WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.160 For, what, 25 years, Google Search has just been 00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:05.299 this incredible money -printing machine. We're 00:00:05.299 --> 00:00:08.859 talking over $200 billion a year. But what if 00:00:08.859 --> 00:00:11.339 that whole system, the very thing that built 00:00:11.339 --> 00:00:14.880 the empire, is actually being dismantled? Maybe 00:00:14.880 --> 00:00:17.100 even by Google itself. That's a pretty heavy 00:00:17.100 --> 00:00:18.739 question, and that's what we're really digging 00:00:18.739 --> 00:00:21.960 into today. Welcome to the Deep Dive. Yeah, today 00:00:21.960 --> 00:00:23.719 we're jumping into something truly critical, 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:27.519 Google's AI revolution, and how it's basically 00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:29.480 set to change everything about search, about 00:00:29.480 --> 00:00:32.619 business. And look, this isn't just another small 00:00:32.619 --> 00:00:35.560 algorithm update, not a minor tweak. This is 00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:38.939 deep. I'd even say irreversible. Exactly. It 00:00:38.939 --> 00:00:40.880 impacts how people find things, how they discover 00:00:40.880 --> 00:00:43.719 businesses, how they ultimately decide to buy 00:00:43.719 --> 00:00:46.399 anything online. And to really get our heads 00:00:46.399 --> 00:00:48.679 around it, we kind of have to look at two huge 00:00:48.679 --> 00:00:51.600 things happening at the same time. There's Google's 00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:55.219 internal shift, integrating AI into ads and search. 00:00:55.460 --> 00:00:57.539 And then there's this whole external thing, these 00:00:57.539 --> 00:00:59.840 completely new AI search platforms popping up. 00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:03.100 And understanding both of these new realities, 00:01:03.219 --> 00:01:05.540 it's not just like... helpful information it's 00:01:05.540 --> 00:01:08.560 absolutely crucial for any business owner any 00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:11.560 marketer really anyone trying to you know thrive 00:01:11.560 --> 00:01:15.000 not just tread water so today we'll look at google's 00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:17.760 big gamble that internal bet they're making then 00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:20.959 we'll explore this uh wild west of external ai 00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:24.120 search and finally pull it together into a unified 00:01:24.120 --> 00:01:26.780 strategy how you can actually win on both fronts 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:29.099 right think of it like like learning to drive 00:01:29.099 --> 00:01:31.420 a totally new kind of car but at the same time 00:01:31.420 --> 00:01:33.359 the roads themselves are changing shape under 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:35.450 you It's quite a ride we're on. It really is. 00:01:35.549 --> 00:01:37.689 Okay, so let's start there. Google's biggest 00:01:37.689 --> 00:01:41.090 gamble, this internal revolution. What's so fascinating, 00:01:41.209 --> 00:01:43.909 I think, is that Google seems to be intentionally, 00:01:44.310 --> 00:01:46.769 maybe even bravely, messing with its own golden 00:01:46.769 --> 00:01:49.750 goose, that massive $200 billion keyword ad model. 00:01:49.969 --> 00:01:53.109 Yeah. And the trigger, the big catalyst, was 00:01:53.109 --> 00:01:55.969 obviously the chat GPT disruption, right? It 00:01:55.969 --> 00:01:57.870 just changed user behavior almost overnight. 00:01:58.239 --> 00:02:00.879 Oh, absolutely. People suddenly expected, you 00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:03.420 know, one single chat, one conversation with 00:02:03.420 --> 00:02:05.560 an AI to get all the answers instead of clicking 00:02:05.560 --> 00:02:08.520 through like 10 or 12 blue links and piecing 00:02:08.520 --> 00:02:10.740 it together themselves. Google saw that and they 00:02:10.740 --> 00:02:13.620 basically had two choices. Fight this powerful 00:02:13.620 --> 00:02:17.319 new thing or own it. And they did the bold call. 00:02:17.460 --> 00:02:21.689 Own it. Even, yeah, short term, it means cannibalizing 00:02:21.689 --> 00:02:23.909 some of that cash cow. It's about long term dominance. 00:02:24.030 --> 00:02:26.050 And we're seeing this play out now with what 00:02:26.050 --> 00:02:28.490 some are calling Google's new shopping mall strategy. 