AI just broke the SEO playbook

This newsletter comes from the hosts of The Marketing Architects, a research-first show answering your biggest marketing questions. Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!

 

This week, we're exploring how AI agents are changing marketing, including new findings showing that traditional SEO strategies can actually backfire with AI systems. 

—Elena  

 

86% of Google searches already include generative elements.            

The shift to AI-driven search isn't coming. It's here. Most searches now involve AI processing, fundamentally changing how brands get discovered. 

 

When AI becomes your new target audience                    

AI agents are changing how people find brands. ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini don't scroll through search results like humans do. They read everything, synthesize information, and recommend what they think is best. 

Here's what this means for marketers: 

1. Traditional SEO strategies backfire. One study found that sites with more backlinks are cited less often by AI agents. The link-heavy approach that worked for Google search actually hurts your AI visibility.
   
2. Content structure matters more than keywords. AI systems prefer structured, semantically rich content they can easily parse. Focus on clear product pages, detailed Q&As, genuine reviews, and direct comparisons.
   
3. Brand familiarity drives AI recommendations. Just like humans recommend brands they know, AI models are more likely to suggest familiar brands. The cognitive shortcuts we've built in human minds need to be built in AI minds too.
   
4. Memory becomes a marketing channel. Users can set preferences and memories in AI systems. This opens up new possibilities for encouraging customers to save positive experiences with your brand directly in these systems.
   
5. AI prefers substance over style. AI systems heavily rely on human reviews and star ratings while largely ignoring flashy visuals or banner ads. 

AI isn't replacing human customers, but it's becoming the filter through which many purchasing decisions flow. Brands that understand this shift will have a significant advantage. 

Listen in on our discussion.

 

“Marketing to Machines: A New Performance Strategy in the Age of AI Agents”       

This AdExchanger article by Michael Lehman explores how AI agents are reshaping the marketing funnel and what brands need to do to stay visible in an AI-driven world. 

Read the article. 

 

 

Embrace the change.             

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." 

— Alan Watts, philosopher