SEO 4 AI is Just SEO
SEO 4 AI is the buzzy topic of the moment (with the acronym collection to prove it). But is it any different from normal SEO?
Nope!
Thanks for reading…
In case that’s not enough for you, here’s what a founder in the space has to say about it.
But first!
Why listen to what I’m about to copy-paste below? These are the reasons why Lorelight shut down.
What is Lorelight?
According to its about page:
a generative engine optimization (GEO) platform to help businesses track their brand mentions in AI search engines like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity.
Back to the point of all this, SEO 4 AI is just SEO.
Straight from the Lorelight shut down post (bolding is mine):
After analyzing hundreds of queries across ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, I found that brands with high AI search visibility all had the same characteristics:
- Quality content that genuinely helped people
- Mentions in authoritative publications
- Strong reputation in their space
- Genuine expertise and thought leadership
Sound familiar?
It should. Because it’s the exact same stuff that’s always worked for SEO, PR, and brand building.
There was no secret formula. No hidden hack. No special optimization technique that only applied to AI.
The AI models are trained on the same content that builds your brand everywhere else. They cite the same authoritative sources. They reference the same trusted publications.
There’s no such thing as “GEO strategy” or “AI optimization” separate from brand building. At least not for the vast majority of brands.
Focusing on AI tactics or SEO tactics or social algorithm hacks is a distraction. You’re building on rented land with a lease that can change at a moment’s notice.
Focus on what you can control and own.
Your brand.
Your channels.
Your story.
Everything else is an amplifier. Amps need inputs.
The internet is word of mouth with a steroid problem.
Co-create your brand with your audience.
Don’t sell the product first, sell the reason someone should care.
When people are scrolling, they want to be informed or entertained. Not sold to.
The “sponsored content” tag doesn’t exempt you from this fact. It means you have to work even harder to make people care.
via DTC Daily
What people think and feel is more important than what is “true.”
Shoppers don’t care what the indicators say about the strength of the economy or buying power. They care about how it feels to watch the numbers tally up at checkout.
Vibecessions feel worse than recessions.
via EMARKETER
Replace “music” with “marketing,” the idea’s still sound.
And this nugget is perfect for thinking about your messaging:
every part has to be really, not necessarily catchy, but something about it that draws you in, and they all work against each other rhythmically.
You build a song with your touchpoints. Each moment and message doesn’t need to be the hook, the sing-along, the hit. But they need to work together to create a cohesive whole. They support and enhance each other. The collective causes movement.
via Song Exploder
I love this idea of “little councils of weird strategic thinkers”
“Full service” really just means “these are the full list of services we want to offer.” Marketing is too big to have one agency that can truly do it all. Or at least do it all well.
Be weird. Be strategic. Be curious.
Search: Then & Now
Search, the old way: craft a machine-interpretable query, plug into search bar, sift through 10+ blue links (sound a bit like prompt engineering?).
Search, the new way: open favorite app, toss in casual query, entertain your way to an answer.
Thanks to the rise of contextual machine understanding, everything is a search engine now.
“Search has fundamentally transformed from this old model of ‘I have a question, I need an answer,’ to really a place for stories and perspective”
&
“They’re not just looking for quick answers. They’re looking to explore, compare, and really shape their perspectives.”
Consumers are smarter and more empowered than ever before.
Build relationships by providing value via a brand with a personality.
October’s consumer confidence survey results = 😐
Consumer confidence moved sideways in October…Changes to the individual subcomponents were also limited and largely cancelled each other out.
Confidence…
declined for consumers under 35
and…among consumers over 55
improved for consumers aged 35 to 54
fell for consumers making less than $75K a year
improved for most of the income groups making more than $75K
largest increase among those earning over $200K
Younger consumers and consumers earning over $75K have been the most optimistic overall
🎶Sp-sp-splinters🎶