00:02:28.729 --> 00:02:31.090 Is that fair? Yeah, I think so. Instead of sending 00:02:31.090 --> 00:02:34.310 you away after a quick search, the idea is keep 00:02:34.310 --> 00:02:38.120 you inside Google's AI world longer. We're already 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:40.199 seeing, what, over 100 million users playing 00:02:40.199 --> 00:02:42.539 with AI mode. Engagement times are way up. Right. 00:02:42.620 --> 00:02:45.319 And that gives Google much, much richer signals 00:02:45.319 --> 00:02:47.539 about what you really want. Deeper intent signals 00:02:47.539 --> 00:02:49.860 than just a few keywords typed into a box. So 00:02:49.860 --> 00:02:51.719 the conversation itself becomes the new keyword. 00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:53.659 Exactly. The conversation is the new keyword. 00:02:53.740 --> 00:02:57.319 Old Google. Short, kind of stilted messages like 00:02:57.319 --> 00:03:00.879 telegrams. Best running shoes. Yeah. Pizza near 00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:04.219 me. Right. But this new AI mode is built for 00:03:04.219 --> 00:03:07.319 a full consultation. Like imagine asking, OK, 00:03:07.500 --> 00:03:09.800 I'm training for my first marathon. I overpronate 00:03:09.800 --> 00:03:13.039 quite a bit. What shoes work for my gait? Budget 00:03:13.039 --> 00:03:16.240 under $300 need lots of cushioning. That's incredibly 00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:18.780 specific. It reveals so much more. It's deeply 00:03:18.780 --> 00:03:22.020 personal. It's moving from just asking for ingredients 00:03:22.020 --> 00:03:25.300 to like asking for a complete personalized meal 00:03:25.300 --> 00:03:27.599 plan based on your allergies and goals. OK, so 00:03:27.599 --> 00:03:31.020 for businesses, then this means. your brand profile. 00:03:31.639 --> 00:03:34.340 is everything it becomes your new targeting strategy 00:03:34.340 --> 00:03:36.620 essentially think of it like a like a dynamic 00:03:36.620 --> 00:03:39.460 brand credit score google's ai is constantly 00:03:39.460 --> 00:03:41.659 building this detailed profile of you it looks 00:03:41.659 --> 00:03:44.740 at everything your website yeah but also reviews 00:03:44.740 --> 00:03:47.659 social media partnerships your whole digital 00:03:47.659 --> 00:03:49.479 footprint it understands where you sit in the 00:03:49.479 --> 00:03:51.439 market with scary sophistication and honestly 00:03:51.439 --> 00:03:54.259 i still wrestle with making sure my own brand 00:03:54.259 --> 00:03:56.599 profile is sending the right signals consistently 00:03:56.599 --> 00:03:59.500 it's it's a constant effort you know it keeps 00:03:59.500 --> 00:04:01.520 evolving imagine you want that AI to get you. 00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:04.120 Exactly right. Which leads to this idea Google 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:07.520 talks about internally. Feed hygiene. Seed hygiene. 00:04:07.719 --> 00:04:09.800 Yeah. It's the classic garbage in, garbage out. 00:04:10.120 --> 00:04:15.000 If you feed the system messy, generic, old product 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:16.860 info, well, that's the kind of customer it's 00:04:16.860 --> 00:04:19.120 going to find for you. Low quality. Okay. But 00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:22.639 if you feed it rich, specific, current data, 00:04:22.839 --> 00:04:25.680 especially really detailed conversational product 00:04:25.680 --> 00:04:28.779 descriptions. You're training the AI, training 00:04:28.779 --> 00:04:31.560 it to find high quality customers. And that creates 00:04:31.560 --> 00:04:34.259 this powerful compound interest effect. More 00:04:34.259 --> 00:04:36.259 good data in, the better it gets at finding your 00:04:36.259 --> 00:04:38.500 ideal people. It becomes a self -improving flywheel. 00:04:38.660 --> 00:04:41.879 So the Google Ads account itself, it's less an 00:04:41.879 --> 00:04:44.240 ad platform now and more like an AI training 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:46.699 system for your business. Precisely. You have 00:04:46.699 --> 00:04:48.660 to shift your mindset. You're not a micromanager 00:04:48.660 --> 00:04:50.639 anymore, tweaking every little keyword and bid. 00:04:50.839 --> 00:04:53.300 Right. You need to be a great teacher. Give high 00:04:53.300 --> 00:04:56.079 -level strategic direction. Tell the AI this 00:04:56.079 --> 00:04:58.300 is what a great customer looks like. Then you 00:04:58.300 --> 00:05:00.920 trust the smart bidding. Let the AI figure out 00:05:00.920 --> 00:05:04.040 the how. Okay, give