Your competitor with worse content is outranking you on both Google and AI search.

The reason? They cracked the code on this ONE ranking factor that works across Google and every other LLM.

Here's how to get the same unfair advantage in 2025… 👇

LLMs prioritize brands.

They don’t just scan for keywords. They surface recognizable names.

If your brand isn’t being searched or showing up in discussions… you’re out of the conversation.

Google’s no different.

Every time someone searches your brand, it’s treated as a trust signal.

More branded queries = stronger E-E-A-T = higher rankings and more visibility in AI answers.

Here’s how to trigger those brand searches fast: 1️⃣Syndicate your content across Reddit, LinkedIn, Medium

This is where AI platforms are pulling the real training data from.

Take every blog post, thread, or video you create and republish it in native format across:

• Reddit (in relevant subreddits with value-first framing)
• LinkedIn (formatted as native article posts)
• Medium (use canonical tags to avoid duplicate content)

This creates web-wide touchpoints where your brand name is attached to helpful info, which Gemini, ChatGPT, and Perplexity love to cite.

Site got hammered by the latest June update?

Don’t panic-rewrite all your content yet.

Most sites got hit for something way dumber, and easier to fix.

Here’s what to check before nuking all your content: 👇 Across tons of client sites, one trend keeps showing up:

UX signals like Core Web Vitals, mobile usability, and site speed are getting way more attention in the algo.

Not saying it’s the only factor (it’s not). But it’s a tie-breaker. Especially in competitive SERPs.

And in the June update, it looks like Google quietly turned up the dial.

So if your site takes 3+ seconds to load on mobile, your content quality doesn't matter.

Your competitors are stealing your organic traffic while you sleep (and most SEOs have no clue it's happening).

It's called "content decay" and it's destroying rankings faster than any Google update.

Here's how to spot it and fix it before it kills your traffic: 👇

Google constantly compares your content against fresh competitors.

When someone publishes better, more current content on your topic, you slide down.

Hence, your old content loses relevance over time.

What ranked #3 two years ago might be sitting at #47 today.

Most SEOs only notice this when traffic tanks. By then, you've already lost months of potential revenue. The solution:

Set up a quarterly content audit system.

Here's my exact process:

- Export your top 50 traffic-driving pages from Google Analytics
- Check their current rankings in your rank tracker
- Identify any pages that dropped 5+ positions in the last 90 days
- Flag articles with outdated stats, broken links, or missing recent developments

Google just quietly purged millions of pages from their index... And most site owners had no idea until their traffic tanked.

Since early June, SEOs worldwide started reporting massive drops in indexed pages.

We're talking 50-70% of entire sites getting removed from Google's index.

One French marketer lost thousands of pages overnight. Another saw 127 pages go from indexed to "crawled but not indexed" in days.

But here's the twist - many sites actually saw TRAFFIC INCREASE.

Google wasn't randomly destroying websites. They were cleaning the house.

Here's what got the axe:

• Pages that hadn't been updated in 2+ years
• Content with keyword stuffing (especially in opening paragraphs)
• Pages with zero internal links pointing to them
• Duplicate or thin content that added no value
• AI-generated content that was obviously low-quality
• Content completely unrelated to the site's main topic The real cause? Google tightened their topical authority requirements.

They're now more aggressive about punishing sites that stray from their lane or keep dead weight content around.

What this means for your SEO strategy:

✅ Audit your content - remove or improve weak pages
✅ Stop publishing off-topic content just for traffic
✅ Update old posts with current information
✅ Add internal links to important pages
✅ Focus on becoming THE authority in your specific niche

Most SEOs are still manually begging for backlinks.

Smart operators are building assets that attract links automatically.

Here's the exact framework they're using in 2025:

1. Build 1-2 killer linkable assets as your hub:

• Status pages (SaaS companies get hundreds without trying)
• Transparent pricing pages or affiliate pages
• Company origin stories or “About” pages with personality
• Pages showing you’re bootstrapped, remote-first, or open financials

Here’s how I find what works before wasting time building anything:

Pop a competitor into Ahrefs > Backlinks > Best by Links.

