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Social and UGC: The trust engines powering search everywhere

Social and UGC- The trust engines powering search everywhere

AI search isn’t killing SEO. It’s forcing it to evolve into a new, multi-platform discipline called search everywhere optimization, where social and user-generated content (UGC) are the new trust engines driving discoverability.

When I presented this concept at brightonSEO San Diego, what stood out wasn’t just the excitement around AI. 

What stood out was the unexpected convergence of ideas across sessions. You might expect every talk to center on AI, yet a broader shift was quietly taking shape.

What stood out was the unexpected convergence of ideas across sessions. You might expect every talk to center on AI, yet a broader shift was quietly taking shape.

Five standout voices – Wil Reynolds, Josh Blyskal, Samanyou Garg, Ross Hudgens, and Ashley Liddell – all surfaced similar insights about where search is headed. 

Across these discussions, one message echoed clearly: social and UGC now shape which brands audiences trust and engage with.

Below are four recurring themes from those talks, along with post-event insights from each speaker on how marketers can apply a search everywhere mindset.

1. Search is not a platform, it’s a behavior

Search is not a platform, it’s a behavior

Search no longer lives in one box – and users aren’t just Googling anymore. They’re discovering through:

  • Conversations.
  • Communities.
  • Creators. 

While AI platforms are becoming part of that journey, much of it still happens where authentic discussions thrive: Reddit, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram, to name a few.

Search has never been more multi-platform, multi-touch, or multi-intent. 

Marketers must now adapt to fragmented journeys that may start socially, evolve through AI, and end in branded discovery.

Garg, founder and CEO of Writesonic, said it well when he recently shared with me:

  • “Your website is no longer your main asset – your presence across the entire web is. Brands optimizing only for Google are missing 40% of their audience who’ve already moved to ‘search everywhere.’”

My presentation defined this concept as search everywhere optimization, emphasizing that success depends on SEO, social, PR, and brand teams working together to drive unified discoverability. 

Other speakers echoed these points, even if they used different language.

  • Liddell defines this similarly as “search everywhere” – where social, brand, and search operate together to drive discoverability.
  • Hudgens said, “Social is evolving to become the new open web,” citing data showing traffic and engagement growth from social ecosystems.
  • Blyskal quantified the behavior: AI platforms cite Reddit and YouTube way more than any traditional websites. More proof that discovery has evolved beyond Google’s SERP.

In speaking with Blyskal, head of AI strategy and research at Profound, he noted:

  • “Search everywhere isn’t a trend anymore, it’s reality. Our data shows that consumers are asking ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity the same questions they used to ask Google, but the answers are being built from fundamentally different sources. UGC platforms like Reddit now drive more influence in AI recommendations than most corporate websites because they represent unfiltered human experience at scale.”

2. UGC and social content drive modern discovery

UGC and social content drive modern discovery

User-generated content and social discourse have become the connective tissue of search. 

From product reviews to LinkedIn posts to Reddit threads, these conversations shape what AI and many humans believe to be authoritative.

Social platforms are now the front door to search intent, sparking curiosity and building interest that eventually leads users to branded and organic experiences.

Blyskal’s analysis of 40 million AI search results found Reddit to be the single most-cited domain across ChatGPT, Copilot, and Perplexity. 

While some shifts have occurred recently, he confirmed on Oct. 21 that “Reddit is still the most cited website overall in AI and is still second in ChatGPT.”

Garg echoed this finding, noting that Reddit and other community-driven content dominate citations across industries – a clear signal for marketers to engage where real conversations happen.

Liddell’s award-winning BullyBillows case study demonstrated how social-first content can drive measurable SEO impact, including:

  • A 65% rise in brand searches.
  • A 195% increase in “brand + keyword” searches.
  • A 139% lift in revenue.

Reynolds likewise emphasized the value of social resonance, recommending that marketers invest in content that performs well on social platforms, even if it underperforms in organic search. 

Seer Interactive’s own data backs this up: while social generates 89% less traffic than search, it produces 20% more leads.

Together, this data proves that social and UGC are not just amplification channels. They’re search inputs themselves, and a core component of search everywhere optimization. 

In a follow-up conversation, Hudgens – founder and CEO of Siege Media – remarked:

  • “Search traffic to LinkedIn pages is up significantly, and I expect it to continue to grow, eventually coming close to Reddit and Quora in impact on B2B. Brands need to be considering how they show up and contribute on LinkedIn in order to best impact all search surfaces.” 

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3. Preference outranks ranking

Preference outranks ranking

Visibility alone no longer wins. 

Many are seeing this firsthand in their analytics – clicks are declining even when rankings remain steady. 

The real goal now is preference: being chosen, not just seen. 

Both humans and AI systems increasingly value authenticity and consensus over keyword precision and link quantity

Today, search visibility depends as much on how others describe your brand as on the content you create yourself.

  • Liddell frames this shift through the lens of preference = authority + trust + relevance.
  • Reynolds highlights the rise of community platforms – LinkedIn, Reddit, Slack, and WhatsApp – urging SEOs to focus on spaces where people share content with personal endorsement, offering more genuine reach than traditional formats that dominate the SERP.
  • Hudgens describes the 2021–2026 content marketing evolution from “high DR (domain rating) links” to “high influence mentions,” signaling that social proof and reputation now act as the modern PageRank.
  • Garg quantifies it: AI now weighs third-party mentions three times higher than a brand’s own website.

In short, as search engines are learning to mirror people, they trust signals, not tactics. This is the preference component of search everywhere optimization.

Liddell, co-founder and Search Everywhere™ director at Deviation, summarized it nicely to me, sharing:

  • “Brands can’t win on rankings alone anymore; they win on trust. Modern discovery happens where people talk, not where algorithms dictate – and that means investing in authentic UGC and social visibility is as critical to search as backlinks once were.”

4. Search everywhere success starts with breaking down silos

In 2025, silos remain one of the biggest obstacles to growth. 

Many of our clients experience this firsthand – and other industry experts agree that maximizing discoverability now depends on cross-functional collaboration. 

Search teams can no longer operate in isolation. PR, brand, and social teams all feed the trust loop that AI, search engines, and users rely on. 

Future success will depend on these groups meeting regularly, sharing ideas, and aligning on shared goals.

  • My presentation emphasized building cross-channel roadmaps with social, content, PR, and paid to ensure each team’s efforts reinforce each other.
  • Hudgens showed that the future of content marketing lies in blending PR, organic social, thought leadership, and SEO – creating compounding impact instead of treating them as separate channels.
  • Reynolds underscored the need for shared metrics, measuring impact not in rankings but in trust, reach, and conversion.

The new search equation runs on trust

The new search equation runs on trust

While the speakers offered diverse perspectives, they all agreed on one central truth: search success is shifting from gaming algorithms to authentically earning audience trust. 

Reddit posts, offsite reviews, social media, and third-party references now serve as critical trust signals – not because they link, but because they validate and build confidence in a brand.

This shift – evident across all four takeaways, from breaking down silos to valuing preference over ranking – underscores a broader reality: search isn’t something people do anymore. 

It’s something they experience, everywhere. 

The brands that will thrive in this new era won’t be those with the most backlinks or the sharpest keyword strategy, but those whose audiences genuinely connect with and vouch for them.

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Winning the platform shift by Braze

Grappling with innovation and changing consumer attitudes is second nature to marketers, who have already lived through many technological shifts over the past two decades. But forecasting where things are going is especially hard when it comes to modern AI, which has such unusual, non-deterministic properties. You can’t just extrapolate from the state of AI today to understand where AI is going to be in five years (or one…); during this sort of a platform shift, you need to take a deeper first-principles look.

Some things won’t change. Consumers will always want products, services and experiences that resonate and meet their needs. Marketers will always want easier, faster and more effective ways to connect with consumers. But the technologies that mediate that relationship are primed to shift in the coming years in major, unprecedented ways — impacting how marketers do their work, and the customer experiences they’re able to deliver.

How the marketer experience will evolve: Less rote work, more creativity

The history of marketing is built around constant evolution. But the scale and complexity of the change triggered by the rise of modern AI may test even seasoned customer engagement teams. To thrive, marketers need to open themselves up to new skills, perspectives and capabilities that will allow them to do more with less.

This change is already underway. As marketers take advantage of AI, they’re spending less time on rote tasks (like manual message creation) and more on strategy and creative work — from brainstorming innovative campaigns to deepening their testing and optimization strategy. These efficiency gains will grow as AI becomes a more prominent part of the customer engagement process, allowing brands to set goals and guardrails, then empowering their AI solutions to independently consume context, make decisions, and act on marketers’ behalf. 

Today, that might look like training basic agents on your brand’s voice to ensure that message content is consistently on brand. But as we gain trust in AI’s ability to operate unsupervised over longer time horizons and to handle complex projects, more marketers will be able to shift their focus to strategy and effective management of the AI resources at their disposal to enable AI decisioning and other essential optimizations.

How team experiences will evolve: Humans and AI agents working side by side

Marketing is a collaborative art, where building a successful customer engagement program often depends as much or more on marketers’ ability to work together effectively as it does on their individual skills. But while AI may help marketers to work with internal stakeholders more effectively, its biggest unlock is the ability to be a direct “teammate” to marketers themselves. And by leveraging AI’s ability to create countless agents that can support customer engagement, even entry-level marketers will likely find themselves essentially operating as a “manager” of a team of autonomous subordinates. 

Imagine creating a whole team of agents, with one tasked with personalizing product recommendations, one that QAs messages to ensure they’re formatted and built correctly, one that handles translations and another that reports back at the first sign of campaign underperformance. By supplementing your existing capabilities with agents, you aren’t just reducing the burden on yourself and your human colleagues; you’re also building a digital institutional memory, training these “teammates” with context and goals and reward functions to be able to keep supporting your efforts and driving value even as human coworkers come and go and your team’s goals shift and evolve with time.

AI and customer engagement: How brands can win the future

For years, marketers have sought the ability to truly personalize communication on a 1:1 basis across an audience of millions, and to do it swiftly, efficiently and at scale. This was the Holy Grail of marketing, but due to the limitations of technology it simply wasn’t achievable for even the most advanced teams. That’s all being made possible by AI decisioning, a powerful new type of functionality that can force multiply brands’ marketing performance and creative impact while delivering what their customers want and need.

Previously, a brand trying to win back lapsing customers had a long journey ahead of it. It might start by leveraging a churn propensity model to identify which customers are most likely to churn, then use a product prediction model to figure out what products to highlight in order to tempt them to return. From there, they’d need to run a series of A/B tests in order to figure out which offers and channels will work best. But while taking that approach is a traditional best practice, it only got brands so far — they could target micro-segments on the right channel with the right offer, but truly 1:1 engagement was still out of reach.

AI decisioning represents a new way forward when it comes to personalization. This approach leverages reinforcement learning, where AI agents learn from consumer behavior and learn over time how to maximize rewards (such as conversions or purchases) in order to optimize the KPIs that have the biggest impact through ongoing, autonomous experimentation. That means AI decisioning can seamlessly determine not only the next best product offer for those lapsing users, but also the best channel, the optimal time of day or day of week, the frequency that makes the most sense, the message most likely to drive ideal outcomes, and any other dimension that could impact whether a recipient takes a given action. 

Even better, because AI agents are constantly experimenting in the background, the model can continuously adapt to shifting consumer preferences and behavior. And because these models use first-party data about every available customer characteristic, AI decisioning makes it possible to engage with individuals in a true 1:1 way, rather than relying on segments. The result is exceptional relevance and responsive experiences for individual consumers, something that’s only possible because of AI.

Final thoughts

With any major technology shift, it isn’t enough to just plan for the obvious outcomes — you must ensure you can react effectively to the changes that no one knows are coming. To succeed, brands need to pay careful attention to the arc of this new technology. Responding to a platform shift can’t be a one-and-done thing, and brands that create a five-year plan without building in regular pulse points and adjustments are going to quickly find themselves falling behind their more agile, flexible peers. 

To see the full benefit of AI in their customer engagement efforts, brands also need to look beyond AI. After all, AI isn’t a shortcut, it’s an amplifier — and the AI you use for customer engagement is only ever going to be as good as the infrastructure supporting it. An exceptional AI feature isn’t going to feel exceptional to consumers if it’s built on architecture that can’t take action in real time or can only deliver experiences in a single, prescribed way. Make sure your AI tools are built on a strong foundation and have the infrastructure they need to shine; otherwise, you may never fully achieve what’s possible.

Curious to learn more about how Braze is thinking about AI and customer engagement? Check out our BrazeAIᵀᴹ page.

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Does Your Website Need an LLMs.txt File? + How to Create One

There’s been a lot of buzz around llms.txt.

But no major AI platform has confirmed that they use it.

Not yet, anyway.

And there’s no evidence that any major large language model (LLM) actually uses it when crawling.

So, why are some SEOs and site owners already adding it to their sites?

Because LLM traffic is projected to explode over the next few years.

Google and LLM Unique Visitor Growth Projection (Moderate Case)

Which means AI models could soon become your biggest traffic source.

Remember: robots.txt was once optional, too.

Today, it’s essential for managing search crawlers.

LLMs.txt could follow a similar path — becoming the standard way to guide AI to your most important content.

In this guide, you’ll learn how llms.txt files work, the key pros and cons, and the exact steps to create one for your site.

You’ll also see different llms.txt examples from real sites.

First up: a quick explainer.

What Is LLMs.txt?