us a quick example. How does 00:05:04.040 --> 00:05:06.240 a business owner actually teach the AI effectively, 00:05:06.420 --> 00:05:09.560 like this week? Okay, good question. So instead 00:05:09.560 --> 00:05:12.720 of just bidding on general terms like running 00:05:12.720 --> 00:05:16.160 shoes, you'd feed the AI specific data about 00:05:16.160 --> 00:05:19.180 your best customers. Say you sell high -end running 00:05:19.180 --> 00:05:22.019 gear. You don't just say, get me leads. You upload 00:05:22.019 --> 00:05:25.279 data maybe about average order value, repeat 00:05:25.279 --> 00:05:28.100 purchase frequency, maybe even survey scores 00:05:28.100 --> 00:05:30.879 showing customer satisfaction. By doing that, 00:05:30.939 --> 00:05:33.759 you're teaching the AI, find me more people like 00:05:33.759 --> 00:05:36.420 these specific valuable customers, not just anybody. 00:05:36.600 --> 00:05:40.459 It's a reward system. Reward leads, you get volume. 00:05:40.779 --> 00:05:43.660 Reward high value repeat customers, you get quality. 00:05:44.160 --> 00:05:45.980 So what did the biggest shift business owners 00:05:45.980 --> 00:05:49.220 need to make for Google's internal AI? Stop micromanaging. 00:05:49.300 --> 00:05:52.019 Become a great teacher for the AI. Feed it quality 00:05:52.019 --> 00:05:54.500 signals. Got it. Okay, let's shift gears now. 00:05:54.579 --> 00:05:56.199 Widen the lens. Let's talk about that second 00:05:56.199 --> 00:05:59.160 front, the rise of these external AI search engines. 00:05:59.339 --> 00:06:01.579 Yeah, so while Google's doing its internal transformation, 00:06:01.860 --> 00:06:03.839 there's this whole parallel thing happening outside. 00:06:04.709 --> 00:06:06.610 ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, others are coming 00:06:06.610 --> 00:06:08.569 too. This creates a totally new channel and needs 00:06:08.569 --> 00:06:10.269 its own optimization strategy. We're calling 00:06:10.269 --> 00:06:13.689 it generative engine optimization or GEO. GEO. 00:06:13.829 --> 00:06:16.629 And the key thing to get here is it's not zero 00:06:16.629 --> 00:06:19.110 sum. Don't think of it like these are stealing 00:06:19.110 --> 00:06:21.509 searches from Google. It's more like the pie 00:06:21.509 --> 00:06:24.750 is getting bigger. Google search volume still 00:06:24.750 --> 00:06:28.430 growing. AI chat searches also growing right 00:06:28.430 --> 00:06:31.370 alongside it. They aren't necessarily cannibalizing 00:06:31.370 --> 00:06:33.209 each other, at least not yet. That's important 00:06:33.209 --> 00:06:35.970 for businesses to hear. So if they're both growing, 00:06:36.129 --> 00:06:38.930 what's the tradeoff? Why focus on this new channel? 00:06:39.050 --> 00:06:41.449 It really comes down to volume versus value. 00:06:41.550 --> 00:06:44.310 The total number of searches happening on these 00:06:44.310 --> 00:06:46.350 AI platforms. It's smaller than Google search 00:06:46.350 --> 00:06:49.769 right now, for sure. Much smaller. But the quality 00:06:49.769 --> 00:06:52.170 and the intent of the traffic you get from AI 00:06:52.170 --> 00:06:55.050 search, exceptionally high. So maybe fewer clicks 00:06:55.050 --> 00:06:58.160 overall, but each click could be like. Solid 00:06:58.160 --> 00:07:00.660 gold. Okay, that makes sense. Fewer leads, but 00:07:00.660 --> 00:07:02.920 much better leads. So who's really benefiting 00:07:02.920 --> 00:07:05.800 most right now? Who's in that Goldilocks zone 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:08.220 for these external AI platforms? We're seeing 00:07:08.220 --> 00:07:10.300 pretty consistent results for two main types 00:07:10.300 --> 00:07:12.740 of businesses. First, local service businesses. 00:07:12.899 --> 00:07:15.560 Think roofers, HVAC companies, specialized home 00:07:15.560 --> 00:07:17.779 repairs, you know, high -stakes stuff. Right, 00:07:17.819 --> 00:07:20.220 things you research carefully. Exactly. You don't 00:07:20.220 --> 00:07:22.120 hire a roofer every month, so you do deep research. 