<div><img width="1600" height="900" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/PLTP-Image-8.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/PLTP-Image-8.png 1600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/PLTP-Image-8-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/PLTP-Image-8-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></div>Taking on the wrong clients can quietly drain time and results, and this episode explains how to spot red flags early.

<div><img width="1600" height="900" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/PLTP-Image-8.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/PLTP-Image-8.png 1600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/PLTP-Image-8-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/PLTP-Image-8-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></div>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe title="EP339 - Why Client Fit Matters More Than Growth ft Kirk Williams" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P5PY9S_Qu4E?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>On episode 339 of PPC Live The Podcast, I speak to Kirk Williams, a long-time PPC professional who’s been in the industry since 2009. Kirk is the founder of Zato, a specialist PPC micro-agency, and the author of <em>Ponderings of a PPC Professional</em> and <em>Stop the Scale</em>. He’s also a familiar face on the global conference circuit, speaking at events like BrightonSEO, SMX, HeroConf, and more.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-big-f-up-taking-on-the-wrong-clients">The big f-Up: Taking on the wrong clients</h2>



<p>Kirk’s biggest mistake wasn’t a platform error or a bad bid — it was taking on clients who weren’t a good fit.</p>



<p>He explains that these decisions often came during moments of pressure: wanting to grow quickly, dealing with client churn, or navigating tougher economic periods. In those moments, warning signs were present, but ignored.</p>



<p>The result? Short-lived client relationships that drained time, energy, and morale.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-bad-fit-clients-are-so-costly">Why “bad fit” clients are so costly</h2>



<p>Kirk is careful to define “bad” not as morally wrong, but simply misaligned. A poor fit client creates several hidden costs:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Emotional tax:</strong> Team members become drained by friction, conflict, and constant tension.</li>



<li><strong>Time tax:</strong> More calls, more explanations, more conflict resolution.</li>



<li><strong>Financial tax:</strong> Reduced profitability and, in some cases, refunded fees just to exit cleanly.</li>
</ul>



<p>Over time, these costs compound and take focus away from clients where the agency can truly deliver value.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-red-flags-kirk-wishes-he-d-acted-on-sooner">Red flags Kirk wishes he’d acted on sooner</h2>



<p>Looking back at one particular client, Kirk shares several early warning signs he now takes far more seriously:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Emotionally immature communication during discovery</li>



<li>Aggressive or defensive reactions to pricing discussions</li>



<li>Lack of respect for the agency as a separate business with its own boundaries</li>



<li>A mindset that the agency exists solely to “serve” the client</li>
</ul>



<p>These behaviors often signal deeper issues that surface later as unrealistic expectations and ongoing conflict.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fit-is-about-personality-and-expectations">Fit is about personality <em>and</em> expectations</h2>



<p>Kirk emphasizes that fit isn’t only about whether someone is “nice.” You can have a pleasant contact who still isn’t a good match.</p>



<p>A major issue arises when clients expect PPC to outperform what the channel is realistically capable of delivering. If a business believes Google Ads alone should drive all growth — without brand, CRO, or other marketing channels — the relationship is set up to fail.</p>



<p>When expectations and reality don’t align, no amount of optimization will fix it.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-industry-fit-reality-check">The industry fit reality check</h2>



<p>Some industries and client types simply aren’t a fit for every agency. Kirk openly shares that he avoids legal clients, not because they’re “bad,” but because the typical communication style and expectations don’t align with how he and his team work.</p>



<p>Fit is personal. Knowing who you <em>don’t</em> want to work with is just as important as knowing who you do.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-discovery-process-as-a-detective-exercise">The discovery process as a detective exercise</h2>



<p>To solve the client-fit problem, Kirk overhauled his discovery process. Instead of selling first, he focuses on understanding.</p>



<p>Key areas he probes:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Why the prospect is looking for an agency now</li>



<li>How they believe PPC fits into their overall marketing strategy</li>



<li>Whether they understand trade-offs between scale and efficiency</li>



<li>What they disliked — and liked — about their previous agency</li>
</ul>



<p>One standout question: <em>“What’s something you liked about your last agency?”</em><br>If a prospect can’t answer it, that’s often a signal of unrealistic expectations rather than poor past performance.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-asking-better-questions-improves-sales-too">Asking better questions improves sales, too</h2>



<p>Counterintuitively, Kirk says deeper discovery doesn’t hurt sales — it improves them. Prospects can sense genuine curiosity and alignment. By the time pricing is discussed, both sides already understand whether the relationship makes sense.</p>



<p>The result is fewer rushed decisions, fewer failed engagements, and far stronger long-term partnerships.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ppc-isn-t-a-standalone-growth-strategy">PPC isn’t a standalone growth strategy</h2>



<p>Both Anu and Kirk reinforce a critical point: PPC cannot — and should not — carry an entire business on its own.</p>



<p>Paid search works best as part of a broader marketing ecosystem that includes brand, product, customer experience, and other channels. When clients expect PPC to do “all the heavy lifting,” it’s a structural problem, not a performance one.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-final-thoughts-protect-your-team-and-yourself">Final thoughts: protect your team and yourself</h2>



<p>The biggest takeaway from this episode is simple but powerful: vetting clients is a mental health strategy as much as a business one.</p>



<p>Strong discovery processes protect agencies, consultants, and in-house teams from burnout, resentment, and constant uphill battles. Saying “no” early can be far healthier — and more profitable — than saying “yes” to the wrong opportunity.</p>


On episode 339 of PPC Live The Podcast, I speak to Kirk Williams, a long-time PPC professional who’s been in the industry since 2009. Kirk is the founder of Zato, a specialist PPC micro-agency, and the author of Ponderings of a PPC Professional and Stop the Scale. He’s also a familiar face on the global conference circuit, speaking at events like BrightonSEO, SMX, HeroConf, and more.
The big f-Up: Taking on the wrong clients
Kirk’s biggest mistake wasn’t a platform error or a bad bid — it was taking on clients who weren’t a good fit.
He explains that these decisions often came during moments of pressure: wanting to grow quickly, dealing with client churn, or navigating tougher economic periods. In those moments, warning signs were present, but ignored.
The result? Short-lived client relationships that drained time, energy, and morale.
Why “bad fit” clients are so costly
Kirk is careful to define “bad” not as morally wrong, but simply misaligned. A poor fit client creates several hidden costs:
Emotional tax: Team members become drained by friction, conflict, and constant tension.
Time tax: More calls, more explanations, more conflict resolution.
Financial tax: Reduced profitability and, in some cases, refunded fees just to exit cleanly.
Over time, these costs compound and take focus away from clients where the agency can truly deliver value.
Red flags Kirk wishes he’d acted on sooner
Looking back at one particular client, Kirk shares several early warning signs he now takes far more seriously:
Emotionally immature communication during discovery
Aggressive or defensive reactions to pricing discussions
Lack of respect for the agency as a separate business with its own boundaries
A mindset that the agency exists solely to “serve” the client
These behaviors often signal deeper issues that surface later as unrealistic expectations and ongoing conflict.
Fit is about personality and expectations
Kirk emphasizes that fit isn’t only about whether someone is “nice.” You can have a pleasant contact who still isn’t a good match.
A major issue arises when clients expect PPC to outperform what the channel is realistically capable of delivering. If a business believes Google Ads alone should drive all growth — without brand, CRO, or other marketing channels — the relationship is set up to fail.
When expectations and reality don’t align, no amount of optimization will fix it.
The industry fit reality check
Some industries and client types simply aren’t a fit for every agency. Kirk openly shares that he avoids legal clients, not because they’re “bad,” but because the typical communication style and expectations don’t align with how he and his team work.
Fit is personal. Knowing who you don’t want to work with is just as important as knowing who you do.
The discovery process as a detective exercise
To solve the client-fit problem, Kirk overhauled his discovery process. Instead of selling first, he focuses on understanding.
Key areas he probes:
Why the prospect is looking for an agency now
How they believe PPC fits into their overall marketing strategy
Whether they understand trade-offs between scale and efficiency
What they disliked — and liked — about their previous agency
One standout question: “What’s something you liked about your last agency?”
If a prospect can’t answer it, that’s often a signal of unrealistic expectations rather than poor past performance.
Asking better questions improves sales, too
Counterintuitively, Kirk says deeper discovery doesn’t hurt sales — it improves them. Prospects can sense genuine curiosity and alignment. By the time pricing is discussed, both sides already understand whether the relationship makes sense.
The result is fewer rushed decisions, fewer failed engagements, and far stronger long-term partnerships.
PPC isn’t a standalone growth strategy
Both Anu and Kirk reinforce a critical point: PPC cannot — and should not — carry an entire business on its own.
Paid search works best as part of a broader marketing ecosystem that includes brand, product, customer experience, and other channels. When clients expect PPC to do “all the heavy lifting,” it’s a structural problem, not a performance one.
Final thoughts: protect your team and yourself
The biggest takeaway from this episode is simple but powerful: vetting clients is a mental health strategy as much as a business one.
Strong discovery processes protect agencies, consultants, and in-house teams from burnout, resentment, and constant uphill battles. Saying “no” early can be far healthier — and more profitable — than saying “yes” to the wrong opportunity.

Taking on the wrong clients can quietly drain time and results, and this episode explains how to spot red flags early.

Kirk Williams discusses why client fit is very important

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing-800x450.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Search marketing jobs" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing-800x450.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing-600x338.jpg 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing-200x113.jpg 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing-768x432.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing-150x84.jpg 150w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing-550x310.jpg 550w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>Land your next job in SEO or PPC. These brands and agencies are hiring to fill open search marketing positions right now.

Looking to take the next step in your search marketing career? 
Below, you will find the latest SEO, PPC, and digital marketing jobs at brands and agencies. We also include positions from previous weeks that are still open.
Newest SEO Jobs 
.wp-block-rss__item-title{padding-top:20px;}



(Provided to Search Engine Land by SEOjobs.com) 

Senior Digital Marketing Specialist ~ Opexus ~ $85,000-$105,000 ~ Remote (USA)
January 31, 2026 
Job Description Reports To: Vice President of Demand Generation and Business Development Work Location & Flexibility: We are headquartered in Washington, D.C., and this role is eligible for remote work from the following states: AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, NC, NH, NJ, […]

Digital Marketing & E-Commerce Specialist ~ Integrated Water Services ~ $60,000-$75,000 ~ Remote (Austin, TX, United States)
January 31, 2026 
Job Description Integrated Water Services (IWS) is revolutionizing water! For over 20 years, we have been at the forefront of transforming water challenges into sustainable solutions. Our team of passionate innovators designs and builds cutting-edge water and wastewater treatment systems that protect communities and the environment. From bustling cities to remote regions, we are making […]

Senior Digital Marketing Specialist
January 30, 2026 
Are you ready to trade your job for a journey? Become a FlyMate! Passion, excitement & global collaboration are all core to what it means to be a FlyMate. At Flywire, we’re on a mission to deliver the world’s most important and complex payments. We use our Flywire Advantage – the combination of our next-gen […]

Digital Marketing Specialist
January 30, 2026 
Job Description Join AdPro 360 as our Full-Time Digital Marketing Specialist and embrace an exciting opportunity that puts your creativity and strategic thinking to the test. This role offers the flexibility to work from home, allowing you to balance your professional ambitions with personal priorities in a dynamic and supportive environment. With a competitive salary […]

Digital Marketing Specialist ~ Self-Storage Consulting Group LLC ~ $20-$23/hr. ~ In-office (USA) ~ Gilbert, AZ, United States
January 30, 2026 
Job Description Note: This position is based out of our Gilbert, Arizona office and is in-office Monday-Friday. A short cover letter is encouraged to help us better understand your background and interest. About Self Storage Consulting Group (SSCG) Self Storage Consulting Group (SSCG) is a nationwide, full-service self-storage firm that provides expertise across the entire […]

On Page SEO Specialist
January 30, 2026 
 Job Title: On-Page SEO Specialist  Experience: 5+ Years  Schedule: 8 AM – 5 PM CST  Compensation: $10-$15/hour (based on experience)  Fully Remote | Full-time Contract Position  Job Overview We’re looking for a seasoned On-Page SEO Specialist to optimize and enhance our website’s on-page SEO performance while driving multi-location performance […]

Digital Marketing Specialist ~ Easton Select Group ~ $67,000-$77,000 ~ Hybrid (West Bridgewater, MA, United States)
January 29, 2026 
Role Overview This role is responsible for driving the execution of the annual marketing campaign calendar, ensuring all initiatives are strategically planned, launched and optimized throughout the year. This role ensures those goals are tracked and analyzed. This position supports M&A by managing digital assets, website migrations and redesigns across all brands. Success in this […]

Digital Marketing Specialist ~ BMI Federal Credit Union ~ $56,000-$69,000 ~ In-office (USA) ~ Dublin, OH, United States
January 29, 2026 
Job Description Location: 6165 Emerald Parkway, Dublin OH 43016 This position is 100% on-site with no options for remote work ABOUT BMI FEDERAL CREDIT UNION (BMI FCU): BMI Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative providing banking services to our member-owners. Our goal is simple – to improve the financial well-being of our members […]

Sr. Marketing Coordinator ~ Mark III Construction ~ $71,000-$96,000 ~ In-office (USA) ~ Sacramento, CA, United States
January 28, 2026 
**THIS IS NOT A REMOTE POSITION** ROLE OVERVIEW We are seeking a Senior Marketing Coordinator / Marketing Specialist to join our growing marketing team. This is a hands-on, execution-focused role for a marketer with experience in the construction or AEC industry. This position plays a key role in content creation, digital marketing, project storytelling, and […]

