SEO isn’t dead. It’s just different.

_{Day 56/100}

Hey - It's Tim.

I’m back on LinkedIn. _{(Still yet to work out if this is a good idea or not…)}

And like clockwork... the AI apocalypse crowd is out in full force.

Every feed.
Every post.
Some guy with sunglasses in his profile pic telling you:

"Google is over."
"SEO is dead."
"Blogging is for boomers."

Meanwhile — the real world?

Google sends 41% of ALL web traffic.

ChatGPT?

0.09%.

(That’s less than Reddit. Which is basically just free therapy for strangers.)

The Problem Isn't AI Search

It's That Marketers Panic Easily

Look — AI search is changing things.
But not how you think.

It's not replacing Google.
It's just... shuffling the deck.

Your boring, safe, unhelpful blog post from 2019?
Yeah... that might not make the cut anymore.

But the people who actually know something?
Who write like they mean it?
Who publish real data, real expertise, real takes?

You're going to be just fine.

What the Data Really Says

(Brace for Impact — This Will Upset LinkedIn Bro's)

Straight from the Ryan Law BrightonSEO talk😀 

AI Overviews (AIOs) in Google?

Appear on just 7.26% of SERPs.

Even when AIOs show up — clicks drop by about 30%...
But ONLY on informational, low-competition, long-tail keywords.

Translation: If you're a B2B company writing boring "what is" content for keywords no one converts on anyway... yeah, you might lose some clicks.

But the pages driving your sales? Your product pages? Your strategic content?
Safe.

How To Win The AI Search Game

This is the gameplan I have come up with for us at Penfriend:

1. Build Canonical Answer Pages

→ One topic. One definitive guide.
Treat it like a product. Update it relentlessly.

(If you're not embarrassed by your update history... you aren't trying hard enough.)

2. Optimize For Citation Signals

→ Google wants to trust you.

Earn mentions in:

• Industry research

• Government reports

• University publications

• High-authority blogs (real ones)

This isn't link-building.
This is source-building.

3. Use Structured Data Properly

→ Schema markup isn't "SEO 101" anymore — it's survival.

Mark up:

• FAQ

• How-To

• Product

• Author (yes, you — humans win here)

4. Publish Proprietary Data Assets

→ Your own data is the new content moat.

Surveys. Original research.
Internal stats no one else can fake.

AI loves structured certainty.
Give it to them.

5. Treat Your Site Like A Dataset

→ Think beyond readers.

Structure your content like machines need to read it.
Simple language. Clear headings. Answer first.

The future isn't AI replacing you.
It's AI quoting you.

What Should You Do This Week?

I like marketers with dirty hands.

Here's your homework:

• Audit your top 20 pages.
  → Are they the answer or an answer?

• Add proper author schema across your site.
  → Yes, even the old stuff.

• Publish a tiny original dataset.
  → A 10-person survey is better than zero.

• Find 5 industry newsletters or blogs.
  → Start a conversation. Build source relationships.

• Go update something from 2018.
  → Add value. Add clarity. Remove fluff.

Final Thought

AI isn't coming to kill content marketing.

It's coming to kill bad content marketing.

But that's always been true.

SEO has never been about hacks.
It's been about showing up, over and over again, with something worth saying.

That's why you're here.

That's why we keep writing.

That's why we'll win.

✌️ Tim Welcoming our new robot overlords" Hanson
CMO @Penfriend.ai

Same brain, different platforms: X, Threads, LinkedIn.

P.S. I'm hosting Traffic Therapy this week - a live session where you bring me your biggest SEO or content headaches... and we fix them together.

No slides. No fluff.
Just real problems. Real answers. Live.

Weird ranking issue?
Traffic drop?
Confused by AI search?
Struggling to write something that doesn't suck?

Bring it.

Seats will be limited because I want this to feel like office hours — not a webinar factory.

→Reply I NEED TRAFFIC THERAPY And I’ll get you top of the list for the workshop.

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