Look for the content that’s pulling the most domains. Reverse-engineer their templates. Then build your own spin.

This shows you what’s already working instead of guessing.

When you’re done building them, let your links pile up over time.

From there, pass that authority through internal links to your money pages. 2. Use proven content ideas

Content angles that almost always land links:

• Industry-specific stats and data
• Controversial takes on existing numbers
• Quizzes and assessments
• Simple calculators or tools
• Free resources that solve a real problem

Word count doesn’t matter. Utility does.

Always validate before building.

Run your idea through backlink checks. See how many domains are linking to similar content.

Then hit Reddit, Twitter, or Quora. If no one’s talking about it, you’re probably wasting your time.

Google’s AI Overviews are swallowing traffic like a black hole.

Instead of whining about it, we decided to test a system to reverse-engineer visibility in AI search.

The result? +1,400% growth in monthly AI traffic. 164 AI Overview keywords.

Here’s the full system you can swipe, step-by-step. 🧵 1️⃣ Analyze how AI bots crawl your site

Most people never look at their log files.

Which means they’re blind to how bots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity actually interact with their site.

Here’s how to extract that data and spot pages AI is ignoring:

- Download your server’s raw access logs from your host (SiteGround, Hostinger, etc)

- Upload to ChatGPT-4o with this prompt:

“Analyze these logs for hits from user agents with: google, gptbot, perplexitybot, claudebot, google-extended. Output crawl frequency, top crawled pages, and status codes.”

- Then ask:

• “Create a crawl frequency chart over time”
• “Break down crawl data by HTTP status”
• “List the 10 least crawled URLs by AI bots”
• “Now list the 10 most crawled URLs”

You’ll get bar charts and clear data to work with.

What to look for next 👇

A recent Graphite study found that sites with high topical authority gain traffic 57% faster than those with low authority.

Here's the framework you can use to measure and build topical authority in 2025: 🧵

1/ First, let's define what topical authority actually is.

It's not just publishing lots of content about a topic.

According to Kevin Indig's Growth Memo, it includes:

• Depth of expertise through consistent, high-quality content
• Entity coverage that matches Google's understanding
• Backlink signals from trusted sources in your space
• Providing final answers that complete user journeys 2/ Proof that topical authority is non-negotiable:

→ Leaked Google documents verify site-level quality signals
→ Google's own "News Topic Authority" system for specialized verticals
→ Yandex materials show topic-graph coverage affects rankings
→ DOJ trial exhibits reveal Google's ABC signals (Anchors, Body, Clicks)

This isn't SEO folklore anymore.

Text alone won’t get you into Google’s AI Overviews.

Today’s AI models summarize blended content: text, images, tables, and videos.

And they favor the sources that give them more formats to work with.

Here’s how to prep your content for multimodal visibility: 👇

1. Use descriptive alt text

Avoid keyword-stuffing. Just describe the image naturally:

✅ alt="red brick greenhouse with sliding door"
❌ alt="greenhouse greenhouse greenhouse" 2. Rename your image files

AI reads filenames too.

Use hyphenated keywords like: ‘bamboo-planter-lobby.jpg’ instead of ‘IMG_2312.JPG’

Everyone's freaking out about GEO, LLMO, and AEO.

After 7 months of running tests across tons of sites… I can tell you this:

It's all built on SEO fundamentals.

The same principles that rank you on Google also get you cited in ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity.

So before you buy into shiny new tactics that promise “AI visibility”…here's what actually moves the needle: 🧵 1. Trust Signals

AI tools pull from review platforms to assess business credibility and expertise.

Build trust signals in the right places:

- Local businesses: prioritize Google Business Profile reviews and responses
- SaaS companies: maintain strong G2 and Capterra profiles
- Ecommerce: focus on Trustpilot or industry-specific review platforms
- Respond to reviews professionally and keep profiles updated

16 years of SEO advice in 2 minutes:

1. SEO always evolves, and so should you. The second you stop learning, you fall behind. 2. Traffic without conversions is a vanity metric. Focus on revenue, not clicks. Money > pageviews.

