AI in SEO

I spent 6 months testing AI SEO tactics for clients. One saw 2,300% AI traffic growth and now appears in 90+ AI overviews (vs zero before). Here's the exact 4-step framework we used: 1. Finding AI Opportunities: • Use Surfer AI Tracker/Ahrefs Brand Radar to see how often AI platforms mention your brand vs. your competitors • Plug in your brand and theirs, then filter for AI keywords they’re winning that you’re not • Those are the exact topics you need to target and steal 2. Content Strategy: •  Write directly and skip the fluff (AI hates filler content) •  Use conversational tone (how people actually speak vs keyword stuffing) •  Structure with clear H1/H2/H3 hierarchy •  Add TLDR summaries at the top of articles 3. Building Trust Signals: •  Claim and optimize Google Business, Yelp, LinkedIn profiles •  Get high-quality backlinks from relevant domains •  Include expert quotes and author bios with credentials •  Showcase certifications and awards prominently •  Add case studies with real data 4. Tracking Results: In GA4, go to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic Acquisition, add comparison filter for referral traffic, then use this regex: (.*gpt.*|.*chatgpt.*|.*openai.*|.*neeva.*|.*writesonic.*|.*nimble.*|.*outrider.*|.*perplexity.*|.*google.*bard.*|.*bard.*|.*edgeservices.*|.*gemini.*google.*) This shows exactly which AI platforms send you traffic.

Remember that old SEO stat: "𝟏𝟓% 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞"? The rise of ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini has put it on steroids. It's no longer a fun fact about Google's long tail. It's now the default way people seek information. Users have been trained to ask for exactly what they want, using: Full sentences Complex problems Conversational queries If your SEO strategy is still just about winning a handful of high-volume keywords, you're already behind. Here's how to adapt and win in the age of AI assistants: 👉 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐊𝐞𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬: Stop asking, "What keyword should I rank for?" Start asking, "What problem does my customer need to solve?" Your content should be the solution, framed in the language they actually use. 👉 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞: AI models thrive on context. Your goal is to build a web of interconnected, expert content on your site. Prove you're an authority on the entire topic, not just a single page. This is topical authority on steroids. 👉 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 (𝐄-𝐄-𝐀-𝐓): AI can rehash facts. It can't fake your first-hand experience. Double down on what makes you human: unique data, case studies, personal stories, and hard-won insights. This is your ultimate competitive advantage. 👉 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Make your content incredibly easy for an AI to parse. Use clear headings, FAQ schema, and scannable lists. Your goal is for the AI to not just see your content, but to pull your answer directly. The game has changed. Your goal is no longer just to "rank." It's to be the source for the synthesized answer. How has your content strategy changed since the rise of AI assistants? #SEO #AI #ContentStrategy #AIO #DigitalMarketing #ChatGPT

For the first time in years, I’m seeing brands and agencies scramble not for keywords, but for citations in AI-driven feeds. Here’s what’s shifting (with some hard data + examples): 𝐀𝐈 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐏𝐬 • A study by BrightEdge found that 84% of Google searches now trigger an AI Overview in some capacity. • Click-through rates have dropped by up to 18–20% for brands that were previously ranking in the “blue links” but not included in the AI Overview. • Example: In searches for “best running shoes India,” Google’s AI snippet cites Nike, Adidas, Decathlon and a few review blogs but many strong e-commerce brands are completely missing. 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐱 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 • Recently, Instagram made posts indexable by Google. Early tests by SEO toolsets show that Reels and carousel posts are already appearing on page one for lifestyle searches (e.g., “best saree draping styles” or “Goa cafés to visit”). • This changes the game: social posts are no longer just engagement tools—they’re content assets for discoverability. • Brands like FabIndia and Zomato have already seen their Insta content rank on Google’s SERP in lifestyle + F&B categories. 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐆𝐏𝐓 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐏𝐑 • #ChatGPT and #Perplexity are fast becoming discovery engines in themselves. • In travel queries (“top luxury safari lodges India”), ChatGPT frequently mentions Taj Safaris, SUJÁN and Oberoi, which shows how brand mentions across the web now feed AI training and retrieval systems. • This is essentially PR + SEO converging into #AIO (AI Optimization). 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 • By 2026, Gartner predicts that search traffic from AI assistants will rival traditional Google search. • Agencies can’t just be “SEO agencies” anymore - they need to advise clients on: - Structured data + schema for better AI parsing - PR placements that double up as AI citations - Social-first content designed for Google indexing My question to all agency leaders and SEO pros: 👉 Have you managed to crack the AIO playbook yet? What strategies (structured data, PR seeding, social optimization?) have worked for you to secure brand visibility inside AI feeds?