00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:26.250 Second type. Software or SaaS companies, especially 00:07:26.250 --> 00:07:29.970 B2B, often involves big decisions, company -wide 00:07:29.970 --> 00:07:32.889 adoption. Again, lots of comparison, detailed 00:07:32.889 --> 00:07:36.850 research needed. The common thread, long buying 00:07:36.850 --> 00:07:40.129 cycles, perfect for that deep conversational 00:07:40.129 --> 00:07:43.350 AI research. It's where people really want that 00:07:43.350 --> 00:07:47.310 personal shopper kind of experience. And that 00:07:47.310 --> 00:07:49.910 personal shopper idea leads to what you call 00:07:49.910 --> 00:07:51.870 the high -value traffic reality. Tell us more 00:07:51.870 --> 00:07:53.939 about that. Right. So, yeah, volume might be 00:07:53.939 --> 00:07:55.980 lower, but the conversion rate, it's dramatically 00:07:55.980 --> 00:07:58.680 higher. Traditional search traffic maybe converts 00:07:58.680 --> 00:08:01.399 at, what, 1 % or 2 % on a big day. AI search 00:08:01.399 --> 00:08:03.519 traffic, we're seeing conversion rates anywhere 00:08:03.519 --> 00:08:06.160 from 10 % to 40%. It's staggering. Wow, 10 % 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:08.720 to 40%. Yeah. It's this credit card in hand phenomenon. 00:08:08.939 --> 00:08:11.180 By the time someone clicks through to your site 00:08:11.180 --> 00:08:13.000 from an AI result, they've pretty much decided. 00:08:13.180 --> 00:08:14.759 They've had that whole conversation with the 00:08:14.759 --> 00:08:16.920 AI, compared options, got their specific questions 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:19.139 answered. Your website isn't for research anymore. 00:08:19.319 --> 00:08:22.000 It's basically the final checkout step. AI did 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:25.699 the heavy lifting. That's a really profound change 00:08:25.699 --> 00:08:28.360 in how customers arrive. It makes you wonder, 00:08:28.420 --> 00:08:30.920 how do these AI engines work? When you ask a 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:33.019 question, it's not just sending one little bot 00:08:33.019 --> 00:08:35.519 out, is it? Oh, no, not at all. It's way more 00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:37.940 complex. Think of it sending out... hundreds 00:08:37.940 --> 00:08:40.200 of research assistants, little bots, each with 00:08:40.200 --> 00:08:41.820 a slightly different angle on your question. 00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:45.200 We call it the AI fanning process. AI fanning. 00:08:45.240 --> 00:08:48.159 Okay. So you ask something like, what's the best 00:08:48.159 --> 00:08:51.820 CRM for a small marketing agency? The AI expands 00:08:51.820 --> 00:08:54.559 that single query into maybe a hundred slightly 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:57.039 different, more detailed variations. Then it 00:08:57.039 --> 00:08:59.120 searches Google and Bing for each of those variations, 00:08:59.399 --> 00:09:02.539 scrapes the content from maybe the top 1 ,000 00:09:02.539 --> 00:09:04.759 pages it finds. 1 ,000 pages. Yeah, roughly. 00:09:04.899 --> 00:09:06.990 Then it synthesizes all that information. into 00:09:06.990 --> 00:09:10.409 one coherent answer for you. Whoa, hang on. Hundreds 00:09:10.409 --> 00:09:12.490 of digital assistants digging through thousands 00:09:12.490 --> 00:09:15.149 of pages for every single query. That's an incredible 00:09:15.149 --> 00:09:18.029 scale. It's a massive shift in how information 00:09:18.029 --> 00:09:20.450 is gathered and summarized. And you can actually 00:09:20.450 --> 00:09:22.769 see this happening. If you look deep in your 00:09:22.769 --> 00:09:25.370 Google Search Console data, you'll find these 00:09:25.370 --> 00:09:28.690 insanely long, complex search queries showing 00:09:28.690 --> 00:09:31.789 up that no human being would ever type. That's 00:09:31.789 --> 00:09:34.769 the AI bots doing their work. Okay, so this AI 00:09:34.769 --> 00:09:37.970 fanning. looking at potentially thousands of 00:09:37.970 --> 00:09:41.029 pages. What does that mean for a business trying 00:09:41.029 --> 00:09:44.149 to get noticed? It means your strategy has to 00:09:44.149 --> 00:09:46.870 be about maximizing your surface area. It becomes 00:09:46.870 --> 00:09:49.009 a numbers game, pure and simple. If your brand 00:09:49.009 --> 00:09:51.570 is only mentioned on, say, five out of those 00:09:51.570 --> 00:09:54.429 1 ,000 pages that AI looks at, your chances of 00:09:54.429 --> 00:09:56.710 being recommended are pretty slim. But if you're 00:09:56.710 --> 00:09:58.950 mentioned on 400 of them, suddenly your odds 00:09:58.950 --> 00:10:01.090 are dramatically higher. And we see AI platforms 00:10:01.090 --> 00:10:03.289 really favor listicles, you know, top 10 this, 00:10:03.429 --> 00:10:06.490 best 25, that kind of content. So getting your 00:10:06.490 --> 00:10:08.750 brand included in those high -ranking listicles 00:10:08.750 --> 00:10:11.120 and articles. Expanding your footprint across 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:14.320 many authoritative sources, that's the single 00:10:14.320 --> 00:10:16.379 most effective strategy for these external AI 00:10:16.379 --> 00:10:18.899 engines right now. So what's the key to getting 00:10:18.899 --> 00:10:21.539 noticed by these external AI search engines? 