Old SEO: Stuff your keyword in the H1, H2, H3, and image alt
New SEO: Match intent, cover related subtopics, and write like a human Old SEO: Build 50-page affiliate sites
New SEO: Build authority hubs with layered content, schema, and AI-ready formatting

If you’re not showing up in AI search right now, the problem might not be your website.

You might be invisible in the places that train the algorithms.

Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and even DuckDuckGo are pulling data from dozens of places to decide which brands show up.

Here’s how to gain real visibility in 2025: 🧵

1️⃣ Brand presence = AI visibility

Most generative search tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity) pull from:

• Directories (eg. Yelp)
• Trusted third-party sites (Crunchbase, BBB)
• Review platforms (Trustpilot, Google Reviews)
• News outlets (TechCrunch, NYTimes)
• Niche forums (Reddit, Quora)

If your name isn’t mentioned across the right sources, you simply won’t be part of the answer.

Start with:

✅ Industry-specific directories
✅ Review platforms
✅ Reddit, Quora, niche communities
✅ Press mentions & guest posts
✅ Listicles (e.g. “Best X in [City]”)

Pro Tip: Run your target keywords through ChatGPT/Perplexity/Gemini, and scroll to citations.

If you're not already listed, those citation sources become your priority. 2️⃣ Create linkable assets that work

Build tools and resources people actually want to link to.

Examples that consistently work:

• Industry statistics reports
• Free calculators
• Interactive tools
• Original research data

These assets get you mentioned across multiple key platforms simultaneously.

Do backlinks matter for AI overviews? 🤔

Ahrefs just revealed a study across 75,000 brands on AI Overview brand visibility factors.

The analysis found that brand web mentions have a 0.664 correlation with AI visibility,
while backlinks only scored 0.218.

Translation? Getting mentioned beats getting linked.

Here's how to build brand web mentions that Google loves:

1. PR and thought leadership

Pitch industry publications with data-driven insights.

Every article mentioning your expertise spreads your brand name. 2. Strategic co-marketing

Partner with complementary brands for webinars, reports, or events.

Cross-pollination of audiences = more mentions.

The future of search goes way beyond page one rankings.

Gone are the days where keywords and backlinks are all you need for traffic.

It's now all about AI visibility.

According to a study by iPullRank, AI search adoption is growing 4% day-over-day.

At this rate, 100% of users will interact with AI search by September.

While most sites are completely invisible to AI platforms…

Here's your chance to prepare your site for this shift: 🧵 1. Content structure for AI readability

AI pulls passages, not entire pages.

Write content so each paragraph can work as a standalone answer:

- Use clear, direct language (avoid fluff and filler)
- Structure with logical H2 and H3 headings
- Answer questions completely in single paragraphs
- Include key insights at the top of articles
- Back up claims with credible data sources

I spent 6 months testing AI SEO tactics for clients.

One saw 2,300% AI traffic growth and now appears in 90+ AI overviews (vs zero before).

Here's the exact 4-step framework we used:

1. Finding AI Opportunities:

• Use Surfer AI Tracker/Ahrefs Brand Radar to see how often AI platforms mention your brand vs. your competitors
• Plug in your brand and theirs, then filter for AI keywords they’re winning that you’re not
• Those are the exact topics you need to target and steal 2. Content Strategy:

• Write directly and skip the fluff (AI hates filler content)
• Use conversational tone (how people actually speak vs keyword stuffing)
• Structure with clear H1/H2/H3 hierarchy
• Add TLDR summaries at the top of articles

Want to show up in Google’s AI Overviews and rank for high-intent keywords?

Start with your site’s FAQs.

Here’s the step-by-step process we used to grow a client’s traffic by 121%: 👇

1. Find the exact questions AI is trained to answer

Use all 3 of these:

• Google’s “People Also Ask”
• Ahrefs → Keyword Explorer → Questions tab
• Google’s “Related Searches” (scroll to bottom of SERP)

These queries are the foundation of AI-generated responses. 2. Place FAQs where they belong

Not every question needs a full article.