I audited a site last week. They ranked #1 for multiple high-volume keywords. Great, right? Except… traffic was down 70%. And here’s the kicker: Rankings didn’t drop. Clicks did. Let me break it down: Google’s new AI Overviews (AIOs) are eating up the top of the page, Sometimes taking up more than 1/3rd of the screen above the fold. Then comes a “People Also Ask” block. Your beautiful #1 organic result? Buried. 👉 This isn’t a ranking problem. 👉 It’s a click degradation problem. AIOs answer questions within the search.  Users don’t even have to leave the page anymore. Nostalgia - Remember Featured Snippets. Sometimes, they need two clicks just to get to your site. (Tap the AI answer → tap the source → finally reach you.) So what’s the solution? Here’s what I recommend to every content owner right now: 👉🏻 Answer more questions ↳ Use external tools to expand your topical depth.  AIOs love clear, punchy, verifiable answers. 👉🏻 Structured data still matters ↳ Even if it feels murky, FAQ schema, How-Tos, all of it.  Don’t leave it on the table. 👉🏻 Get cited on other platforms ↳ Think DesignRush, Clutch, or other “best of” directories.  Citation is a trigger in many AIOs. 👉🏻 Don’t ignore E-E-A-T ↳ You don’t have to obsess, but make sure your content has  - real authorship,  - sourcing, and  - clear editorial policies. 👉🏻 Own your niche ↳  Salience, NLP coverage, and topical depth. Become the domain Google wants to cite. You’re not just writing for users anymore. You’re writing for machines that - summarize content, score trust, and choose who gets seen. So if traffic is down and your rankings look fine, look closer. Google didn’t ghost you. It just started answering the question before your link could. If you have a 7-figure business and Are seeing fewer clicks despite high rankings, Let’s fix that before it tanks your funnel. DM me to book a strategy call today, And let’s decode what Google’s AI is really doing to your traffic. And if you found this useful, Follow me, Kapil Ochani - SEO Consultant, For more actionable SEO & content strategies that work in today’s algorithm. #ContentStrategy #SEO #GoogleSEO #SearchTraffic

For years, when we talked about organic (unpaid) traffic, we meant Google traffic. SEO strategies were built around ranking on Google SERPs, and even Microsoft had to invest $90b in OpenAI to make Bing SEO somewhat relevant again. Anyway. With the rise of LLMs and AI-driven search, this is changing. Users are discovering, researching, and deciding across a growing network of multiplatform, multiasset touchpoints. • Google is still a key player, but it’s evolving—think classic search results + AI Overviews. • AI chatbots (text & voice) like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini answer queries before users even hit a search engine (if at all). • Non-owned assets —Reddit, Quora, StackOverflow, social media, media outlets, and review platforms like G2 & Gartner are considered not just to increase the SERP real estate but as means to be selected for LLM training data (link in the comments). Brands that limit their organic strategy to their owned assets (websites, socials, etc.) are leaving massive gaps in visibility. My advice is simple and immediately actionable: • Audit where you stand today. How well are you positioned across Google, AI search, social, and non-owned assets? • Optimize for discovery everywhere. Search intent doesn’t just play out on Google—it’s happening in communities, AI chatbots, and niche platforms. Some brilliant colleagues test the organic and paid combo options and decide where to invest resources and budget. • Diversify your content strategy. A strong presence across different formats (articles, videos, UGC, expert answers, product comparisons) will put your brand in front of the right audience—before your competitors get there. The SEO game is evolving. Organic success now means being discoverable wherever decisions are made—not just where Google sends traffic. So, please do not build on an SEO strategy around "how to get the Google traffic back". You are getting nothing back. It is an evolution. Roll with it.