00:10:21.840 --> 00:10:24.220 Increase your surface area. Get mentioned positively 00:10:24.220 --> 00:10:27.259 on lots of authoritative pages, especially listicles. 00:10:27.519 --> 00:10:30.220 Gotcha. So it's less about my own website ranking 00:10:30.220 --> 00:10:33.419 directly and more about getting other influential 00:10:33.419 --> 00:10:36.500 sites to talk about me. That sounds an awful 00:10:36.500 --> 00:10:38.620 lot like digital public relations. You nailed 00:10:38.620 --> 00:10:40.980 it. It is a form of digital PR, essentially. 00:10:41.139 --> 00:10:43.440 You're not trying to rank your own blog post 00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:46.340 necessarily. You're trying to convince the influential 00:10:46.340 --> 00:10:48.940 journalists, those websites that already rank 00:10:48.940 --> 00:10:51.799 well, to include you, to write about you. And 00:10:51.799 --> 00:10:55.299 the good news, we now have tools for this. These 00:10:55.299 --> 00:10:59.100 new AI SEO tracking platforms, they act like 00:10:59.100 --> 00:11:02.080 reconnaissance tools. They send out synthetic 00:11:02.080 --> 00:11:05.120 queries, test queries to chat GPT, perplexity, 00:11:05.139 --> 00:11:07.679 etc. And they report back exactly which URLs, 00:11:07.840 --> 00:11:09.919 which specific web pages are being referenced 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:12.460 most often for your important topics. They basically 00:11:12.460 --> 00:11:14.279 show you the battlefield. Okay, so these tools 00:11:14.279 --> 00:11:17.059 show you the target pages. Then what? How do 00:11:17.059 --> 00:11:18.960 you actually do the digital PR? How do you get 00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:21.059 those mentioned? It's pretty systematic. First... 00:11:21.240 --> 00:11:23.519 Yeah, use the tools to identify the target URLs, 00:11:23.759 --> 00:11:26.559 the pages the AI already trusts and sites for 00:11:26.559 --> 00:11:29.259 your niche. Second, prioritize. Focus on the 00:11:29.259 --> 00:11:31.519 pages that get referenced most often. High impact 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:36.360 first. Third, direct outreach. You contact the 00:11:36.360 --> 00:11:38.340 owners or editors of those high ranking sites. 00:11:38.500 --> 00:11:41.059 You negotiate getting your brand placed on their 00:11:41.059 --> 00:11:44.389 page. Negotiate. Does that mean paying? Often, 00:11:44.429 --> 00:11:47.789 yes. Expect maybe around $500 for a decent placement 00:11:47.789 --> 00:11:50.370 on a quality, authoritative site. Sometimes you 00:11:50.370 --> 00:11:52.169 can work out affiliate deals or performance -based 00:11:52.169 --> 00:11:53.710 things, especially if you have a really compelling 00:11:53.710 --> 00:11:56.210 product. But yeah, it's often a paid placement. 00:11:56.330 --> 00:11:58.789 You need to show them value, too. Okay, $500 00:11:58.789 --> 00:12:00.970 for a placement. And how quickly does this work? 00:12:01.370 --> 00:12:04.179 Traditional SEO takes... Forever. Sometimes. 00:12:04.320 --> 00:12:06.399 Yeah, that's the really exciting part here. The 00:12:06.399 --> 00:12:08.639 speed advantage. It's a total game changer compared 00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:11.399 to traditional SEO. SEO can take months, even 00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:14.639 years, right? This AI search optimization. You 00:12:14.639 --> 00:12:17.200 can see an impact in as little as 24 hours. 24 00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:20.490 hours. Seriously. Seriously, once your brand 00:12:20.490 --> 00:12:22.309 gets placed on one of those high -ranking pages 00:12:22.309 --> 00:12:24.610 the AI is already referencing, boom. You start 00:12:24.610 --> 00:12:26.590 showing up in the AI's answers almost immediately. 00:12:26.850 --> 00:12:28.950 Yeah. Because it's just pulling from those sources 00:12:28.950 --> 00:12:31.909 it already trusts. So how quickly can businesses 00:12:31.909 --> 00:12:34.870 expect to see results from this digital PR strategy? 00:12:35.269 --> 00:12:38.490 Impact can be seen in as little as 24 hours once 00:12:38.490 --> 00:12:40.389 you're on a referenced page. That is incredibly 00:12:40.389 --> 00:12:42.509 fast. Okay, let's talk about making this last. 00:12:43.230 --> 00:12:45.429 Building a sustainable presence. And then I want 00:12:45.429 --> 00:12:47.870 to hit what feels like the million dollar question 00:12:47.870 --> 00:12:50.669 in all this. Right. Sustainability for AI search. 