Google AI Mode launched in UK, Bing on indexing for AI search, Microsoft launches Copilot Mode

The fundamental optimisations required to actually appear in Generative AI Platforms for relevant queries remain very similar to traditional SEO tactics (if you were already doing SEO correctly). However, whilst the tactics remain pretty much the same, these platforms and products have changed the search landscape in one major way. When it comes to informational intent queries – users are less likely to visit your website from a Generative AI Platform like ChatGPT or one of Google’s LLM driven AI features like AI Overviews. Essentially, the growth of these platforms and features is leading to an increase in “zero click searches” i.e. searches for which users never click through to a website. When it comes to Google’s own AI features, in the year after the introduction of AI Overviews, the number of impressions on Google increased 49% but the click-through rate fell 30% (according to a BrightEdge study) . In another Ahrefs analysis across 300,000 searches, top organic results lost 34.5% of their clicks when an AI answer was present. I have run multiple reviews of websites that have seen a drop in CTR since the introduction of AI Overviews, and have observed that AI Overviews are mainly reducing click-through rates for a certain subset of informational-intent queries that I call “immediate response” intent content. In other words, situations where users ask Google a specific, typically low-stakes, question for which they just want a quick answer. The hallmark of “immediate response” intent queries is that the users don’t really care that much about the source of the content and they have no intention of reading a comprehensive guide etc. As for standalone Generative AI platforms, whilst things were looking quite positive in terms of click through to websites, we’ve seen a significant reversal in this trend recently with one study showing that ChatGPT referral traffic dropped by 52% in August 2025 vs July 2025. This teaches us a valuable lesson – these platforms are constantly evolving and we cannot take for granted that any trends will persist in the long term. In fact SEO expert, Malte Landwehr, recently shared data that suggests that zero click searches are even more prevalent on ChatGPT and other AI platforms / features than on Google search. So whilst the tactics are familiar, the age of AI answers does require a fundamental shift when it comes to SEO at a strategic level. I'll discuss that in more detail in my next post. #geo #zeroclicksearch #seo

Google just announced AI Mode. 🚨 This changes everything about how people will find your content. Here's what every SEO professional needs to know right now: 👇 What Just Happened 💡 Google rolled out AI Mode in Search across the U.S. - their most powerful AI search experience yet. The impact? AI Overviews already drive 10%+ increase in search usage. AI Mode takes this exponentially further. The 5 Game-Changing Features 🎯 1. Query Fan-Out Technology → AI breaks questions into subtopics automatically → Issues hundreds of simultaneous searches → Discovers hyper-relevant content deeper in search results → Your niche content can now get discovered even without top rankings 2. Deep Search Capabilities → Creates expert-level, fully-cited reports in minutes → Reasons across disparate information sources → Synthesizes hundreds of search results → Citations become more valuable than ever 3. Live Visual Search → Real-time camera-based search with conversational AI → Instant explanations and suggestions → Links to websites, videos, forums as resources → Visual content optimization now critical 4. Agentic Shopping & Actions → AI completes tasks like buying tickets, making reservations → Analyzes hundreds of options with real-time data → Fills forms and completes transactions → E-commerce SEO strategies need immediate overhaul 5. Personal Context Integration → Uses past searches, Gmail, and Google app data → Delivers hyper-personalized results → Connects user intent across platforms → Generic content loses even more relevance What This Means for SEO 📊 The Citation Opportunity 📝 With Deep Search creating fully-cited reports, getting cited by AI becomes the new ranking. How to become AI's preferred source: → Create the most comprehensive content on your topics → Use clear, scannable formatting with headers → Include verifiable data and statistics → Link to authoritative sources yourself → Update content regularly with fresh information Link Building in the AI Era 🔗 Links matter more than ever, but for different reasons: Old reason: PageRank and ranking signals New reason: Authority validation for AI citations Focus on links from: → Sites AI frequently cites → Research institutions and universities → Industry authorities and thought leaders → High-traffic pages with engaged audiences The Bottom Line 💯 AI Mode accelerates the shift from "ranking" to "being cited." Your content needs to be so comprehensive, authoritative, and well-structured that AI has no choice but to reference it. Want to build authority links that AI systems recognize? My database includes verified domains that strengthen citation signals: https://lnkd.in/gdzdbgqS 🔍 How are you adapting your SEO strategy for AI Mode? 🤔 Follow Panos Bampalis for AI-era SEO strategies 👤

