just what impact Ai Search is having and which, without a doubt, NZ tourism operators will most certainly benefit from. 

Industry research shows Google's golden age is coming to an end. The search landscape is shifting—fast. With AI Overviews, Large Language Model (LLM) generated content, and Google's evolving algorithm, traditional SEO strategies are no longer enough.  

"For almost 20 years, Google has shaped how travellers find and book trips," says Andre Van Kets, Co-Founder of Discover Africa Group.

"Understanding how to win at search through traditional SEO is still essential, but new opportunities are being created with AI-powered recommendations. And knowing how to optimize for it has immense potential to drive more quality direct bookings," explains Andre.   

In this podcast episode Andre will share insights on why Google is dying and how to adapt to the new search landscape emerging in its place. 

With a Bachelor of Business Science in Information Systems from the University of Cape Town and over two decades of running and scaling a group of digital-first travel planning companies, Andre combines his technical expertise with a passion for showcasing Africa's exceptional travel experiences through technology.   

Victoria Ludemann (show host), came across Andre when he was presenting on this very topic to the Africa Travel and Tourism Association early May 2025 that has a large cross-Africa membership and great following (+16k followers on Meta alone), clearly giving him the credibility he deserves being asked to present to an Association of this size in the first place. 

There will be time allocated for Q&A in this one hour interview.  After registration you will be given the opportunity to send in your questions ahead of time to be answered by Andre and if time allows a possible live Q&A opportunity near the end. 

Stay to the end and you will go in to win 1 of 2 top Ai Marketing Club training recordings!  

Learn from someone who has investigated the Ai road already and get your tickets now!