00:12:50.750 --> 00:12:54.470 Think of it like real estate. You don't want 00:12:54.470 --> 00:12:57.850 to buy a thousand sheep. rundown houses. You 00:12:57.850 --> 00:13:00.649 want a few really high quality properties in 00:13:00.649 --> 00:13:03.230 the absolute best locations. That's the listicle 00:13:03.230 --> 00:13:06.350 strategy. Again, AI models love comprehensive 00:13:06.350 --> 00:13:09.809 list style content, top 25 restaurants, best 00:13:09.809 --> 00:13:12.269 CRM software, that kind of thing. Your main goal 00:13:12.269 --> 00:13:14.190 is getting included in those types of articles. 00:13:14.309 --> 00:13:16.940 So very much quality over quantity. Absolutely. 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:20.320 Focus your energy, your budget on getting placements 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:22.679 on pages that are already ranking well on Google, 00:13:22.779 --> 00:13:25.639 like first three pages. Why? Because the AI systems 00:13:25.639 --> 00:13:28.759 source their info primarily from those high authority, 00:13:29.019 --> 00:13:31.620 already ranking cages. They trust Google's judgment, 00:13:31.740 --> 00:13:35.419 basically. And bonus, getting placements on these 00:13:35.419 --> 00:13:38.059 high authority sites, those are powerful backlinks. 00:13:38.100 --> 00:13:40.879 They significantly boost your own website's domain 00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:43.659 authority, which helps your traditional SEO too. 00:13:43.799 --> 00:13:46.840 It's a double win. Nice, a compound benefit there. 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:48.700 Okay, now for that million -dollar question, 00:13:49.240 --> 00:13:53.419 will users actually click? Ah, yes. This feels 00:13:53.419 --> 00:13:55.500 like the biggest unknown, especially for Google's 00:13:55.500 --> 00:13:58.259 internal AI shift. If the AI gives such good 00:13:58.259 --> 00:14:00.679 answers in the chat, why would people need to 00:14:00.679 --> 00:14:02.820 click through to a website anymore? Couldn't 00:14:02.820 --> 00:14:05.600 that totally wreck Google's cost -per -click 00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:08.039 ad model? It's the question everyone's asking. 00:14:08.120 --> 00:14:10.059 And yeah, it could fundamentally change Google's 00:14:10.059 --> 00:14:12.419 revenue model, maybe towards impressions or conversions, 00:14:12.519 --> 00:14:15.440 not just clicks. My take. It's a quality over 00:14:15.440 --> 00:14:18.019 quantity bet, the total number of clicks. Yeah, 00:14:18.059 --> 00:14:19.960 that might go down in this new world. But the 00:14:19.960 --> 00:14:22.779 quality, the intent behind the clicks that do 00:14:22.779 --> 00:14:26.139 happen, that should go way, way up. Think about 00:14:26.139 --> 00:14:28.320 it. Someone who just spent five minutes having 00:14:28.320 --> 00:14:31.240 a deep chat with an AI about their exact needs, 00:14:31.340 --> 00:14:34.200 budget, situation, when they finally do click. 00:14:34.360 --> 00:14:36.759 That person is a highly qualified prospect, way 00:14:36.759 --> 00:14:39.000 more qualified than someone who just typed three 00:14:39.000 --> 00:14:40.940 words into a search bar. They're practically 00:14:40.940 --> 00:14:43.970 ready to buy. So less traffic overall, but the 00:14:43.970 --> 00:14:46.570 traffic you get is much more valuable. That's 00:14:46.570 --> 00:14:49.250 the bet. And all this uncertainty, this shifting 00:14:49.250 --> 00:14:52.110 ground, it really creates a huge advantage for 00:14:52.110 --> 00:14:54.610 early movers, doesn't it? Oh, massively. A huge 00:14:54.610 --> 00:14:56.970 early mover advantage. Right now, the businesses 00:14:56.970 --> 00:14:59.509 that start adapting, start feeding these AI systems 00:14:59.509 --> 00:15:01.309 the right data, start getting those digital PR 00:15:01.309 --> 00:15:03.539 placements. They are the ones who get to train 00:15:03.539 --> 00:15:06.279 the AI, train it to recognize their ideal customers 00:15:06.279 --> 00:15:08.620 before most competitors even realize the game 00:15:08.620 --> 00:15:11.320 has changed. And once those AI systems learn 00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:13.940 those patterns, that compound effect kicks in. 00:15:14.019 --> 00:15:16.100 It becomes incredibly hard for latecomers to 00:15:16.100 --> 00:15:18.639 catch up. Why is being an early mover so critical 00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:21.399 in this