We are cited in an AI search engine, so means we are found already. In this case, it was Perplexity AI. The presence of contentscale.site in the recommended URLs, as indicated by tools like Perplexity, can be attributed to its relevance and authority in the field of SEO and AI content strategy, particularly for the Netherlands and expat businesses. Here’s a breakdown of how Perplexity likely identified this URL and its significance: How Perplexity Found the URL? Relevance to Queries: Perplexity analyzes search queries and identifies URLs that provide pertinent information. The queries related to on-page optimization, local SEO trends, and AI impact in the Netherlands align closely with the content offered by ContentScale. Content Analysis: The platform likely assesses the content quality and relevance of various websites. ContentScale’s focus on SEO strategies and compliance with Dutch regulations makes it a valuable resource for users interested in these topics. Structured Data and Alt Text: Perplexity might utilize structured data from websites, which helps in understanding the context and semantics of the content. Websites that optimize their images and content with descriptive alt text and structured data are more likely to be favored in search results. Significance of ContentScale.site Focus on Local SEO: ContentScale specializes in SEO strategies tailored for the Netherlands, making it a critical resource for local businesses and expats. Compliance Guidance: The site offers insights into GDPR compliance and cookie laws, which are essential for businesses operating in or targeting the Dutch market. AI Integration: With an emphasis on AI-driven content strategies, ContentScale provides valuable information on how to leverage AI for SEO, which is increasingly relevant in today's digital landscape. ContentScale.site is the proof that you may have a DR os 98 or a DR of zero. Quality content is what AI is looking for. Conclusion In summary, contentscale.site is included in the recommended URLs because it provides relevant, high-quality information that aligns with the specific needs of users researching SEO and compliance in the Netherlands. The combination of structured data, effective alt text usage, and a focus on local trends makes it a trusted source in this domain.

🧩 [Recap – Part 1/2] SEO Reborn Summit 2025 ✨ AI Stacking – Speaker: Karl Kanger This is one of the 11 presentations at the event. 🎤 Topic: “AI Stacking – How to win in search and AI at the same time” Speaker: Karl Kanger (Smash Digital, Founder of SEO Estonia & SEO Chiang Mai) 1️⃣ The “AI Panic” Moment Karl said the SEO community can be divided into three groups as AI takes over: 😨 Desperate: Think SEO is dead, traffic is gone. 🙈 Indifferent: Keep doing things the old way, ignoring AI. 💡 Adaptive: Believe SEO still lives - we just need to evolve. “As long as humans search for information, SEO will exist. The rules and the playground just change.” 2️⃣ Lessons from Past Shifts Karl compared today’s AI disruption to earlier SEO “earthquakes”: 🔹 Google Penguin (2012): This update targeted backlink spam. - Karl lost rankings for all 20 of his sites overnight and almost quit SEO. - But he later realized the core principles never changed - only the tactics did. He bounced back by focusing on link quality, not quantity - and it worked. 🔹 Featured Snippets (Top 0): - When Google introduced featured snippets, many SEOs panicked as traffic dropped by 30%. - But those who adapted - optimizing for snippets - jumped from #9 to “Top 0,” often gaining more clicks than position #1. 💡 Takeaway: SEO principles don’t change - execution does. According to Karl, AI tools like ChatGPT are still rookies compared to Google, the old fox that has battled SEO tactics for decades. That means… there’s still huge opportunity. 3️⃣ How AI Actually Works AI still relies on traditional SEO signals - authority, content, and citations. The difference: with AI, high-authority sites like Reddit, Forbes, and Wikipedia become key reference sources that strengthen an AI’s confidence in its answers. AI generally works in two modes: ⚡ Instant Reply: Answers instantly from pre-trained data for simple keywords (e.g., “What is link building?”) 🔍 Research Mode: For complex questions (e.g., “SEO trends 2025”), AI will: - Break the query into smaller parts - Search real-time data on the web - Synthesize and return a comprehensive answer And this is where we can actually influence AI’s answers - by optimizing content, building brand authority, and showing up on the sources AI references. 🧠 Karl also shared how different systems pull their data: - ChatGPT uses Bing Search (Note: SEONGON’s tests show it sometimes pulls from Bing, sometimes from Google). - Google AI Overviews obviously uses Google’s own search data. Perplexity uses its own crawling system (but 90% of its results still overlap with - Google’s top 10 - meaning it’s built largely on Google’s foundation). 👉 Part 2 will dive into the AI Stacking strategy - how to win on both Google Search and AI systems. Link: https://lnkd.in/giU_EPMp