Content Manager ~ IMPACT ~ $70,000-$80,000 ~ Hybrid (Cheshire, CT, United States)
January 28, 2026 
About Us: IMPACT provides coaching and training services to help small to mid-sized businesses implement Endless Customers (formerly They Ask, You Answer), inspired by the popular book by Marcus Sheridan. We empower clients to build in-house content marketing operations that attract and convert customers, positioning their companies as the most trusted brands in their markets. […]

Newest PPC and paid media jobs
(Provided to Search Engine Land by PPCjobs.com) 
.wp-block-rss__item-title{padding-top:20px;}



Paid Social Manager ~ Backbone Media, LLC ~ $60,000-$70,000 ~ Hybrid (Carbondale, IL, United States)
January 31, 2026 
At Backbone, we live by the mantra that passion drives results. We strive to align our clients with our team members’ interests, bridging the gap between work and play and keeping an eye on the elusive work/life harmony. If you join our team of smart, driven marketers, you’ll become part of an extended work family, […]

Paid Marketing Specialist ~ Launch That ~ $50,000-$70,000 ~ Hybrid (Orlando, FL, United States)
January 31, 2026 
We are seeking a skilled Paid Marketing Specialist to execute and optimize multi-channel PPC campaigns that drive high-quality leads at target CPLs across several web properties. This role will live in the data: analyzing performance, identifying trends, and partnering with content, design, and development to turn insights into action. Day-to-Day Develop and execute effective marketing […]

Paid Social Media Specialist ~ Defero ~ $55,000-$75,000 ~ In-office (USA) ~ Phoenix, AZ, United States
January 30, 2026 
Paid Social Media Specialist Position: Paid Social Media Specialist Location: Phoenix, Arizona (On-site 16th Street & Northern) Status: Full Time; Exempt Compensation: Competitive salary DOE, Health, Dental Vision, 3 weeks PTO, generous paid holiday schedule, mobile phone allowance and matching 401-K (after 1st year of employment), In office with WFH Fridays, dog friendly and energetic […]

Paid Media Specialist ~ Barco Products ~ $70,000-$100,000 ~ Hybrid (Batavia, IL, United States)
January 30, 2026 
Position Overview As a leading provider of commercial-grade site furnishings and traffic safety products, Barco Products is a fast-paced and growth-oriented company that rewards hard work, collaboration, and results. We are looking for a results-driven Paid Media Specialist to develop, execute, and optimize paid advertising campaigns across multiple digital platforms. In this role, you will […]

Paid Media Specialist ~ Ageless Men’s Health ~ $86,000 ~ In-office (USA) ~ Phoenix, AZ, United States
January 30, 2026 
Location: Phoenix, AZ (Biltmore HQ) Schedule: Monday–Friday Pay: $86,000 per year Benefits: Full medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401k, PTO and paid holidays, free and discounted services at our clinics, positive work culture with work‑life balance. About Ageless Men’s Health: At Ageless Men’s Health, we’re redefining men’s wellness through safe, medically managed services — including […]

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Salary: $168,000 – $210,000
Define and execute the SEO strategy across technical SEO, content SEO, on-page optimization, internal linking, and authority building.
Own business and operations KPIs for organic growth and translate them into clear quarterly plans.
SEM (Search Engine Marketing) Manager, Tribute Technology (Remote)
Salary: $85,000 – $90,000
PPC Campaign Management: Execute and optimize multiple Google Ad campaigns and accounts simultaneously.
SEO Strategy Management: Develop and manage on-page SEO strategies for client websites using tools like Ahrefs.
Search Engine Optimization Manager, Robert Half (Hybrid, Boston MA)
Salary: $150,000 – $160,000
Strategic Leadership: Define and lead the strategy for SEO, AEO, and LLMs, ensuring alignment with overall business and product goals.
Roadmap Execution: Develop and implement the SEO/AEO/LLM roadmap, prioritizing performance-based initiatives and driving authoritative content at scale.
Search Engine Op imization Manager, NoGood (Remote)
Salary: £80,000 – $100,000
Act as the primary strategic lead for a portfolio of enterprise and scale-up clients.
Build and execute GEO/AEO strategies that maximize brand visibility across LLMs and AI search surfaces.
Senior Content  Manager, TrustedTech (Irvine, CA)
Salary: $110,000 – $130,000
Develop and manage a content strategy aligned with business and brand goals across blog, web, email, paid media, and social channels.
Create and edit compelling copy that supports demand generation and sales enablement programs.
Note: We update this post weekly. So make sure to bookmark this page and check back.

Land your next job in SEO or PPC. These brands and agencies are hiring to fill open search marketing positions right now.

The latest jobs in search marketing

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/07/Why-phrase-match-is-losing-ground-to-broad-match-in-Google-Ads.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Why phrase match is losing ground to broad match in Google Ads" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/07/Why-phrase-match-is-losing-ground-to-broad-match-in-Google-Ads.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/07/Why-phrase-match-is-losing-ground-to-broad-match-in-Google-Ads-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/07/Why-phrase-match-is-losing-ground-to-broad-match-in-Google-Ads-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>Google is testing 3rd party endorsements in Search ads, adding publisher logos and quotes to introduce external validation into paid results.

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/07/Why-phrase-match-is-losing-ground-to-broad-match-in-Google-Ads.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Why phrase match is losing ground to broad match in Google Ads" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/07/Why-phrase-match-is-losing-ground-to-broad-match-in-Google-Ads.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/07/Why-phrase-match-is-losing-ground-to-broad-match-in-Google-Ads-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/07/Why-phrase-match-is-losing-ground-to-broad-match-in-Google-Ads-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>
<p>Google is experimenting with showing third-party endorsement content directly within Search ads.</p>



<p>The test places short endorsements from external publishers under the ad description, including the third party’s name, logo, and favicon.</p>



<p><strong>What’s showing up</strong>. The test was first spotted by Sarah Blocksidge, Marketing Director at Sixth City Marketing, who shared a screenshot on Mastodon. In the example, a Search ad included the line <em>“Best for Frequent Travelers,”</em> attributed to PCMag, complete with the publication’s favicon.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="1258" height="1076" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/16611bd61ac96758.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-468136" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/16611bd61ac96758.webp 1258w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/16611bd61ac96758-768x657.webp 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1258px) 100vw, 1258px" /></figure>



<p>The endorsement appears directly beneath the ad copy, visually separating it from standard advertiser-written text.</p>



<p><strong>Why we care.</strong> If rolled out more broadly, the change could make Search ads feel more like product reviews — and potentially give advertisers with strong third-party validation a new advantage in crowded auctions.</p>



<p><strong>What Google says</strong>. A Google Ads spokesperson confirmed the test, calling it “a small experiment” &#8211; </p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>&#8220;This is a small experiment we are currently running that explores placing third-party endorsement content on Search ads.&#8221;</li>
</ul>



<p>Google did not provide details on eligibility, sourcing, advertiser controls, or how endorsements are selected.</p>



<p><strong>What we don’t know yet. </strong>It’s unclear whether advertisers can opt into the feature, request specific endorsements, or influence which third-party sources appear. Google also hasn’t said whether the test is tied to existing review extensions, publisher partnerships, or broader trust and safety initiatives.</p>



<p><strong>What to watch</strong>.  If Google expands the experiment, third-party credibility could become a more visible factor in ad performance — shifting emphasis from advertiser claims to external validation at the point of search.</p>



<p>For now, the test appears limited, but it offers a glimpse at how Google may continue blending ads, trust signals, and editorial-style context in search results.</p>



<p><strong>Dig Deeper.</strong> <a href="https://seocommunity.social/@sarahblocksidge/115974119233599795">Screenshot shared on Mastadon.</a></p>


Google is experimenting with showing third-party endorsement content directly within Search ads.
The test places short endorsements from external publishers under the ad description, including the third party’s name, logo, and favicon.
What’s showing up. The test was first spotted by Sarah Blocksidge, Marketing Director at Sixth City Marketing, who shared a screenshot on Mastodon. In the example, a Search ad included the line “Best for Frequent Travelers,” attributed to PCMag, complete with the publication’s favicon.




The endorsement appears directly beneath the ad copy, visually separating it from standard advertiser-written text.
Why we care. If rolled out more broadly, the change could make Search ads feel more like product reviews — and potentially give advertisers with strong third-party validation a new advantage in crowded auctions.
What Google says. A Google Ads spokesperson confirmed the test, calling it “a small experiment” – 
“This is a small experiment we are currently running that explores placing third-party endorsement content on Search ads.”
Google did not provide details on eligibility, sourcing, advertiser controls, or how endorsements are selected.
What we don’t know yet. It’s unclear whether advertisers can opt into the feature, request specific endorsements, or influence which third-party sources appear. Google also hasn’t said whether the test is tied to existing review extensions, publisher partnerships, or broader trust and safety initiatives.
What to watch.  If Google expands the experiment, third-party credibility could become a more visible factor in ad performance — shifting emphasis from advertiser claims to external validation at the point of search.
For now, the test appears limited, but it offers a glimpse at how Google may continue blending ads, trust signals, and editorial-style context in search results.
Dig Deeper. Screenshot shared on Mastadon.

Google is testing 3rd party endorsements in Search ads, adding publisher logos and quotes to introduce external validation into paid results.

Google tests third-party endorsements in search ads

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Fragmented-Discovery.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Fragmented Discovery" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Fragmented-Discovery.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Fragmented-Discovery-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Fragmented-Discovery-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>From finance to SaaS, different LLMs win different jobs, which is why a single-platform AI strategy won’t work in 2026.

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Fragmented-Discovery.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Fragmented Discovery" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Fragmented-Discovery.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Fragmented-Discovery-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Fragmented-Discovery-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>
<p>We analyzed nearly two million LLM sessions across nine industries from January through December 2025. We started with a simple assumption: ChatGPT dominates, usage patterns are uniform, and the volume is small and inconsequential.</p>



<p>The data proved us wrong.</p>



<p>ChatGPT commands 84.1% of trackable AI discovery traffic, but it functions primarily as the default tool for broad-market discovery. That reality changes the strategy. </p>



<p>Brands can no longer rely on a single, discovery-first approach. You need a multi-platform strategy that aligns with how users expect to be productive at different moments.</p>



<p>Success now depends on knowing which platforms actively enable user productivity and which simply support early discovery.</p>



<p>Different LLMs are winning in different industries, often by wide margins. The takeaway for 2026 is more nuanced than “focus on ChatGPT.”</p>



<p>Here’s what the data reveals.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-growth-rate-divergence-chatgpt-vs-everyone-else">The growth rate divergence: ChatGPT vs. everyone else</h2>



<p>From January to December 2025, the major LLM platforms grew at very different rates:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>ChatGPT: 3x growth</li>



<li>Copilot: 25x growth</li>



<li>Claude: 13x growth</li>



<li>Perplexity: 1x growth</li>



<li>Gemini: 1x growth</li>
</ul>



<p>ChatGPT grew, but Copilot and Claude grew eight to 10 times faster. Perplexity and Gemini effectively flatlined, or, more accurately, reinforced usage within tightly defined knowledge workflows.</p>



<p>These aggregate numbers reflect deeper strategic priorities.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Satya Nadella <a href="https://x.com/satyanadella/status/1950689585375420499" target="_blank" rel="noopener">publicly highlighted</a> Copilot reaching 100 million monthly users. </li>



<li>Dario Amodei announced that <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/04/anthropic-ceo-weighs-in-on-ai-bubble-talk-and-risk-taking-among-competitors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anthropic’s revenue grew</a> from $100 million to $8–10 billion in under two years. </li>



<li>Aravind Srinivas <a href="https://x.com/AravSrinivas/status/1933508237934145989" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> that he’s “really encouraged by the interest in Perplexity Finance,” even positioning it as an alternative to Bloomberg Terminal.</li>
</ul>



<p>These CEOs are focused on growth because growth signals real user value:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Copilot wins by serving Microsoft ecosystem users. </li>



<li>Claude wins with developers. </li>



<li>Perplexity wins with finance professionals.</li>
</ul>



<p>Different LLMs are winning different industries at dramatically different rates.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pattern-1-copilot-dominates-where-work-happens">Pattern 1: Copilot dominates where work happens</h2>



<p>Copilot’s 25x aggregate growth is striking, but the industry breakdown makes the pattern obvious. Copilot wins in B2B verticals where work already happens inside the Microsoft ecosystem.</p>



<p><strong>SaaS</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>ChatGPT: </strong>2x growth</li>



<li><strong>Copilot:</strong> 21x growth</li>



<li>Copilot adoption mirrors how modern SaaS teams operate. Companies embed LLMs directly into workflows to extract insights from proprietary and third-party data, driving efficiency, personalization, and product innovation inside Microsoft tools.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Education</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>ChatGPT:</strong> 6x growth</li>



<li><strong>Copilot:</strong> 27x growth</li>



<li>Copilot benefits from a culture of knowledge sharing and research synthesis. Institutions and publishers cite, expand, and contextualize existing material, making LLM-assisted discovery a natural extension of how educational content is created and consumed.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Finance</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>ChatGPT:</strong> 4.2x growth</li>



<li><strong>Copilot:</strong> 23x growth</li>



<li>Finance aligns strongly with Copilot because many tasks are automated and context-dependent. Analysts need models that can source, reconcile, and reason across authoritative reports, filings, and datasets inside trusted environments.</li>
</ul>



<p>The key insight isn’t just Copilot’s growth. It’s where that growth occurs. Copilot accelerates fastest in industries where professionals already depend on Microsoft tools to analyze data, synthesize knowledge, and complete tasks.</p>



<p>A finance analyst doesn’t leave Excel to “search.” They ask Copilot to interpret, compare, and contextualize data in place. A content or product strategist doesn’t open a new tab to research competitors. They prompt Copilot inside their working environment.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-it-means">What it means</h3>



<p>If your audience lives within enterprise workflows — SaaS teams, financial professionals, educators, and B2B decision-makers — AI discovery is moving into LLMs as work happens. Visibility is no longer won during early research. It’s won during execution, when intent is highest and decisions are already forming.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pattern-2-perplexity-only-survives-in-finance">Pattern 2: Perplexity only survives in finance</h2>