#SEO is going through its biggest revolution yet. For years, organic traffic has been at the heart of any digital strategy. But with the arrival of AI Overview, and LLMs like ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, or Perplexity, we’re witnessing a shift that, in my view, is the most significant since the advent of mobile search. At Unobravo, where we operate in Italy and Spain, I’ve been analyzing this phenomenon closely in recent months. Here’s what I’ve found: - Traffic from LLMs is still low in absolute volume, but growing at triple-digit rates year-over-year. - In high-consideration industries (like mental health), users coming from AI assistants might convert up to 3–5 times more than traditional organic search visitors. - When content appears in AI Overviews, organic CTR can drop by 15–20%, but sources cited inside those overviews actually get more clicks than before. - LLMs don’t just pick the top-ranked Google results: 93% of sources cited by SGE are not in the top 10. Trends and tips to focus on right now: - Format content for AI – FAQs, short and direct answers, clear headings. - Update often – data freshness is a strong signal. - Build authority – author bios, trusted sources, expert quotes. - Go multi-channel – not just your site: also YouTube, podcasts, Q&A forums. - True localization – create native content in Italian and Spanish, not just translations. If you’d like to receive the complete playbook I’ve prepared on how to optimize your site for this new kind of SEO, comment below with AI SEO and I’ll send it over. Curious to understand the opinion of other growth professionals like Adria Sabado Novau, Barbara Malet, Doreid Haddad, Guillaume Peltier, Moritz Fritzen

In the last 90 days, I talked to 50+ Marketing Directors at law firms. Here are the themes I’m hearing about AI and how the top firms are using it: 1. AI helps with better, easier, faster marketing Most Marketing Directors are beginning to integrate AI to optimize their marketing processes, but they’re running into two major issues: robotic content and security concerns. In both cases, it comes down to the tool you’re using, which is why we recommend our customers use Jasper over ChatGPT or Genesis. First, it’s customizable. You can teach Jasper your brand voice and communication style, as well as specifics about your firm’s services and attorneys. The result is a much higher-quality output. Second, it’s secure. You can upload information to your firm without plugging it into the larger AI engine. That means firms can train their tools without security concerns. Here are the top 2 use cases we see: - Content promotion: After you write a blog, AI can quickly splice the content into LinkedIn posts, rework it into a landing page, or integrate it into an email campaign. - SEO research: You can feed your keywords into your AI tool to find the right questions and topics to produce content around. 2. How AI will impact a law firm’s SEO strategy We recently hosted a webinar with Jasper about how AI is changing SEO. Here are the takeaways: *Google’s Helpful Content Update* The Google helpful content update is a significant change to Google’s search algorithm that aims to improve the quality of search results for users seeking informative, insightful, and practical content. It focuses on identifying and promoting content that effectively answers user queries, offers unique perspectives, and provides actionable guidance. If you incorporate personal experience and knowledge into AI-crafted content, you can leverage that content to improve your website’s search engine discoverability. There’s no reason to avoid AI content — just improve it with your perspective before publishing it. *AI crawling* Some agencies advise that firms restrict AI bots from crawling their content to minimize AI's impact. This is terrible advice. Your goal should be to write such strong content that Google provides it as a source in its AI summary. 3. How to stand out when everyone uses AI *Thought leadership strategy* Lawyers are incredibly busy individuals. To maximize efficiency, I recommend dedicating 15-20 minutes weekly to inquire about the pressing matters on your lawyer's mind. Record the conversation and transform it into a podcast, a video, a blog post, and LinkedIn updates. *Video content* Don’t skip on video content. Recording your thought leader speaking leverages authenticity in a way you just can’t with written content. When you watch someone speak, you learn much more about their approach and how they might make you feel if you work together. The takeaway? In a world of AI-generated content, you need to zig when everyone zags.