October 21st 2025. A brand new search engine is presented to the world. I will treat this like when Google was released on September 4, 1998. I just asked it this question: "How do I go about getting seo ranked on Chatgpt atlas?" Mark my words, I’m doing everything I can to dominate these search results. Headed to find my goldmines. First: What “SEO on ChatGPT Atlas” Actually Means Unlike Google, ChatGPT Atlas doesn’t have traditional “search result pages.” Instead, it draws from: Open-web content that’s publicly indexable (like your blog posts, YouTube transcripts, and product pages). AI-search integrations (OpenAI’s web search and Bing index). Structured, trusted sources — companies and creators with clearly verifiable websites, authorship, and expertise. So “ranking” here means: Being cited or surfaced inside AI answers, summaries, and snippets when people ask related questions. Step-by-Step: How To Get Ranked on ChatGPT Atlas (and AI search generally) 1. Make Your Site Crawlable to AI Ensure your site is publicly accessible, fast, and indexable (no noindex, robots.txt blocks, or gated content). Include an updated sitemap.xml and schema markup for pages, articles, FAQs, and products. Use clean HTML — AI models read text first, not fancy design. 2. Focus on “How-To” and “What-Is” Content ChatGPT ranks answers that directly solve a user’s question. - Add 3-4 “How to” or “What” questions (and short answers) to every blog. - Use conversational, clear writing — avoid keyword stuffing. - Include your name + company (“Author: Brad Smith, AutomationLinks”) so the AI can credit you. 3. Connect Your Content Ecosystem Atlas uses OpenAI’s own search + Bing + YouTube + social signals. That means: Publish transcripts of your YouTube videos as blog posts. Cross-link to them on Substack, Medium, and LinkedIn (all publicly indexed). Add canonical tags back to your main domain so the authority flows to your site. 4. Optimize for AI Snippets AI prefers clear, scannable formatting: Use short paragraphs (1–3 lines). Add bullet points and headers with clear intent (“Step 1,” “Key Benefits,” “Example”). Provide structured data for FAQs and How-Tos. Include definitions and comparisons (e.g., “Automation vs Manual Follow-up”). 5. Build an AI-Authority Graph To appear in AI answers, your online presence must match across: Website “About” page LinkedIn / X profile YouTube channel Press or podcast appearances When those all reference the same person + brand + domain, ChatGPT Atlas treats it as a trusted expert source. 6. Submit and Monitor Use tools like Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Bing Copilot to ask: “Who is [your name] from [brand]?” or “Best AI marketing agencies.” Track when your site appears in answers or citations — that means it’s indexed. Keep publishing fresh educational content; recency matters to AI. Anyone else going to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity? This could make me more money than Bitcoin!