<p>Perplexity’s overall growth sits at 1.15x, effectively flat. But when you isolate finance, a different picture emerges.</p>



<p>In finance, Perplexity holds a 24% market share.</p>



<p>This is the only industry where Perplexity maintains meaningful, sustained traffic. Everywhere else, its share has collapsed:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>SaaS:</strong> down from 14.9% to 7.3%</li>



<li><strong>E-commerce:</strong> down from 13.9% to 3.4%</li>



<li><strong>Education:</strong> down from 28.5% to 5.2%</li>



<li><strong>Publishers:</strong> down from 41.5% to 3.6%</li>
</ul>



<p>Finance behaves differently because financial decisions demand verification.</p>



<p>When users compare investment platforms, evaluate loan terms, or research compliance requirements, a single synthesized answer isn’t enough. They need citations they can trace directly back to source documents.</p>



<p>Perplexity is built for this use case. Through partnerships with Benzinga, FactSet, Morningstar, and Quartr, it provides direct access to earnings transcripts, SEC filings, analyst ratings, and real-time market data.</p>



<p>Its Enterprise Finance product adds scheduled market updates, custom answer engines, and live data visualizations. These features serve professionals who require auditable, institutional-grade information, not just fast answers.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="1600" height="1310" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/perplexity-finance.png" alt="" class="wp-image-468120" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/perplexity-finance.png 1600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/perplexity-finance-768x629.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/perplexity-finance-1536x1258.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></figure>



<p>Every answer includes visible sources that users can click to verify each claim.</p>



<p>In most categories, convenience wins. In finance, trust and verifiability are non-negotiable.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-it-means-0">What it means </h3>



<p>Success in AI discovery means choosing the right platform for your users and being present in the sources and citations the models themselves trust.</p>



<p>Financial responses rely on networks of licensed data, institutional partners, and authoritative third-party references. If your brand isn’t visible, cited, and validated inside those ecosystems, you won’t surface, no matter how strong your content is.</p>



<p>Optimization now means earning relevance across the full web of sources each model draws from, not just ranking in a single interface.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pattern-3-claude-dominates-standalone-analysis">Pattern 3: Claude dominates standalone analysis</h2>



<p>Claude represents just 0.6% of total AI discovery traffic, which makes it easy to dismiss. But where that 0.6% concentrates is revealing. Claude wins with professionals who research, write, and analyze, not consumers who shop.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Publishers:</strong> 49x growth</li>



<li><strong>Education:</strong> 25x growth</li>



<li><strong>Finance:</strong> 38x growth</li>



<li><strong>SaaS:</strong> 10.3x growth</li>
</ul>



<p>Why does Claude win in these verticals when Copilot already dominates knowledge work?</p>



<p>The difference is the type of work. Copilot lives inside operational tools like Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, helping professionals execute tasks within existing workflows. Claude is where professionals go for standalone strategic thinking.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>A publisher uploads an 80,000-word manuscript and asks, “Is this argument coherent across chapters three through seven?” </li>



<li>A finance analyst uploads three years of earnings transcripts and asks, “How has management’s language around capital allocation changed?” </li>



<li>A developer pastes an entire legacy codebase and asks, “Map the data flow and identify architectural bottlenecks.”</li>
</ul>



<p>Claude’s 200,000-token context window enables this. The value isn’t efficiency inside a workflow. It’s having a reasoning partner for work that requires synthesis, critique, and strategic judgment.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-it-means-1">What it means</h3>



<p>If you target technical audiences or strategic decision-makers, Claude optimization demands analysis-grade content. Publish deep case studies with clear methodology and detailed implementation paths, not 500-word summaries.</p>



<p>Structure content for reasoning. Use explicit frameworks and comparative analysis. The audience is smaller, but the influence is higher. A developer who uses Claude to deeply analyze your API documentation becomes an internal champion.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pattern-4-the-gemini-measurement-crisis-0">Pattern 4: The Gemini measurement crisis</h2>



<p>Gemini’s tracked traffic tells a confusing story:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Education:</strong> −67% tracked traffic</li>



<li><strong>SaaS:</strong> +1.4x growth</li>



<li><strong>Finance:</strong> +1.3x growth</li>



<li><strong>E-commerce:</strong> +2.7x growth</li>
</ul>



<p>This likely isn’t a user decline. It’s an attribution collapse.</p>



<p>Over the past 13 months, Gemini has increasingly kept users inside its interface. It delivers AI-generated answers without prominent, clickable source links. Users research, absorb the answer, and either convert directly or search brand names later. That journey never shows up as AI discovery.</p>



<p>Google still controls the largest search distribution network in the world, and Gemini is deeply embedded in it. It’s unlikely Gemini users are abandoning AI discovery while ChatGPT grows 3x and Copilot grows 25x.</p>



<p>What’s more plausible is that Gemini-driven discovery still exists, but it’s becoming invisible.</p>



<p>Unlike Perplexity, which surfaces sources, or Copilot, which operates inside traceable workflows, Gemini synthesizes answers and retains users in Google’s ecosystem.</p>



<p>A user asks Gemini about project management software, gets a complete answer, then searches “[your brand]” days later. Analytics record branded search, not AI influence.</p>



<p>This creates a real strategic risk.</p>



<p>The commonly cited “0.13% AI penetration” metric is almost certainly understated. If even 30% to 40% of Gemini-assisted discovery goes untracked, true AI-driven research volume could be two to three times higher than what we can measure.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-it-means-2">What it means</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Monitor branded search lift alongside AI optimization efforts.</li>



<li>Build measurement models that account for multi-session, cross-platform journeys.</li>



<li>Invest in brand strength and recall, not just clicks.</li>



<li>Track time-lagged conversions as research and conversion drift further apart.</li>
</ul>



<p>Last-click attribution is breaking. AI-assisted conversions — where users research in one system, synthesize in another, and convert through branded or direct search — are becoming the default. Flat or declining Gemini traffic likely signals measurement failure, not user absence.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-choose-your-llm-strategy-based-on-your-audience">How to choose your LLM strategy based on your audience</h2>



<p>AI discovery isn&#8217;t consolidating around a single platform. It’s fragmenting by industry, use case, and user intent.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>If your audience works in enterprise environments:</strong> Copilot is where discovery happens. SaaS buyers, financial analysts, educators, and B2B decision-makers research inside Microsoft tools like Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Discovery occurs at the moment decisions form, not during separate “research” sessions.</li>



<li><strong>If your audience makes high-stakes decisions:</strong> Perplexity matters. Finance is the only industry where a secondary platform holds a 24% share alongside ChatGPT. These users need citations, not synthesis. Optimization means earning visibility inside institutional data networks such as FactSet, Morningstar, and financial news, not just ranking in the interface.</li>



<li><strong>If your audience includes technical evaluators:</strong> Claude’s 0.6% share understates its influence. Developers, strategists, and researchers use it for deep analysis by uploading full documents and datasets. They are fewer, but they shape buying committees. Content must go deep: detailed case studies, clear methodology, and analysis-grade research.</li>



<li><strong>If you’re in an emerging category:</strong> Legal, events, and insurance show 15x to 90x growth because AI discovery just arrived. Start with ChatGPT’s broad reach, then watch for platform migration as your audience matures.</li>



<li><strong>If measurement is breaking:</strong> Gemini’s declining tracked traffic likely reflects attribution collapse, not user loss. Monitor branded search lift. Track time-lagged conversions. Build models that account for multi-session, cross-platform journeys.</li>



<li><strong>Across all categories:</strong> Expect attribution gaps. Traditional last-click attribution is breaking as AI-assisted conversions become the norm.</li>
</ul>



<p>The future of AI discovery isn’t about ranking on ChatGPT alone. It’s about understanding where your audience discovers and which platforms actually serve their needs.</p>



<p><strong>The full study.</strong> <a href="https://previsible.io/seo-strategy/ai-seo-study-2025/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2025 State of AI Discovery Report: What 1.96 Million LLM Sessions Tell Us About the Future of Search</a></p>


We analyzed nearly two million LLM sessions across nine industries from January through December 2025. We started with a simple assumption: ChatGPT dominates, usage patterns are uniform, and the volume is small and inconsequential.
The data proved us wrong.
ChatGPT commands 84.1% of trackable AI discovery traffic, but it functions primarily as the default tool for broad-market discovery. That reality changes the strategy. 
Brands can no longer rely on a single, discovery-first approach. You need a multi-platform strategy that aligns with how users expect to be productive at different moments.
Success now depends on knowing which platforms actively enable user productivity and which simply support early discovery.
Different LLMs are winning in different industries, often by wide margins. The takeaway for 2026 is more nuanced than “focus on ChatGPT.”
Here’s what the data reveals.
The growth rate divergence: ChatGPT vs. everyone else
From January to December 2025, the major LLM platforms grew at very different rates:
ChatGPT: 3x growth
Copilot: 25x growth
Claude: 13x growth
Perplexity: 1x growth
Gemini: 1x growth
ChatGPT grew, but Copilot and Claude grew eight to 10 times faster. Perplexity and Gemini effectively flatlined, or, more accurately, reinforced usage within tightly defined knowledge workflows.
These aggregate numbers reflect deeper strategic priorities.
Satya Nadella publicly highlighted Copilot reaching 100 million monthly users. 
Dario Amodei announced that Anthropic’s revenue grew from $100 million to $8–10 billion in under two years. 
Aravind Srinivas posted that he’s “really encouraged by the interest in Perplexity Finance,” even positioning it as an alternative to Bloomberg Terminal.
These CEOs are focused on growth because growth signals real user value:
Copilot wins by serving Microsoft ecosystem users. 
Claude wins with developers. 
Perplexity wins with finance professionals.
Different LLMs are winning different industries at dramatically different rates.
Pattern 1: Copilot dominates where work happens
Copilot’s 25x aggregate growth is striking, but the industry breakdown makes the pattern obvious. Copilot wins in B2B verticals where work already happens inside the Microsoft ecosystem.
SaaS
ChatGPT: 2x growth
Copilot: 21x growth
Copilot adoption mirrors how modern SaaS teams operate. Companies embed LLMs directly into workflows to extract insights from proprietary and third-party data, driving efficiency, personalization, and product innovation inside Microsoft tools.
Education
ChatGPT: 6x growth
Copilot: 27x growth
Copilot benefits from a culture of knowledge sharing and research synthesis. Institutions and publishers cite, expand, and contextualize existing material, making LLM-assisted discovery a natural extension of how educational content is created and consumed.
Finance
ChatGPT: 4.2x growth
Copilot: 23x growth
Finance aligns strongly with Copilot because many tasks are automated and context-dependent. Analysts need models that can source, reconcile, and reason across authoritative reports, filings, and datasets inside trusted environments.
The key insight isn’t just Copilot’s growth. It’s where that growth occurs. Copilot accelerates fastest in industries where professionals already depend on Microsoft tools to analyze data, synthesize knowledge, and complete tasks.
A finance analyst doesn’t leave Excel to “search.” They ask Copilot to interpret, compare, and contextualize data in place. A content or product strategist doesn’t open a new tab to research competitors. They prompt Copilot inside their working environment.
What it means
If your audience lives within enterprise workflows — SaaS teams, financial professionals, educators, and B2B decision-makers — AI discovery is moving into LLMs as work happens. Visibility is no longer won during early research. It’s won during execution, when intent is highest and decisions are already forming.
Pattern 2: Perplexity only survives in finance
Perplexity’s overall growth sits at 1.15x, effectively flat. But when you isolate finance, a different picture emerges.
In finance, Perplexity holds a 24% market share.
This is the only industry where Perplexity maintains meaningful, sustained traffic. Everywhere else, its share has collapsed:
SaaS: down from 14.9% to 7.3%
E-commerce: down from 13.9% to 3.4%
Education: down from 28.5% to 5.2%
Publishers: down from 41.5% to 3.6%
Finance behaves differently because financial decisions demand verification.
When users compare investment platforms, evaluate loan terms, or research compliance requirements, a single synthesized answer isn’t enough. They need citations they can trace directly back to source documents.
Perplexity is built for this use case. Through partnerships with Benzinga, FactSet, Morningstar, and Quartr, it provides direct access to earnings transcripts, SEC filings, analyst ratings, and real-time market data.
Its Enterprise Finance product adds scheduled market updates, custom answer engines, and live data visualizations. These features serve professionals who require auditable, institutional-grade information, not just fast answers.