AI search landscape? Early movers train 00:15:21.399 --> 00:15:25.080 the AI on their ideal customer, gaining a compounding 00:15:25.080 --> 00:15:27.039 advantage that's really hard for competitors 00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:29.659 to overcome later. mid -roll sponsor read okay 00:15:29.659 --> 00:15:31.679 so let's pull this all together we need a unified 00:15:31.679 --> 00:15:34.259 strategy right because you're fighting this war 00:15:34.259 --> 00:15:37.159 for attention on two fronts now there's the internal 00:15:37.159 --> 00:15:40.159 battle optimizing for google's own ai mode inside 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:42.820 its search and ads and then the external battle 00:15:42.820 --> 00:15:45.659 optimizing for chat gpt perplexity all the others 00:15:45.659 --> 00:15:48.320 you need a plan for both okay walk us through 00:15:48.320 --> 00:15:49.720 it let's start with the internal battle plan 00:15:49.720 --> 00:15:53.639 optimizing for google's ai key steps all right 00:15:53.639 --> 00:15:56.690 first audit your brand profile Is your messaging 00:15:56.690 --> 00:15:58.610 consistent, high quality, everywhere online? 00:15:58.830 --> 00:16:01.210 Fix it if not. Second, upgrade your campaign 00:16:01.210 --> 00:16:03.029 types. You need to be using Performance Max, 00:16:03.210 --> 00:16:05.190 modern search campaigns. That's how you access 00:16:05.190 --> 00:16:07.929 the AI mode traffic. Third, obsess over feed 00:16:07.929 --> 00:16:10.870 hygiene. Give Google rich, structured, conversational 00:16:10.870 --> 00:16:13.850 info about your products or services. Fourth, 00:16:14.269 --> 00:16:16.450 Track quality metrics. Move beyond just counting 00:16:16.450 --> 00:16:18.990 leads. Track customer lifetime value. Repeat 00:16:18.990 --> 00:16:21.269 purchase rates. Tell the AI what real value looks 00:16:21.269 --> 00:16:23.750 like. And finally, maybe the hardest part, trust 00:16:23.750 --> 00:16:26.250 the AI's optimization. Be that great teacher, 00:16:26.330 --> 00:16:28.509 not the micromanager. Give strategic direction, 00:16:28.649 --> 00:16:30.830 then let it work. That's a solid checklist for 00:16:30.830 --> 00:16:32.889 the Google internal side. Now the external battle 00:16:32.889 --> 00:16:35.710 plan. Optimizing for those other AI search engines. 00:16:35.929 --> 00:16:38.809 Okay, external plan. First, assess your business 00:16:38.809 --> 00:16:41.769 fit. Remember, long research -heavy buying cycles 00:16:41.769 --> 00:16:44.559 are the sweet spot here. Is that you? Second, 00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:48.059 implement tracking. Use those AI search monitoring 00:16:48.059 --> 00:16:50.860 tools we talked about. Find out which URLs the 00:16:50.860 --> 00:16:52.940 AIs are actually referencing for your topics. 00:16:53.259 --> 00:16:56.580 Third, prioritize your placements. Focus outreach 00:16:56.580 --> 00:16:58.740 on the most frequently cited, highest authority 00:16:58.740 --> 00:17:01.240 pages first. Get the biggest bang for your buck. 00:17:01.600 --> 00:17:04.680 And fourth, really important, build real relationships. 00:17:05.079 --> 00:17:07.660 Don't just chase one -off placements. Develop 00:17:07.660 --> 00:17:10.160 ongoing partnerships with key content creators 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:12.740 and sites in your niche. That creates a sustainable 00:17:12.740 --> 00:17:14.680 advantage. It sounds like the long game here 00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:17.019 for both internal and external is really about 00:17:17.019 --> 00:17:19.710 building a strong brand moat. something competitors 00:17:19.710 --> 00:17:22.049 find hard to cross. That's exactly it. It's not 00:17:22.049 --> 00:17:24.009 just about tactics. It's about building a brand 00:17:24.009 --> 00:17:26.509 that an AI can easily understand and confidently 00:17:26.509 --> 00:17:28.849 recommend. And that requires what? Consistent 00:17:28.849 --> 00:17:31.029 messaging, good data infrastructure to capture 00:17:31.029 --> 00:17:32.910 insights, conversational content that answers 00:17:32.910 --> 00:17:35.470 real questions, and strong relationships. It's 00:17:35.470 --> 00:17:37.690 holistic. And this is all really just the start, 00:17:37.750 --> 00:17:40.049 isn't it? We're heading towards what people are 00:17:40.049 --> 00:17:43.710 calling the agentic future. Where the AI does 00:17:43.710 --> 00:17:47.130 more for you. Yeah, exactly. Google's AI and 00:17:47.130 --> 00:17:49.309 others, they're becoming more agentic, meaning 00:17:49.309 --> 00:17:51.210 they won't just give you info, they'll start 00:17:51.210 --> 00:17:54.529 completing tasks for you. Soon, your AI might 00:17:54.529 --> 00:17:56.250 book the flight, make the dinner reservation, 00:17:56.630 --> 00:17:59.170 complete the purchase, maybe without you ever 00:17:59.170 --> 00:18:01.849 visiting a website directly. Wow. So customer 00:18:01.849 --> 00:18:05.269 acquisition shifts. It happens via these AI intermediaries. 