The Food Blogger Pro Podcast · Bjork Ostrom

Surviving (and Thriving) in an AI-First Search World with Casey Markee

·58 min·3 clips

Casey says the citation is the new link and that creators must build an ecosystem, not just a blog.

1. The Food Blogger Pro Podcast episode centers on Casey Markee’s advice for food creators facing AI-first search changes. 2. Bjork hosts Casey Markee, a search consultant focused on food sites since 2015, because his work sits at the center of recipe SEO. 3. The episode asks what food bloggers should do now that Google is acting more like an answer engine than a search engine. 4. Casey says Google has entered the “agentic era of search” and is trying to keep traffic in a “walled garden.” 5. He says AI overviews launched in spring 2024 and have increased about 127% since May. 6. He explains that retrieval augmented generation, or RAG, pulls information from Google’s index to populate those AI overviews. 7. Casey says informational queries such as “how to cook a potato” and even specific recipe searches can now trigger AI overviews. 8. He says food sites with AI overviews now can lose 20% to 40% of traffic referrals even when they still rank number one. 9. Bjork notes that search results can also shift because of local intent, blended maps, and other SERP changes. 10. Casey says the recipe niche is often where Google tests new features first, including People Also Ask, “things to know,” and media carousels. 11. He argues that people still want step-by-step recipes, but Google is rewarding clarity, structure, and usefulness more aggressively. 12. Casey compares blocking AI to trying to block Google in 1999 and says obscurity is the real enemy. 13. He says blogs are not dying, but bad content is dying faster because AI is accelerating the difference. 14. He names large sites like Smitten Kitchen, David Lebovitz, and Pinch of Yum as examples of creators not blocking AI. 15. Casey says blocking AI removes a site from training data, citations, and third-party RAG systems that power future discovery. 16. He says feedback to Google matters if an AI overview misrepresents ingredients or instructions, and he says Google is reading that feedback. 17. He argues that the future belongs to creators who build an ecosystem across email, community, PR, and social channels, not just a blog. 18. The conversation turns practical when Bjork describes local media outreach as credibility-building even when it does not drive direct traffic. 19. The episode stays interview-driven and conversational, with Bjork testing Casey’s claims and Casey answering in a direct, coaching style. 20. Food bloggers worried about AI overviews and traffic volatility will get the most out of this discussion, while listeners wanting only recipe tactics may skip it.

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