Every answer includes visible sources that users can click to verify each claim.
In most categories, convenience wins. In finance, trust and verifiability are non-negotiable.
What it means 
Success in AI discovery means choosing the right platform for your users and being present in the sources and citations the models themselves trust.
Financial responses rely on networks of licensed data, institutional partners, and authoritative third-party references. If your brand isn’t visible, cited, and validated inside those ecosystems, you won’t surface, no matter how strong your content is.
Optimization now means earning relevance across the full web of sources each model draws from, not just ranking in a single interface.
Pattern 3: Claude dominates standalone analysis
Claude represents just 0.6% of total AI discovery traffic, which makes it easy to dismiss. But where that 0.6% concentrates is revealing. Claude wins with professionals who research, write, and analyze, not consumers who shop.
Publishers: 49x growth
Education: 25x growth
Finance: 38x growth
SaaS: 10.3x growth
Why does Claude win in these verticals when Copilot already dominates knowledge work?
The difference is the type of work. Copilot lives inside operational tools like Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, helping professionals execute tasks within existing workflows. Claude is where professionals go for standalone strategic thinking.
A publisher uploads an 80,000-word manuscript and asks, “Is this argument coherent across chapters three through seven?” 
A finance analyst uploads three years of earnings transcripts and asks, “How has management’s language around capital allocation changed?” 
A developer pastes an entire legacy codebase and asks, “Map the data flow and identify architectural bottlenecks.”
Claude’s 200,000-token context window enables this. The value isn’t efficiency inside a workflow. It’s having a reasoning partner for work that requires synthesis, critique, and strategic judgment.
What it means
If you target technical audiences or strategic decision-makers, Claude optimization demands analysis-grade content. Publish deep case studies with clear methodology and detailed implementation paths, not 500-word summaries.
Structure content for reasoning. Use explicit frameworks and comparative analysis. The audience is smaller, but the influence is higher. A developer who uses Claude to deeply analyze your API documentation becomes an internal champion.
Pattern 4: The Gemini measurement crisis
Gemini’s tracked traffic tells a confusing story:
Education: −67% tracked traffic
SaaS: +1.4x growth
Finance: +1.3x growth
E-commerce: +2.7x growth
This likely isn’t a user decline. It’s an attribution collapse.
Over the past 13 months, Gemini has increasingly kept users inside its interface. It delivers AI-generated answers without prominent, clickable source links. Users research, absorb the answer, and either convert directly or search brand names later. That journey never shows up as AI discovery.
Google still controls the largest search distribution network in the world, and Gemini is deeply embedded in it. It’s unlikely Gemini users are abandoning AI discovery while ChatGPT grows 3x and Copilot grows 25x.
What’s more plausible is that Gemini-driven discovery still exists, but it’s becoming invisible.
Unlike Perplexity, which surfaces sources, or Copilot, which operates inside traceable workflows, Gemini synthesizes answers and retains users in Google’s ecosystem.
A user asks Gemini about project management software, gets a complete answer, then searches “[your brand]” days later. Analytics record branded search, not AI influence.
This creates a real strategic risk.
The commonly cited “0.13% AI penetration” metric is almost certainly understated. If even 30% to 40% of Gemini-assisted discovery goes untracked, true AI-driven research volume could be two to three times higher than what we can measure.
What it means
Monitor branded search lift alongside AI optimization efforts.
Build measurement models that account for multi-session, cross-platform journeys.
Invest in brand strength and recall, not just clicks.
Track time-lagged conversions as research and conversion drift further apart.
Last-click attribution is breaking. AI-assisted conversions — where users research in one system, synthesize in another, and convert through branded or direct search — are becoming the default. Flat or declining Gemini traffic likely signals measurement failure, not user absence.
How to choose your LLM strategy based on your audience
AI discovery isn’t consolidating around a single platform. It’s fragmenting by industry, use case, and user intent.
If your audience works in enterprise environments: Copilot is where discovery happens. SaaS buyers, financial analysts, educators, and B2B decision-makers research inside Microsoft tools like Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Discovery occurs at the moment decisions form, not during separate “research” sessions.
If your audience makes high-stakes decisions: Perplexity matters. Finance is the only industry where a secondary platform holds a 24% share alongside ChatGPT. These users need citations, not synthesis. Optimization means earning visibility inside institutional data networks such as FactSet, Morningstar, and financial news, not just ranking in the interface.
If your audience includes technical evaluators: Claude’s 0.6% share understates its influence. Developers, strategists, and researchers use it for deep analysis by uploading full documents and datasets. They are fewer, but they shape buying committees. Content must go deep: detailed case studies, clear methodology, and analysis-grade research.
If you’re in an emerging category: Legal, events, and insurance show 15x to 90x growth because AI discovery just arrived. Start with ChatGPT’s broad reach, then watch for platform migration as your audience matures.
If measurement is breaking: Gemini’s declining tracked traffic likely reflects attribution collapse, not user loss. Monitor branded search lift. Track time-lagged conversions. Build models that account for multi-session, cross-platform journeys.
Across all categories: Expect attribution gaps. Traditional last-click attribution is breaking as AI-assisted conversions become the norm.
The future of AI discovery isn’t about ranking on ChatGPT alone. It’s about understanding where your audience discovers and which platforms actually serve their needs.
The full study. 2025 State of AI Discovery Report: What 1.96 Million LLM Sessions Tell Us About the Future of Search

From finance to SaaS, different LLMs win different jobs, which is why a single-platform AI strategy won’t work in 2026.

What 2 million LLM sessions reveal about AI discovery

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/7-custom-GPT-ideas-to-automate-SEO-workflows.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="7 custom GPT ideas to automate SEO workflows" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/7-custom-GPT-ideas-to-automate-SEO-workflows.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/7-custom-GPT-ideas-to-automate-SEO-workflows-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/7-custom-GPT-ideas-to-automate-SEO-workflows-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>How custom GPTs can be used in SEO, with example prompts for planning, analysis, reporting, and technical work.

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/7-custom-GPT-ideas-to-automate-SEO-workflows.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="7 custom GPT ideas to automate SEO workflows" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/7-custom-GPT-ideas-to-automate-SEO-workflows.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/7-custom-GPT-ideas-to-automate-SEO-workflows-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/7-custom-GPT-ideas-to-automate-SEO-workflows-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>
<p>Custom GPTs can help <a href="https://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo">SEO</a> teams move faster by turning repeatable tasks into structured workflows.</p>



<p>If you don&#8217;t have access to paid ChatGPT, you can still use these prompts as standalone references by copying them into your notes for future reuse. You will need to tweak them for your team’s specific use cases, because they are intended as a starting point.</p>



<p>Working with AI is largely trial and error. To get better at writing prompts, practice with small tasks first, iterate on prompts, and take notes on what gets you good outputs.&nbsp;</p>



<p>AI also tends to ramble, so it helps to give strict guidelines for formatting and to specify what not to do. You can upload resources and articles to follow and provide clear context, such as defining the role and audience upfront.</p>



<p>The seven prompts below are designed to help you start building custom GPTs for planning, analysis, and ongoing SEO work.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-project-plan-gpt">1. Project plan GPT</h2>



<p>Using past examples of project plans, create a GPT that will help you make a draft for this year’s focus areas.</p>



<p><strong>How to set it up</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Input project plans from previous years.</li>



<li>Give it a specific format to follow.</li>



<li>Consider how many items or sections to include.</li>



<li>Add specific details based on you or your team.</li>



<li>(Optional) Copy notes and feedback from your team or retrospective.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Example prompt</strong></p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>Based on last year’s project plan, make my project plan for this year. Here are the focus areas and problem areas to include. </p>



<p>Give me a bulleted list with the three most important items for me (or my team) to focus on for each quarter of this year. At least one item should cover link building. </p>



<p>Include a one-sentence summary of why you recommend each item and at least two KPIs to measure success.<br><br>[Insert last year’s plan.]</p>



<p>Now poke holes in your plan. Give me three reasons I should not focus on these items based on the risks. Include sources for your notes.</p>
</blockquote>



<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/chatgpt-tasks-seo-453108">How to use ChatGPT Tasks for SEO</a></em></strong></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-site-performance-gpt">2. Site performance GPT</h2>



<p>Hook up your performance dashboards or custom GA reports to ChatGPT and let it do the initial legwork in identifying issues. Then make a list of items to investigate yourself.</p>



<p><strong>How to set it up</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Connect your reporting tools or upload reports directly.</li>



<li>Give specific direction for what to look for.</li>



<li>Include the cadence you want to look at, like a daily or weekly report.</li>



<li>Give examples of types of pages or categories to compare.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Example prompt</strong></p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>Here is the weekly site report. Give me your analysis of how the site performed compared to last week. Include a three-sentence summary of the sessions, conversions, and engagement. </p>



<p>List three wins and three misses in bullet format. Color-code each item based on how good or bad each item is.</p>



<p>[Insert report doc.]</p>
</blockquote>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-competitor-analysis-gpt">3. Competitor analysis GPT</h2>



<p>Check out what’s working and what&#8217;s not on competitor sites and get insights for yours. It’s most helpful to connect to a tool like Semrush or Ahrefs.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>How to set it up</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Connect tools like Ahrefs or Semrush, or upload a report.</li>



<li>Identify competitors to analyze and top pages and folders.</li>



<li>List key metrics to compare.</li>



<li>Set up unique prompts for page, keyword/topic, folder, and domain-level comparison.</li>



<li>(Optional) Create documentation on identifying which metrics to dig deeper.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Example prompt</strong></p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>You are an SEO analyst performing competitor analysis to identify areas to improve your website. Check out these URLs and compare them. Give me a table with each URL in the rows and these columns: backlinks, average rank, top keyword, sessions, and estimated value. </p>



<p>Below that, give a two-sentence summary of who wins in each category and why. Use the criteria in this link to make your judgments, citing sources for each.</p>



<p>URL 1:&nbsp;<br>URL 2:&nbsp;<br>URL 3:&nbsp;<br>Article reference:</p>
</blockquote>



<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/guide/seo-competitor-analysis">How to use advanced SEO competitor analysis to accelerate rankings &amp; boost visibility</a></em></strong></p>



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<hr class="wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color has-css-opacity has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background"/>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-serp-analyzer-gpt">4. SERP analyzer GPT</h2>



<p>AI has gotten much better over the last few months at analyzing images. Plug in SERP screenshots from your own searches and compare it to a web search from the GPT. Build this into a competitive SERP landscape analysis to see things like who appears in both searches vs. only one.</p>



<p><strong>How to set it up</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Identify search results and keywords to compare.</li>



<li>Take screenshots in incognito mode for comparison.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Example prompt</strong></p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>Do a web search for [your keyword here]. Show me what you are seeing in the search results. </p>



<p>Compare it with this screenshot and list the differences. Then include a bulleted list of what the results seen most often have in common.</p>
</blockquote>



<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/build-custom-gpt-redefine-keyword-research-440431">How to build a custom GPT to redefine keyword research</a></em></strong></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-ux-gpt">5. UX GPT</h2>



<p>Turn your design or UX team’s resources into an easy-to-use helper. This is especially helpful for editorial teams that do not want to search through endless documentation for quick advice.</p>



<p><strong>How to set it up</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Upload your team’s documentation or your favorite UX articles.</li>



<li>Find pages with poor bounce or engagement stats.</li>



<li>Integrate the tool into standard page updates.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Example prompt</strong></p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>You are an SEO writer working on improving user engagement. Open this page. Check to make sure it follows all of our design rules. </p>



<p>List each violation, along with a source, explaining what is wrong and what to do instead. Then check to see whether there are any relevant page template patterns from the brand book that could apply to this type of page.</p>
</blockquote>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-6-tech-seo-check-gpt">6. Tech SEO check GPT</h2>



<p>Set up a daily or weekly tech SEO check to do the bulk of the analysis for you.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>How to set it up</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Connect any tools like Google Search Console, or upload reports.</li>



<li>List the top metrics to check, like Core Web Vitals, page speed, and console errors.</li>



<li>Identify top pages to run a more comprehensive check.</li>



<li>Set up reminders to run it daily or weekly, or connect it to Slack to export results directly.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Example prompt</strong></p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>Based on the latest CWV report, identify problem pages that need a speed improvement audit. Create the list in a table, with the URLs in rows and columns for speed, issues identified, and suggested fixes. Make a separate list of pages that have improved, along with the actual scores.</p>
</blockquote>



<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/technical-seo-geo-460898">A technical SEO blueprint for GEO: Optimize for AI-powered search</a></em></strong></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-7-presentation-gpt">7. Presentation GPT</h2>



<p>While ChatGPT cannot directly create slides yet without an add-on or third-party connector, it can create the content for you to paste into your slides. Combine it with your performance, testing, tech SEO, and competitor GPTs for a well-rounded summary of overall site status with relevant context.</p>



<p><strong>How to set it up</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Gather data from your other GPTs.</li>



<li>Choose the ones to present.</li>



<li>(Optional) Upload past presentations for reference.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Example prompt</strong></p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>Pretend you are setting up a slide deck. The audience is other members of the SEO team. Format this summary from my Performance GPT into a slide. </p>



<p>Give me a header, subheader, and key bullets and takeaways. The tone should be straightforward but professional. Limit bullets to one line. Round all numbers to zero decimals. Suggest three examples of imagery and graphics to use.</p>



<p>[Insert summary.]</p>
</blockquote>



<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/ai-assisted-content-creation-speed-credibility-463822">How to balance speed and credibility in AI-assisted content creation</a></em></strong></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-custom-gpts-fit-into-day-to-day-seo-work">Where custom GPTs fit into day-to-day SEO work</h2>



<p>Custom GPTs are most useful when they sit alongside the tools and processes SEO teams already use. Rather than replacing dashboards, audits, or documentation, they can handle first passes, surface patterns, and standardize how work gets reviewed before a human steps in.</p>



<p>Used this way, the prompts in this article are less about automation for its own sake and more about reducing friction in common SEO tasks, from planning and reporting to SERP analysis and technical checks.</p>

Custom GPTs can help SEO teams move faster by turning repeatable tasks into structured workflows.
If you don’t have access to paid ChatGPT, you can still use these prompts as standalone references by copying them into your notes for future reuse. You will need to tweak them for your team’s specific use cases, because they are intended as a starting point.
Working with AI is largely trial and error. To get better at writing prompts, practice with small tasks first, iterate on prompts, and take notes on what gets you good outputs. 
AI also tends to ramble, so it helps to give strict guidelines for formatting and to specify what not to do. You can upload resources and articles to follow and provide clear context, such as defining the role and audience upfront.
The seven prompts below are designed to help you start building custom GPTs for planning, analysis, and ongoing SEO work.
1. Project plan GPT
Using past examples of project plans, create a GPT that will help you make a draft for this year’s focus areas.
How to set it up
Input project plans from previous years.
Give it a specific format to follow.
Consider how many items or sections to include.
Add specific details based on you or your team.
(Optional) Copy notes and feedback from your team or retrospective.
Example prompt
Based on last year’s project plan, make my project plan for this year. Here are the focus areas and problem areas to include. 
Give me a bulleted list with the three most important items for me (or my team) to focus on for each quarter of this year. At least one item should cover link building. 
Include a one-sentence summary of why you recommend each item and at least two KPIs to measure success.
[Insert last year’s plan.]
Now poke holes in your plan. Give me three reasons I should not focus on these items based on the risks. Include sources for your notes.
Dig deeper: How to use ChatGPT Tasks for SEO
2. Site performance GPT
Hook up your performance dashboards or custom GA reports to ChatGPT and let it do the initial legwork in identifying issues. Then make a list of items to investigate yourself.
How to set it up
Connect your reporting tools or upload reports directly.
Give specific direction for what to look for.
Include the cadence you want to look at, like a daily or weekly report.
Give examples of types of pages or categories to compare.
Example prompt
Here is the weekly site report. Give me your analysis of how the site performed compared to last week. Include a three-sentence summary of the sessions, conversions, and engagement. 
List three wins and three misses in bullet format. Color-code each item based on how good or bad each item is.
[Insert report doc.]
3. Competitor analysis GPT
Check out what’s working and what’s not on competitor sites and get insights for yours. It’s most helpful to connect to a tool like Semrush or Ahrefs. 
How to set it up
Connect tools like Ahrefs or Semrush, or upload a report.
Identify competitors to analyze and top pages and folders.
List key metrics to compare.
Set up unique prompts for page, keyword/topic, folder, and domain-level comparison.
(Optional) Create documentation on identifying which metrics to dig deeper.
Example prompt
You are an SEO analyst performing competitor analysis to identify areas to improve your website. Check out these URLs and compare them. Give me a table with each URL in the rows and these columns: backlinks, average rank, top keyword, sessions, and estimated value. 
Below that, give a two-sentence summary of who wins in each category and why. Use the criteria in this link to make your judgments, citing sources for each.
URL 1: 
URL 2: 
URL 3: 
Article reference:
Dig deeper: How to use advanced SEO competitor analysis to accelerate rankings & boost visibility
Get the newsletter search marketers rely on.
  