00:18:05.549 --> 00:18:08.470 Your success depends on training those AIs to 00:18:08.470 --> 00:18:10.609 choose your business when they act on the user's 00:18:10.609 --> 00:18:13.559 behalf. Imagine. your AI, not just suggesting 00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:15.259 restaurants, but actually booking the table, 00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:17.700 ordering the Uber, handling the payment, all 00:18:17.700 --> 00:18:20.500 in the background. It's a profound change in 00:18:20.500 --> 00:18:22.960 how we interact and transact. And it brings us 00:18:22.960 --> 00:18:24.640 right back to that compound learning effect. 00:18:24.980 --> 00:18:28.220 The rich get richer. Both Google's add AI and 00:18:28.220 --> 00:18:30.480 the external AIs, their compound learning systems, 00:18:30.680 --> 00:18:33.180 the work you do now, the optimization, the data 00:18:33.180 --> 00:18:35.359 hygiene, the relationship building it compounds 00:18:35.359 --> 00:18:38.259 over time. Early efforts create an advantage 00:18:38.259 --> 00:18:40.480 that just grows, making it harder and harder 00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:42.799 for competitors to catch up. Businesses building 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:45.220 strong AI relationships now are setting themselves 00:18:45.220 --> 00:18:48.359 up for sustained long -term advantage. So preparing 00:18:48.359 --> 00:18:51.779 for this future, it's less about having one perfect 00:18:51.779 --> 00:18:54.099 strategy today and more about being adaptive. 00:18:54.519 --> 00:18:57.039 Precisely. An adaptive strategy. The specific 00:18:57.039 --> 00:18:59.299 tactics. They'll definitely change as the tech 00:18:59.299 --> 00:19:00.859 evolves. Who knows what it looks like in two 00:19:00.859 --> 00:19:04.319 years. But the fundamentals, quality data, consistent 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:07.099 branding, conversational content, strong relationships, 00:19:07.440 --> 00:19:10.500 those remain constant. The winners will be the 00:19:10.500 --> 00:19:12.279 ones built on that foundation who are willing 00:19:12.279 --> 00:19:15.440 to adapt as things change. Okay. So the final 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:18.069 word here. The future is really being written 00:19:18.069 --> 00:19:21.349 right now, today. This convergence, internal 00:19:21.349 --> 00:19:25.630 AI at Google, external AI platforms. It's creating 00:19:25.630 --> 00:19:28.849 this unprecedented moment, an opportunity. And 00:19:28.849 --> 00:19:31.430 the companies that win aren't just adopting new 00:19:31.430 --> 00:19:33.450 tactics. They understand it's a new mandate. 00:19:33.910 --> 00:19:36.569 Build a stronger, clearer, more discoverable 00:19:36.569 --> 00:19:39.690 brand. One that AI systems can easily understand 00:19:39.690 --> 00:19:43.019 and, crucially, trust. Yeah, the fundamental 00:19:43.019 --> 00:19:45.539 question isn't if AI will transform how people 00:19:45.539 --> 00:19:47.960 discover businesses. It absolutely will. The 00:19:47.960 --> 00:19:49.460 question is whether your business will be positioned 00:19:49.460 --> 00:19:52.259 to benefit or whether you'll be left behind. 00:19:52.519 --> 00:19:54.299 So what does this mean for you listening right 00:19:54.299 --> 00:19:56.559 now? The time to start figuring this out is, 00:19:56.640 --> 00:19:59.079 well, it's now. The tools are emerging. The opportunities 00:19:59.079 --> 00:20:01.339 are becoming clearer. But the landscape is still 00:20:01.339 --> 00:20:04.099 very much in motion. Start experimenting. Start 00:20:04.099 --> 00:20:06.799 adapting. Start teaching these AI systems about 00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:08.990 your value now. Thank you for joining us on this 00:20:08.990 --> 00:20:11.309 deep dive into Google's AI revolution. It's a 00:20:11.309 --> 00:20:13.549 complex topic, but hopefully we've shed some 00:20:13.549 --> 00:20:15.609 light. We really hope you picked up some valuable, 00:20:15.809 --> 00:20:17.890 maybe actionable insights to help you navigate 00:20:17.890 --> 00:20:19.150 what's coming. Until next time.