For the first time in more than two decades Google searches are falling across some browsers, creating a clear red flag for already worried online marketers. And while some have been quick to declare that SEO is dead and the internet as a whole is at risk, industry insiders are telling a far different story.
People like Eliot Prince are shedding light on the truth behind the worry–SEO isn’t dying, it’s just evolving. In his article “‘SEO is Dead’ is The Biggest Lie in Marketing Right Now” he summarizes his perspective like this:
People like Eliot Prince are shedding light on the truth behind the worry–SEO isn’t dying, it’s just evolving. In his article “‘SEO is Dead’ is The Biggest Lie in Marketing Right Now” he summarizes his perspective like this:
"AI models need data to exist. And where do they get that data? Two primary sources:
1.Their training data (which comes from the web)
2.Active web searches they perform when you ask them something beyond their training data
In other words, the demand for discoverable online content isn’t disappearing, it’s about to explode exponentially.
Think about it: while a human might search Google 2–4 times per day, AI agents working on our behalf might perform hundreds or thousands of searches daily. This isn’t the death of search, it’s search on steroids.
Call it what you want… the fundamental principles remain the same: creating discoverable, authoritative content that answers questions better than anyone else."
Of course, that begs the question, how do you establish authority in the age of AI?
Regardless of what LLMs (large language models) like Grok, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, or Lumo do next, you can use this playbook to give your content more authority:
Use Original Content
The best way to demonstrate authority is to actually be an authority on a particular topic. Makes sense, right?
Demonstrate your expertise by writing about what you know. And if you’re not a good writer, hire a darn good content writer to showcase your knowledge to establish that authority for you!
Within your content cite key research, where applicable, but publish original data as well to provide new information that LLMs can pick up. Where visuals are needed to bolster your content, use original charts and graphs to offer another potential signal to LLMs that you have authoritative and valuable content.
Give your content added oomph by collaborating with industry experts. Co-create content, invite them to do guest posts, and sponsor their content creation. Forming a clear partnership can help lend you some of their cachet, increasing your authority in the eyes of both prospective customers and today’s most widely used LLMs.
Take Content Further
Don’t just focus on blog articles, either! Take your optimized content further by providing additional types of content that are valuable to people as well as LLMs. Expand the kinds of written content you offer and then use that as a jumping off point for entirely different content types to diversify your digital strategy.
For example, maintain a regularly updated knowledge base to showcase your thought leadership and help both current and future customers; or publish mini case studies or white papers to illustrate the benefits of your products or services. Then, use the valuable information you’re providing there to create simple tools like decision charts, excel worksheets, surveys, and so on, to vary your content portfolio. This content diversity creates all sorts of signals for LLMs to index, increasing your overall authority.
Utilize Author Bios Well
It’s easy to forget that all your content is important and just mail it in on some of it. Afterall, who really digs into the fine details of someone’s author bio at the end of their published article? But while this may not be something that human readers do in great depth, LLMs use author information to decide which information to crawl and pull when returning responses. LLMs will pour over every detail, looking for authority signals to signal that the information being presented can be trusted.
Whether it’s a degree or industry certification, awards received, years of experience, philanthropy work, or something else that lends credibility, mention it in your author bio. Use this space to establish professional expertise so that both readers of all kinds (including LLMs) know why they should care what you have to say.
Where possible, you should also link to verified credentials (like a LinkedIn profile) and third-party mentions to add credibility. So, in the case of something like receiving a prestigious award, link to the public announcement and/or the institution granting the award to make it easy to verify its legitimacy. This is important because LLMs training is continually looking for ways to verify the accuracy of information to avoid the kind of “AI hallucinations” that are giving it a bad rap with the public.
And remember, people are always changing, so their bios should change as well! Update author bios regularly to include new credentials and accolades. Keeping bios current for everyone writing for your blog helps continue to establish authority on an ongoing basis.
Format Content Correctly
LLMs are constantly being programmed to better understand web content, but that doesn’t mean that they’ve moved away from identifying search engine signals entirely. Always write with human readers in mind, but don't neglect formatting because that helps LLMs along the way.
Optimize your title by including important key phrases towards the beginning so your content is more likely to be found and strengthen your intro paragraph to give LLMs a great base to draw from while engaging human readers. Then, use text headers and image alt tags to provide a framework for LLMs as they scan your content.
Lean Into Video
Video is on the rise like never before, which means your audience is likely expecting to see your organization showcased through video in some capacity. If you’re new to video this can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be! Turn your existing content into informal short videos to get on board easily.
Record yourself or another business leader summarizing the points from a popular article or web resource you already have. Presenting the same kind of information in a new format creates another unique content source, which acts as a new authority signal for LLMs.
Remember, creating video doesn’t need to be anything elaborate, and you definitely don’t need to invest in expensive production equipment. Most video meeting platforms will let you record yourself from your webcam. Alternatively, the phones everyone carries around in their pockets have great cameras for video recording and editing.
Then, once you feel more comfortable with a camera pointed at you, create new videos around your products/services or team. Showcase behind-the-scenes footage, provide expert advice, and offer real-world observations. Record your company’s events and presentations to get the most milage out of your investment.
Use an AI-powered tool or transcript service to annotate your videos for easier crawling by LLMs. Some tools will even break your longer video content into an outline with chapters and main points to make them easier for your audience to skim as well.
Post Content Better
Whether it’s written content or video content always cross-post it across various social channels, with each post tailored to the channel’s specific audience and guidelines. Where possible, tag others (both people and organizations) for greater social reach. When you have content that you’d like to be picked up by another network, ask for a mention from related people or organizations to help expand its reach. This not only leads to more impressions but also signals greater authority to LLMs.
When you want your content to establish you as an authority in your industry, we can help! Our professional copywriting services will ensure your content is optimized for human readers and LLMs alike. We write for some of today’s fastest growing brands, vital nonprofit organizations, and well-loved local businesses. Let us show you what sets us apart–contact us today to find out more!
Use Original Content
The best way to demonstrate authority is to actually be an authority on a particular topic. Makes sense, right?
Demonstrate your expertise by writing about what you know. And if you’re not a good writer, hire a darn good content writer to showcase your knowledge to establish that authority for you!
Within your content cite key research, where applicable, but publish original data as well to provide new information that LLMs can pick up. Where visuals are needed to bolster your content, use original charts and graphs to offer another potential signal to LLMs that you have authoritative and valuable content.
Give your content added oomph by collaborating with industry experts. Co-create content, invite them to do guest posts, and sponsor their content creation. Forming a clear partnership can help lend you some of their cachet, increasing your authority in the eyes of both prospective customers and today’s most widely used LLMs.
Take Content Further
Don’t just focus on blog articles, either! Take your optimized content further by providing additional types of content that are valuable to people as well as LLMs. Expand the kinds of written content you offer and then use that as a jumping off point for entirely different content types to diversify your digital strategy.
For example, maintain a regularly updated knowledge base to showcase your thought leadership and help both current and future customers; or publish mini case studies or white papers to illustrate the benefits of your products or services. Then, use the valuable information you’re providing there to create simple tools like decision charts, excel worksheets, surveys, and so on, to vary your content portfolio. This content diversity creates all sorts of signals for LLMs to index, increasing your overall authority.
Utilize Author Bios Well
It’s easy to forget that all your content is important and just mail it in on some of it. Afterall, who really digs into the fine details of someone’s author bio at the end of their published article? But while this may not be something that human readers do in great depth, LLMs use author information to decide which information to crawl and pull when returning responses. LLMs will pour over every detail, looking for authority signals to signal that the information being presented can be trusted.
Whether it’s a degree or industry certification, awards received, years of experience, philanthropy work, or something else that lends credibility, mention it in your author bio. Use this space to establish professional expertise so that both readers of all kinds (including LLMs) know why they should care what you have to say.
Where possible, you should also link to verified credentials (like a LinkedIn profile) and third-party mentions to add credibility. So, in the case of something like receiving a prestigious award, link to the public announcement and/or the institution granting the award to make it easy to verify its legitimacy. This is important because LLMs training is continually looking for ways to verify the accuracy of information to avoid the kind of “AI hallucinations” that are giving it a bad rap with the public.
And remember, people are always changing, so their bios should change as well! Update author bios regularly to include new credentials and accolades. Keeping bios current for everyone writing for your blog helps continue to establish authority on an ongoing basis.
Format Content Correctly
LLMs are constantly being programmed to better understand web content, but that doesn’t mean that they’ve moved away from identifying search engine signals entirely. Always write with human readers in mind, but don't neglect formatting because that helps LLMs along the way.
Optimize your title by including important key phrases towards the beginning so your content is more likely to be found and strengthen your intro paragraph to give LLMs a great base to draw from while engaging human readers. Then, use text headers and image alt tags to provide a framework for LLMs as they scan your content.
Lean Into Video
Video is on the rise like never before, which means your audience is likely expecting to see your organization showcased through video in some capacity. If you’re new to video this can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be! Turn your existing content into informal short videos to get on board easily.
Record yourself or another business leader summarizing the points from a popular article or web resource you already have. Presenting the same kind of information in a new format creates another unique content source, which acts as a new authority signal for LLMs.
Remember, creating video doesn’t need to be anything elaborate, and you definitely don’t need to invest in expensive production equipment. Most video meeting platforms will let you record yourself from your webcam. Alternatively, the phones everyone carries around in their pockets have great cameras for video recording and editing.
Then, once you feel more comfortable with a camera pointed at you, create new videos around your products/services or team. Showcase behind-the-scenes footage, provide expert advice, and offer real-world observations. Record your company’s events and presentations to get the most milage out of your investment.
Use an AI-powered tool or transcript service to annotate your videos for easier crawling by LLMs. Some tools will even break your longer video content into an outline with chapters and main points to make them easier for your audience to skim as well.
Post Content Better
Whether it’s written content or video content always cross-post it across various social channels, with each post tailored to the channel’s specific audience and guidelines. Where possible, tag others (both people and organizations) for greater social reach. When you have content that you’d like to be picked up by another network, ask for a mention from related people or organizations to help expand its reach. This not only leads to more impressions but also signals greater authority to LLMs.
When you want your content to establish you as an authority in your industry, we can help! Our professional copywriting services will ensure your content is optimized for human readers and LLMs alike. We write for some of today’s fastest growing brands, vital nonprofit organizations, and well-loved local businesses. Let us show you what sets us apart–contact us today to find out more!
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