Imagine this. You've finally done it. You're
ranking number one on Google, top spot. But somehow,
you're still invisible. The game has fundamentally
changed. Beat. Welcome to the deep dive. Today,
we're really going to immerse ourselves in this,
well, this quiet revolution happening inside
Google. See, it's not just about listing links
anymore. It's becoming, well, a curated answer
engine. And this shift, it opens up a whole new
field, generative engine optimization, or GEO.
Basically, it's about teaching Google's AI to
actually cite your brand, to see you as a trusted
source. So today, our journey is going to unpack
some common misunderstandings, we'll explore
new features like AI mode, really get into why
citation is the new brand building, and crucially,
give you a practical step -by -step guide, how
to make this AI work for you. Let's dig in. Yeah,
you know, a lot of folks, when they first hear
Google AI, they immediately think, oh no, SEO's
dead. My traffic's going to tank. But honestly,
the data just doesn't back that up. Not at all.
Daily Google searches actually jumped. Big time,
from about 8 .5 billion up to like 13 .7 billion.
People are searching more, not less. That's fascinating.
And what's really interesting to me is how Google
itself is becoming so much more conversational.
Exactly. We've seen question -based searches
just explode, right? Yeah. From, what, 38 % up
to 87 % in just eight months? Yeah, it's wild.
That huge jump just shows how much people value
getting full answers directly from the AI. And
it's really useful to look at where these AI
overviews actually show up. They're very common
for informational searches when people are learning
about something, almost half the time. And pretty
often for commercial searches too, like when
you're comparing products or services. But for
navigational searches, like you already know
you want to go to Wikipedia or transactional
ones, buy shoes now, they show up way less. The
point isn't the exact number, but that the AI
is jumping in right when users are doing their
research comparing options, those high intent
moments before a decision. So it's not less search,
it's just different search. What's the core takeaway
here for businesses, then? Simple, really. Businesses
gotta adapt. Showing up in these new AI formats
is critical for those high -intent moments. Okay,
so if AI overviews are kind of the appetizer...
then Google's AI mode feels like the main course
to me. Good analogy. When you go into AI mode,
it basically replaces the whole standard search
results page. It becomes this full -on AI conversation.
And that really changes things, doesn't it? AI
mode isn't just for simple questions. It can
handle really complex, multi -part stuff almost
instantly. And what's interesting is it pulls
info from sources you often can't even see easily.
And a lot of the time, it doesn't even link back
to the original article or page. It's acting
much more like your personal research assistant,
not just a list of links. Which brings us to
this really interesting idea, the hidden query
fan out. You type in what seems like one question,
but behind the curtain, Google's AI might be
firing off 10, 20, maybe even 30 or more little
micro searches, like stacking Lego blocks of
data to build the final answer. Exactly. It's
like, take that example. Plan the launch of a
new cold brew coffee line in Ho Chi Minh City
for office workers. That's one question for you.
Right. But for the AI, it's triggering dozens
of hidden searches. Coffee trends, HCMC 2025,
best coffee bean suppliers Vietnam, food safety
rules for bottled drinks, which districts have
the most offices in HCMC and on and on. Wow.
And the challenge for marketers is you can't
see those hidden searches. So our old ways of
tracking and keyword rankings pretty much useless
for this. Which is why we talk about semantic
positioning. Essentially training the AI to see
your brand as the go -to source for whole topics,
whole ways of thinking, not just single keywords.
So given this invisible query fan out, how does
a business even start to aim its content? You've
got to focus on broad topic authority. Forget
chasing single keywords. You know, the data on
how people find brands is pretty revealing. Something
like 90 % first discover a company through organic
Google searches. Right, that initial discovery.
And here's the thing, only about 5 % actually
buy right then and there. The vast majority,
the other 95%, they come back later. Yeah. Which
makes modern SEO function a lot more like, say,
a billboard on the freeway. OK. Or, you know,
like the sponsor logos you see all over a Formula
One car. It's about recognition. It's about memory.
Oh, right. People see your brand. It sticks somewhere
in their head. And then when they are ready to
buy, maybe weeks or months later, boom, your
brand pops up first. Top of mind. And that perfectly
leads into this citation effect. When Google's
AI actually mentions your brand in a summary,
it's not just a link anymore. It's more like
a news editor citing a trusted source. Exactly.
It's an endorsement. You become top of mind even
if they don't click through right away. And what's
really cool is the compound effect that happens.
The more people use Google AI, the more your
brand gets mentioned, assuming you've done the
work. And that builds serious trust. And that
trust It doesn't just stay in Google. It spills
over. You see it on social media. People talk
about it. You get more direct searches for your
brand name. Pause. You know, I still wrestle
with prompt drift myself sometimes where the
AI kind of goes off track or its understanding
shifts. And focusing just on citation, it feels
like a whole new muscle memory for SEO, honestly.
It's a different way of thinking. So in this
new world, it's less about Getting that immediate
click and much more about building up that future
brand equity precisely Citation builds trust
and long -term brand value way beyond just immediate
traffic sponsor OK, let's shift gears now into
the practical. How do you actually get your brand
cited by Google's AI? We're talking about real
playbook here. Right, the how -to. And it involves
basically reverse engineering who the AI already
trusts and then creating something even better
yourself. Step one is figuring out what content
the AI already likes. A tool like Ubersuggest
is great for this. You find a competitor who's
ranking well for a keyword that matters to you,
like best project management tools. Plug their
URL into Ubersuggest. See their traffic, their
top pages, back links. Got it. But really zoom
in on their winning pages. Yeah. The stuff the
AI is clearly referencing already. OK. So find
the winners. Then step two, find your own gaps.
Exactly. Use Ubersuggest's similar websites feature.