LLMs.txt is a plain-text file that tells AI models which pages to prioritize when crawling your site.

This proposed standard could make your content easier for AI systems to find, process, and cite.

The LLMs.txt file

Here’s how it works:

  • You create a text file called llms.txt
  • List your most important pages with brief descriptions of what each covers
  • Place it at your site’s root directory
  • In theory, LLM crawlers would then use the file to discover, prioritize, and better understand your key pages

For example, here’s what Yoast SEO’s llms.txt file looks like:

Yoast – LLMs.txt – Example

Does LLMs.txt Replace Robots.txt?

Short answer: No.

They serve different purposes.

Robots.txt tells crawlers what they’re allowed to access on a site.

It uses directives like “Allow” and “Disallow” to control crawling behavior.

Robots.txt – Allow and Disallow

LLMs.txt suggests which pages AI models should prioritize.

It doesn’t control access — it just provides a curated list. And makes it easier for crawlers to understand your content.

For example, you might use robots.txt to block crawlers from your admin dashboard and checkout pages.

Then, use llms.txt to point AI systems toward your help docs, product pages, and pricing guide.

Here’s a full breakdown of the differences:

LLMs.txt Robots.txt
Purpose Provides a curated list of key pages that AI models may use for information and sources Sets rules for search engine crawlers on what to crawl and index
Target audience LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity Traditional search engine bots (Googlebot, Bingbot, etc.)
Syntax Markdown-based; human-readable Plain text, specific directives
Enforcement Proposed standard; adherence is not confirmed by major LLMs Voluntary; considered standard practice and respected by major search engines
SEO/AI impact May influence AI-generated summaries, citations, and content creation Directly impacts search engine indexing and organic search rankings

Layout and Elements

So, what goes inside this file — and how should you structure it?

LLMs.txt should be created as a plain-text file and formatted with markdown.

Markdown uses simple symbols to structure content.

This includes:

  • # for a main heading, ## for section headings, ### for subheads
  • > to call out a short note or tip
  • – or * for bullet lists
  • [text](https://example.com/page) for a labeled link
  • Triple backticks (“`) to fence off code examples when you’re showing snippets in a doc or blog post

Yoast – LLMs.txt with a #heading and list

This makes the file easy for both humans and AI tools to read.

You can see the main elements in this llms.txt example:

code icon
# Title
> Description goes here (optional)
Additional details go here (optional)
## Section
- [Link title](https://link_url): Optional details
## Optional
- [Link title](https://link_url)

Now that you know how to format the file, let’s break down each part:

  • Title and optional description at the top: Add your site or company name, plus a brief description of what you do to give AI systems context
  • Sections with headers: Organize content by topic, like “Services,” “Case Studies,” or “Resources,” so crawlers can quickly identify what’s in the file
  • URLs with short descriptions: List key pages you want prioritized. Use clear, descriptive SEO-friendly URLs. And add a concise description after each link for context.
  • Optional sections: Consider adding lower-priority resources you want AI systems to be aware of but don’t need to emphasize — like “Our Team” or “Careers”

To put all the pieces together, let’s look at some examples.

Here’s how BX3 Interactive, a website development company, structures its llms.txt file:

BX3 – LLMs.txt

It features:

  • The company’s name
  • Brief description
  • List of key service pages with URLs and one-sentence summaries
  • Top projects and case studies
  • Citation and linking guidelines

BX3 Interactive also includes target terms and specific CTAs for each URL.

BX3 – LLMs.txt target terms & CTA

If adopted, this approach could shape how LLMs reference the brand, guiding them toward BX3 Interactive’s preferred messaging and phrasing.

LLMs.txt files can also be more complex, depending on the site.

Like this example from the open-source platform Hugging Face:

Hugging Face – LLMs.txt

It organizes hundreds of pages with nested headings to create a clear hierarchy.

But it goes well beyond URL lists and summaries.

It includes:

  • Step-by-step installation commands
  • Code examples for common tasks
  • Explanatory notes and references

Hugging Face – LLMs.txt is more complex

This way, AI systems would get direct access to Hugging Face’s most valuable documentation without needing to crawl every page.

This could reduce the risk of key details getting missed or buried.

Keep in mind that the ideal structure depends on the scope of your site. And the depth of information you want AI to understand.

Is LLMs.txt Worth It?

The jury is out.

It’s possible that an llms.txt file could boost your AI SEO efforts over time.

But that would require widespread adoption.

No major AI platform has officially supported the use of llms.txt yet.

And Google has been especially clear — they don’t support it and aren’t planning to.

LinkedIn – Kenichi Suzuki – Use of LLMs.txt

But big players like Hugging Face and Stripe already have llms.txt files on their sites.

Stripe – LLMs.txt

Most notably, Anthropic, the company behind Claude, also has an llms.txt file on its website.

Claude – LLMs.txt file

If one of the leading AI companies is using it themselves, it could mean they see potential for these files to play a bigger role in the future.

Note: While Anthropic has an llms.txt file on its site, it hasn’t publicly stated that its crawlers use or read these files.


Bottom line?

Treat llms.txt as a low-risk experiment, not a guaranteed way to boost AI visibility.

Potential Benefits

Right now, the benefits are theoretical.

But if llms.txt catches on, you could benefit in multiple ways:

  • Control what gets cited: Spotlight your blog posts, help docs, product pages, and policies so AI tools reference your best pages first instead of less important or outdated content
  • Make parsing easier: Your llms.txt file gives AI models clean markdown summaries instead of forcing them to parse through cluttered pages with navigation, ads, and JavaScript
  • Improve your AI performance: Guide AI models to your most valuable pages, potentially improving how often and accurately they cite your content in responses
  • Analyze your site faster: A flattened version of your site (a single, simplified file listing your key pages), makes it easier to run a keyword analysis and site audit without crawling every URL

Key Limitations and Challenges

The skepticism around llms.txt is valid.

X – Jake Ward post – LLMs.txt

Here are the biggest concerns:

  • No one’s officially using it yet: No major platforms have announced support for these files — not OpenAI, Google, Perplexity, or Anthropic
  • It’s a suggestion, not a rule: LLMs don’t have to “obey” your file, and you can’t block access to any pages. Need access control? Stick with robots.txt.
  • Easy to game: A separate markdown file creates an opportunity for spam. For example, site owners could overload it with keywords, content, and links that don’t align with their actual pages. Basically, keyword stuffing for the AI era.
  • You’re showing competitors your hand: A detailed llms.txt file hands your competitors a lot of info they might have to use dedicated tools to get otherwise. Your site structure, content gaps, messaging, keywords, and more.

How to Create an LLMs.txt File in 5 Easy Steps

Creating an llms.txt file is pretty simple — even if you don’t have much technical experience.

One caveat: You may need a developer’s help to upload it.

Step 1: Pick Your High-Priority Pages

Start by selecting the pages you want AI systems to crawl first.

Pro tip: Don’t dump your whole sitemap into your llms.txt file. Focus on your most valuable pages — not an exhaustive inventory.


Think about the evergreen content that best represents what you do — your core product pages, high-value guides, FAQ sections, key policies, and pricing details.

For example, BX3 Interactive lists this web development service page first in its llms.txt file:

BX3 – Website Development

Why? Because it’s a core service they offer.

And by featuring it in llms.txt, they’re signaling to AI crawlers that this page is central to their business.

BX3 – LLMs.txt – High Value Pages

Step 2: Create Your File

Next, open any plain-text editor and create a new file called llms.txt.

Options include Notepad, TextEdit (on Mac), and Visual Studio Code.

Pro tip: Don’t just list bare URLs. Add a brief description for each one that explains what the page covers and who it’s for. This context could help AI understand when and how to cite your brand.


Not comfortable with markdown formatting?

Ask your developer to handle it (if you have one).

Or let an LLM do the work — ChatGPT and Claude can generate these files instantly.

Here’s a prompt to get you started:

Create an llms.txt file in markdown format using this information:

Company Name: [Your Company Name]

Company Description: [One sentence about what you do]

Important Notes (optional):

  • [Key differentiator or important detail]
  • [What you do or don’t do]
  • [Another key point]

Products/Services

  • URL: [https://yoursite.com/product-1]
  • Description: [What it does and who it’s for]
  • URL: [https://yoursite.com/product-2]
  • Description: [What it does and who it’s for]

Blog/Resources

  • URL: [https://yoursite.com/blog-post-1]
  • Description: [What readers will learn]
  • URL: [https://yoursite.com/blog-post-2]
  • Description: [What readers will learn]

Company Pages

  • About: [https://yoursite.com/about] – [Company background and mission]
  • Contact: [https://yoursite.com/contact] – [How to reach you]
  • Pricing: [https://yoursite.com/pricing] – [Plan overview]

Format this as a proper llms.txt file with markdown headings (#, ##), bullet points (-), and link syntax.


There are also llms.txt generators you can use.

For example, Yoast SEO lets you generate an llms.txt file in one click, complete with markdown.

Yoast – LLMs.txt – Feature

Remember, the structure isn’t set in stone.

Include your most valuable pages, accompanied by descriptive summaries.

Then, customize the layout based on what matters most for your company.

Step 3: Upload the File

Where your llms.txt file goes depends on what it covers.

  • For a site-wide file, upload it to your root directory: https://[yoursite].com
  • For documentation only, place it in its respective subdirectory: https://[docs.yourdomain.com]/llms.txt

You might need a developer’s help for this next step.

They’ll log in to your hosting panel, navigate to your public_html folder, and upload the file.

File manager htaccess – Public HTML

Once it’s uploaded, you’re ready to test.

Step 4: Make Sure It Works

Open a new tab and type in https://yoursite.com/llms.txt.

If you see something like this, you’re set:

BX3 – LLMs.txt

Want to go a step further?

Use Semrush’s Site Audit tool to verify the file is crawlable and automatically check for any technical issues.

Semrush – Site Audit – Verify the file

Step 5: Keep It Fresh

Your llms.txt isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it file.

Schedule a review every few months:

  • Remove outdated pages that no longer represent your best work
  • Add new content worth spotlighting as it’s published

This ensures AI systems always see your most relevant content.

Should You Use an LLMs.txt File on Your Site?

As SEOs like to say, “it depends.”

If setup is quick and you’re curious to experiment, it’s worth doing.

Worst case, nothing changes.

Best case, you’re ahead of the curve if AI platforms start paying attention.

In the meantime, don’t neglect proven SEO fundamentals.

Structured data, high-authority backlinks, and helpful content are what help AI — and traditional search engines — understand, trust, and surface your pages.

Want to boost your AI visibility now?

Check out our AI search guide for a framework that’s already working.

The post Does Your Website Need an LLMs.txt File? + How to Create One appeared first on Backlinko.

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AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): How to Get AI Generator to Mention my Business

More than half of searches in 2025 don’t lead anywhere. People get answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini without clicking a single link.

Not showing up in those responses? You’re invisible to half the internet.

That’s where answer engine optimization (AEO) comes in. It helps your brand become the answer that AI tools deliver.

This guide breaks down how AEO works, how it compares to SEO, and what steps you can take to make your content more findable across modern search platforms.

Key Takeaways

  • Around 60 percent of searches now end without a click. Answer engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity deliver results without sending users to your site.
  • Answer engine optimization helps your content show up in AI-generated responses and voice search results. 
  • AEO extends your SEO strategy by focusing on visibility in conversational and zero-click search environments.
  • To win in AEO, you need to optimize for direct questions, structured answers, user intent, and authority signals.
  • AI-first search is already shifting user behavior. The earlier you adapt, the more visibility you’ll protect.

What is Answer Engine Optimization?

Answer engine optimization (AEO) makes your content easy for AI tools to find and use as a direct answer.

This started with rich results in Google like Featured Snippets and People Also Ask, but today, AEO is about showing up in a full ecosystem of AI-driven answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google’s AI Overviews.

An AI overview.

While there are technically still links as a part of these tools, there’s no guarantee a user will click on them. 

Your content needs to match how large language models (LLMs) process information if you want to appear in those answers. This includes:

  • Natural language clarity
  • Structured data and schema markup
  • Topical authority and entity-level signals
  • Inclusion in knowledge graphs and trusted datasets

These systems rely on machine learning and natural language processing to determine what content best fits the user’s query. If your site structure and content format aren’t optimized for this, you are less likely to be cited.

AEO isn’t some future tactic. It’s how visibility works now.

Why is AEO Important?

Search has changed. It’s not just about blue links on a results page anymore. Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews are changing how people access information and how brands show up.

The rise of these answer engines has led to a sharp increase in zero‑click searches. In many cases, users now get what they need without ever visiting a website. That means if your content isn’t optimized for those responses, you’re missing visibility.

A chart showing how AI overviews are impacting click rates.

Voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant work the same way. As generative AI improves by summarizing the web, fewer sources get shown per query, putting more pressure on marketers to be the one selected.

People expect answers fast. They won’t scroll through ten links when one will do. AEO is about aligning your content to that expectation: clear answers, fast.

A graphic showing how AI and traditional search affect decision making.

And the impact isn’t just on organic traffic. AEO boosts brand visibility, strengthens trust signals, and improves discoverability across AI tools and platforms. If you’re investing in SEO but ignoring answer engine optimization, you’re missing opportunities.

How is AEO Different Than SEO?

AEO and SEO work toward the same outcome (getting your content discovered) but the paths they take are different.

