Jake Ward Profile picture
Nov 24, 2023 15 tweets 5 min read Read on X
We pulled off an SEO heist that stole 3.6M total traffic from a competitor.

We got 489,509 traffic in October alone.

Here's how we did it: Image
We pulled off an SEO heist using AI.

1. Exported a competitor’s sitemap
2. Turned their list of URLs into article titles
3. Created 1,800 articles from those titles at scale using AI

18 months later, we have stolen:

- 3.6M total traffic
- 490K monthly traffic
How we did it?

18 months ago, this was a totally manual process.

Today, there are tools to help automate 90% of the process.

Here’s how:
1. Find a competitor

Which website ranks for the keywords you want to rank for?

- Brainstorm
- Use Ahrefs/Semrush
- Manually search on Google Image
2. See their sitemap

To find your competitor’s sitemap, add the following to their domain:

website.com/sitemap.xml
Image
Their sitemap shows a list of all the URLs on their website.

However, the URLs in the sitemap must be descriptive to get the
best results...

For example:


website.com/t/1043423
website.com/how-to-make-so…
3. Export sitemap

Google “convert XML to CSV” and use one of the free tools to export the sitemap as a CSV file. Image
4. Generate ideas

Using the list of competitor URLs, it’s time to generate article ideas.

Add the URLs from the sitemap into Byword’s Write From URLs feature and scrape the URLs. Image
Byword generates article titles and outlines based on the competitor URLs provided.

For example:

might get translated to:
A Beginner's Guide to Making Soup website.com/how-to-make-so…
Image
5. Write with AI

Optional: Edit the suggested titles and headings for the articles... Image
Once ready, generate AI content for your final set of articles. Image
6. Publish quickly

Publish the content straight onto your website using CMS integrations (to save time). Image
Results?

Using this process, we published 1,800 articles in a few hours.

Since then:

- 490K monthly traffic
- 3.6M total since publishing
- 13K keywords on page 1 of Google

The best part? We’ve taken that traffic from our competitors. Image
Try for yourself...

Sign up at to try this feature and get 5 articles for free. Byword.ai
Image
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More from @jakezward

Aug 13
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
“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
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
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
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
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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