Jake Ward Profile picture
Aug 18, 2023 20 tweets 7 min read Read on X
Update: 0 to 820K/mo SEO traffic with AI content.

- Traffic after 24 hours
- 300K/mo after 6 months
- 750K/mo after 12 months
- 820K/mo after 16 months
- 10K top 3 keywords in Google

Here's not only how we did it 16 months ago...

But how to do it even better: Image
Quick overview:

We ran a large-scale SEO campaign using only AI-generated content.

Website: B2B SaaS company
Industry: Finance

AI language model:

- Started on GPT-3
- Moved to GPT-3.5
- Now on GPT-4

AI tool used: Byword.ai
Results timeline:

I've updated this case study every 3-4 months...

Keywords (top 3 in Google):

- Sept 22: 1,506
- Jan 23: 3,194
- Apr 23: 4,317
- Today: 10,150

Monthly organic traffic:

- Sept 22: 300K
- Jan 23: 660K
- Apr 23: 750K
- Today: 820K

7M total sessions: Image
How we did it:

All content was produced at scale using it was publicly available.

But that was 16 months ago. Technology has since evolved.

In this post, I won't just show you how we did it 16 months ago.

But I'll show you how to do it even better...Byword.ai
1. Understanding the target audience

A large part of a successful AI content campaign is knowing what your audience is searching.

Ways we researched:

- Keyword research tools
- Competitor keyword data
- Ideation around the product
- Scraping competitor sitemaps
For example, if targeting Excel users, use Ahrefs' matching terms report and look for patterns in the data (for step 2). Image
2. Choose scalable topic series

Find a series of topics with 100s or 1,000s of keywords to target.

Here are the 6 we chose: Image
An example of a scalable topic series targeting Excel users is:

How to calculate [formula] in Excel Image
3A. Generate content for each topic series

Use to generate the AI content from your topics (it can produce 1,000s in a day). https://t.co/ocrDW5Q1lsByword.ai
Image
3B. Enable internal linking first

Internal linking is crucial. But it wasn't possible to automate 16 months ago.

Add your sitemap and let Byword do the rest. Image
3C. Upgrade the AI image model

AI-generated images were fairly poor at the time.

But now, Byword has an upgraded option that also allows you to add brand colours. Image
4. Build the website architecture

Create an area on the site to house the content to ensure Google can find and crawl the pages easily. Image
Each of those pages then houses the individual posts for that topic series (like a HTML sitemap). Image
5. Publish quickly

Publish the content and ensure all URLs are in the XML sitemap and submitted in Search Console.

Byword has integrations with CMS platforms to speed this up. Image
6. Submit to Google for indexing at scale

We published over 7,000 articles. Google takes its time indexing
every single page.

Instead, use a tool like @TagParrot to automatically request indexing to Google for each page. Image
7. Results...

Wait 3+ months to see traffic.

However, this project saw traffic as soon as the next day.

The time to rank will depend on the existing authority of the website. Image
Traffic graphs: Image
What does it cost?

Large-scale AI campaigns like this require the 'Unlimited' monthly plan.

(The majority, if not all, of the content can be generated within 1 month.) Image
But you can try Byword for free:

Simply enter your topic here and generate your article. Image
Questions?

I'm replying to all comments over the next 5 days.

Ask me anything on the first tweet below:

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More from @jakezward

Aug 13, 2025
Keyword research is useless in AI search.

Buyers don’t type keywords, they ask questions.

Here’s how I find what they ask:
1. Product category “seeds”

I start by searching the broad seed terms for my product category using a keyword research tool like Ahrefs.

E.g. AEO, GEO, AI search optimization. Image
2. Bottom-funnel filters

But I filter to only show terms that indicate someone is looking for a product like mine.

E.g. tool, platform, software. Image
Read 11 tweets
Aug 7, 2025
“I have no idea how to do SEO in 2025"

SEO isn't just Google rankings anymore.

It's now "Search Everywhere Optimization".

Reframe your “New SEO” project as a game and you'll become addicted to levelling up.

Start from level 1 in my “New SEO” game:
Level 1: Traditional SEO

- Audit your site for technical issues
- Research keywords and target quick wins
- Optimize on-page elements (titles, content)
- Build backlinks via guest posts and digital PR
Level 2: AI Search Optimization

- Optimize content for AI Overviews
- Structure content for AI consumption
- Create citation-worthy content for AI search
- Test how your brand appears in AI search results
Read 11 tweets
Jul 30, 2025
Traditional SEO is “get clicks”
LLM SEO is “get cited”

If AI doesn’t know you, the searcher won’t either.

10 examples how SEO is evolving:
1. Traditional SEO

Search → Click → Read

LLM SEO

Ask → Get answer → Act
2. Traditional SEO

Rank high in Google SERPs.

LLM SEO

Be part of the AI-generated answer. Image
Image
Read 13 tweets
Jul 15, 2025
You’re watching SEO change in real time.

It’s called LLM SEO (or LEO). And it’s already sending 100,000s of users to your competitors.

Here's how you can get ahead: Image
What is LEO?

It’s about optimising your brand and content to become the answer in LLM platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and now most crucially, Google’s AI Mode.

This isn’t just a new traffic source.

It’s a whole new search ecosystem.
We’re actively managing SEO for 30+ sites.

And we’re already seeing 5–15% of their monthly traffic coming from LLM platforms (and growing MoM).

Most of the traffic (around 95%) is from ChatGPT, with the rest from Perplexity, Claude, and others.

This isn’t theoretical, it’s happening now.Image
Read 20 tweets
Jul 7, 2025
I track Google search trends so you don’t have to.

7 content trends I’ve found this week:

1. Content Repurposing

One piece of content can generate dozens. AI tools are making it easy to turn blogs into threads, podcasts into clips, webinars into reels. Create, then multiply. Image
What it means for you:

Founders: Build or integrate repurposing engines for niche formats, e.g. SaaS explainers to LinkedIn posts, or long-form YouTube to TikTok. Speed and accuracy are the moat.

Marketers: Stop creating from scratch. Build workflows where one asset fuels ten. Show ROI by mapping how a single piece scales across channels and stages.

Creators: This is true leverage. Try: “How I turned one video into 12 posts,” or “My AI content flywheel.” Teach your system and show results. People are hungry for scale without burnout.
2. AI Story Generator

AI tools are getting better at creating full narratives: stories with plot, pacing, character arcs, and emotional beats.

What started as gimmicky short tales is evolving into scripts, books, and branded storytelling at scale. Image
Read 16 tweets
Jul 2, 2025
Stop doing keyword research in 2025.

Start with search market research instead:

1. See the true size of your SEO opportunity
2. Decide if SEO is even worth the investment
3. Build a high-ROI content roadmap from day 1

Here’s exactly how I do it:
Traditional keyword research is dead.

Instead, find your Total Addressable Search Market (TASM) before investing in SEO.

Which is exactly what we did for our client:

“I am blown away by the quality of the [TASM] doc you made tbh”

I’ll show you how it was done: Image
1. Define your scope

- What products/services do you offer?
- Who are your customers?
- What pain points or outcomes do they search for?
- Who are your competitors?

This sets the boundaries of your search market.
Read 14 tweets

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