AI is changing our world, it’s a fact. It’s not going to go back in the bottle, no matter how much we try.

If we don’t act, our competitors will, and we’ll lose market share.

With AI, just like any new technology, there are some good sides and opportunities, and there are some bad sides and risks. But let’s see how AI can help get more brand visibility and play in our favour.

AI opportunities: more brand visibility

We ask AI stuff we would have never asked Google before. LLM’s are an extension of traditional search marketing, not a replacement, giving us more opportunities for brand visibility.

People don’t use AI search the same way they use Google search. They now know which platform is best for any question they might have.

They keep AI searches for long research, that would require a couple of hours or more using the traditional Google searches (for example organising a trip somewhere with many parameters).

But they also know that some queries will get them an answer quicker on Google.

AI overviews are only available for about 30% of queries, and some are still unique to Google (tools related keywords for example).

AI opportunities: easier to do research and write content

For people in charge of writing content, LLM’s are an incredible help. You can research and write an article in less than 30 minutes if your prompts are right. Marketers can now write their content themselves, or at least brief the content expert very easily, saving both time and budget.

Much much easier fro us to write content, or create any type of content – but it is also the case for our competitors. It is virtually impossible to get visibility with sloppy or average content. Content written about proprietary data, unique point of view, polls or stats is even more crucial than before.

Should you optimise for Google or for LLM’s?

Why not do both?

You shouldn’t change your SEO optimisation to replace with LLMs optimisation, because a blue link on page 1 will bring traffic and conversions, which brand mention or citation won’t. But they can complement each other.

Common optimisations

The good thing is that traditional SEO optimisations also work for GEO or AEO. Clean code, page speed, quality content, topical expertise, PR & backlinks, information architecture … They are all required for both SEO and GEO.

Optimisations specific to GEO/AEO

Prompts

Users type prompts instead of keywords that you can track the same way you do for keywords. Tracking on all LLMs can be pricey – current tools charge $200 per LLM

Query Fan Out

An LLM bot will execute what is called a “query fan out” meaning they will look ay many sources to get their answers: many queries on search engines, and other source of information like reddit, social media or YouTube videos. Make sure your brand is at its best on all channels!

Freshness and preferred format

AI uses training data (updated every 6 month) and live retrieval. Freshness is a more a important parameter in AI than on Google, and recent publication will get a head start in the race for visibility.

AI prefers short, straight to the point formats: listicles (Top 10 / Best), comparison (x vs y), numbers (250 people did this).

To get a chance to get quoted, start a section with an affirmative statement and make sure every section is self contained with clear headers. 

Ready to embark on the SEO/GEO journey? get in touch

I’ve met so many prospects and clients who spent a lot of money getting SEO recommendations, but the SEO recommendations never got implemented. That is one of the drawbacks of working project-based vs retainer: if nobody owns the SEO project management, the recommendations are very quickly forgotten.

The issue is that SEO is a bit like a stone in the shoe – we know we need to get it sorted, but we can still walk with the stone in the shoe. So we keep walking… Without getting the web traffic our content deserves.

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Do you know if you’re getting the most out of your Adwords account with your current agency ?

I am going to show you 4 ways to audit your Google Ads account, so you know if it’s getting the attention it deserves.

I am using as an example a fake company called “PuppyDelight”, that sells organic food for puppies.

1. Keyword selection

A first sign of missed opportunities is when the only keywords your agency is bidding on are “branded” keywords. 

Branded keywords are either your brand name (PuppyDelight), or a combination of your brand name with another word, for example “PuppyDelight dry food”. 

Branded keywords usually have a low CPC (cost per click) and a high conversions rate, it’s an easy way to make your account look good. 

But you’re not acquiring any new customer when you bid on your own brand. People already know you as they are typing your name in. They are just avoiding to type your full domain in the address bar to buy your product.

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Drawing on data from numerous sources, including Google, Facebook and even Youporn, Seth Stephens Davidowitz demonstrates that people are not always truthful when they answer surveys, or when they update their social media status.

The truth is out there though…

Google has become the friendly ear of the web we share all our secrets with.

Following in the wake of “Freakonomics” and other data based books, “Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are” is a gold mine of information for quantitative analysis fans, and particularly if you’re interested in SEO.

As stated in the Guardian : “The trails we leave as we seek knowledge on the internet are tremendously revealing”. And social sciences now finally have an effective measuring tool: Big Data.

Sexist bias in Google searches relating to gifted and overweight children in the US, France and the UK.

In Everybody Lies, Seth looks at the sexism demonstrated by internet users. When it comes to subjects like obesity and extreme intelligence, parents in the US ask Google different questions depending on the gender of their children.

Consider questions about a child’s weight. Parents Google “Is my daughter overweight?” roughly twice as frequently as they Google “Is my son overweight?” (pp. 135-136).

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