Search engine optimization (SEO)focuses on improving rankings within search engine results pages. That includes optimizing technical elements, matching content to user intent, building links, and improving site structure. It’s about increasing visibility across a range of possible results.

Answer engine optimization (AEO) focuses on earning the single, summarized response delivered by an AI system. These systems rely more heavily on structured answers, clarity, and content that fits within specific answer formats. You’re competing for the only spot that gets shown, not position ten.

AEO is often confused with Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), which is related but distinct. GEO focuses on creating content that gets cited by AI tools as a source. AEO focuses on optimizing existing content to be surfaced directly within the answer. Both matter, but they solve different problems.

What Are AI Hallucinations And How Can You Avoid Them?

AI hallucinations happen when tools like ChatGPT give answers that sound right but are completely wrong. This happens when AI pulls outdated, misattributed, or low-quality information when summarizing information.

An example of a ChatGPT hallucination.

In one example, users asked a chatbot for medical advice and received fabricated product suggestions. Other tools have invented studies, misquoted statistics, or pulled misleading content from forums.

The risk increases when a brand has little online authority or inconsistent information across platforms. If the AI can’t verify what’s real, it fills in the blanks and gets it wrong.

To reduce your risk of hallucinated results about your business:

  • Keep your website and public profiles updated with accurate, consistent information
  • Use schema markup and structured data to help AI interpret your content correctly
  • Publish expert-led, well-cited content on topics you want to rank for
  • Monitor where and how your brand is mentioned across platforms

Protecting your brand from hallucinations goes beyond technical fixes. It’s part of owning your visibility.

Strategies For Appearing In Answer Engines

Keywords alone won’t get you featured in AI responses. You need clear, credible, well-structured content that’s easy for machines to understand.

The strategies below are designed to help your site show up in AI summaries, voice results, and other answer-first formats.

Look at Your Existing Answer Engine Visibility

Before you start new optimizations, start by reviewing what’s already working. You may already have content showing up in AI searches like Perplexity, ChatGPT with browsing, or AI Overviews in Google.

Platforms like Ubersuggest Profound track brand and URL visibility across AI answers. These tools show what questions your site already ranks for, what sources AI is pulling from, and where gaps exist.

Ubersuggest's AI visibility feature.

You can also run manual prompts in ChatGPT or Perplexity using branded and non-branded queries. Try asking questions you’d want your content to answer, and take note of what shows up.

This audit shows you where you stand and helps you prioritize. If certain pages are already being pulled into AI results, you may just need small tweaks. If others aren’t surfacing at all, you’ll know where to focus first.

Understand User Intent

Search engines, chatbots, and voice assistants all aim to solve one thing: what the user actually wants to know. That’s where search intent comes in, and it’s a foundational piece of answer engine optimization.

AI tools don’t just crawl your content. They interpret it. If your page doesn’t match the kind of answer a user is looking for, it likely won’t get picked.

Intent typically falls into four categories: informational, transactional, navigational, or commercial. But when it comes to AEO, you also need to understand how people phrase questions. “What is,” “how to,” “best tools for,” and “should I” are all common patterns.

A graphic showing how people search on ChatGPT vs Google.

So how can you learn the intent behind the keywords you’re targeting or ranking for? Keyword research tools, like Ubersuggest and Semrush can help.

Once you understand what search terms your website ranks for, you can dig into the most popular terms. Using Ubersuggest’s Keyword Overview tool, for example, lets you see search volume and SEO difficulty.

Ubersuggest's Keyword Overview Tool.

The keywords in the above screenshot are largely informational. The searcher is hoping to learn more about digital marketing. As we continue to scroll through the list of queries , we begin to see more commercial and transactional results.

Take “digital marketing platforms” as an example:

Digital marketing platforms in Ubersuggest.

There’s certainly some informational intent behind the question, but it’s also possible to be commercial intent. For example, a business who is looking to subscribe to a platform may want to learn more about it so they can make the right decision.

If you’re a digital marketing agency with a platform, and you understand the intent behind that keyword, you can create content that captures the customer within the purchase journey.

Content that targets the transactional intent of this keyword may be a digital marketing platform or tool roundup. You can position your platform as the best option, or even create a post with affiliate links to other relevant platforms.

Intent matters as much as the question itself. This is why you must consider the whole picture when incorporating such keywords into your content.

Use The Direct Question/Answer Format When Applicable

If your content doesn’t look like an answer, AI tools won’t treat it like one. That’s why formatting matters more than ever in answer engine optimization.

Start by identifying the questions your audience is asking. Then give them a direct response near the top of your content, ideally within the first few sentences or paragraphs.

Use clear H2 or H3 headings for common queries. Add a dedicated FAQ section if your topic has multiple related questions. Bullet points, concise summaries, and short paragraphs all help AI models parse your content more accurately.

An AI overview for what is paid marketing.

You’re not just helping users skim. You’re helping machines understand what your content is trying to say and where it fits.

Google’s AI Overviews, People Also Ask, and tools like Perplexity and Gemini all pull from content that’s been structured clearly and answers a defined question.

How certain types of content is pulled into AI overviews.

This is one of the simplest changes you can make to support AEO, and it pays off fast.

Set Up and Update Business Profiles Whenever Possible

Answer engines don’t just scan your website. They also pull from structured data across the web. That includes business directories, local listings, and public profiles.

Tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity can surface business info from places like Google Business Profile, Yelp, Apple Maps, and Bing. If your data is missing or inconsistent, your brand may be excluded from results.

How AI overviews source information about brands.

Make sure your listings include accurate details like name, address, phone number (NAP), hours, and website. Add photos, reviews, and categories where possible. These signals all feed into the authority and relevance AI models look for.

Some key directories to prioritize:

Don’t treat this as a one-time setup. Keep listings up to date, especially if your business has multiple locations or seasonal changes.

The goal is to make it easy for AI systems to confirm your legitimacy and context. You’re giving them structured proof of who you are and what you offer.

Become an Authority In Your Industry

AI systems scan for more than keywords. They look for trusted voices. If your brand is consistently cited, reviewed, and linked to across the web, you’re more likely to be featured in AI-generated responses. When we surveyed a group of marketing professionals who said that optimizing their content to appear in chatbot responses has been a major priority for them, 34 percent had the top goal of building brand awareness and loyalty.

That trust is built through authority. This includes third-party mentions, earned backlinks, expert-led content, and consistent appearances in respected directories or roundups.

Authoritative brands are also more likely to be surfaced in zero-click search, local packs, and answer engine results. Why? Because these platforms want to deliver credible information. If your site has proven expertise on a topic, it’s more likely to be chosen.

To build that authority, focus on publishing effective content, earning brand mentions in your niche, and contributing insights on third-party platforms. Guest posts, research, and interviews can all help grow your presence.

This takes time, but it compounds. The stronger a thought leader you are seen as, the harder it is for AI tools to ignore your content.

Incorporate AI Into Your Content Marketing Strategy

AI is changing how people search and how we create content. Used correctly, it can help you build pages that are more likely to surface in answer engines.

Start by using tools like ChatGPT to test your topic coverage. Ask sample questions your audience might type into an AI search. What comes up? If your site isn’t mentioned, or the answers are thin, you’ve found a gap to fill.

Many marketers are already leaning into this. In a survey we ran, over 81 percent of professionals optimizing for AI responses said they had been incorporating AI into their business processes for six months or more.

A graphic showing how long marketers have been incorporating AI into their business processes.

The top use cases included improving efficiency, sparking innovation, and enhancing customer experience. But AEO-focused content creation is where AI can deliver quick wins.

You can use AI to generate question-based outlines, draft summaries, or test how clearly your answers come across. Just don’t skip the human layer. Tools can help you move faster, but high-quality content still requires expertise.

Implement Schema Markup

Schema markup helps AI tools understand your content better. That can make the difference between being ignored or included in an answer.

Schema is a form of structured data that tells search engines and AI systems what your page is about. It adds a layer of clarity in the background without changing how your content looks to users.

For example, if you have a FAQ section, adding FAQ schema helps Google and answer engines extract that content more confidently. The same goes for how-to schema, product schema, article schema, and organization schema.

The more structured your content is, the easier it is for AI to match it to the right query. Schema also increases your chances of appearing in AI Overviews, People Also Ask, and AI-generated summaries.

You don’t need to add schema manually. Most SEO plugins, like Yoast or Rank Math, include built-in schema tools. There are also free generators available online if you want to apply it page by page.

Think of schema as a translator between your content and the AI tools deciding what gets shown. The clearer your signals, the better your visibility.

Review and Monitor Your AEO Progress

Answer engine optimization isn’t a one-time fix. Once you implement AEO strategies, you need a plan for tracking performance and making improvements.

Set a regular schedule to check whether your content is being picked up by AI tools. Look for patterns in which pages get cited, what queries they appear for, and where your visibility drops off.

This doesn’t require complex reporting. You can track progress using a simple spreadsheet, noting the presence or absence of your brand in AI summaries across key queries.

When something stops appearing, that’s your signal to re-optimize. Refresh the content, clarify the structure, or align it more closely with search intent. If something continues to perform well, look at what’s working and replicate that approach elsewhere.

AEO is still evolving, which makes monitoring even more important. The brands that adapt fastest will stay visible the longest.

What Factors Matter Most for ChatGPT Recommendations?

We ran a study to understand why ChatGPT recommends certain brands in its responses. After testing over 80 possible factors, six rose to the top.

Brand mentions: The more your brand is cited across the web, the higher the likelihood ChatGPT will surface it.

Reviews: Quality and volume of customer reviews, especially on third-party sites, play a major role.

Relevancy: If your site’s keywords match the user’s query, and the page offers helpful context, you’re more likely to get picked.

Age: Older, more established brands tend to be trusted more often by AI models.

Recommendations: Listicles and curated “best of” roundups (even those using affiliate links) still influence ChatGPT outputs.

Authority: High-authority domains with credible backlinks and consistent content earn more inclusion in AI answers.

You can’t control every factor, but you can influence most of them by building strong, reliable content that other sites and users want to reference.

FAQs

What is answer engine optimization (AEO)?

Answer engine optimization is the process of improving your content so it appears in AI-generated answers. It focuses on clarity, structure, authority, and accuracy—so tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews can pull your content as a trusted response.
It builds on traditional SEO but adapts it for zero-click and conversational search experiences.

How do I do AEO?

Start by identifying the types of questions your audience is asking. Then create clear, concise answers—formatted with proper headers, schema markup, and supporting data. Use tools to track which content appears in AI results, and optimize based on visibility gaps.

Focus on building authority and publishing quality content that answer engines can trust.

What are the key differences between AEO and traditional SEO?

AEO is about getting your content pulled into AI-generated responses. SEO is about ranking in search engine results pages. Both use similar tactics, but AEO requires more structured, answer-ready content.

Conclusion

AI is already reshaping how people search, and answer engines are gaining traction fast. If your content isn’t built for these platforms, you’re likely losing visibility—even if you’re ranking well in traditional search.

The good news: if you’ve been investing in SEO, many of the foundations are already in place. AEO simply takes it further, focusing on clarity, structure, and intent.

Tools like Ubersuggest can help you find question-based keywords, track content performance, and identify optimization gaps. From there, it’s about building better answers—and making sure they’re easy for AI to find.

Now is the time to get proactive. The longer you wait to adapt, the harder it’ll be to catch up.

Read more at Read More

7 focus areas as AI transforms search and the customer journey in 2026

7 focus areas as AI transforms search and the customer journey in 2026

Search is changing faster than ever – and 2026 may be the year it fully breaks from the past. 

Over the last year, AI has reshaped how people discover, decide, and convert, collapsing the traditional customer journey and cutting touchpoints in half.

AI-powered assistants and large language models (LLMs) will handle roughly 25% of global search queries by 2026, per Gatner, replacing many traditional search interactions.

customer-journey-evolution

We’re already seeing the effects. Traffic from LLMs is climbing at a hockey-stick pace, signaling a massive shift in how users find information. 

To stay competitive, marketers need to build strong content and experience flywheels, as answer engine optimization (AEO) and generative engine optimization (GEO) become critical priorities.

Bruce Clay, founder and president of Bruce Clay Inc., predicted:

  • “AI-powered search is expected to cause traffic to continue to drop for many sites, creating a disturbance in the force.”

Adopting AI isn’t optional – it’s foundational. 

Yet most marketing systems weren’t designed to operate in an AI-first world. 

Disconnected tools and data silos make orchestration difficult and create inconsistencies that derail performance. 

To succeed in 2026, brands will need integrated, cross-functional, omnichannel systems that connect data, content, and customer experience.

Building a resilient digital presence for 2026

Preparing a brand’s digital presence for an AI-driven world means rethinking data, tools, and customer experiences while presenting a clear, consistent brand story. 

The goal is to deliver personalized content and be ready for agentic experiences, where AI assistants act on behalf of users.

This shift begins with the evolution of search itself. 

The biggest change is moving away from a simple query-and-response model to a more dynamic, reasoning-driven conversation.

traditiona-vs-ai-search

Traditional search was like a game of chess – discrete and predictable. AI search, on the other hand, is more like a jazz concert – continuous and fluid. 

The experience has shifted from browsing lists and visiting websites to receiving direct, synthesized answers.

Instead of matching keywords to an index, AI uses query fan-out, which involves:

  • Breaking queries into components.
  • Analyzing multiple sources.
  • Delivering a single, comprehensive answer based on consistent patterns.