We’ve seen a similar pattern at BoloSign. When we publish long-form guides or help docs that are structured for search (clear headings, FAQs, concise summaries), they don’t just perform better on Google — they start showing up inside AI-generated answers too. Here’s what’s really happening behind the scenes: AI models aren’t scraping the web randomly. They’re referencing trusted, indexed content — and in many cases, pulling directly from what Google already considers the best version of an answer. That means the old SEO advice of “just write valuable content” isn’t enough anymore. Now, value has to be sa tructured value: Clear intent-driven sections. Snippet-ready answers. Consistent brand signals across your site. When we optimized BoloSign’s knowledge base and comparison pages this way, the impact was immediate. Not only did organic traffic jump, but queries like “DocuSign alternative for small businesses” started surfacing BoloSign in AI chat results too. This is where SEO and AI search fully converge — where clarity, freshness, and entity consistency become your ranking currency. If your brand creates educational or product-led content, this is the perfect time to rethink how you structure it. AI won’t just find your pages — it will quote them. Kudos to SEO Stuff for breaking this down so clearly. This is the future of discoverability, and it’s already here.

Alex Groberman nailed something we’ve been seeing unfold all year, and it ties directly to what I wrote about in “Your Buyer’s Brain Has Changed.” (https://lnkd.in/gJhwNJ76) LLMs aren’t just search engines powered by AI. They’ve become solution engines. What Alex explained about snippet parsing, entity consistency, and recency bias highlights a new reality: AI doesn’t find the best answers anymore. It decides what the best answer is. If your content isn’t the one it trusts, someone else’s opinion becomes the truth. This is why SEO can’t just stand for “Search Engine Optimization” anymore. It now means Solution Engine Optimization. Creating content systems that are: ✅ Clear enough for AI to cite ✅ Honest enough for humans to trust ✅ Authoritative enough to lead the conversation What Alex calls “snippet-ready” content is exactly what transparent marketing aims for: problem-obsessed, frequently updated, structured clearly, and confident enough to say, “Here’s where we’re the right fit, and here’s where we’re not.” This isn’t just about SEO. It’s about building a trust architecture for the new web. The companies that start now will become the voices AI relies on and the ones their buyers turn to first. #SEO #AEO #GEO #B2BMarketing #ContentStrategy #DemandCapture

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐀𝐄𝐎 𝐈𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐄𝐎? It’s tempting to call AEO a “new SEO,” but right now, there’s very little standardized playbook for brands. I’ve noticed one thing: you can’t just tack AI onto SEO and call it “next-gen.” Most current advice boils down to “track your prompts, watch what gets cited, rework your content.” In my own research, building reusable templates based on real customer questions feels promising, but it’s also clear that no one is tracking these patterns at scale except a handful of startups. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟭. 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 SEO is about ranking a page. AEO is about being cited in an AI answer. In one experiment, only ~12% of ChatGPT citations overlapped with Google’s top SERP results. That means 88% of AI citations come from outside “top-ranked” pages. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐄𝐎 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐀𝐈 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝟮. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰 & 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀 ≠ 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 In AI citation data, organic traffic correlated to only ~5% of the outcome. Surprisingly, backlinks sometimes show an inverse relationship with being cited in AI. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐒𝐄𝐎 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫—𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞. 𝟯. 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 “AI is lazy” is a phrase worth holding onto: listicles and comparative content command ~32% of AI citations. Opinion and traditional blogs (~9%) lag behind. 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧, 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 “𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫” 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐈. 𝟰. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 ChatGPT transforms your full query into a compressed 5–7 keyword version, then uses Bing + WebGPT to finalize the citation. Perplexity works on embeddings, its own index. It doesn’t simply “search” like Google. 𝐀𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐒𝐄𝐎’𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 + 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲. 𝟓. 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 > 𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 SEO leans on domain authority and internal link structures. AEO leans on who cites you across the web—Reddit threads, UGC, niche references, external voices. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻. What I Want to Explore Further - How Search is Fundamentally Changing? - Trigger signals for AI citation: what nudges an AI to pick one source over another? I’m still piecing this out in real time. Huge thanks to Profound and Josh Blyskal for shedding light on this frontier in AI search. If you’re already experimenting—or want to question this—let’s talk. #AEO #SEO #AIsearch #GenAI #AnswerEngineOptimization #Profound #AIvisibility