Put your own domain in. It'll show you keywords
your competitors rank for that you don't. Right.
And then you prioritize the keywords that you
know are already triggering AI overviews or AI
mode. Focus your effort there first. Makes sense.
Then step three, create the actual content. Yeah,
and this is super important. It's not just about
blog posts anymore. Not by a long shot. Google's
AI pulls from all sorts of stuff. Multi -format,
multi -layered content. Like what? Think videos,
really good images, unique brand visuals, clear
explainer graphics, maybe even interactive tools
or calculators. So be on text. Way beyond text.
Why? Because people consume visuals faster, right?
The AI is essentially built to reflect user preference.
If users like visuals, the AI will learn to like
visuals. Whoa. Imagine the sheer scale of content
needed then. Knowing Google's AI wants to pull
from everything you create, not just text, that's
huge. It is a shift, which leads straight to
step four. enrich the whole content experience.
For every single piece of important content,
you need to think about adding supporting media.
Like video summaries, diagrams that simplify
things, infographers for data, charts, graphs,
interactive bits, if it makes sense. The formula
is, find keyword gaps, plus create super comprehensive
content, plus present it in multiple formats.
That's how you become that trusted source. So
are we talking about creating totally new kinds
of content, or is it more about beefing up what
we already have? It's both, really. Enhancing
your existing high -value stuff with diverse
media, that's a really powerful place to start.
Right. And in this AI -driven world, it seems
like Google isn't just rewarding volume anymore.
It's rewarding clarity, completeness, credibility.
Absolutely. One really deep comprehensive piece
will be 10 shallow, quick articles every time
now. So what does comprehensive really mean in
this context? It means you answer the main question
fully. You anticipate and answer related questions.
You give real examples, maybe case studies. You
provide actionable steps. You link out to other
authoritative sources to back things up. And
crucially, you keep it updated regularly. Got
it. And that relates to topic clustering, doesn't
it? Perfectly. Instead of just chasing single
keywords, you build out these clusters of content
around a whole topic. That's how you establish
what we call semantic authority. OK, so give
me an example. Sure. Let's say email margining
is your main topic, your pillar page. Then you
create cluster content around it, like best practices
for email subject lines, how to set up email
automation workflows, improving email deliverability,
and you link them all together tightly. Ah, OK.
Showing deep expertise across the board. Exactly.
And don't forget the technical basics still matter.
Structured data or schema is huge. Fast loading
speed, mobile -friendly design, clear headings,
H1s, H2s, H3s, good internal linking, all that
foundational stuff is still critical. Well, you
can do all that and still mess it up, right?
What are the common mistakes that kill your citation
chances? Oh, yeah. Focusing only on keywords,
especially stuffing them in, that's a killer.
Ignoring what the user actually wants to know
user intent, creating thin content, short, surface
-level stuff, having zero visual elements. That's
a big one now. Not updating your content. Stale
content just doesn't get trusted by the AI. So
is it fair to say quality massively trumps quantity
now, and you really have to think like a deep
topic expert? Absolutely. Depth, authority, and
multi -format content. That's what the AI trusts
and rewards. OK, so if we're building this long
-term authority, how do we measure success? Traditional
SEO metrics feel incomplete now. They are. You
absolutely need brand mention tracking now. You've
got to monitor when your brand name pops up in
AI overviews, even if they're no link. Track
your branded search volume. Are more people searching
directly for your company? And watch for mentions
within the full AI mode conversations. And then
there are the indirect signs too, right? Definitely.
Things like are you getting more email signups
from organic traffic, more direct visits to your
site, more social follows maybe that came from
search. You could even add questions to customer
surveys. How did you first hear about us? And
keep an eye on competitors. See who's getting
cited in your space for what topics. Watch how
the AI responses change over time. That's valuable
intel. OK, so for everyone listening, let's talk
action plan. That four -week blueprint you mentioned.
Yeah, that's a good starting point. Week one,
research. Use Ubersuggest. Analyze competitors.
Find maybe your top 10 keyword gaps where AI
is active. Note the types of content getting
cited. Read the reconnaissance. Week two, planning.
Pick your top, say, three keyword opportunities
from week one. Plan out really comprehensive
content. Outline the visuals, the videos, the
interactive bits. Find those authoritative sources
you'll link to. Get the blueprint ready. Week
three, creation. Write that first big comprehensive
piece. Create the supporting visuals. Get the
headings right, the internal links. Add examples,
advice. Build it. Then week four, publish and
promote. Get it live with all the technical checks
done. Share it on social, email us. And crucially,
start monitoring how it performs in the AI results.
Remember, that's just the start. It's ongoing.
You track, you update, you create more cluster
content, analyze what's working, and you iterate.
Keep refining. This really feels like a fundamental
shift, doesn't it? From maybe thinking in sprints
to running a marathon. Definitely. It's about
consistent, deep authority building over the
long haul. So the big idea to really wrap this
up, SEO isn't dead. Not at all. The rules just
changed. Visibility is being redistributed. It's
flowing towards those trusted sources that Google's
AI sees as authoritative. And acting on this
now, that's a real competitive advantage. Think
back to that Formula One car analogy. All those
logos. You might not consciously register every
single one, but seeing them over and over builds
that brand memory. That's what showing up consistently
in AI overviews and AI mode does. It builds that
mental real estate. So the choice seems clear.
You adapt, you thrive, or you stick with the
old ways and, frankly, risk getting left behind.
Those who start training Google's AI now, they're
the ones who are going to dominate this new landscape.
We really encourage you to start with that four
-week action plan. It makes it tangible, gives
you a starting point in this new world. And just
remember this one powerful thought. In the age
of AI, being sighted is often more valuable than
being clicked. Thank you so much for joining
us on this deep dive. OTRO music.