With AI, the traditional marketing funnel is shrinking. AI search can move directly from intent to conversion in minutes, dramatically accelerating the process. 

We’re already seeing three- to eight-times higher conversion rates from traffic originating in AI search.

According to Crystal Carter, head of AI search and SEO communications at Wix:

  • “Traffic from LLMs (like ChatGPT and Perplexity) is becoming increasingly distinct from Google search traffic, requiring separate optimization and analysis strategies.”
traditiona-vs-ai-search-funnel

New types of intents, like “generative” (e.g., “create an image”) and “no intent” (e.g., “thanks”), now make up almost half of all LLM interactions and don’t require a website visit. 

traditiona-vs-ai-search-intent

Search is becoming action-oriented. 

As AI systems start booking tables, making appointments, and completing purchases, even transactional journeys may no longer end on your website.

Search ‘everywhere’ optimization: The new SEO

For brands, the goal is no longer to be a single destination. It’s to be present wherever your audience is. 

That means becoming a trusted data source that powers the new, agentic ecosystem. 

AI systems prioritize clarity, consistency, and patterns, so channel silos must give way to a well-integrated, omnichannel approach.

Ideally, AI agents should be able to access all your brand data and deliver complete, contextually accurate results based on user intent. 

As Bill Hunt, president of Back Azimuth Consulting, explained:

  • “AI agents like ChatGPT will shift from answering questions to completing transactions. Both the Shopify connectors and feeds, as well as Walmart and Amazon saying they are Google killers. Being ‘callable’ through APIs and integrations will be as critical in 2026 as being crawlable was in 2010.”

In this new paradigm, websites are evolving from sales destinations to data and information repositories – built not just for human visitors, but for AI systems that retrieve, interpret, and act on that data.

Dig deeper. Search everywhere optimization: 7 platforms SEOs need to optimize for beyond Google

7 key focus areas shaping marketing and search in 2026

To compete in 2026 and beyond, brands must optimize for visibility across every relevant platform.

Here are seven key priorities and emerging trends shaping the future of search and martech.

2026-focus-areas

1. Strengthen technical SEO foundations for AI retrievability

The foundation of search is shifting from traditional crawlability to GEO. 

The core principle of GEO is retrievability – ensuring that high-quality content is not only discoverable but also easily accessible and understood by AI models.

To prepare for this shift, your website should serve as a centralized data hub for your content and digital assets, enhancing the experience for both humans and AI systems.

Website data hub

Make sure to grant access to AI crawlers in your robots.txt file, use server-side rendering (SSR) for core content, and adopt progressive indexing protocols like IndexNow, used by Bing.

2. Build localized visibility in AI-driven environments

Local SEO has evolved – from data accuracy in its 1.0 phase, to profile completeness and engagement in 2.0, to personalized experiences in what’s now emerging as Local 3.0. 

AI models, particularly Google’s AI Mode, increasingly cite local business information from sources like Google Maps and online directories. 

That makes core local SEO practices – NAP consistency and Google Business Profile optimization – critical for maintaining AI visibility.

Pages with robust schema markup also tend to earn higher citation rates in AI Overviews, reinforcing the importance of structured data for local relevance.

Dig deeper: AI and local search: The new rules of visibility and ROI in 2025

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3. Develop an AI-assisted content flywheel

The biggest challenge today isn’t just creating content – it’s creating a connected experience. 

As companies integrate AI into their digital experience platforms (DXPs), the focus must shift from producing siloed assets to building a connected content flywheel. 

That begins with a deep understanding of who your customers are and what they need, allowing you to fill content gaps in real time and stay present at every critical touchpoint.

DXPs are no longer static repositories. They’re evolving into intelligent, AI-native engines that proactively shape user experiences. 

The ideal platform uses AI to create quality content at scale, powering a flywheel that delivers personalized, efficient, and well-governed customer journeys. 

This is especially important for large brands and multilocation businesses, where updating hundreds of pages still requires manual, repetitive effort.

Here are the key steps to creating quality content and building a content flywheel.

content-flywheel

Insights: Identify customer intent and content gaps

Your content strategy should be guided by real-time customer needs. 

Use AI-powered tools to uncover the questions and challenges your audience is trying to solve. 

Then analyze your existing content to identify gaps where your brand isn’t providing the right answers.

Creation: Develop deep, AI-structured content

To create content that performs well in AI search, start by assessing AI visibility and user sentiment. 

Use AI to scale the development of deep, comprehensive content – always with a human in the loop.

Since AI engines draw from text, images, videos, and charts, your content must be equally diverse. 

Just as important, it must be machine-readable so AI systems can synthesize and reason with it. 

Prioritize an entity-based SEO strategy to build topical authority, and use comprehensive schema markup to help search engines understand your brand and content context.

Clearly structuring your data also prepares your site for advanced conversational search.

It ensures visibility in the next generation of AI-powered answer engines and readiness for NLWeb, the open protocol spearheaded by Microsoft to make websites conversational.

Dig deeper: Chunk, cite, clarify, build: A content framework for AI search

Distribute

Establish a human-in-the-loop workflow to review, update, and refresh content regularly, keeping it accurate, relevant, and effective in answering user queries. 

Publish from a centralized source to maintain consistency across owned channels, and adopt rapid indexing protocols like IndexNow to accelerate discovery and visibility.

Monitor and iterate

Continuously track visibility and performance within AI models by testing target prompts. 

Deploy an agile strategy – as you distribute content, monitor results, experiment with new approaches, and refine continuously, the flywheel becomes self-sustaining. 

Each cycle feeds fresh insights back into the system, helping your content strategy stay adaptable and build momentum over time.

  • “AI search engines synthesize across ecosystems, not just pages. Marketing leaders must ensure their digital footprint works as a unified system, not isolated campaigns,” Hunt said.

Businesses must maintain consistent, clear information across every channel. 

Traditional SEO is giving way to relevance engineering – a discipline centered on systematically creating and structuring content for semantic relevance. 

This approach helps brands navigate today’s increasingly complex query landscape.

4. Create a consistent, data-driven experience flywheel

experience-flywheel

While the content flywheel attracts visitors, the experience flywheel converts them – a critical function in an era of zero-click searches. It operates on a continuous feedback loop.

  • Strategy: Building an experience strategy starts with unified data from every customer touchpoint and channel. AI can segment this data to reveal audience expectations and friction points, helping shape a strategy grounded in real behavior.
  • Experience: AI can then put this data to work – connecting audience intent, personas, desired outcomes, and business goals to generate predictive insights that drive personalized and agentic experiences dynamically.
  • Conversion: AI also helps track the customer journey through the funnel across channels and touchpoints. Dynamic A/B testing and conversion rate optimization (CRO) can then be done at scale, tailored to audience segments and intent.
  • Iteration: The goal isn’t perfection but agility. Monitoring performance alone isn’t enough – iteration matters. Use data to make real-time pivots, refining your strategy with every new learning.

The experience flywheel becomes a self-reinforcing engine that continuously drives engagement, builds loyalty, and accelerates growth.

5. Use AI agents to orchestrate journeys and workflows

As AI-driven search becomes increasingly agentic, it establishes a new standard for the seamless digital experiences customers expect. 

To meet this demand, brands must use journey orchestration and workflow automation powered by AI agents that guide users through connected, intuitive experiences.

The key is to deploy specialized vertical AI agents trained on your business data. 

By orchestrating these agents across the customer journey, you can deliver hyper-personalized, omnichannel experiences. 

This is only possible if your website and systems are ready to interact with AI agents.

For internal teams, AI agents also offer major opportunities to automate manual workflows across the entire marketing landscape.

Dig deeper: How AI agents are revolutionizing digital marketing

6. Redefine KPIs for an AI-first performance model

As AI satisfies user intent more directly within search results, traditional metrics like rankings and traffic are losing relevance. 

This shift means citation is the new rank, pushing teams to optimize content for retrievability rather than rankability.

As metrics like click-through rate decline in importance, new success indicators are emerging – including LLM visibility score, AI citation count, share of voice, and sentiment. 

Success now depends on query diversity, or the ability to answer multiple related long-tail queries effectively.

According to Ray Grieselhuber, CEO of Demandsphere: 

  • “Traditional metrics like impressions, clicks, and click-through rates are becoming much more difficult to rely on as KPIs. They are still useful to look at, but marketers should renew their focus on human behavior. Share of Voice is one of the best KPIs to measure this new behavior. Companies that ignore visibility in AI-driven responses risk ‘feeding that territory’ to their competitors.”

7. Integrate systems and data to power a unified marketing infrastructure

A fragmented marketing tech stack with siloed tools creates inefficiencies and hidden costs.

Data fragmentation and manual processes increase operational expenses and derail integration efforts. 

Shifting focus to an integrated marketing platform – and evaluating total cost of ownership – helps overcome these challenges.

An integrated solution provides the consistency, clarity, and unified data needed to keep your digital presence adaptive and competitive.

Dig deeper: Integrating SEO into omnichannel marketing for seamless engagement

The next phase of search and the customer journey

As we move into 2026, AI is not just another tool – it’s rebuilding the customer journey from the ground up. 

With AI assistants expected to handle a quarter of all search queries, the traditional marketing funnel is shrinking. 

The new landscape is defined by agentic, action-oriented interactions that can bypass websites entirely, demanding a fundamental strategic shift from every brand.

To stay visible and relevant, businesses must evolve from being destinations to being trusted data sources for AI. 

That begins by fueling a content flywheel with deep, structured content accessible across every channel. 

Once this flywheel attracts an audience, an experience flywheel – powered by unified customer data and an integrated, AI-native platform – takes over to drive conversion through deep personalization.

Ultimately, the brands that succeed will be those that embrace this new ecosystem. 

They’ll replace outdated metrics, such as traffic, with new KPIs focused on AI visibility, tear down silos through integration, and prioritize delivering seamless, omnichannel experiences.

Thank you to Bill Hunt, Ray Grieselhuber, Bruce Clay, Crystal Carter, David Banahan, and Tushar Prabhu for their insights and contributions.

Read more at Read More

Google says verify your cloud hosting provider with Search Console

John Mueller from Google posted an SEO tip and reminder for those who use cloud services, such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud or others, to host images, videos or other content. John explained that you should probably verify those within Google Search Console. This will give you the ability to track the performance of those files in Google Search, including any debugging information when necessary.

Of course, in order to do this, you need to be able to control the DNS and most give you the option to do that through DNS CNAME. So you can set up your DNS to control those files in that cloud environment. For examples, it can be images.domain.com or videos.domain.com and so on.

The advice. Here is John’s post on this on Bluesky:

If you’re using a cloud provider to host images / videos / other content, you can and should verify the host in Search Console, so that you’re aware of potential issues that affect Google’s crawling & indexing, & Safe Browsing. Use a DNS CNAME to the bucket, then verify with DNS.

Using your own hostname (something like content.your-site.com) means you can verify it in Google Search Console to get crawl errors and malware alerts. You can verify using DNS verification… or just verifying your main domain.

To do this, set up a CNAME entry for your domain name and point at your cloud provider’s bucket, eg “content.your-site.com” uses a CNAME for “your-bucket.clodstorage.com” (or “buckets.clodstorage.com”). Also, you will have to update all links in your site (ugh, I know).

You need to update all the links within your site so that users only find your content with your new hostname. For bigger sites, this is a hassle, I know. Search & replace, then double-check by crawling the main sections of your site (all templates, all important URLs).

Caveat: if you need to do this for images, and you care about Image search traffic, know that this will cause fluctuations in Google Images (images are often recrawled slower than web pages and need to be “re-processed” with the new URLs). It’ll settle down though.

Bonus: if you use something like “content.your-site.com”, you can just verify the main domain with DNS in Search Console, and get all data for your website + the content hosted there in a single property in Search Console.

AND THAT’S NOT ALL. IF YOU ORDER NOW, YOU ALSO RECEIVE the ability to migrate to another cloud storage provider without breaking a sweat. Map the CNAME to the new bucket (if the file URLs remain the same), use redirects (it’s your hostname). It’s not really your site unless it’s on your domain name.”

Why we care. It is super common these days for websites to use numerous cloud hosting services and products. So it is totally possible that you are missing out on data, analytics and useful debugging details within Google Search Console for those services.

Verifying them on Search Console should not be a big deal for your site’s administrator and should it should unlock a lot of useful information for you and your SEO team.

Your Competitors Are Already Optimizing for AI Search. Are You?

Monitor how AI platforms rank you vs competitors in real-time

Discover untapped AI visibility opportunities in your industry

Track sentiment shifts across 5+ major AI platforms


See what AI says about your brand today

Read more at Read More

How to Use AI SEO to Improve Your Website

The internet has become the go-to source for everything from trivia about celebrities to fixing our kitchen sinks. But the way people find that information? That’s changing fast.

Search engines don’t work the way they did five years ago. Machine learning now powers how Google understands queries, ranks content, and delivers results. The basic SEO strategies that used to work? They’re not enough anymore.

Miss this shift, and you miss traffic. Miss traffic, and you miss revenue.

Marketers who adapt to AI-powered search will dominate their niches. Those who don’t will watch their rankings drop.