				
								
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See terms.
4. SERP analyzer GPT
AI has gotten much better over the last few months at analyzing images. Plug in SERP screenshots from your own searches and compare it to a web search from the GPT. Build this into a competitive SERP landscape analysis to see things like who appears in both searches vs. only one.
How to set it up
Identify search results and keywords to compare.
Take screenshots in incognito mode for comparison.
Example prompt
Do a web search for [your keyword here]. Show me what you are seeing in the search results. 
Compare it with this screenshot and list the differences. Then include a bulleted list of what the results seen most often have in common.
Dig deeper: How to build a custom GPT to redefine keyword research
5. UX GPT
Turn your design or UX team’s resources into an easy-to-use helper. This is especially helpful for editorial teams that do not want to search through endless documentation for quick advice.
How to set it up
Upload your team’s documentation or your favorite UX articles.
Find pages with poor bounce or engagement stats.
Integrate the tool into standard page updates.
Example prompt
You are an SEO writer working on improving user engagement. Open this page. Check to make sure it follows all of our design rules. 
List each violation, along with a source, explaining what is wrong and what to do instead. Then check to see whether there are any relevant page template patterns from the brand book that could apply to this type of page.
6. Tech SEO check GPT
Set up a daily or weekly tech SEO check to do the bulk of the analysis for you. 
How to set it up
Connect any tools like Google Search Console, or upload reports.
List the top metrics to check, like Core Web Vitals, page speed, and console errors.
Identify top pages to run a more comprehensive check.
Set up reminders to run it daily or weekly, or connect it to Slack to export results directly.
Example prompt
Based on the latest CWV report, identify problem pages that need a speed improvement audit. Create the list in a table, with the URLs in rows and columns for speed, issues identified, and suggested fixes. Make a separate list of pages that have improved, along with the actual scores.
Dig deeper: A technical SEO blueprint for GEO: Optimize for AI-powered search
7. Presentation GPT
While ChatGPT cannot directly create slides yet without an add-on or third-party connector, it can create the content for you to paste into your slides. Combine it with your performance, testing, tech SEO, and competitor GPTs for a well-rounded summary of overall site status with relevant context.
How to set it up
Gather data from your other GPTs.
Choose the ones to present.
(Optional) Upload past presentations for reference.
Example prompt
Pretend you are setting up a slide deck. The audience is other members of the SEO team. Format this summary from my Performance GPT into a slide. 
Give me a header, subheader, and key bullets and takeaways. The tone should be straightforward but professional. Limit bullets to one line. Round all numbers to zero decimals. Suggest three examples of imagery and graphics to use.
[Insert summary.]
Dig deeper: How to balance speed and credibility in AI-assisted content creation
Where custom GPTs fit into day-to-day SEO work
Custom GPTs are most useful when they sit alongside the tools and processes SEO teams already use. Rather than replacing dashboards, audits, or documentation, they can handle first passes, surface patterns, and standardize how work gets reviewed before a human steps in.
Used this way, the prompts in this article are less about automation for its own sake and more about reducing friction in common SEO tasks, from planning and reporting to SERP analysis and technical checks.

How custom GPTs can be used in SEO, with example prompts for planning, analysis, reporting, and technical work.

7 custom GPT ideas to automate SEO workflows

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Is-SEO-a-brand-channel-or-a-performance-channel-Now-its-both.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Is SEO a brand channel or a performance channel? Now it’s both" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Is-SEO-a-brand-channel-or-a-performance-channel-Now-its-both.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Is-SEO-a-brand-channel-or-a-performance-channel-Now-its-both-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Is-SEO-a-brand-channel-or-a-performance-channel-Now-its-both-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>AI Overviews and zero-click SERPs have broken the traffic model. SEO ROI now depends on brand strength, not just rankings.

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Is-SEO-a-brand-channel-or-a-performance-channel-Now-its-both.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Is SEO a brand channel or a performance channel? Now it’s both" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Is-SEO-a-brand-channel-or-a-performance-channel-Now-its-both.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Is-SEO-a-brand-channel-or-a-performance-channel-Now-its-both-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Is-SEO-a-brand-channel-or-a-performance-channel-Now-its-both-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>
<p>For a long time, <a href="https://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo">SEO</a> had the simplest math in marketing:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Rank higher → Get more traffic → Fill the sales pipeline</li>
</ul>



<p>To the dissatisfaction of marketing executives, that linear world is breaking fast.</p>



<p>Between <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overviews-everything-you-need-to-know-449399">AI Overviews</a>, zero-click SERPs, and users getting answers directly from LLMs, the old “rank to get traffic and leads” equation is failing.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Today, holding a top keyword position often yields significantly fewer clicks than it did just two years ago.</p>



<p>This has forced many uncomfortable conversations in boardrooms. CMOs and CEOs are looking at traffic dashboards and asking tough questions, especially:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>“If traffic is down… how do we know SEO is actually working?”</li>
</ul>



<p>The answer forces us to confront a hard truth: The traffic model has collapsed, but executives still want measurable ROI.&nbsp;</p>



<p>We have to stop treating SEO like a traffic faucet and start treating it like what it actually is: a brand-dependent performance channel.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-traffic-and-pipeline-are-no-longer-in-lockstep">Why traffic and pipeline are no longer in lockstep</h2>



<p>Linear attribution has never fully captured the reality of organic search.&nbsp;</p>



<p><a href="https://www.semrush.com/blog/google-usage-after-chatgpt-adoption/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ChatGPT is not replacing Google</a>; rather, it is expanding its use.&nbsp;</p>



<p>And that’s because users are skeptical of search and LLM results, so they need to validate the information they find on both platforms.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In the past, the research loop happened inside Google’s ecosystem (clicking back and forth between results).</p>



<p>Today, organic search behaves like a <a href="https://www.growth-memo.com/p/messy-middle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pinball machine</a>. Buyers bounce across channels and interfaces in ways that traditional attribution software cannot track.&nbsp;</p>



<p>A user might find an answer in an AI Overview, verify it on Reddit, check a competitor comparison on G2, and finally convert days later via a direct visit.</p>



<p>This complexity has broken the correlation marketing executives are hungry for.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In the past, if you overlaid <a href="https://searchengineland.com/when-search-performance-improves-but-pipeline-doesnt-468073">traffic and pipeline</a> charts, the lines moved together. Now, they often diverge.</p>



<p>Across B2B SaaS portfolios, I am seeing a consistent pattern:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Organic sessions are flat or declining year over year.</li>



<li>Rankings for high-intent terms remain stable.</li>



<li>Pipeline and inbound demos from organic search are going up.</li>
</ul>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="1600" height="725" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Traffic-flat-revenue-up.png" alt="Traffic flat, revenue up" class="wp-image-468097" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Traffic-flat-revenue-up.png 1600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Traffic-flat-revenue-up-768x348.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/Traffic-flat-revenue-up-1536x696.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /></figure></div>


<p><strong><em>Dig deeper:</em> <em><a href="https://searchengineland.com/explain-flat-traffic-seo-467757">How to explain flat traffic when SEO is actually working</a></em></strong></p>



<p>This divergence doesn&#8217;t mean SEO is failing. It means that traffic is no longer a reliable proxy for business impact.</p>



<p>The traffic being lost to zero-click searches is <a href="https://searchengineland.com/seo-great-normalization-463197">often informational and low-intent</a>. The remaining traffic is higher-intent and closer to conversion.&nbsp;</p>



<p>We are witnessing the &#8220;atomization&#8221; of search demand.&nbsp;</p>



<p>As <a href="https://www.growth-memo.com/p/the-great-decoupling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin Indig notes</a> in his analysis of The Great Decoupling, demand for short-head, broad keywords is in permanent decline.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Users are either bypassing search entirely for AI interfaces, or they are refining their queries into specific, long-tail questions that have lower volume but significantly higher intent.</p>



<p>The &#8220;fat head&#8221; of search – the generic terms that used to drive massive vanity traffic – is being eaten by AI. The long tail is where the pipeline lives.</p>



<p>The mistake many leaders make is seeing the sessions drop and instinctively pushing to &#8220;get the numbers back up.&#8221;&nbsp;</p>



<p>But chasing lost clicks usually leads to publishing broad, top-of-funnel content that inflates session counts (and other vanity metrics) without actually driving qualified leads.</p>



<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/align-seo-strategy-stages-buyer-intent-457044">How to align your SEO strategy with the stages of buyer intent</a></em></strong></p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seo-roi-is-now-the-downstream-outcome-of-brand-traction">SEO ROI is now the downstream outcome of brand traction</h2>



<p>This is where the debate between &#8220;brand&#8221; and &#8220;performance&#8221; breaks down.</p>



<p>For a decade, SEO masqueraded as a pure performance channel.&nbsp;</p>



<p>We convinced ourselves that if we just optimized the H1s and built enough backlinks, we could rank for anything.&nbsp;</p>



<p>We treated brand awareness as a nice bonus, but not a prerequisite.</p>



<p>In reality, <a href="https://ipullrank.com/search-is-a-brand-channel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEO has always been downstream of brand</a>. AI interfaces are simply exposing that truth.</p>



<p>The rise of LLM-based search has flipped the script. These engines don&#8217;t just match keywords to pages; they synthesize reputation.</p>



<p>When an LLM constructs an answer, it is looking for verification across the entire web:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>What do actual customers say on G2 and Reddit?</li>



<li>Is the brand cited in expert, non-affiliate content?</li>



<li>Is the product mentioned alongside category leaders?</li>
</ul>



<p>You cannot brute-force these outcomes via SEO techniques.</p>



<p>If your brand lacks digital authority, no amount of technical optimization will save you. That is why I call this brand-conditioned performance.</p>



<p>It means that your brand strength sets the ceiling for your organic performance. You can no longer out-optimize a weak reputation.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The search engines are looking for consensus across the web, and if the market doesn&#8217;t already associate your brand with the solution, the algorithm won&#8217;t recommend you.</p>



<p>So, what does brand strength actually mean to an LLM? In this new environment, brand strength is composed of four specific signals:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong><a href="https://searchengineland.com/guide/topical-authority">Topical authority</a></strong>: Do you own the complete conceptual map of your industry, or just a few disconnected keywords?</li>



<li><strong>Ideal customer profile (ICP) alignment</strong>: Are you answering the specific, messy questions your actual buyers ask, or just publishing generic definitions?</li>



<li><strong>Validation</strong>: Are you cited by the category-defining sources that LLMs use as training data?</li>



<li><strong>Positioning clarity</strong>: Can an AI clearly summarize exactly what you do? As Indig points out, &#8220;Vague positioning gets skipped; sharp positioning gets cited.&#8221;</li>
</ul>



<p>Bottom line: SEO doesn&#8217;t create demand out of thin air. It captures the demand your brand has already validated. </p>



<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/seo-imperative-brand-building-453277">The new SEO imperative: Building your brand</a></em></strong></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-new-defensibility-metrics-for-seo">The new defensibility metrics for SEO</h2>



<p>When traffic stops being the headline KPI, leadership still needs proof that SEO is working.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The strongest teams are pivoting to defensible signals that track revenue and reputation rather than just volume.</p>



<p>We need to anchor on metrics that prove business impact, even if top-of-funnel sessions are leaking:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Top-10 rankings for commercial and BOFU keywords remain stable. (You hold the ground where money changes hands).</li>



<li>Ahrefs traffic value increases, even if sessions decline. (You are trading high-volume informational traffic for high-value commercial traffic).</li>



<li>Product, solution, and comparison page traffic stabilizes. (Buyers are still finding your money pages).</li>



<li>Homepage traffic grows YoY. (The strongest proxy for brand demand).</li>



<li>LLM referral traffic emerges and accelerates. (The newest frontier. Tracking referral sources from ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity indicates that you are part of the new conversation, even if the volume is currently low.)</li>



<li>Inbound demos and pipeline from organic growth relative to traffic.</li>
</ul>