Day 6 — How Google’s Algorithm Has Evolved (Quick Timeline) If you still think SEO is just “adding keywords,” you’ve missed two decades of evolution. Google’s algorithm has gone from keyword-counting to context-understanding — and if you don’t evolve with it, you’ll be left behind. – The Early Days (2000–2010): The Keyword Era Back then, SEO was simple: stuff your site with keywords, get a few backlinks, and watch your page soar. But it was also messy — spammy sites ranked higher than real experts. Google started realizing: relevance means more than repetition. – 2011–2013: Panda & Penguin Clean-Up This was Google’s first big sweep. Panda targeted thin, low-quality content; Penguin penalized shady backlink schemes. It was the internet’s first reality check — overnight, many “SEO experts” disappeared. – 2015–2018: RankBrain & The Rise of AI RankBrain changed everything. Google began learning like a human — understanding intent, not just text. This was the start of AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) without anyone calling it that yet. Suddenly, “why,” “how,” and “near me” queries mattered more than ever. – 2019–2022: BERT, MUM & Context Revolution BERT made Google fluent in natural language. MUM took it further — understanding meaning across languages, formats, and even images. From GEO-based searches (“near me”) to conversational AEO queries (“what’s the best option for me”), the web became more about "people" than "pages". – 2023–2025: SGE, AI, and Human-Centric SEO Welcome to the era of Search Generative Experience (SGE). Google now answers *before* users click. SEO isn’t about “ranking first” anymore — it’s about *being the answer* in AI summaries, snippets, and local packs. It’s not SEO vs. AI. It’s SEO *with* AI. SEO has never been about tricking Google — it’s about *understanding how it thinks.* From keywords to conversations, Google’s evolution mirrors our own: smarter, faster, more human. And if your strategy doesn’t evolve too, you’re optimizing for a past that no longer exists.

Today while scrolling through Search Engine Journal, I stumbled upon an article that completely shifted how I think about SEO in the age of AI. It's about "Vector Index Hygiene" – and it's revealing a blind spot most of us have. Here's what's happening: We've mastered traditional SEO: making content findable in Google's search results. But there's now a second battlefield – making content retrievable by AI systems like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. When someone asks these AI tools a question, they don't show 10 blue links. They give ONE direct answer. And they're choosing whose content to cite based on entirely different criteria. The problem? Content pollution. The article breaks down 5 ways we're accidentally making our content invisible to AI: 1️⃣ Boilerplate duplication – That "Welcome to XYZ Company, industry leader since 2010..." intro you copy-paste on every page? AI sees it 100 times and learns to ignore it. 2️⃣ Noise leakage – When promotional CTAs, newsletter signups, and ads are mixed into your educational content, AI can't distinguish what's valuable. 3️⃣ Vague answers – FAQ responses like "It depends" or "Contact us for details" are useless when AI needs complete, standalone information. 4️⃣ Bloated blocks – Paragraphs that talk about 5 different topics confuse AI about what the content is really about. 5️⃣ Stale content – Old statistics, outdated prices, and references to past events make AI distrust your information. Why this matters: AI breaks your content into chunks, converts them to mathematical patterns (embeddings), and retrieves specific pieces to answer questions. If your chunks are polluted with repetitive fluff or broken into nonsensical fragments, you're invisible. The solution: ✅ Write unique, descriptive intros for each page ✅ Make every section self-contained – no "as mentioned above" ✅ Give complete FAQ answers with specific details ✅ Keep each paragraph focused on ONE topic ✅ Separate promotional content from educational content ✅ Update outdated information regularly One quote that hit home: "Traditional SEO makes content findable. Vector hygiene makes content retrievable." We need both now. My action plan: Starting this week, I'm auditing our top pages for: > Repetitive intros (biggest offender for us) > Incomplete FAQ answers > Mixed promotional/educational content These aren't massive rewrites, just strategic cleanup to make our content AI-friendly. The reality? AI is already chunking and indexing your content whether you've thought about it or not. The question is: are those chunks clean enough for AI to actually use them? 📖 Full article: https://lnkd.in/dUXYu_et Worth the read if you're managing any kind of content strategy. Has anyone here started optimizing for AI retrieval yet? I'd love to hear what's working. #SEO #ContentStrategy #AISearch #TechnicalSEO #DigitalMarketing #ContentOptimization #VectorSearch