Hey founders,
Something shifted in the last six months that most of you haven't noticed yet.
When someone searches for solutions like yours, they're not clicking through ten blue links anymore. They're asking ChatGPT. Or Perplexity. Or Claude. And these tools are giving complete answers with sources baked right in.
Your SEO playbook? It doesn't work the same way anymore.
What's Different Now
AI search engines aren't ranking pages. They're reading everything, pulling bits from different sources, and assembling answers on the fly. Then they pick which sources get credited.
And here's the part that stings: they trust third-party content about you way more than your own marketing site. A mention in TechCrunch or a detailed review on G2 carries more weight than your perfectly optimized landing page.
Each AI engine has its own quirks too. ChatGPT prioritizes different sources than Perplexity. Gemini pulls from yet another set. There's no universal playbook here.
**
What Actually Works**
Stop writing for search bots. Start writing to be cited.
Your content needs to be the kind that AI can justify using. That means:
Direct answers to specific questions (no fluff, no marketing speak)
Clear structure that's easy to extract and quote
Claims backed by data or real examples
Get mentioned in places AI already trusts.
Guest posts on industry blogs. Case studies on review sites. Podcast appearances where the host links back to you. These aren't "nice to have" anymore—they're how AI discovers you exist.
Test across different AI platforms.
Search for your product category in ChatGPT, then Perplexity, then Gemini. See who gets cited. Figure out why. Then reverse-engineer what's working for them.
**
Own your niche like your survival depends on it.**
Big SaaS brands will dominate generic searches. But if you're the go-to expert for, say, "compliance automation for healthcare startups," AI will cite you when that specific need comes up. Depth beats breadth here.
The Reality Check
Traditional SEO still matters for now. But every month, more searches end with an AI answer instead of a click.
If your discoverability strategy is still "rank high on Google," you're playing yesterday's game. The founders who win in 2025 and beyond will be the ones AI trusts enough to recommend.
Worth thinking about.
What's your experience with AI search so far? Are you seeing traffic patterns shift? Drop a comment—curious to hear what's working for other founders.
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