Our January networking event gave us a wonderful start to the new year – with challenging thoughts to consider and much knowledge gathered. As we were reminded by Moran, our speaker on Navigating the New Search Landscape, the WBII theme for the year is Resilience – and the topic she would be talking on directly connected to addressing current challenges in the digital marketing landscape, particularly the impact of AI on traditional SEO practices.

Evolving changes

Moran addressed widespread concerns among business owners experiencing sudden traffic drops and ranking losses, with many attributing these changes to increased generative AI (eg. ChatGPT) usage. The fundamental question posed, though, was whether SEO is obsolete in the age of AI. Moran argued that it isn’t ‘obsolete’; it is evolving, as we should be.

In her talk, Moran revealed a critical shift from ‘search engines to answer engines’. From SEO (Search Engine Optimisation or, better, Search Everywhere Optimisation) to AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation). And, of course, to GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) – which is rising. Moran argued that this is what we need to prepare for. She showed us that 60% of users who receive AI-generated summaries still click through to source websites; 87% of AI searches are conducted on generative AI platforms; 33% of all searches are now initiated by AI agents; and users who click through from AI citations are twice as likely to convert. So the landscape is changing – fast. But there are steps we can take to manage the changes and discover possible opportunities, which may look a little different to what we have been used to. She shared with us some steps to face these changes and reminded us all to stay current – more changes will come.

Four-step strategic roadmap for solopreneurs

Step 1: Be the human expert

Emphasis on E-E-A-T principles (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust) with enhanced focus on:

• Personal stories and unique experiences
• Case studies from actual client work
• Strong, controversial opinions
• Content that AI cannot replicate

Step 2: Get mentioned

Mentions are the new links – strategy shift from link building to mention acquisition:

• Podcast interviews and guest appearances
• Video content on third-party platforms
• Active participation in niche forums (especially Reddit)
• Industry group engagement
• Local and specialised magazine features

Step 3: Create machine-readable content

Technical optimisation for AI comprehension:

• Clear heading structures
• FAQ section on every page
• Lists and tables (AI-preferred formats)
• Question-and-answer formats
• Structured, scannable content

Step 4: Diversify and build your own(ed) audiences

Mitigate risks through audience ownership:

• Carefully consider and work on email list building and newsletter maintenance
• Repurpose content across platforms
• Consider video content creation (AI-favoured format)
• Invest in brand recognition building for direct searches

Things we can DO

Among the concrete recommendations suggested by Moran and during the group discussion were:

For all attendees:

• Immediate: Review personal website analytics to understand current traffic patterns and ranking changes
• Within 1 week: Test personal AI presence by asking ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini ‘What can you tell me about [your name/business]?’
• Ongoing: Implement FAQ sections at the bottom of all website pages and blog posts

For content creators:

• Content strategy: Shift from keyword-focused to topic cluster approach
• Writing process: Add personal stories, case studies and unique experiences to all content
• Technical implementation: Ensure clear heading structures and machine-readable formatting

For LinkedIn users:

• Profile optimisation: Consider switching connection settings to ‘follow’ to increase reach
• Content consistency: Maintain regular posting schedule with expertise-focused content
• Engagement strategy: Prioritise commenting and human interaction over article publishing

For AI tool users:

• Training strategy: Upload business mission, vision and key documents to AI tools for better representation when asking AI to create content for you/your voice/your business
• Content creation: Use AI for initial content generation but ensure human editing and personalisation