• Strongly related to existing page? → Add to that page
• Lots of minor questions? → Create a standalone FAQ page
• Complex topic? → Tease the answer, then link to a full breakdown

Check what’s being cited in Google’s AI Overviews, and match the structure.

AI isn’t killing SEO. It’s creating the biggest opportunity gap I’ve seen in my 16 years of doing this.

Here are 6 methods we’re using to dominate search across AI platforms in 2025:

1. Entity optimization

ChatGPT, Gemini, and other LLMs don’t just scan for keywords.

They look for entities: businesses, people, and products they can recognize and trust.

Want your brand to show up more in AI answers?

Make it easy for AI to verify who you are:

- Claim Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Maps listings
- Get listed on Yellow Pages, BBB, and industry directories
- Add organization schema to your website with detailed business info
- Syndicate content across Medium, LinkedIn, Reddit (AI crawls these heavily)
- Secure mentions in "Best of" listicles that AI systems cite 2. AI-friendly writing

Content tactics that make Google and other AI platforms want to cite you:

- Write for conversational queries ("What's the best way to..." vs "best way")
- Use clear H1, H2, H3 headings as content signposts
- Add TL;DR summaries at the top of articles
- Answer "People Also Ask" questions within your content
- Keep explanations direct, concise and NLP-friendly.

This eCom brand didn’t change their product lineup. They didn’t touch paid ads.

But SEO took them from $279K to $681K/month in revenue (+144% increase).

Here’s how we pulled it off. 🧵 1: Audit your product pages

Most eCom sites just copy-paste manufacturer descriptions.

We rewrote every product page with:

• Unique, benefit-driven copy
• Keyword-optimized headers
• Customer-centric language (not tech specs)
• Clear size/fit guidance to reduce returns

Use Hotjar to see where users drop off. Then fix that.

"SEO takes too long" is the biggest myth in digital marketing.

Some techniques move the needle in days, not months.

Want a quick ranking boost? Implement these 5 changes today:

1. Internal linking boost (1-2 weeks)

- Find your highest-traffic pages in GA4
- Identify relevant pages that need a ranking boost
- Add contextual internal links with optimized anchor text

Most sites leave money on the table by ignoring this 2. CTR optimization (immediate impact)

Google tracks user engagement. If people click through, you rank higher.

- Test compelling words in meta titles ("Best," "Proven," "Secrets")
- Use numbers and brackets ([Updated 2025])
- Match search intent by studying top competitors' titles

We grew a real estate website's traffic from 245,518 to 468,862 monthly sessions in 6 months…

Before publishing a single new article.

Instead, we focused on 5 overlooked SEO strategies that work like crazy in 2025.

Here's the exact gameplan you can implement today: 1. Target "low hanging" keywords already ranking on page 2

Most sites have content ranking in positions 11-20.

Instead of writing more content:

- Use Ahrefs to identify keywords ranking just outside page 1
- Filter for KD scores under 25 (easy wins)
- Group related keywords by page
- Use Surfer to optimize existing content against competitors

This simple approach will push dozens of your terms from page 2 to page 1.

You don’t need to be Forbes or Healthline to dominate the SERPs. You just need to organize your content like they do.

We used “Power Hubs” to grow a health site’s traffic by 61% in 6 months… and go from 1,405 to 2,288 ranking keywords.

Here’s how you can do the same (even if you’re not a DR90 giant): First, what are "Power Hubs"?

They're strategically connected content clusters that convince Google you're THE authority on a topic.

The structure is simple but powerful:

• 1 pillar page (broad topic)
• 4-8 cluster pages (specific subtopics)
• Strategic internal linking

This creates a content ecosystem that Google sees as comprehensive coverage of a topic, rather than isolated articles.

Why Power Hubs work so well:

• Rank for 5-10X more keywords with the same effort
• Keep users on your site longer
• Create multiple entry points to your content
• Reduce the risk of algorithm updates

Here’s how to build one: