AI Marketing Isn't As Scary As You Think | The Marketer's Roundtable

Search Everywhere Optimization: A Deep Dive with NP Digital

Key Concepts:

• Search Everywhere Optimization: A holistic marketing approach extending beyond traditional SEO to encompass all platforms where users actively seek information, including AI-powered search engines (ChatGPT, Gemini), social media, and voice search.
• AI Search Optimization/AEO: The practice of optimizing content for AI-powered search engines, recognizing differences from traditional SEO.
• Generative AI (GenAI): AI models like ChatGPT that generate new content, impacting search behavior and content creation strategies.
• LLMs (Large Language Models): The underlying technology powering generative AI, used for understanding and generating human language.
• UGC (User-Generated Content): Content created by users rather than brands, gaining prominence in AI-driven search.
• Pmax/AI Max (Performance Max/AI Max): Google’s AI-powered advertising campaigns, requiring close collaboration between SEO and paid teams.
• Data Feeds: Structured data provided to search engines and platforms, increasingly important for machine readability.

1. The Evolution of Search & The Rise of "Search Everywhere"

The discussion began with the origins of “Search Everywhere Optimization,” credited to Ashley Liddell of Deviation Agency (UK). Nikki Lamb emphasized that while Neil Patel popularized the concept, Liddell initially coined it. The core idea is that search is no longer confined to traditional search engines like Google; it’s happening everywhere. This necessitates a broader marketing strategy. The panelists agreed that adapting to this shift is crucial for all brands and marketing agencies.

2. The Current AI Search Landscape: ChatGPT Dominance

Currently, ChatGPT dominates the AI search referral traffic, accounting for 85-95% of traffic from AI platforms for NP Digital’s clients. Gemini and Perplexity lag significantly behind, with many users unaware of their existence or perceiving them as simply ranking on Google. This disparity means marketers haven’t needed to prioritize Gemini due to its limited market share. The debate around terminology – SEO, GEO, AEO – was addressed, with a preference for “AI Search Optimization” for clarity.

3. Is AI SEO Different from Traditional SEO?

The panelists firmly asserted that AI SEO is not identical to traditional SEO. Key differences include:

• JavaScript Dependency: AI crawlers struggle with JavaScript-heavy websites, hindering content visibility.
• Citation Disparity: Studies show limited overlap (around 19%) between websites ranking highly in traditional SEO and those cited by AI models like ChatGPT. This suggests different ranking factors are at play.
• Tactical Differences: While many traditional SEO tactics (backlink building, brand mentions) are beneficial for AI SEO, the execution and emphasis differ.

4. Tactics for Success in AI Search: 90-Day GEO Sprints

NP Digital employs “90-day GEO sprints” with clients, achieving “phenomenal results” by focusing on tactics like building backlinks and offline brand mentions. A notable observation is the resurgence of tactics previously considered “black hat” SEO, as these sites are often cited by LLMs. However, the panelists anticipate increased scrutiny and crackdowns on spammy sites.

5. The Problem of Biased Content & Listicles

A concerning trend is the proliferation of listicle-style blog posts where companies rank themselves number one, influencing LLM citations. While not necessarily “spam,” this creates biased content. The panelists predict this practice won’t be sustainable long-term.

6. The Shifting Search Behavior: From Google to ChatGPT

Nikki Lamb shared a personal anecdote illustrating a shift in search behavior: preferring ChatGPT for complex information gathering (e.g., car seat age requirements) due to its superior information quality. Chad Gilbert highlighted that users are increasingly turning to ChatGPT for problem-solving, even for purchases, as demonstrated by a client’s positive experience with a pillow recommendation.

7. The Role of Social Search & UGC

Social platforms are becoming increasingly important search destinations, particularly for younger demographics. While TikTok currently lacks significant direct traffic, its content is frequently cited in Google’s “People Also Ask” and similar features. The panelists emphasized the growing influence of User-Generated Content (UGC), but cautioned that authenticity is crucial. Sponsored content is viewed with skepticism. Reddit was identified as a potentially valuable, though challenging, platform due to its community-driven nature and potential for manipulation.

8. The Importance of Collaboration: Breaking Down Silos

A major challenge is the lack of collaboration between SEO, paid advertising, and content teams. The panelists stressed the need for forced collaboration, including regular meetings to share insights and strategies. The rise of Google’s AI-powered Pmax/AI Max campaigns necessitates even closer alignment between SEO and paid teams, as these campaigns rely heavily on website content quality and semantic optimization.

9. The Future of Browsers & AI Integration

The panelists expressed skepticism about the success of new AI browsers (Atlas, Comet) due to the established dominance of Chrome and the security concerns associated with these emerging platforms. They anticipate Google will integrate AI features directly into Chrome, and that AI integration will eventually extend to other browsers.

10. Marketing to Machines & Humans

The discussion concluded with the idea that marketers must now market to both humans and machines. This requires a focus on data feeds, semantic optimization, and creating content that is both informative for users and easily understood by AI algorithms. The core principle remains adapting to the evolving landscape and recognizing that marketing is constantly changing.

Notable Quotes:

• Nikki Lamb: “If you want the business, you better adapt because if you don't adapt, someone else is they're going to go to someone else who offers what they're looking for.”
• Chad Gilbert: “It’s not just we’re not there yet. I think we’re so far and we’re ingrained in our head to just go to amazon.com and type in what we’re looking for.”
• Neil Patel: “You have to force collaboration between all of these groups. If it were me, I would have a standing meeting with the sole purpose to be sharing ideas, talking about what you're doing, what's working, what's not working, and force that ongoing communication and collaboration.”

Data & Statistics:

• AI Referral Traffic: ChatGPT accounts for 85-95% of AI referral traffic for NP Digital clients.
• Citation Crossover: Only 19% overlap between websites ranking highly in traditional SEO and those cited by AI models.
• AI Search Conversion Rate: NP Digital clients experience over 8% conversion rates from AI search (ChatGPT).
• Google Searches: Google processes over 13.7 billion searches per day.
• Instagram Searches: Instagram handles 6.5 billion searches daily.
• Organic Social Discovery: Approximately 20% of customers initially discover brands through organic social media.

Conclusion:

The conversation underscored the critical need for marketers to embrace “Search Everywhere Optimization” and adapt to the rapidly evolving AI-driven search landscape. Success requires a holistic strategy, collaboration between teams, a focus on high-quality content, and a willingness to experiment with new platforms and tactics. The future of search is not about choosing between SEO and AI SEO, but about integrating both to reach audiences wherever they are seeking information.