Lenny AEO Podcast Video: bit.ly/lennys-aeo Two years ago, I did an "Ultimate Guide to SEO" with Lenny. Since then, AEO has become the biggest change in search and the largest new marketing channel in over a decade. AEO Is Growing * Our clients started seeing a surge in LLM traffic and conversions starting in January. * Leads from LLMs convert at higher rates than traditional search (6x higher for Webflow). AEO vs SEO What works for SEO also works for AEO with 2 key differences: 1. The long tail of AEO is larger than search because LLM's are built for conversations. 2. Citation optimization (video, social UGC, affiliates). AEO Myths * SEO is not dying. Google’s slice of the pie has not decreased. The pie has just gotten bigger with LLMs. * SEO and AEO are similar. They are not completely different. * AEO tools needn't be expensive. AEO tools are commodities that are easy to build and will all eventually cost ~$100/mo. Onsite AEO * Traditional SEO still matters: landing pages for high-volume keywords, detailed use cases, feature pages, and integrations. * Optimize help centers and create pages that answer follow-up questions from LLMs. Offsite AEO (Citation Optimization) * Videos (Youtube, Vimeo), Social UGC (Reddit, Quora), Affiliates, and blogs are heavily cited in LLMs. * Reddit strategy: post real, helpful comments, say who you are, and provide useful information. Spam doesn’t work. Actionable Strategy * Topics: Ranking in Google or chat depends on how many questions a page answers. Covering follow-ups others miss increases your chances. * Question Research: Turn search terms into questions (“website builder” → “what’s the best website builder”). Gather questions from sales calls, support, Reddit, or similar sources. * Citation Optimization: Show up in as many citations as possible. Break citations into groups: your site, YouTube/Vimeo videos, Reddit, tier-one affiliates. Build strategies for each. * Experiment Design: Run split tests to evaluate what does (and does not) work. AEO Team * Onsite AEO: Your SEO team or agency can handle this work. * Offsite AEO: It may make sense to have marketing or community managers do outreach, Reddit, and video. B2B vs. Consumer * B2B: Citations appear on tech sites (like TechRadar). Track whether you appeared in answers rather than last-touch referral traffic. Buying cycles are longer. * Consumer: Citations appear on media outlets and marketplaces. ChatGPT has shoppable cards with multiple sellers where schema, snippets, and reviews matter. Last-touch referral traffic is useful here. * Early-Stage Companies: Focus on AEO, citations, and long-tail questions. Leave traditional SEO for later when you have more authority. Request For Feedback * Please feel free to disagree (or agree) with any of my points in the comments. * If you have data showing what strategies do (or do not) work, please share!

Local SEO Prediction: Reviews are going to be MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER when Google shifts to AI-driven search. Here's an example of why: I've been playing around with Google's AI Mode A LOT recently, looking at insights and ways we need to change our strategies moving forward. One really interesting thing I noticed was in the world of local SEO. In this example, I compared a search for "Chinese Restaurants In Harrisburg PA" in traditional search vs. AI Mode. When I look at the AI Mode results, it almost exclusively lists restaurants that have the best reviews (4.2+). On the contrary, Google's traditional search results lists a restaurant that only 3.5+ stars as the second result. This shows a clear difference in the factors that influence AI Mode vs traditional search. When performing local searches with AI Mode, I pretty consistently see reviews getting mentioned in the businesses that it. What might be happening is that the LLM runs over top of the Google Maps results, and reads the business data. It then HEAVILY leans on reviews to influence the output. If I were a business that depended on local SEO right, I'd be seriously looking at my reviews if they're lacking. Google's LLMs are likely going to use them as a key piece of information when analyzing which businesses to reference.

AI search is changing how people find and trust businesses. The search box is no longer a list of blue links. It’s a conversation where every answer is a recommendation. Your visibility is no longer measured by rankings alone, but by how confidently AI can talk about you. Every review, citation, and piece of structured data teaches algorithms whether your brand is worth recommending. If that foundation is weak or inconsistent, you won’t just lose clicks. You’ll disappear from the conversations that decide who gets chosen. Now is the time to focus on clarity and credibility. Build structured data that AI can understand. Encourage authentic customer feedback. Keep every listing updated and accurate. Strengthen your reputation through trusted mentions and backlinks. And use platforms like Nearfront to bridge Google and AI search visibility. AI search isn’t coming. It’s already here. The brands that train AI to understand their value are the ones people and algorithms will trust first. Full article: https://lnkd.in/dyvaRqsY #AISEO #GenerativeSearch #LocalSEO #DigitalTrust #Nearfront #GuillermoBravo