<p>That last point is the one that changes executive thinking.</p>



<p>When you show that pipeline per organic visitor is rising – even as sessions fall – the conversation shifts from “SEO is broken” to “SEO is evolving.”</p>



<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/ai-availability-brands-battleground-464484">Why AI availability is the new battleground for brands</a></em></strong></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-modern-seo-is-moving-from-acquisition-to-influence">Modern SEO is moving from acquisition to influence</h2>



<p>The most successful SEO teams are no longer asking, “How do we get the traffic back?”</p>



<p>They understand that the game has changed from acquisition to influence.&nbsp;</p>



<p>They are asking:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>How does our brand show up for buying questions?</li>



<li>How do we dominate consideration-stage queries?</li>



<li>How do we turn organic visibility into real buying influence?</li>
</ul>



<p>They recognize that in an AI-first world, zero-click does not mean zero-value.</p>



<p>If a user sees your brand ranked first in an AI Overview, reads a snippet that positions you as the expert, and remembers you when they are ready to buy – SEO did its job.</p>



<p>SEO is no longer a hack for cheap traffic; it is the primary way brands condition the market to buy.</p>

For a long time, SEO had the simplest math in marketing:
Rank higher → Get more traffic → Fill the sales pipeline
To the dissatisfaction of marketing executives, that linear world is breaking fast.
Between AI Overviews, zero-click SERPs, and users getting answers directly from LLMs, the old “rank to get traffic and leads” equation is failing. 
Today, holding a top keyword position often yields significantly fewer clicks than it did just two years ago.
This has forced many uncomfortable conversations in boardrooms. CMOs and CEOs are looking at traffic dashboards and asking tough questions, especially:
“If traffic is down… how do we know SEO is actually working?”
The answer forces us to confront a hard truth: The traffic model has collapsed, but executives still want measurable ROI. 
We have to stop treating SEO like a traffic faucet and start treating it like what it actually is: a brand-dependent performance channel.
Why traffic and pipeline are no longer in lockstep
Linear attribution has never fully captured the reality of organic search. 
ChatGPT is not replacing Google; rather, it is expanding its use. 
And that’s because users are skeptical of search and LLM results, so they need to validate the information they find on both platforms. 
In the past, the research loop happened inside Google’s ecosystem (clicking back and forth between results).
Today, organic search behaves like a pinball machine. Buyers bounce across channels and interfaces in ways that traditional attribution software cannot track. 
A user might find an answer in an AI Overview, verify it on Reddit, check a competitor comparison on G2, and finally convert days later via a direct visit.
This complexity has broken the correlation marketing executives are hungry for. 
In the past, if you overlaid traffic and pipeline charts, the lines moved together. Now, they often diverge.
Across B2B SaaS portfolios, I am seeing a consistent pattern:
Organic sessions are flat or declining year over year.
Rankings for high-intent terms remain stable.
Pipeline and inbound demos from organic search are going up.

Dig deeper: How to explain flat traffic when SEO is actually working
This divergence doesn’t mean SEO is failing. It means that traffic is no longer a reliable proxy for business impact.
The traffic being lost to zero-click searches is often informational and low-intent. The remaining traffic is higher-intent and closer to conversion. 
We are witnessing the “atomization” of search demand. 
As Kevin Indig notes in his analysis of The Great Decoupling, demand for short-head, broad keywords is in permanent decline. 
Users are either bypassing search entirely for AI interfaces, or they are refining their queries into specific, long-tail questions that have lower volume but significantly higher intent.
The “fat head” of search – the generic terms that used to drive massive vanity traffic – is being eaten by AI. The long tail is where the pipeline lives.
The mistake many leaders make is seeing the sessions drop and instinctively pushing to “get the numbers back up.” 
But chasing lost clicks usually leads to publishing broad, top-of-funnel content that inflates session counts (and other vanity metrics) without actually driving qualified leads.
Dig deeper: How to align your SEO strategy with the stages of buyer intent
Get the newsletter search marketers rely on.
  
				
								
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See terms.
SEO ROI is now the downstream outcome of brand traction
This is where the debate between “brand” and “performance” breaks down.
For a decade, SEO masqueraded as a pure performance channel. 
We convinced ourselves that if we just optimized the H1s and built enough backlinks, we could rank for anything. 
We treated brand awareness as a nice bonus, but not a prerequisite.
In reality, SEO has always been downstream of brand. AI interfaces are simply exposing that truth.
The rise of LLM-based search has flipped the script. These engines don’t just match keywords to pages; they synthesize reputation.
When an LLM constructs an answer, it is looking for verification across the entire web:
What do actual customers say on G2 and Reddit?
Is the brand cited in expert, non-affiliate content?
Is the product mentioned alongside category leaders?
You cannot brute-force these outcomes via SEO techniques.
If your brand lacks digital authority, no amount of technical optimization will save you. That is why I call this brand-conditioned performance.
It means that your brand strength sets the ceiling for your organic performance. You can no longer out-optimize a weak reputation. 
The search engines are looking for consensus across the web, and if the market doesn’t already associate your brand with the solution, the algorithm won’t recommend you.
So, what does brand strength actually mean to an LLM? In this new environment, brand strength is composed of four specific signals:
Topical authority: Do you own the complete conceptual map of your industry, or just a few disconnected keywords?
Ideal customer profile (ICP) alignment: Are you answering the specific, messy questions your actual buyers ask, or just publishing generic definitions?
Validation: Are you cited by the category-defining sources that LLMs use as training data?
Positioning clarity: Can an AI clearly summarize exactly what you do? As Indig points out, “Vague positioning gets skipped; sharp positioning gets cited.”
Bottom line: SEO doesn’t create demand out of thin air. It captures the demand your brand has already validated. 
Dig deeper: The new SEO imperative: Building your brand
The new defensibility metrics for SEO
When traffic stops being the headline KPI, leadership still needs proof that SEO is working. 
The strongest teams are pivoting to defensible signals that track revenue and reputation rather than just volume.
We need to anchor on metrics that prove business impact, even if top-of-funnel sessions are leaking:
Top-10 rankings for commercial and BOFU keywords remain stable. (You hold the ground where money changes hands).
Ahrefs traffic value increases, even if sessions decline. (You are trading high-volume informational traffic for high-value commercial traffic).
Product, solution, and comparison page traffic stabilizes. (Buyers are still finding your money pages).
Homepage traffic grows YoY. (The strongest proxy for brand demand).
LLM referral traffic emerges and accelerates. (The newest frontier. Tracking referral sources from ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity indicates that you are part of the new conversation, even if the volume is currently low.)
Inbound demos and pipeline from organic growth relative to traffic.
That last point is the one that changes executive thinking.
When you show that pipeline per organic visitor is rising – even as sessions fall – the conversation shifts from “SEO is broken” to “SEO is evolving.”
Dig deeper: Why AI availability is the new battleground for brands
Modern SEO is moving from acquisition to influence
The most successful SEO teams are no longer asking, “How do we get the traffic back?”
They understand that the game has changed from acquisition to influence. 
They are asking:
How does our brand show up for buying questions?
How do we dominate consideration-stage queries?
How do we turn organic visibility into real buying influence?
They recognize that in an AI-first world, zero-click does not mean zero-value.
If a user sees your brand ranked first in an AI Overview, reads a snippet that positions you as the expert, and remembers you when they are ready to buy – SEO did its job.
SEO is no longer a hack for cheap traffic; it is the primary way brands condition the market to buy.

AI Overviews and zero-click SERPs have broken the traffic model. SEO ROI now depends on brand strength, not just rankings.

Is SEO a brand channel or a performance channel? Now it’s both

<div><img width="1920" height="1081" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/How-LLMs-See-Brands.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="How LLMs see brands" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/How-LLMs-See-Brands.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/How-LLMs-See-Brands-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/How-LLMs-See-Brands-1536x865.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>A roundtable of SEO’s most trusted voices explains how LLMs really surface brands, why shortcuts fail, and what's working now.

<div><img width="1920" height="1081" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/How-LLMs-See-Brands.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="How LLMs see brands" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/How-LLMs-See-Brands.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/How-LLMs-See-Brands-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/How-LLMs-See-Brands-1536x865.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>
<p>One of the biggest SEO challenges right now isn’t AI. It’s the irresponsible misinformation surrounding it. </p>



<p><a href="https://searchengineland.com/ai-search-booming-seo-still-not-dead-458935">SEO isn’t dying — it’s evolving</a>. That means it’s on us to understand how the industry is changing, and to be careful about who we listen to.</p>



<p>I’m not easily shocked, but some of the AEO (or GEO) talks I’ve seen over the past year have been genuinely eyebrow-raising — even for someone with Botox. </p>



<p>I still remember one speaker telling a room full of marketers they were “sorry for anyone still working in SEO,” then immediately recommending outdated tactics as the “secret sauce” for LLM visibility. It’s been… painful.</p>



<p>Thankfully, the adults have entered the room. This week, four of the industry’s most trusted voices — <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-ray-44755615/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lily Ray</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinindig/">Kevin Indig</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevetothjr/">Steve Toth</a>, and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosshudgens/">Ross Hudgens</a> — came together for a roundtable on the future of search. It was easily the most useful AEO session I’ve attended. Each shared specific tactics they’ve personally used to achieve LLM visibility. </p>



<p>Here’s what they had to say.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-advertorials-work">1. Advertorials work</h2>



<p>LLMs don’t currently distinguish between paid and organic editorial. That means well-placed advertorials on reputable publishers can help brands show up in AI search, much like earned coverage. As with traditional PR, the publication&#8217;s credibility still matters most.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-syndication-can-scale-visibility">2. Syndication can scale visibility</h2>



<p>Paid syndication can increase reach, but quality matters more than quantity. Focus on reputable, relevant publications and use this tactic carefully.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-map-pages-to-every-audience-and-use-case-you-serve">3. Map pages to every audience and use case you serve</h2>



<p>Brands that create clearly defined pages for each audience, industry, and use case are better positioned as AI search becomes more personalized. This structure helps LLMs understand relevance and remains a strong SEO practice, with or without AI.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-homepage-clarity">4. Homepage clarity</h2>



<p>Your homepage should clearly communicate who you serve and what you do. LLMs parse homepage content far more easily than navigation menus, so relying on your nav to explain your offering is a missed opportunity.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-optimize-your-footer">5. Optimize your footer</h2>



<p>Don’t overlook your footer. Brand and service signals placed here are being picked up by LLMs. Wil Reynolds shared <a href="https://www.seerinteractive.com/insights/ai-optimization-test-footers-are-back-like-2003">a great case study</a> showing how footer content can directly influence AI visibility.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-6-don-t-prioritize-llm-txt">6. Don’t prioritize llm.txt</h2>



<p>Despite the speculation, no major LLM has confirmed using llm.txt files, and <a href="https://www.seroundtable.com/google-does-not-endorse-llms-txt-40789.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google has explicitly said it does not</a>. Your time and effort are better spent elsewhere.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-7-go-multimodal">7. Go multimodal</h2>



<p>Repurpose your core content across text, video, audio, and imagery. The goal is to build brand recognition across the full range of sources an LLM may pull from.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-8-actively-shape-your-brand-narrative">8. Actively shape your brand narrative</h2>



<p>Actively shape your brand narrative. It&#8217;s estimated that 250 documents are needed to meaningfully influence how an LLM perceives a brand. Brands that don’t publish and promote content consistently risk letting others define that narrative for them.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-9-freshness-carries-disproportionate-weight">9. Freshness carries disproportionate weight</h2>



<p>Recent content tends to perform especially well in AI search, reflecting LLMs’ preference for up-to-date information. That said, artificial “refreshing” without meaningful updates is a bad idea.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-10-social-works-fast">10. Social works fast</h2>



<p>Posts on platforms like LinkedIn—including Pulse articles—can appear in AI search within hours, sometimes minutes, especially for accounts with strong followings. Reddit, YouTube, and other high-trust platforms show similar behavior.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-11-authority-accelerates-inclusion">11. Authority accelerates inclusion</h2>



<p>Publishing on respected, niche industry sites can lead to rapid inclusion in LLM responses — sometimes within hours.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-12-don-t-hide-faqs">12. Don’t hide FAQs</h2>



<p>FAQs should be visible and substantial, not hidden behind accordions. Don’t hold back on content either— eight to 10 well-answered questions can clearly signal expertise, intent, and relevance to both users and LLMs.</p>



<ol class="wp-block-list"></ol>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-aeo-the-same-as-seo">Is AEO the same as SEO? </h2>



<p>This much-debated question was <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/schwartze_everyones-looking-for-the-aeogeo-secrets-activity-7405672878899187712-j_ln/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">addressed directly by John Mueller at Google Search Live</a> in December. Putting the AEO cowboys in their place, he made it clear that good AEO still relies on good SEO:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>&#8220;AI systems rely on search. and there is no such thing as GEO or AEO without doing SEO fundamentals. Tricks will come out and they will work for a short time, companies that want to be around for the long term should focus on something that is proven with long term stability and not tricks.&#8221; </li>
</ul>



<p>The overlap makes sense when you look at how modern LLMs like GPT-5 actually work. They use Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). Rather than relying only on frozen training data, RAG lets an LLM query search engines and trusted sources in real time before answering. </p>



<p>Put simply: if you want LLM visibility, you need to show up in search first.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nJkT8zOzcM">Lily Ray has an excellent video</a> explaining this process in more detail, which is well worth watching.</li>
</ul>



<p>So yes, good AEO is good SEO — but there’s nuance. The tactics above work right now, but they will inevitably evolve as LLMs continue to advance.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-best-ai-search-strategy-for-2026">The best AI search strategy for 2026</h2>



<p>Forget the magic button. Keep testing. Stay skeptical of the hype. And be selective about who you let into your ear — or your LinkedIn feed.</p>