Key Takeaways

  • AI SEO combines artificial intelligence with search engine optimization to improve keyword research, content creation, and technical optimization at scale.
  • Search engines like Google now use AI-powered algorithms (RankBrain, BERT, MUM) to understand user intent and deliver more relevant results.
  • AI tools can automate time-consuming SEO tasks like competitor analysis, content optimization, and technical audits, freeing your team to focus on strategy.
  • Zero-click searches and AI overviews mean you need to optimize not just for rankings, but for visibility in AI-generated summaries 
  • Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Perplexity are becoming search alternatives, requiring a new approach to content that emphasizes expertise and proprietary insights.

What Is AI SEO and Why Is It Important?

AI SEO refers to using artificial intelligence to enhance SEO strategies (from keyword research to content optimization) while also optimizing your content for AI-powered search engines and platforms.

A graphic showing what marketers are doing with their AI SEO budgets in 2025.

You need AI working for you in two ways: using AI tools to improve your SEO efficiency, and optimizing your content so AI systems recognize its value and surface it to users. Master both sides, and you’ll dominate your niche.

How AI Has Changed The World of SEO

AI has rewritten the SEO rulebook. Here are the biggest shifts marketers need to understand:

Zero-Click Searches Are Dominating

A growing percentage of searches now end without a click. Google’s AI Overviews, featured snippets, and knowledge panels answer questions directly in search results. This means you need to optimize for visibility in these AI-generated summaries, not just traditional blue-link rankings. Your content must be structured so it’s easily extracted and cited by AI.

An AI overview for zero click searches.

LLM Platforms Are Becoming Search Alternatives

Large language models like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude are handling search queries that would have gone to Google. These platforms synthesize information from multiple sources, which means your content needs to be authoritative enough to be selected and cited. Traditional click-through rates matter less; AI visibility is the new KPI.

Content Generation Has Scaled Exponentially

AI in marketing has made content creation faster and cheaper. Your competitors can now publish at volumes that were impossible five years ago. The bar for content quality has risen as a result. Generic information gets buried while deep expertise and proprietary insights stand out.

E-E-A-T Matters More Than Ever

Google’s AI uses signals and patterns to distinguish genuine expertise from surface-level content. First-hand experience, original research, and unique perspectives now separate top-ranking content from everything else. (More on how to optimize for this later.)

AI SEO: Ways To Use AI To Improve Your Website

AI is changing how search engines work and transforming how marketers execute SEO strategies. Let’s look at the specific ways you can use AI tools and practices to boost your website’s performance and rankings.

Keyword Research With AI SEO

Keyword research used to be a manual slog. Now it’s a strategic advantage.

Modern platforms analyze SERPs at scale, identifying opportunities that would take humans weeks to uncover. Here’s what changes:

Hidden Opportunities at Scale

Scan thousands of keyword variations, search volumes, and competition levels in seconds. Long-tail keywords and topic clusters your competitors haven’t targeted? They surface automatically. Ubersuggest, for example, suggests related keywords based on semantic relationships, not just exact matches.

The related keywords function in Ubersuggest.

Intent Analysis Built In 

Top-ranking content gets examined to determine whether searchers want information, products, or local services. No more guessing intent from a keyword, you see what types of content already rank.

Identify Link Building Targets

Backlink profiles across your industry get analyzed automatically. Sites that link to your competitors but not to you? Flagged. Broken links on authoritative sites where your content fits? Identified.

Trend Forecasting 

Machine learning spots emerging search trends before they peak. Create content and build authority around topics as they gain traction, not after markets saturate.

The shift? Data analysis happens automatically. You focus on strategy and execution, choosing which opportunities align with your business goals.

Content Creation With AI SEO

AI has made content creation faster, but it hasn’t made quality optional. The most effective approach combines AI’s speed with human expertise and refinement.

Strategic Prompts Make the Difference

ChatGPT, Claude, and Jasper can generate outlines, first drafts, and variations. But generic prompts produce generic content. Your prompts need specifics: target keyword, desired tone, target audience, and the problem you’re solving. More context means better output.

Research and Ideation in Minutes 

Top-performing content on any topic can be analyzed instantly. Common themes surface. Questions readers ask become visible. Gaps your content can fill get identified. Use this to generate multiple angles on a topic, then choose the most valuable approach for your audience.

An interaction with ChatGPT to create blog prompts about paid media.

The Human Element Separates Winners from Noise 

Raw output lacks the expertise, personality, and unique insights that make content rank and convert. Your role:

  • Inject first-hand experience and proprietary data
  • Add specific examples from your work
  • Refine the tone to match your brand voice
  • Fact-check claims and add credible sources
  • Structure content for scannability

Draft the foundation in minutes. Spend your time on differentiation: original insights, case studies, expert analysis, and the depth that builds authority. This added input separates success from mediocrity.

As you can see in the graphic below, human-created content regularly outperforms AI-generated content in terms of traffic, and over extended periods, that gap only grows longer. Be sure to have some sort of human review/iteration to make the most of what AI can bring to the table.

A graphic that compares average traffic per post for AI-generated articles vs human-generated articles.

Content Optimization With AI SEO

Optimization tools have evolved far beyond basic keyword checkers. They now analyze content quality, structure, and competitive positioning to deliver specific, actionable improvements.

Real-Time Optimization Suggestions

Your draft gets compared against top-ranking content instantly. Platforms like Surfer SEO, Clearscope, and Frase recommend keyword usage, content length, heading structure, and related topics to include. You see exactly how comprehensive your coverage needs to be.

Frase suggestions in action.

Source

Readability and Engagement

Complex sentences? Flagged. Passive voice? Identified. Grammarly and Hemingway Editor suggest tone adjustments based on your target audience. Better readability keeps users on your page longer, a signal search engines track closely.

Grammarly suggestions in action.
Hemingway suggestions in action.

Semantic SEO and Topic Clusters

AI tools identify related concepts and subtopic clusters you should cover. This helps you build topic authority by creating comprehensive content that answers multiple related questions. Search engines favor sites that demonstrate depth of knowledge.

Use AI to identify gaps, verify you’re covering topics comprehensively, and polish your content to perform better in search results.

Scale Your SEO

The biggest advantage? Handling repetitive, time-consuming tasks at scale. Your team gets to focus on strategy and creative work that drives results.

Automated Technical Audits

Your entire site gets crawled automatically. Broken links, slow-loading pages, duplicate content, missing meta tags, all identified. Ahrefs and Semrush have audit features that can review your site and provide recommendations more easily. 

A graphic comparing errors detected for SEO manual vs

Systematic Content Gap Analysis 

Your content library compared against competitors reveals topics they cover that you don’t. Underperforming content that needs refreshing or consolidation surfaces automatically. You build comprehensive topic coverage systematically instead of guessing.

Reporting Without the Grunt Work 

Analytics platforms track rankings, traffic, and conversions across hundreds of keywords. Trends get identified. Issues get flagged. Reports generate themselves. You spend less time pulling numbers and more time acting on insights.

Site-Wide Changes in Bulk

Need to update meta descriptions, image alt text, or internal links across your entire site? Some platforms handle the execution while you focus on strategy.

The outcome: manage SEO for larger sites with smaller teams, or handle more clients without burning out your staff.

Competitor Analysis

Competitor analysis reveals what’s working for your competition and where they’re vulnerable.

Modern platforms analyze competitor websites to show which keywords drive their organic traffic, what content topics perform best, their backlink profiles, technical SEO strengths and weaknesses, and content gaps you can exploit.

Semrush, Ahrefs, and SpyFu process massive amounts of data and identify patterns you’d never spot manually. Competitor pages ranking for multiple keywords? Visible. Content formats that work in your niche? Clear. Sites that link to competitors but not to you? Identified.

Make informed decisions: which topics to prioritize, what content formats to use, where to focus link-building efforts. Learn from what already works instead of guessing. 

How To Optimize For AI SEO

Optimizing for AI-powered search engines and LLMs requires a different approach than traditional SEO. Here’s what you need to focus on:

Structure Content for AI Extraction

AI systems look for clear, well-organized information they can extract and cite. Use descriptive headings, concise paragraphs, and clear answers to common questions. Featured snippet-style formatting (definitions, lists, key takeaways, step-by-step instructions) makes your content easy for AI to parse and present.

An example of key takeways.

Double Down on E-E-A-T 

As mentioned earlier, Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness now separate content that ranks from content that doesn’t. Include author credentials. Cite original sources. Demonstrate first-hand experience. Generic information AI could generate itself won’t cut it. Unique insights and proprietary data will.

Neil Patel's author box.

Use Schema Markup

Structured data helps AI understand your content context. Implement schema for articles, FAQs, how-tos, and reviews. This increases the likelihood of your content being featured in AI-generated summaries.

Optimize for Conversational Queries

LLMs respond to natural language questions. Create content that answers specific questions clearly. Think about how people phrase questions to voice assistants or chatbots, not just how they type into search boxes.

Build Topical Authority

Create comprehensive content clusters around core topics. AI systems favor sites that demonstrate depth of knowledge. Cover a topic from multiple angles rather than creating isolated articles.

AI and Search Everywhere Optimization

Search is no longer confined to Google. Users now find information across ChatGPT, Perplexity, social media platforms, and voice assistants. This is where Search Everywhere Optimization comes in.

AI has accelerated the fragmentation of search. Different platforms use different algorithms, but they all rely on AI to understand and rank content. Search Everywhere Optimization means:

  • Creating content optimized for multiple platforms, not just Google
  • Understanding how different AI systems evaluate and cite content
  • Building brand presence across the entire discovery ecosystem
  • Optimizing for both traditional SEO and LLM visibility

Marketers who focus solely on Google risk missing audiences who search elsewhere. AI makes it possible to optimize for multiple platforms simultaneously. However, it requires a broader strategic view of where your audience searches and how different AI systems work.

The future of SEO is about being discoverable everywhere your audience looks for information, not just ranking on Google.

FAQs

How to use AI for SEO?

Use AI tools for keyword research to identify opportunities at scale. Generate content outlines and first drafts, then add human expertise and refinement. Automate technical audits to find and fix site issues. Analyze competitor strategies to inform your approach. Use AI for content optimization suggestions, but always verify recommendations align with your goals and audience needs.

Will AI replace SEO?

No. AI is transforming how SEO works, but it won’t replace the discipline. Search engines still need quality content to rank, and users still need helpful information. AI handles repetitive tasks and data analysis, but human expertise, creativity, and strategic thinking remain essential. The most successful approach combines AI efficiency with human insight and experience.

What is AI SEO?

AI SEO refers to two practices: using artificial intelligence tools to improve your SEO efficiency (keyword research, content creation, technical audits), and optimizing your content so AI-powered search engines and platforms recognize its quality and surface it to users. Both aspects are critical for modern search visibility.

Conclusion

AI has fundamentally changed how search works, but it has also given marketers powerful new tools to compete and win.

The marketers who succeed won’t be the ones who resist AI or rely on it completely. They’ll be the ones who understand how to use AI strategically: automating repetitive tasks, generating insights at scale, and creating content that both AI systems and humans recognize as valuable.

Start by integrating AI tools into one aspect of your SEO workflow. Test what works. Refine your approach. Then expand to other areas.

Need help implementing these AI SEO strategies? I offer SEO consulting services to help businesses as the marketing world evolves.

Read more at Read More

Quora SEO: How to Drive Traffic and Build Authority

If you’re still ignoring Quora as part of your SEO strategy, you’re missing out on serious visibility. It’s recorded 27 million daily users on average, spanning a variety of different industries and demographics.

Here’s what’s changed: Quora has evolved beyond backlinks and referral traffic. The platform now helps you build topical authority, earn citations in AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, and position your brand where real conversations happen. Google’s algorithm updates prioritize forums and discussion platforms in search results, which means Quora answers can rank for valuable long-tail keywords your website might never touch.

The platform rewards marketers willing to show up with substance. You can reach new audiences, test messaging, and boost your search presence without spending a dime on ads.

This guide breaks down how Quora works, how to optimize for both Quora and Google, and how to turn your answers into long-term authority assets.

Key Takeaways

  • Quora ranks in Google for thousands of long-tail keywords, especially question-based queries that trigger People Also Ask boxes and AI Overviews.
  • High-quality answers build topical authority that compounds over time, signaling expertise to both human readers and AI systems.
  • Consistent participation earns AI citations across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other tools reshaping how people find information.
  • Use Quora to uncover content gaps, validate messaging, and attract qualified referral traffic to your owned properties.
  • Quora is a long-term authority strategy, not a quick traffic hack.

How Does The Quora Platform Work?

Think of Quora as a massive crowdsourced knowledge base where expertise meets curiosity. Users ask questions on nearly every topic imaginable, and subject matter experts provide detailed answers.

The Quora interface.

The platform’s algorithm surfaces the most helpful responses based on upvotes, views, and engagement. Well-written answers rise to the top, earning visibility both inside Quora and across Google’s search results.

For marketers, this creates a powerful opportunity. Quora answers frequently appear in Google’s People Also Ask sections, featured snippets, and now AI Overview citations. Your insights can reach audiences far beyond the platform itself. Google’s recent emphasis on forum content means Quora threads show up in the new Discussions and Forums SERP feature for many queries, as shown below.

Quora in Google's discussions and forums section.

How Quora Supports SEO

SEO happens everywhere now, not just on Google. You need visibility on YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, and platforms like Quora.

Here’s how Quora fits into your broader SEO ecosystem:

  • Google visibility for long-tail queries: Quora threads regularly rank on page one for specific questions like “how to improve domain authority for a new site” or “best affordable keyword tools for agencies.” Answer these questions well, and you gain indirect visibility in Google without competing against established authority sites.
  • Internal search traffic: Quora has its own powerful search engine. Users type detailed, conversational queries that mirror natural language searches. This creates a goldmine for keyword research and discovery. Pay attention to which questions get high follower counts and engagement in your niche.
  • AI citations and references: ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI search tools pull insights from Quora discussions. Well-crafted answers with credible information can position you as a trusted source in AI-driven search results. This matters more as AI tools handle an increasing share of information queries.
  • Topical authority signals: Regular participation in specific topic areas builds your visibility both on Quora and beyond. Google and AI systems recognize consistent, quality contributions as trust signals. This feeds into your broader authority-building strategy across all platforms.
  • Brand discovery: People actively searching for solutions on Quora are often in research mode. They’re comparing options, evaluating approaches, and looking for expert guidance. Your presence here puts your brand in front of qualified prospects at a critical decision-making stage.

How To Optimize For Quora

Treat Quora like any other content channel. Success requires strategy, consistency, and a structured approach.

Keyword Research for Quora

Start with Quora’s search bar. Type keywords relevant to your niche (for example, “content marketing strategy” or “technical SEO audits”). You’ll see trending questions, follower counts, and related topics instantly.

Cross-reference these with traditional keyword tools. Use AnswerThePublic, Ubersuggest, or Semrush to identify question-based queries that overlap with popular Quora topics. Look for patterns in how people phrase their questions.

Focus on long-tail keywords that sound conversational. Questions like “what’s the best way to find broken backlinks for a small business site” perform well on Quora and often rank in Google too. These specific, detailed queries attract qualified traffic.

Queries on a AnswerThePublic result.

Take a look at how these research queries translate into actual Quora questions below.

The digital marketing section on Quora.

You can see in this example how many followers certain topics have, which indicates high interest and traffic potential.

A post on the SEO strategy section of Quora.

Monitor trending questions in your expertise areas. Set up notifications for topics you want to establish presence. Jump on new questions early since first responders with quality answers often capture the most upvotes and visibility.

Pay attention to seasonal patterns. Some questions spike during specific times of year (tax questions in March and April, for example). Plan your content calendar accordingly.

Optimize Your Quora Answers

Every answer you post should accomplish two goals: educate your audience and elevate your brand. Here’s how to nail both:

  1. Structure for readability: Break content into short paragraphs. Use subheadings to organize longer answers. Add formatting like bold text, italics, and bullet points to help readers scan quickly. White space matters.
  2. Lead with your strongest point: Answer the question directly in your first paragraph. Don’t bury the insight. People scroll fast, and you need to hook them immediately.
  3. Use keywords naturally: Sprinkle relevant phrases throughout your answer, but write for humans first. Forced keyword stuffing kills credibility and engagement.
  4. Back up claims with data: Reference statistics, cite reputable sources, and share personal experience. Specificity builds trust. Instead of saying “most marketers struggle with this,” say “a 2024 Semrush survey found that 67% of marketers cite link building as their biggest SEO challenge.”
  5. Add visuals when helpful: Screenshots, simple charts, and annotated images break up text and illustrate complex points. Quora supports image uploads, so use them strategically.
  6. Link with purpose: Include one or two contextual links to your content, but only if they genuinely add value. Avoid promotional links that feel like spam. The goal is to be helpful first, promotional second.
  7. Know the Quora rules: Quora has limits on self-promotion. Any sort of self-promotional link or content that isn’t a part of a useful answer to the question is not allowed. Essentially, you want to make sure that the reader can get the gist of your answer without having to go to an outside site.
  8. End with a clear takeaway: Summarize your answer in a sentence or two. Give readers a clear action step if relevant.

Build Authority on Quora

Authority compounds over time on Quora. The algorithm tends to reward consistent contributors who provide detailed, authentic answers. Your visibility grows as you publish more quality content and earn engagement.

Here’s how to accelerate that growth:

Focus on your expertise areas: Answer questions where you can provide genuine insight. Don’t chase every trending topic. Depth beats breadth. Pick three to five topic areas and dominate them.

Optimize your profile: Use a professional photo that matches your other platforms. Add your credentials and expertise in your bio. Include links to your website, LinkedIn, or other professional profiles. Make it easy for people to learn more about you. Take a look at how I’ve set up mine below.

Neil Patel's profile on Quora.

Be consistent: Set a schedule and stick to it. Answer two to three questions per week minimum. Consistency signals commitment to the platform and keeps you visible in your topic areas.

Engage beyond answering: Upvote helpful answers from other experts. Comment thoughtfully on discussions. Follow relevant topics and contributors. This activity boosts your profile visibility and helps you stay current on trending questions.

Respond to comments: Engage with people who comment on your answers. Thank them for thoughtful additions, clarify misunderstandings, and build relationships. This interaction signals quality to the algorithm.

Track your performance: Monitor which answers get the most upvotes, views, and shares. Double down on topics and formats that resonate. Let data guide your content strategy.

Repurposing Your Quora Content

Nothing you write on Quora has to stay on Quora. Smart marketers extract maximum value from every answer.

  • Transform your strongest responses into blog posts. If an answer on “SEO for SaaS startups” gets hundreds of upvotes, that’s validation the topic resonates. Expand it into a comprehensive guide on your site with more examples, case studies, and actionable frameworks.
  • Repurpose answers into LinkedIn posts. Pull key insights, add context for your LinkedIn audience, and drive engagement on a platform you own. Same content, different format and audience.
  • Create short-form video content. Turn popular answers into 60-second explainer videos for Instagram Reels, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts. Visual content extends your reach to audiences who prefer video over text.
  • Use Quora answers in email newsletters. Share your most valuable insights with subscribers. Add commentary on why the topic matters and how they can apply the advice.
  • Mine Quora for content gaps on your site. If you’re consistently answering questions about a topic you haven’t covered in depth on your blog, that’s a clear signal to create that content. Quora reveals what your audience actually wants to know.
  • Track referral traffic from your Quora profile. Use UTM parameters on links to measure which answers drive the most qualified visitors to your site. This data informs both your Quora strategy and your broader content priorities.

Quora and Search Everywhere Optimization

SEO doesn’t live on Google alone anymore. People search for answers on Reddit, YouTube, TikTok, and Quora. Your brand needs visibility across all these platforms.

That’s the essence of Search Everywhere Optimization. You build presence across multiple platforms so your brand stays discoverable regardless of where users search.

Quora fits perfectly into this strategy. The platform lets you demonstrate real expertise while earning brand mentions that can feed into AI and traditional search ecosystems. Every quality answer strengthens your topical authority across the entire web.

The long-term play here is authority, not traffic spikes. The more consistently your name or brand appears in high-quality discussions across platforms, the more trust signals you send to Google, AI engines, and potential customers. Referral traffic becomes more diverse and resilient over time. Ideally, you should see a combination of a variety of different sources.

Quora referral tactic in Google Analytics.

Source

Diversification protects you from algorithm changes. A Google core update might tank your organic traffic temporarily, but if you’ve built authority on Quora, Reddit, and other platforms, you maintain visibility and traffic from multiple sources.

Think of it as building a moat around your brand. The wider and deeper your presence across platforms, the harder it becomes for competitors to outrank or outmaneuver you.

FAQs

How to use Quora for SEO?

Focus on answering relevant, high-traffic questions in your niche consistently. Structure responses with keywords, insights, and occasional links to your content. Build authority over time through regular participation. Think months and years, not days and weeks.

Does Quora help SEO?

Yes, but differently than traditional tactics. Quora builds topical authority, attracts referral traffic, and can earn citations from AI tools that influence modern search rankings. The impact is indirect but powerful for long-term visibility.

Conclusion

Quora SEO is a long-term visibility and authority strategy, not a quick traffic hack.

The marketers winning on Quora treat it as a core part of their content ecosystem. They show up consistently, add real value, and build trust over time. The compounding effect of this approach creates lasting competitive advantages.

Start by answering one question this week in your area of expertise. Then keep going. Track what resonates, refine your approach, and watch your authority grow across platforms.

Need help building a comprehensive Search Everywhere strategy that includes Quora, Reddit, and other emerging platforms? NP Digital can help you create a plan that turns visibility into measurable growth.

Read more at Read More

 Law Firm Digital Marketing Strategies

There are over 1.3 million licensed attorneys in the United States. Tens of thousands of law firms are fighting for the same clients. The legal market is saturated, and potential clients start their search on Google or an AI platform like ChatGPT well before they pick up the phone.

If your firm isn’t visible in those searches, you don’t exist.

That’s where strategic law firm marketing makes the difference. This guide breaks down the digital strategies that actually work for legal practices. You’ll learn how to attract high-value clients, build trust in a skeptical market, and grow your practice without relying solely on referrals.

Key Takeaways

  • Legal marketing requires compliance with bar association ethics rules that don’t apply to other industries. 
  • Digital strategies like SEO and content marketing generate qualified leads at a lower cost than traditional advertising. 
  • Trust signals (reviews, credentials, case results) matter more in legal services than almost any other field. 
  • Multi-channel campaigns combining organic visibility, paid ads, and reputation management deliver the best ROI. 
  • Tracking performance metrics helps you invest in what works and cut what doesn’t.

Why Do Law Firms Need Marketing?

Running a law firm without marketing is like opening a practice in the desert and expecting clients to find you. They won’t.

Your potential clients are researching multiple firms before making contact. They’re reading reviews, comparing credentials, and looking for proof that you understand their specific problem. If you’re not actively managing your online presence, you’re losing cases to firms that are.

Marketing does three things for law firms:

First, it creates visibility. Your ideal clients need to know you exist before they can hire you.

Second, it builds authority. Publishing helpful content, earning positive reviews, and showcasing your expertise all signal that you’re credible and trustworthy. 

Third, it drives qualified leads. Good marketing doesn’t just bring traffic. It brings people who actually need your services. 

Word of mouth still matters, but it’s no longer enough. Potential clients want to verify that word of mouth online before they commit. Your digital presence is how they do that.

What Makes Law Firm Marketing Unique?

Legal marketing operates under constraints that don’t apply to most other industries:

  • Advertising Restrictions: Every state bar has rules about what lawyers can and cannot say in their marketing. Some prohibit guarantees about outcomes. Others restrict testimonials or case results. You need to know your jurisdiction’s rules before launching any campaign, or you risk disciplinary action. 
  • High-Stakes Decision Making: Hiring a lawyer is personal. Clients are dealing with divorces, criminal charges, business disputes, or injuries. They’re stressed, skeptical, and risk-averse. They won’t hire you based on a flashy ad. They need proof that you understand their situation and can deliver results.
  • Longer Sales Cycle: Legal services aren’t impulse purchases. Potential clients might research for weeks or months before reaching out. Your marketing needs to stay in front of them during that entire window, building trust over time.
  • Practice Area Complexity: Marketing for personal injury law looks different than marketing for corporate law or family law. Each practice area attracts different clients with different concerns. A one-size-fits-all strategy doesn’t work.

These factors mean legal marketing has to be clear, ethical, and focused on building credibility. Aggressive tactics backfire. Shortcuts can get you penalized by Google or your state bar.

Digital Marketing Strategies For Law Firms

Digital marketing is where law firms win or lose new clients today. The strategies below consistently generate results for legal practices. Each section includes specific tactics you can implement, along with real examples of how firms are using them effectively.

Law Firm SEO

SEO (search engine optimization) helps your law firm show up organically in search results without paying for every click.

SEO is the foundation of sustainable legal marketing. Unlike paid ads, organic search traffic is free once you’ve earned those rankings. The challenge is that legal SEO is competitive. You’re up against established firms with years of content and backlinks.

Here’s what works for legal SEO:

  • Optimize on-page elements for both users and search engines. Your title tags should include your primary keyword and location. Meta descriptions should summarize your value proposition and include a call to action. Header tags should structure your content logically, making it easy for both readers and search crawlers to understand the page hierarchy. 
  • Create location-specific landing pages for every city or region you serve. A firm with offices in multiple cities needs dedicated pages for each location. Don’t just change the city name and duplicate the content. Each page should include location-specific information: local laws, nearby courts, testimonials from clients in that area, and details about your physical office. 
  • Build high-quality backlinks from reputable sources. In legal SEO, links from other law firms, legal directories, local news sites, and educational institutions carry more weight than links from random blogs. 
  • Fix technical SEO issues that hurt your rankings. Slow page load times, broken links, duplicate content, and poor mobile optimization all damage your ability to rank. Run regular technical audits using tools like Screaming Frog or Semrush to identify and fix these issues. 

The screenshot below shows what winning local legal SEO looks like. The firm’s Google Business Profile appears in the map pack with reviews, photos, and complete business information. This placement is critical because the map pack appears above organic results for local searches.

Results in Google for "Law Firm in Portland."

Social Media For Law Firms

Social media content helps law firms stay top of mind, humanize their brand, and reach potential clients where they already spend time. While social platforms aren’t primary lead generation channels for most legal practices, they play an important supporting role in your overall marketing strategy.

The key to legal social media is providing value without crossing ethical boundaries. You can’t share confidential case information. You can’t make misleading claims about results. But you can educate, engage, and build relationships.