<p><em>Thanks to Bernard Huang and Clearscope for hosting this excellent panel.</em></p>


One of the biggest SEO challenges right now isn’t AI. It’s the irresponsible misinformation surrounding it. 
SEO isn’t dying — it’s evolving. That means it’s on us to understand how the industry is changing, and to be careful about who we listen to.
I’m not easily shocked, but some of the AEO (or GEO) talks I’ve seen over the past year have been genuinely eyebrow-raising — even for someone with Botox. 
I still remember one speaker telling a room full of marketers they were “sorry for anyone still working in SEO,” then immediately recommending outdated tactics as the “secret sauce” for LLM visibility. It’s been… painful.
Thankfully, the adults have entered the room. This week, four of the industry’s most trusted voices — Lily Ray, Kevin Indig, Steve Toth, and Ross Hudgens — came together for a roundtable on the future of search. It was easily the most useful AEO session I’ve attended. Each shared specific tactics they’ve personally used to achieve LLM visibility. 
Here’s what they had to say.
1. Advertorials work
LLMs don’t currently distinguish between paid and organic editorial. That means well-placed advertorials on reputable publishers can help brands show up in AI search, much like earned coverage. As with traditional PR, the publication’s credibility still matters most.
2. Syndication can scale visibility
Paid syndication can increase reach, but quality matters more than quantity. Focus on reputable, relevant publications and use this tactic carefully.
3. Map pages to every audience and use case you serve
Brands that create clearly defined pages for each audience, industry, and use case are better positioned as AI search becomes more personalized. This structure helps LLMs understand relevance and remains a strong SEO practice, with or without AI.
4. Homepage clarity
Your homepage should clearly communicate who you serve and what you do. LLMs parse homepage content far more easily than navigation menus, so relying on your nav to explain your offering is a missed opportunity.
5. Optimize your footer
Don’t overlook your footer. Brand and service signals placed here are being picked up by LLMs. Wil Reynolds shared a great case study showing how footer content can directly influence AI visibility.
6. Don’t prioritize llm.txt
Despite the speculation, no major LLM has confirmed using llm.txt files, and Google has explicitly said it does not. Your time and effort are better spent elsewhere.
7. Go multimodal
Repurpose your core content across text, video, audio, and imagery. The goal is to build brand recognition across the full range of sources an LLM may pull from.
8. Actively shape your brand narrative
Actively shape your brand narrative. It’s estimated that 250 documents are needed to meaningfully influence how an LLM perceives a brand. Brands that don’t publish and promote content consistently risk letting others define that narrative for them.
9. Freshness carries disproportionate weight
Recent content tends to perform especially well in AI search, reflecting LLMs’ preference for up-to-date information. That said, artificial “refreshing” without meaningful updates is a bad idea.
10. Social works fast
Posts on platforms like LinkedIn—including Pulse articles—can appear in AI search within hours, sometimes minutes, especially for accounts with strong followings. Reddit, YouTube, and other high-trust platforms show similar behavior.
11. Authority accelerates inclusion
Publishing on respected, niche industry sites can lead to rapid inclusion in LLM responses — sometimes within hours.
12. Don’t hide FAQs
FAQs should be visible and substantial, not hidden behind accordions. Don’t hold back on content either— eight to 10 well-answered questions can clearly signal expertise, intent, and relevance to both users and LLMs.




Is AEO the same as SEO? 
This much-debated question was addressed directly by John Mueller at Google Search Live in December. Putting the AEO cowboys in their place, he made it clear that good AEO still relies on good SEO:
“AI systems rely on search. and there is no such thing as GEO or AEO without doing SEO fundamentals. Tricks will come out and they will work for a short time, companies that want to be around for the long term should focus on something that is proven with long term stability and not tricks.” 
The overlap makes sense when you look at how modern LLMs like GPT-5 actually work. They use Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). Rather than relying only on frozen training data, RAG lets an LLM query search engines and trusted sources in real time before answering. 
Put simply: if you want LLM visibility, you need to show up in search first.
Lily Ray has an excellent video explaining this process in more detail, which is well worth watching.
So yes, good AEO is good SEO — but there’s nuance. The tactics above work right now, but they will inevitably evolve as LLMs continue to advance.
The best AI search strategy for 2026
Forget the magic button. Keep testing. Stay skeptical of the hype. And be selective about who you let into your ear — or your LinkedIn feed.
Thanks to Bernard Huang and Clearscope for hosting this excellent panel.

A roundtable of SEO’s most trusted voices explains how LLMs really surface brands, why shortcuts fail, and what's working now.

How to optimize for AI search: 12 proven LLM visibility tactics

<div><img width="1920" height="1097" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/bar-chart-1920.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/bar-chart-1920.jpg 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/bar-chart-1920-768x439.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/bar-chart-1920-1536x878.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>42% said they would not block Google and 25% are still unsure.

<div><img width="1920" height="1097" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/bar-chart-1920.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/bar-chart-1920.jpg 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/bar-chart-1920-768x439.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/bar-chart-1920-1536x878.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>
<p>Google announced yesterday that it is exploring ways for sites to <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-may-give-sites-a-way-to-opt-out-of-ai-search-generative-features-468063">opt out of Google using their content</a> for its AI-generative search features, such as AI Mode and AI Overviews. I asked the SEO community on X if they would opt out of these Google Search AI-generative features or not.</p>



<p><strong>The results. </strong>Of the over 350 responses that took the poll yesterday, most said they would not opt out.  However, about 1/3 of respondents said they would block or opt out of these features. Here is the breakdown:</p>



<p>Question: Would you block Google from using your content for AI Overviews and AI Mode?</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>33.2% &#8211; Yes, I&#8217;d block Google</li>



<li>41.9% &#8211; No, I wouldn&#8217;t block</li>



<li>24.9% &#8211; I am not sure yet.</li>
</ul>



<p>Here is the actual poll:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Would you block Google from using your content for AI Overviews and AI Mode &#8211; Google may be giving us more controls &#8211; take my poll below. <a href="https://t.co/60M3Vt0YlN">https://t.co/60M3Vt0YlN</a></p>&mdash; Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) <a href="https://twitter.com/rustybrick/status/2016468488622071935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2026</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p><strong>How to opt out. </strong>We don&#8217;t know. Google only said it is &#8220;exploring&#8221; ways to handle this but has not provided any mechanism for this.  So we don&#8217;t know how hard or easy it would be to opt out.  The easier it is, the more likely sites will opt out; the harder, the less likely. </p>



<p><strong>Why we care. </strong>The true number of sites that might opt out of AI Mode or AI Overviews won&#8217;t be known until the mechanism is out to handle this.  And trust me, there will be many reports on how many sites are opting out. </p>



<p>Like recently, &#8220;Some 79% of almost 100 top news websites in the UK and US are blocking at least one crawler used for AI training out of OpenAI’s GPTBot, ClaudeBot, Anthropic-ai, CCBot, Applebot-Extended and Google-Extended,&#8221; reported <a href="https://pressgazette.co.uk/platforms/eight-in-ten-of-worlds-biggest-news-websites-now-block-ai-training-bots/">The Press Gazette</a>.</p>



<p>My recommendation; once it is out, it is something you will want to test and see the results of opting out or opting in.</p>


Google announced yesterday that it is exploring ways for sites to opt out of Google using their content for its AI-generative search features, such as AI Mode and AI Overviews. I asked the SEO community on X if they would opt out of these Google Search AI-generative features or not.
The results. Of the over 350 responses that took the poll yesterday, most said they would not opt out.  However, about 1/3 of respondents said they would block or opt out of these features. Here is the breakdown:
Question: Would you block Google from using your content for AI Overviews and AI Mode?
33.2% – Yes, I’d block Google
41.9% – No, I wouldn’t block
24.9% – I am not sure yet.
Here is the actual poll:


Would you block Google from using your content for AI Overviews and AI Mode – Google may be giving us more controls – take my poll below. https://t.co/60M3Vt0YlN
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) January 28, 2026





How to opt out. We don’t know. Google only said it is “exploring” ways to handle this but has not provided any mechanism for this.  So we don’t know how hard or easy it would be to opt out.  The easier it is, the more likely sites will opt out; the harder, the less likely. 
Why we care. The true number of sites that might opt out of AI Mode or AI Overviews won’t be known until the mechanism is out to handle this.  And trust me, there will be many reports on how many sites are opting out. 
Like recently, “Some 79% of almost 100 top news websites in the UK and US are blocking at least one crawler used for AI training out of OpenAI’s GPTBot, ClaudeBot, Anthropic-ai, CCBot, Applebot-Extended and Google-Extended,” reported The Press Gazette.
My recommendation; once it is out, it is something you will want to test and see the results of opting out or opting in.

42% said they would not block Google and 25% are still unsure.

1/3rd of publishers say they will block Google Search AI-generative features like AI Overviews

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Your-guide-to-Google-Ads-Smart-Bidding-800x450.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Your guide to Google Ads Smart Bidding" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Your-guide-to-Google-Ads-Smart-Bidding-800x450.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Your-guide-to-Google-Ads-Smart-Bidding-600x338.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Your-guide-to-Google-Ads-Smart-Bidding-200x113.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Your-guide-to-Google-Ads-Smart-Bidding-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Your-guide-to-Google-Ads-Smart-Bidding-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Your-guide-to-Google-Ads-Smart-Bidding.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>Google’s v23 Ads API speeds up releases while adding deeper Performance Max insights, AI-driven audiences, and more granular reporting.

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Your-guide-to-Google-Ads-Smart-Bidding-800x450.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Your guide to Google Ads Smart Bidding" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Your-guide-to-Google-Ads-Smart-Bidding-800x450.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Your-guide-to-Google-Ads-Smart-Bidding-600x338.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Your-guide-to-Google-Ads-Smart-Bidding-200x113.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Your-guide-to-Google-Ads-Smart-Bidding-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Your-guide-to-Google-Ads-Smart-Bidding-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Your-guide-to-Google-Ads-Smart-Bidding.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>
<p>Google released v23 of the Google Ads API, the first update of 2026. It marks the start of a faster release cadence. </p>



<p><strong>What’s new</strong>. The update adds deeper Performance Max reporting, more granular invoicing, AI-powered audience tools, expanded campaign controls, and more:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Performance Max transparency:</strong> Ad network type breakdowns are now available for PMax campaigns.</li>



<li><strong>More detailed invoices:</strong> Campaign-level costs, regulatory fees, and adjustments can be retrieved via InvoiceService.</li>



<li><strong>More precise scheduling:</strong> Campaigns can now use start and end date-times instead of date-only fields.</li>



<li><strong>Local data access:</strong> Store location details are available through PerStoreView, matching the Stores report.</li>



<li><strong>New audience dimension:</strong> LIFE_EVENT_USER_INTEREST enables life-event-based audience building in Insights tools.</li>



<li><strong>Smarter Demand Gen planning:</strong> Conversion rate forecasts now vary by surface (e.g., Gmail, Shorts).</li>



<li><strong>Generative AI audiences:</strong> Free-text audience descriptions can be translated into structured audience attributes.</li>



<li><strong>Expanded Shopping metrics:</strong> New competitive and conversion metrics are available by conversion date.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Why we care</strong>. A faster update cycle lets advertisers and developers access new capabilities sooner, especially as Google pushes deeper into automation, AI-driven planning, and cross-campaign visibility.</p>



<p><strong>Plan for upgrades</strong>. Some updates require upgrading client libraries and code, so teams may need to plan development time to fully benefit from v23.</p>



<p><strong>Google&#8217;s announcement.</strong> <a href="http://ads-developers.googleblog.com/2026/01/announcing-v23-of-google-ads-api.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Announcing v23 of the Google Ads API</a></p>


Google released v23 of the Google Ads API, the first update of 2026. It marks the start of a faster release cadence. 
What’s new. The update adds deeper Performance Max reporting, more granular invoicing, AI-powered audience tools, expanded campaign controls, and more:
Performance Max transparency: Ad network type breakdowns are now available for PMax campaigns.
More detailed invoices: Campaign-level costs, regulatory fees, and adjustments can be retrieved via InvoiceService.
More precise scheduling: Campaigns can now use start and end date-times instead of date-only fields.
Local data access: Store location details are available through PerStoreView, matching the Stores report.
New audience dimension: LIFE_EVENT_USER_INTEREST enables life-event-based audience building in Insights tools.
Smarter Demand Gen planning: Conversion rate forecasts now vary by surface (e.g., Gmail, Shorts).
Generative AI audiences: Free-text audience descriptions can be translated into structured audience attributes.
Expanded Shopping metrics: New competitive and conversion metrics are available by conversion date.
Why we care. A faster update cycle lets advertisers and developers access new capabilities sooner, especially as Google pushes deeper into automation, AI-driven planning, and cross-campaign visibility.
Plan for upgrades. Some updates require upgrading client libraries and code, so teams may need to plan development time to fully benefit from v23.
Google’s announcement. Announcing v23 of the Google Ads API

Google’s v23 Ads API speeds up releases while adding deeper Performance Max insights, AI-driven audiences, and more granular reporting.

Google Ads API v23 brings PMax data, richer invoicing, scheduling

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/When-search-performance-improves-but-pipeline-doesnt.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="When search performance improves but pipeline doesn’t" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/When-search-performance-improves-but-pipeline-doesnt.jpg 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/When-search-performance-improves-but-pipeline-doesnt-768x432.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/When-search-performance-improves-but-pipeline-doesnt-1536x864.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>Strong rankings and traffic can mask post-click breakdowns. These breakpoints show where intent, conversion, and measurement fail.