Here’s how law firms use social media effectively:

  • Focus on platforms where your target clients are active. For consumer-facing practices (family law, personal injury, criminal defense), Facebook and Instagram work well. For business-focused practices (corporate law, employment law), LinkedIn is more effective. YouTube works across the board because video content explains complex legal topics better than text.
  • Share educational content that addresses common questions and concerns. Post short explanations of legal concepts, updates on relevant laws, and tips for handling legal situations. A criminal defense firm might share “Your Rights During a Traffic Stop” or “What to Do If You’re Served with a Lawsuit.”.
  • Use video to make legal topics accessible. Short-form video performs exceptionally well on social platforms. Film yourself explaining a legal concept in 60 seconds. Show your office and introduce your team. Record client testimonials (with permission and following bar rules). Video humanizes your practice and makes you more relatable than competitors who only post text and stock photos.
Law firm content on TikTok.
  • Engage with your audience through comments and direct messages. Social media is a two-way channel. When someone comments on your post with a question, respond promptly and helpfully. When potential clients reach out via direct message, direct them to schedule a consultation. This responsiveness builds trust and can generate leads.

Law Firm Content Marketing

Content marketing helps law firms educate potential clients, demonstrate authority, and improve SEO.

Content marketing works for law firms because legal services are complicated. Potential clients don’t understand the process, the timeline, or what to expect. They’re searching for answers before they’re ready to hire anyone. If you provide those answers, you become the obvious choice when they’re ready to move forward

Here’s what effective legal content marketing looks like:

  • Create detailed blog posts and guides that address specific legal questions. Don’t write generic fluff. Write content that actually helps someone understand their situation. A family law firm might publish “What to Expect During Mediation in a Texas Divorce” or “How to Modify a Child Custody Agreement.” These are specific, actionable, and demonstrate expertise.
  • Build practice-area-specific landing pages that target local searches. A personal injury lawyer in Miami needs a page optimized for “Miami car accident lawyer” that explains Florida’s comparative negligence laws, statute of limitations, and what damages clients can recover.
    • The screenshot below shows exactly this approach in action. Notice the clear table of contents with headers focusing on different aspects of the probate process.
A legal guide on a law firm website.
  • Develop lead magnets like checklists or downloadable guides. Offer something valuable in exchange for an email address. A criminal defense attorney might offer “10 Things to Do If You’re Arrested” as a downloadable PDF. This builds your email list and establishes authority.
  • Update old content regularly to keep it accurate and relevant. Laws change. Case precedents evolve. If your blog post from 2019 references outdated information, it hurts your credibility and your SEO. Review your top-performing content every six months (as a start) and refresh it as needed.

Paid Media for Law Firms

Paid search ads let law firms appear instantly at the top of Google for high-intent keywords. Unlike SEO, which takes months to build, PPC delivers immediate visibility. For competitive legal markets, paid media is often the fastest way to generate leads. 

Legal keywords are expensive. Terms like “personal injury lawyer” or “DUI attorney” can cost $50 to $200 per click in major markets. That’s why your campaigns need to be highly targeted and conversion-optimized. You can’t afford to waste budget on broad, low-intent traffic. 

Here’s how to make paid media work for legal services:

  • Use geo-targeted campaigns to focus on your actual service area. If you’re a divorce lawyer in Austin, don’t waste budget on clicks from Dallas or Houston. Set tight geographic boundaries around the areas where you can take cases. This reduces irrelevant traffic and improves your cost per lead.
  • Bid on high-intent keywords that signal immediate need. Someone searching “hire DUI lawyer tonight” or “emergency custody attorney” is ready to act now. These keywords cost more, but they convert at higher rates than informational searches like “what is a DUI.”
  • Set up call-only campaigns for mobile users. Over 60% of legal searches happen on mobile devices, and many users prefer to call immediately rather than fill out forms. Call-only ads display a phone number instead of a website link, making it easy for mobile searchers to connect with your firm right away. The example below demonstrates this perfectly. The firms use location extensions (address and map), call extensions (phone number), and sitelink extensions to maximize their ad’s real estate and provide multiple paths for potential clients to take action.
Results for "clearwater personal injury lawyer."
  • Track conversions beyond clicks. Use call tracking software to measure which keywords drive phone inquiries. Connect your PPC platform to your CRM so you can see which campaigns generate actual consultations and signed clients, not just website visits. 

Law Firm LLM Marketing

AI-powered search is changing how people find legal help. Tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews pull information directly from web content and display it without sending users to websites. For law firms, this means your content needs to be structured so AI can find it, understand it, and cite it.

LLM marketing means optimizing for these AI-driven search experiences. You’re not just trying to rank on page one anymore. You’re trying to become the source that AI tools reference when someone asks a legal question, whether it’s on or off Google. 

Here’s what actually works: 

  • Write content that directly answers common legal questions. Don’t bury the answer three paragraphs in. Start with a clear, concise response, then expand with details. AI tools favor content that gets to the point quickly.
  • Use schema markup to help AI understand your content structure. Schema tells search engines (and AI) what your content is about: whether it’s a how-to guide, a FAQ, a service page, or something else. This makes it easier for AI to pull the right information.
  • Focus on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness). Google’s search quality guidelines emphasize these factors, and AI tools are trained on similar principles. Showcase your credentials, cite your sources, and demonstrate real-world experience with the cases you discuss.
  • Target long-tail, question-based keywords. People ask AI tools questions the same way they’d ask a lawyer: “What happens if I get a DUI in California?” or “How long does a divorce take in Texas?” Create content that mirrors these natural queries.

Look at the example below. AI Overviews now surface legal information directly in search results by pulling from multiple authoritative sources. One way a personal injury firm could earn placement for a query like this is by publishing comprehensive guides that answer common accident questions with clear structure and proper schema markup.

An AI overview result for a legal question.

Email Marketing For Law Firms

Email marketing is one of the most underutilized channels in legal marketing. Many firms assume people don’t want to hear from lawyers via email, but that’s not true. If you’re providing value, people will open your emails.

Email works because it keeps your firm top of mind during the long decision-making process that legal services require. Someone might visit your website, read a blog post, and then not be ready to hire you for another three months. Email lets you stay connected during that time.

Here’s how to build an effective email marketing strategy for your law firm:

  • Segment your email list by practice area and stage in the client journey. Don’t send the same email to everyone. A personal injury lead who downloaded your “Car Accident Checklist” needs different content than a business owner who attended your webinar on employment law. Segment your list so you can send relevant, targeted messages.
  • Create automated email sequences for lead nurturing. When someone downloads a lead magnet or fills out a contact form, trigger an automated sequence that provides additional value over the next few weeks. For example, a family law firm might send a series of emails covering “Preparing for Your First Divorce Consultation,” “Understanding Texas Community Property Laws,” and “What to Expect in Mediation.”
  • Share valuable content in your newsletters, not just promotional messages. The email example below gets this right. It includes a personal message from an attorney, links to recent blog posts, a featured case study, and upcoming events. 
An example of legal marketing from a law firm.

Source

  • Always include a clear call to action. Every email should guide recipients toward a next step: schedule a consultation, download a resource, read a related blog post, or call your office. Make it easy for interested recipients to take action.

Law Firm Reputation Management

Your online reputation can make or break your ability to attract new clients. Studies show that 97% of consumers read online reviews before choosing a local business, and legal services are no exception. Potential clients research your firm’s reviews before reaching out.

Reputation management is about actively monitoring and influencing what people find when they search for your firm online. This isn’t necessarily about hiding negative feedback (which is impossible and often unethical), but building enough positive reviews and content that a few negative comments don’t dominate your online presence.

Here’s how law firms manage their reputation effectively:

  • Ask satisfied clients for reviews at the right time. The best time to request a review is right after a successful outcome, when clients are most grateful and engaged. Make the process easy by sending a direct link to your Google Business Profile or preferred review platform. Don’t offer incentives for positive reviews (this violates most platform policies).
  • Respond to all reviews, both positive and negative. Thank clients who leave positive reviews. For negative reviews, respond professionally and avoid getting defensive. Your response shows future clients how you handle criticism and difficult situations.
  • Monitor your firm’s online mentions across the web. Set up Google Alerts for your firm name and key attorneys. Check legal directories, social media, and review platforms regularly. If you find inaccurate information or fake reviews, report them to the platform. If you find negative but legitimate feedback, use it as an opportunity to improve your client experience.
  • Showcase testimonials and case results on your website, social media, and Google Business Profile (while following bar association rules). Look at the example below. This firm has over 500 reviews with a 4.8-star average, demonstrating consistent client satisfaction over time. The reviews are recent, which carries more weight with potential clients. The visible 
Examples of testimonials on a law firm's Google Business Profile.

Law Firm Website UX

Your website is often your first impression with potential clients. If it’s slow, confusing, or unprofessional, you’ve lost them before any real interaction happens. Good website UX (user experience) makes it easy for visitors to find information, trust your expertise, and contact you.

Law firm websites need to balance professionalism with accessibility. You want to appear credible and authoritative, but not intimidating or corporate. You want to showcase your expertise, but not overwhelm visitors with legal jargon.

Here’s what makes a law firm website effective:

  • Use clear, prominent calls to action. Every page should make it obvious how to contact you. “Schedule a Free Consultation” or “Call Now” buttons should be visible without scrolling. Include your phone number in the header of every page, especially for mobile users who want to call immediately.
  • Keep navigation simple and intuitive. Potential clients should be able to find practice area pages, attorney bios, and contact information within two clicks from the homepage. Avoid dropdown menus with too many options. Use clear labels that describe what visitors will find (not clever marketing language that confuses people).
  • Display trust signals above the fold. Show your credentials, years of experience, number of cases won, bar memberships, and awards in prominent locations. Potential clients need to see evidence of your expertise and track record before they’ll trust you with their case.
  • Optimize for mobile devices. Your website needs to load quickly, display correctly on small screens, and make it easy to call or fill out forms from a phone. Test your site on multiple devices to ensure the experience is smooth everywhere.

Measuring Your Law Firm Marketing Success

If you’re not tracking results, you’re guessing. Law firm marketing requires measurement to know what’s working and where to invest more resources.

Here are the key performance indicators every law firm should monitor:

Website traffic and traffic sources: Use Google Analytics to track how many people visit your site and where they come from (organic search, paid ads, social media, referrals). This tells you which channels drive the most visitors and helps you allocate budget effectively.

Keyword rankings: Monitor your positions for target keywords using tools like Semrush or Ubersuggest. Track both your overall visibility and specific rankings for high-value terms in your practice areas. Regular ranking reports show whether your SEO efforts are paying off.

Lead volume and quality: Count how many leads you generate each month through different channels (contact forms, phone calls, chat messages, consultation requests). But don’t just count quantity. Track lead quality by measuring how many leads turn into consultations and how many consultations become clients.

Cost per lead and cost per client: For paid campaigns, calculate how much you spend to acquire each lead and each new client. This ROI data helps you decide which campaigns to scale and which to pause. A channel that generates cheap leads but low conversion rates might be less valuable than one with higher costs but better-qualified prospects.

Review volume and ratings: Track your review count and average rating across platforms over time. Growing review volume signals that your reputation management efforts are working. Declining ratings indicate potential service issues that need attention.

Use tools like Google Looker Studio to build dashboards that centralize all this data. Having everything in one place makes it easier to spot trends, make decisions, and report results to partners or stakeholders.

FAQs

What is law firm marketing?

Law firm marketing refers to the strategies and tactics used to attract, engage, and convert clients for a legal practice. It includes SEO, content marketing, PPC, social media, and reputation management.

How do you market a law firm effectively?

Focus on your ideal client. Build trust through content, reviews, and clear communication. Invest in SEO and paid search to get in front of people actively looking for help. Track your results and adjust as needed.

How much does law firm marketing cost?

Costs vary based on location, competition, and strategy. Solo attorneys might spend $1,000/month, while larger firms can invest $10,000+ monthly. Start with what fits your goals and scale as you grow.

Conclusion

Effective law firm marketing separates the practices that grow from those that struggle. Visibility, credibility, and consistent lead generation don’t happen by accident. They require strategy, execution, and ongoing optimization.

Start with one or two channels where your ideal clients spend time. Build your foundation with SEO and a strong website. Add paid advertising for immediate results. Strengthen your reputation through reviews and client testimonials. Track everything so you know what’s driving results.

If you need help building a marketing strategy that brings in qualified clients, NP Digital’s consulting services can help you develop and execute a plan tailored to your practice.

Ready to grow your firm? Let’s make it happen.

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Roofing Marketing Guide

The U.S. roofing market hit $23.35 billion in 2024, and competition is fiercer than ever. With over 96,000 roofing contractors registered nationwide, you’re not just competing with the shop down the street anymore.

While 79% of homeowners still find roofers through word-of-mouth, 62% also go online. And here’s the game-changer: many of those searches now happen through AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews before homeowners ever see a traditional search result.

Search interest in “roofing companies” grew 107% year-over-year. The roofing business has always been built on trust and reputation. What’s changed is how potential customers find you and decide whether to call.

This guide breaks down the marketing strategies that work for roofing companies in 2025. No theory, just the tactics that help you get found and hired.

Key Takeaways

  • Roofing customers make decisions based on urgency and trust. Storm damage creates immediate need, while planned replacements involve months of research and multiple contractor comparisons.
  • Local visibility matters more for roofers than almost any other industry. Homeowners rarely hire contractors outside their service area, making hyper-local SEO and Google Business Profile optimization essential.
  • Your online reputation competes directly with word-of-mouth referrals. Homeowners check reviews before calling, and a strong rating can override even a neighbor’s recommendation.
  • AI search tools now answer roofing questions like “how much does a roof replacement cost” before showing traditional results, changing how you need to structure content to get cited.
  • Roofing marketing must address both emergency repairs and planned replacements. Your strategy needs to capture homeowners searching “roof leak repair now” and those researching “best roofing materials” six months before they’re ready to buy.

Why Do Roofing Businesses Need Marketing?

72% of roofing contractors expect sales growth in 2025, but hoping for growth and planning for it are two different things. Marketing is about making sure you’re visible when a homeowner’s roof starts leaking or when they’re ready to replace those 20-year-old shingles.

67% of homeowners say online reviews are extremely or very important in their purchasing decision. That means your reputation online matters just as much as the quality of your work. Maybe more, because prospects check your reviews before they ever meet you. When you look for a roofer in your area, reputation signals like ratings and reviews are front and center in the SERP.

Results for "Roofer near Minneapolis."

Marketing also keeps your pipeline full during slow seasons. Storm damage creates spikes in demand, but you need a steady flow of leads year-round to keep crews working and revenue stable. Without marketing, you’re reactive. With it, you’re in control.

The roofing companies that invest in marketing don’t just survive. They grow, scale, and dominate their local markets. The ones that don’t? They’re competing on price alone, and that’s a race to the bottom nobody wins.

What Makes Roofing Marketing Unique?

Roofing sits at an unusual intersection in home services. Half your leads need you right now because of storm damage or leaks. The other half are planning six months out, researching materials and comparing quotes.

Most roofing demand comes from re-roofing, with the median U.S. home age nearing 40 years. That creates a predictable replacement cycle, but it also means homeowners treat roofing as a major investment. They’re not impulse buying. They’re checking multiple contractors, reading dozens of reviews, and asking neighbors who they used.

Trust matters more in roofing than almost any trade. You’re asking homeowners to spend $15,000 to $30,000 or even more on something they can’t see once it’s installed. 

The buying cycle also varies wildly. Emergency repairs convert in hours. Full replacements take weeks or months of consideration. Your marketing needs to serve both audiences without confusing either one.

Digital Marketing Strategies For Roofing

The tactics below aren’t theory. They’re what actually works for roofing companies competing in local markets right now.

Each strategy addresses a specific part of the customer journey. LLM marketing and SEO capture homeowners in research mode. Paid ads grab emergency leads when speed matters. Social media and content build trust over time. Email nurtures prospects who aren’t ready to buy today. Reputation management turns past customers into your best salespeople.

You don’t need to master all of these on day one. Start with the channels where your best customers are already looking, then expand as you see results.

Roofing SEO

SEO puts your roofing company in front of homeowners during their research phase, weeks or months before they’re ready to get quotes. 76% of people who search on their smartphones for something nearby visit a business within a day, making local SEO critical for roofing contractors competing in specific service areas. Businesses that appear in the Google 3-pack see a 34% higher click-through rate compared to other organic results.

Here’s what drives SEO results for roofing companies:

  • Optimize your Google Business Profile completely. Fill out every section of your Google Business Profile, choose “Roofing Contractor” as your primary category, add secondary categories like “Roof Repair Service” or “Metal Roofing Company,” and upload photos weekly. 
A Google Business Profile for a roofing company.
  • Target service-specific local keywords. Create separate pages for “roof replacement [city],” “storm damage repair [city],” and “roof leak repair [city].” Don’t lump all services onto one generic page. Homeowners search for specific solutions in specific locations.
  • Build consistent local citations. List your business on Angi, HomeAdvisor, BBB, and roofing-specific directories with identical NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information everywhere. Inconsistent listings confuse Google and hurt rankings.
  • Create location-specific content for each service area. If you serve multiple cities, build individual pages for each location with unique content about local roofing challenges, weather patterns, and building codes. Don’t just swap city names in template pages.

Roofing Social Media

Social media isn’t optional for roofing companies anymore. Social media content now ranks prominently in Google search results, meaning your Facebook posts and YouTube videos can appear when homeowners search for roofing services. 89% of consumers will buy from a brand after following it on social media.

Some roofing companies might avoid social media because they don’t want to be on camera or don’t know what to post. But social media isn’t about you. It’s about showing homeowners what to expect and staying top of mind when their roof needs work.

Here’s how roofing companies should use social media:

  • Post project transformations consistently. Before-and-after photos of completed jobs prove you can solve problems. Show storm damage repairs, full replacements, and material upgrades. Too much promotional content is a major turn-off, so focus on showing your work, not selling your services.
An Instagram page for a roofing company.
  • Feature your crew, not just roofs. Show your team working safely, explain the process, and humanize your brand. Homeowners hire people, not companies. Let them see who shows up to their house.
  • Create educational content about local roofing issues. Post about how local weather affects roofs, when to replace vs. repair, and what homeowners should look for during inspections. Educational content positions you as the expert.
  • Respond to comments and messages immediately. Social media is a customer service channel. Homeowners asking about pricing or availability in your comments expect fast responses. Slow replies lose jobs to competitors.

Roofing Content Marketing

Homeowners research roofing projects for months before hiring a contractor. Content marketing puts your company in front of them during that research phase, building trust before they’re ready to get quotes.

Content works differently for roofing than other industries. It’s not about entertainment. You’re educating homeowners who need to make a major financial decision about something they don’t understand. Most people replace a roof once or twice in their lifetime. They don’t know what questions to ask.

Here’s what roofing content should cover:

  • Create buying guides specific to your region. Write about which roofing materials work best in your local climate, how local weather patterns affect roof lifespan, and what building codes homeowners need to know. A guide for Florida roofs looks completely different than one for Colorado.
A guide on a roofing website.
  • Break down the replacement process. Explain timeline expectations, how crews protect landscaping, what noise levels to expect, and how homeowners should prepare. Demystifying the process reduces anxiety and objections during sales calls.
A graphic explaining the roofing process.
  • Address insurance and financing. Homeowners want to know if insurance covers storm damage, how to file claims, and what financing options exist. Content that answers these questions captures leads who are ready to move forward but need help with payment logistics.
  • Show your work through project galleries. Before-and-after photos with detailed captions explaining the problem, solution, and materials used build credibility better than any sales copy.
A project gallery on a roofing website.

Roofing Paid Media

Paid ads put your roofing company in front of homeowners at the exact moment they need help. When someone searches “roof repair near me” at 8 AM after a night of heavy rain, that’s not casual browsing. That’s intent. PPC advertising captures those high-intent leads before they call your competitors.

For roofing and gutters, the average cost per click can be expensive compared to other home services, but the payoff justifies the cost. Well-optimized campaigns can bring in up to $8 for every $1 spent, especially during storm season when demand spikes.

Here’s how to make paid ads work for roofing:

  • Separate emergency from planned replacement campaigns. Someone searching “roof leak repair now” needs different messaging than someone researching “best roofing materials.” Create distinct campaigns for each stage of the buying cycle with appropriate landing pages when someone clicks through from a paid ad. The examples below show that path down the sales funnel.
A local search for roof leak repair now.
A landing page from a sponsored ad on a roofing website.
  • Use location targeting aggressively. Bid higher on zip codes you actually service. Storm-damaged areas command premium ad costs, but they also convert faster. Adjust bids based on weather patterns and recent storm activity.
  • Track phone calls, not just form fills. Most roofing leads call directly from mobile search results. Set up call tracking so you know which keywords and ads generate actual conversations, not just website visits.
  • Add negative keywords religiously. Exclude searches for “DIY roof repair,” “roofing jobs,” and “roofing materials wholesale” unless you serve those markets. Wasted clicks drain budgets fast in high-CPC industries like roofing.

Roofing LLM Marketing

AI SEO for roofers helps roofing companies appear in answers from large language models like those that power  ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews. When a homeowner asks “What should I do about a roof leak?” or “How much does a roof replacement cost?” they’re not always clicking through to websites anymore. They’re getting answers directly from AI.

Market projections suggest that LLMs will capture 15% of the search market by 2028. That’s not replacing Google, but it’s changing how homeowners research roofing services before they ever pick up the phone.

When homeowners search for roofing services, AI-generated overviews now often appear before traditional search results, answering questions with cited sources. Getting your roofing company included in those citations means more visibility even when prospects don’t click through to your site.

AI overviews for roofing services.

Here’s what works for roofing companies optimizing for AI search:

  • Answer specific questions directly. Create content that addresses exact homeowner concerns like “How long does a roof replacement take?” or “What causes shingles to curl?” AI tools favor sources that give clear, complete answers.
  • Use structured data. Add FAQ schema and How-To schema to your pages. This helps AI understand what your content covers and makes it easier to cite you as a source.
  • Build topical authority. Cover one roofing topic completely rather than surface-level content on 20 topics. Write comprehensive guides on roof types, materials, and local weather considerations specific to your service area.
  • Keep information current. AI tools generally pull from fresh, accurate content. Update your pricing guides, material comparisons, and storm preparation advice regularly with current information and timestamps.

Email Marketing For Roofing

Most roofing jobs don’t happen immediately. Homeowners research for months before getting quotes, then take more time comparing contractors. Email keeps your company in front of prospects during that entire decision-making process without requiring constant manual follow-up.

Email marketing is one of the highest ROI channels for roofing companies. Unlike social media where algorithms control visibility, email lands directly in the inbox of people who actually want to hear from you.

Here’s how to use email marketing for roofing:

  • Segment your list by customer type. Emergency repair leads need different messaging than planned replacement prospects. Past customers get maintenance reminders. Property managers receive commercial service updates. 
  • Send seasonal maintenance reminders. Email past customers before storm season with inspection offers. Send fall gutter cleaning reminders. Winter ice dam prevention tips. Timely, helpful emails keep you top of mind when they need work again.
  • Nurture leads who requested quotes but didn’t book. Set up automated follow-up sequences for prospects who got estimates but haven’t committed. Share financing options, customer testimonials, and limited-time offers to move them toward a decision.
  • Build your list with valuable content. Offer free roof inspection checklists, seasonal maintenance guides, or storm damage assessment tools in exchange for email addresses. Gated content attracts qualified leads who are actively researching roofing services.

Roofing Reputation Management

Your reputation online directly impacts whether prospects call you or your competitor, especially when considering high-stakes decisions like roofing. Reputation management for roofing companies means actively controlling what homeowners see when they research your business. One bad review on the first page of Google can cost you thousands in lost jobs.

Here’s how to manage your roofing reputation:

  • Ask for reviews immediately after job completion. Send a text or email with a direct link to your Google Business Profile while the customer is still happy. Timing matters. Ask three days later and response rates drop significantly. Be sure to have a section for relevant testimonials on your site as well.
Testimonials on a roofing website.
  • Respond to every review, good and bad. Thank customers for positive reviews and mention the specific project. For negative reviews, acknowledge the issue publicly, explain what happened, and offer to make it right. Future prospects read your responses.
  • Monitor review sites beyond Google. Track Angi, HomeAdvisor, BBB, Facebook, and Yelp. Homeowners check multiple platforms before calling, so you need consistent positive reviews everywhere.
  • Address negative reviews offline first. Call unhappy customers before they leave public reviews. Solve the problem directly. Many will update or remove negative reviews if you fix the issue quickly.

Measuring Your Roofing Marketing Success

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Marketing without tracking is just hoping things work. What you are looking to focus on may vary based on short-term and long-term goals.

Track these metrics to understand what’s actually driving results:

  • Cost Per Lead (CPL): Divide total marketing spend by number of qualified leads in your service area who are ready to book. If you’re spending $500 per lead when competitors spend $150, something’s broken.
  • Lead-to-Customer Conversion Rate: How many leads become paying customers? Even a slight improvement from 2% to 4% can double your leads without increasing traffic. Track this by marketing channel to see which sources close.
  • Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): For every dollar spent on paid ads, how much revenue comes back? If you’re spending $5,000 monthly on Google Ads but only booking $3,000 in jobs, you’re burning money.
  • Website Conversion Rate: Track phone calls and form submissions separately. Most roofing leads call directly from mobile search, so call tracking matters more than form fills.

Use Google Analytics, call tracking software, and your CRM to monitor these metrics monthly. Set up dashboards showing performance by channel so you can cut what doesn’t work and double down on what does.

FAQs

How do I market a roofing company?

Start with local SEO and Google Business Profile optimization since most homeowners search for roofers nearby. Get reviews systematically after every job. Run Google Ads targeting emergency repair keywords and service-specific terms in your area. Post project photos and educational content on social media. Build an email list to nurture leads who aren’t ready to book immediately. Track which channels produce the best leads and focus your budget there.

What is roofing marketing?

Roofing marketing is the process of attracting homeowners who need roof repairs, replacements, or inspections and converting them into paying customers. It combines local SEO, paid advertising, content creation, social media, email marketing, and reputation management to capture leads at different stages of the buying cycle. Effective roofing marketing addresses both emergency repair needs and planned replacement projects with different strategies for each.

Conclusion

Roofing marketing isn’t about choosing one tactic and hoping it works. It’s about building a system that captures homeowners at every stage, from the first Google search to the follow-up email six months later.

Start with what matters most for roofing: local visibility. Optimize your Google Business Profile, get reviews, and make sure you show up when homeowners search for help. Layer in paid ads for emergency leads and content for long-term trust building.

The roofing companies winning in 2025 aren’t the ones with the biggest trucks. They’re the ones who show up first online, prove they’re trustworthy before the phone rings, and stay in touch until homeowners are ready to buy.

Need help building a complete marketing strategy? My marketing consulting services can help you dominate your local market. 

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