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/When-search-performance-improves-but-pipeline-doesnt.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="When search performance improves but pipeline doesn’t" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/When-search-performance-improves-but-pipeline-doesnt.jpg 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/When-search-performance-improves-but-pipeline-doesnt-768x432.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/01/When-search-performance-improves-but-pipeline-doesnt-1536x864.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>
<p>Many search teams are seeing better rankings, more visibility, increased traffic, and more leads. </p>



<p>Yet feedback on pipeline, revenue, and sales outcomes isn’t showing the same positive results.</p>



<p>When <a href="https://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo">SEO</a> KPIs are green and graphs are up and to the right, business outcomes don’t always reflect the same success.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-strong-search-performance-doesn-t-translate-to-business-outcomes">Why strong search performance doesn’t translate to business outcomes</h2>



<p>Search performance can look healthy on the surface while breaking down in places search teams don’t own or fully see.</p>



<p>It’s tempting to turn immediately to attribution models, data quality, or KPI definitions.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Ultimately, the issue is often how performance breaks down after the click – in areas search teams don’t own.</p>



<p>While search work has become easier to scale with automation, software, established workflows, and frameworks, execution doesn’t equal understanding or deeper control.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This challenge has existed for more than 20 years and can be magnified by scale.</p>



<p>Stopping analysis too early, or keeping it too shallow, limits understanding of performance in the broader context of the business or brand.</p>



<p>In larger organizations, silos widen the gap. When CRM and sales aren’t tightly integrated with search, teams operate independently, with no one owning the full journey.</p>



<p>Pressure from leadership can intensify the problem.&nbsp;</p>



<p>When results look good but fail to deliver at the bottom line, the lack of clarity becomes uncomfortable for everyone. This dynamic isn’t new, but it’s becoming more pronounced.</p>



<p>To help address these disconnects, here are five breakpoints to focus on.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-intent-misalignment">1. Intent misalignment</h2>



<p><a href="https://searchengineland.com/search-intent-more-types-430814">Intent</a> is what search teams focus on when shaping the content, topics, and focus used to attract target audiences through search. That’s a given.&nbsp;</p>



<p>It doesn’t always match or map to deeper factors such as buying stage, urgency, or alignment with internal sales expectations at a given moment or season.</p>



<p>If traffic is qualified by topic, keyword, or other search criteria, even when intent is aligned with the best available research and data, a prospect’s sales readiness and stage can still be missing or difficult to quantify.</p>



<p>Analyzing what problem the searcher believed they were solving, and how closely that aligns with how sales positions the offering, can help close the gap between search and sales.</p>



<p>That, in turn, allows teams to question whether they are optimizing for demand, curiosity, or another aspect of how someone enters the customer journey.</p>



<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/explain-flat-traffic-seo-467757">How to explain flat traffic when SEO is actually working</a></em></strong></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-conversion-friction">2. Conversion friction</h2>



<p>When leads driven by search convert on the website, it can become an uncomfortable situation if they don&#8217;t ultimately become clients or customers, and sales has strong opinions about those conversions.</p>



<p>There are many reasons for this friction. Technically, the leads pass the criteria outlined and agreed on within the organization or with an agency.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Problems often exist silently in another gap, sometimes categorized as conversion rate optimization or tied to brand, product development, or related areas. But that is often a distraction.</p>



<p>When teams drill into lead specifics and qualification, the issues often come down to generic forms, CTAs that are not tightly aligned, or unclear next steps between form submission and an actual conversation.</p>



<p>Conversions do not equal customers, or even a commitment to the sales process. </p>



<p>Key questions center on the promise made in the search results, the website content the visitor consumed, and whether the landing page and site journey fulfilled the visitor’s intended goal.</p>



<p>Most importantly, when evaluating performance, teams need to ask what signal a conversion actually sends to the organization, versus what the prospect intended.</p>



<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/seo-tests-improve-traffic-engagement-conversions-454934">6 SEO tests to help improve traffic, engagement, and conversions</a></em></strong></p>



<div class="nl-inline-form border py-2 px-1 my-2">
	
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			<p class="text-center mb-0" style="font-size: .75rem;"><a class="nl-terms" href="https://searchengineland.com/termsofuse" target="_blank" aria-label="opens in a new tab">See terms.</a></p>
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<hr class="wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color has-css-opacity has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background"/>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-lead-qualification-gaps">3. Lead qualification gaps</h2>



<p>Whether you operate within a company or environment, including agency and in-house teams, that uses lead scoring and qualification or not, ensuring that marketing-qualified leads are sales-ready is critical in a lead-focused business.</p>



<p>This article is not intended to delve deeply into the differences between marketing-qualified and sales-qualified leads or into all the nuances involved.&nbsp;</p>



<p>However, the challenge cannot be overstated when teams lack shared understanding and definitions.</p>



<p>That includes scoring models, definitions of what qualifies as “qualified,” who agreed to those definitions, and what happens when sales rejects leads.</p>



<p>This may not be comfortable territory to navigate.&nbsp;</p>



<p>But reaching standard definitions and qualification criteria can be some of the most helpful and meaningful work teams do, because it helps prove the value of search.</p>



<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/monitor-website-performance-seo-metrics-463985">How to monitor your website’s performance and SEO metrics</a></em></strong></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-sales-handoff-and-follow-up">4. Sales handoff and follow-up</h2>



<p>Yes, I’m sharing points, but this is the one that tends to hit the hardest and may be the most challenging.&nbsp;</p>



<p>That’s because you may be a C-level executive, manager, agency partner, or otherwise oversee or be directly involved in the marketing-to-sales handoff.</p>



<p>We are adversaries, friends, and colleagues. I’m not here to revisit the fundamentals of marketing versus sales. But I&#8217;m here to challenge you.</p>



<p>Speed, messaging, and context matter. This is not just about getting a form in front of someone as quickly as possible and whether they fill it out.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Substance and detail matter. Getting the right prospect with the right context, carried through from how they searched and found you, is critical.</p>



<p>Yes, this is harder when analyzing customer journeys that involve LLMs and other sources, but that doesn’t mean teams can’t or shouldn’t try to understand that behavior.</p>



<p>When a disconnect appears in this category, teams should push to understand whether sales knows why the lead came in, how quickly follow-up happened, and whether the messaging aligns with the original intent. These are key areas that help teams tune or adjust their strategies.</p>



<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/seo-great-sales-leads-terrible-436954">9 things to do when SEO is great but sales and leads are terrible</a></em></strong></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-measurement-blind-spots">5. Measurement blind spots</h2>



<p>Sometimes everything appears to be in place.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Analytics shows conversions and search leads qualify, but there is no movement when reviewing CRM results.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Whether attribution becomes messy, impatience sets in, gray areas emerge, or other factors are at play, blind spots can form.</p>



<p>This often leads teams to default to their own metrics.&nbsp;</p>



<p>No one wins when KPIs are not shared or when there is no single source of truth and trust.</p>



<p>When visibility stops and ownership of “connecting the dots” is unclear, challenges emerge regardless of function, team, or leadership role.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Decisions then get made without full context.</p>



<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/measuring-what-matters-in-a-post-seo-world-460664">Measuring what matters in a post-SEO world</a></em></strong></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-cost-of-not-knowing-what-s-working">The cost of not knowing what’s working</h2>



<p>I&#8217;m not writing this article to be hard on search marketing leaders or practitioners. This is not a failure of search.</p>



<p>If any of the challenges described here feel familiar, you are not alone, and they are likely cross-functional to solve.</p>



<p>Marketing leaders do not need perfection when it comes to attribution or search efforts. That is not realistic. What is needed instead are better questions, shared definitions, and clear ownership.</p>



<p>The biggest danger is not when performance drops, but when performance is strong and no one knows with confidence why.</p>



<p>Scaling always involves risk, and teams should not scale efforts without conviction or a clear understanding of that risk.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Ultimately, the goal is for search work to build credibility, confidence, and influence beyond deep expertise in search engines and large language models tied to visibility.</p>

Many search teams are seeing better rankings, more visibility, increased traffic, and more leads. 
Yet feedback on pipeline, revenue, and sales outcomes isn’t showing the same positive results.
When SEO KPIs are green and graphs are up and to the right, business outcomes don’t always reflect the same success.
Why strong search performance doesn’t translate to business outcomes
Search performance can look healthy on the surface while breaking down in places search teams don’t own or fully see.
It’s tempting to turn immediately to attribution models, data quality, or KPI definitions. 
Ultimately, the issue is often how performance breaks down after the click – in areas search teams don’t own.
While search work has become easier to scale with automation, software, established workflows, and frameworks, execution doesn’t equal understanding or deeper control. 
This challenge has existed for more than 20 years and can be magnified by scale.
Stopping analysis too early, or keeping it too shallow, limits understanding of performance in the broader context of the business or brand.
In larger organizations, silos widen the gap. When CRM and sales aren’t tightly integrated with search, teams operate independently, with no one owning the full journey.
Pressure from leadership can intensify the problem. 
When results look good but fail to deliver at the bottom line, the lack of clarity becomes uncomfortable for everyone. This dynamic isn’t new, but it’s becoming more pronounced.
To help address these disconnects, here are five breakpoints to focus on.
1. Intent misalignment
Intent is what search teams focus on when shaping the content, topics, and focus used to attract target audiences through search. That’s a given. 
It doesn’t always match or map to deeper factors such as buying stage, urgency, or alignment with internal sales expectations at a given moment or season.
If traffic is qualified by topic, keyword, or other search criteria, even when intent is aligned with the best available research and data, a prospect’s sales readiness and stage can still be missing or difficult to quantify.
Analyzing what problem the searcher believed they were solving, and how closely that aligns with how sales positions the offering, can help close the gap between search and sales.
That, in turn, allows teams to question whether they are optimizing for demand, curiosity, or another aspect of how someone enters the customer journey.
Dig deeper: How to explain flat traffic when SEO is actually working
2. Conversion friction
When leads driven by search convert on the website, it can become an uncomfortable situation if they don’t ultimately become clients or customers, and sales has strong opinions about those conversions.
There are many reasons for this friction. Technically, the leads pass the criteria outlined and agreed on within the organization or with an agency. 
Problems often exist silently in another gap, sometimes categorized as conversion rate optimization or tied to brand, product development, or related areas. But that is often a distraction.
When teams drill into lead specifics and qualification, the issues often come down to generic forms, CTAs that are not tightly aligned, or unclear next steps between form submission and an actual conversation.
Conversions do not equal customers, or even a commitment to the sales process. 
Key questions center on the promise made in the search results, the website content the visitor consumed, and whether the landing page and site journey fulfilled the visitor’s intended goal.
Most importantly, when evaluating performance, teams need to ask what signal a conversion actually sends to the organization, versus what the prospect intended.
Dig deeper: 6 SEO tests to help improve traffic, engagement, and conversions
Get the newsletter search marketers rely on.
  
				
								
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See terms.
3. Lead qualification gaps
Whether you operate within a company or environment, including agency and in-house teams, that uses lead scoring and qualification or not, ensuring that marketing-qualified leads are sales-ready is critical in a lead-focused business.
This article is not intended to delve deeply into the differences between marketing-qualified and sales-qualified leads or into all the nuances involved. 
However, the challenge cannot be overstated when teams lack shared understanding and definitions.
That includes scoring models, definitions of what qualifies as “qualified,” who agreed to those definitions, and what happens when sales rejects leads.
This may not be comfortable territory to navigate. 
But reaching standard definitions and qualification criteria can be some of the most helpful and meaningful work teams do, because it helps prove the value of search.
Dig deeper: How to monitor your website’s performance and SEO metrics
4. Sales handoff and follow-up
Yes, I’m sharing points, but this is the one that tends to hit the hardest and may be the most challenging. 
That’s because you may be a C-level executive, manager, agency partner, or otherwise oversee or be directly involved in the marketing-to-sales handoff.
We are adversaries, friends, and colleagues. I’m not here to revisit the fundamentals of marketing versus sales. But I’m here to challenge you.
Speed, messaging, and context matter. This is not just about getting a form in front of someone as quickly as possible and whether they fill it out. 
Substance and detail matter. Getting the right prospect with the right context, carried through from how they searched and found you, is critical.
Yes, this is harder when analyzing customer journeys that involve LLMs and other sources, but that doesn’t mean teams can’t or shouldn’t try to understand that behavior.
When a disconnect appears in this category, teams should push to understand whether sales knows why the lead came in, how quickly follow-up happened, and whether the messaging aligns with the original intent. These are key areas that help teams tune or adjust their strategies.
Dig deeper: 9 things to do when SEO is great but sales and leads are terrible
5. Measurement blind spots
Sometimes everything appears to be in place. 
Analytics shows conversions and search leads qualify, but there is no movement when reviewing CRM results. 
Whether attribution becomes messy, impatience sets in, gray areas emerge, or other factors are at play, blind spots can form.
This often leads teams to default to their own metrics. 
No one wins when KPIs are not shared or when there is no single source of truth and trust.
When visibility stops and ownership of “connecting the dots” is unclear, challenges emerge regardless of function, team, or leadership role. 
Decisions then get made without full context.
Dig deeper: Measuring what matters in a post-SEO world
The cost of not knowing what’s working
I’m not writing this article to be hard on search marketing leaders or practitioners. This is not a failure of search.
If any of the challenges described here feel familiar, you are not alone, and they are likely cross-functional to solve.
Marketing leaders do not need perfection when it comes to attribution or search efforts. That is not realistic. What is needed instead are better questions, shared definitions, and clear ownership.
The biggest danger is not when performance drops, but when performance is strong and no one knows with confidence why.
Scaling always involves risk, and teams should not scale efforts without conviction or a clear understanding of that risk. 
Ultimately, the goal is for search work to build credibility, confidence, and influence beyond deep expertise in search engines and large language models tied to visibility.

Strong rankings and traffic can mask post-click breakdowns. These breakpoints show where intent, conversion, and measurement fail.

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Read the Latest Trends and Headlines in Digital Marketing.

Here are some of the latest headlines on digital marketing insights, search, and ecommerce:

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Reach out with any questions you might have regarding how RSO can help you with digital marketing.

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Digital Marketing