How marketers can build loyalty with AI-powered shopping agents

PLUS: Google says you don’t need AEO or GEO to rank in AI Overviews

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Highlights from today's newsletter
🔍 Top 12 SEO tools for auditing and monitoring websites
📊 GenAI relies heavily on earned media and journalism
🎙️ How SEO has changed with AI with Matthew Forzan

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🔥 Top 3 Most-Read Articles of H1

Brands that strategically break down high-performing content across platforms see up to a 65% increase in organic traffic. This guide shows how to turn one blog post into ten LinkedIn updates, five YouTube videos, and more—tailored to each platform’s algorithm. Learn how to build a sustainable, multi-format content engine that drives visibility and ROI across LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, and beyond.

With Google’s AI Overviews pushing down organic results and fuelling the rise of zero-click searches, it’s time to rethink your SEO game plan. This piece unpacks how to optimize for AI citations, build direct traffic sources, and create structured content that still gets picked up—plus the types of queries AI struggles with (where you can still win big).

No ad spend, no gimmicks—just smart, structured content that gets your SaaS brand mentioned by LLMs like ChatGPT. From owning niche language to building comparison pages and injecting brand context across the web, this guide reveals how to become the go-to recommendation in your space.

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AI & SEO 🖱️

SEO INSIGHTS
Google Says You Don’t Need AEO or GEO to Rank In AI Overviews
Google reinforces that AI-specific SEO tactics are unnecessary; traditional SEO practices suffice for ranking across AI and standard searches.

AI technology is integral to Google's search, emphasizing content quality over the creation method. This highlights the consistent value of producing high-quality, reliable content.

GENERATIVE AI IMPACT
Generative AI Relies Heavily on Earned Media and Journalism
Muck Rack's study reveals that over 95% of AI-cited links are from unpaid sources, with 85% from earned media, highlighting its significant influence on AI-generated content.

This is crucial for PR professionals as brand representation now ties directly to media coverage, impacting AI interpretations and necessitating adaptations in communication strategies to enhance brand visibility in AI responses.

SEARCH TRENDS ANALYSIS
How SERP Features Have Evolved in the AI Era
AI Overviews have significantly gained visibility on SERPs, largely replacing Featured Snippets due to their adaptability in fulfilling search intent. The growth of AI Overviews is notably linked to declines in traditional SERP elements, including Featured Snippets and shopping features, highlighting a shift towards AI-driven search functionalities.

EXTRA CLICKS FOR THOUGHT 💡

SEO TRENDS
Is Your Digital Strategy Still Relevant? The SEO Trends Disrupting 2025
In 2025, SEO demands a shift from keyword-centric tactics to providing genuine audience value through quality content and brand authority.

AI-driven "zero-click searches" highlight the need for focusing on Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). Failure to adapt risks losing digital relevance.

AI CONTENT INTEGRATION
How Marketers Can Build Loyalty with AI-Powered Shopping Agents
AI shopping agents, unlike humans, lack inherent brand loyalty, necessitating marketers to adapt by understanding these agents' logical decision-making processes.

Marketers must focus on optimizing pricing and offering competitive deals, as AI will always seek the best logical outcomes, potentially overriding any pre-coded brand preferences. This shift is crucial as AI-driven purchasing decisions increasingly influence consumer behavior and market dynamics.

SEO TOOLS ANALYSIS
Top 12 SEO Tools for Auditing and Monitoring Websites
The piece outlines 12 essential SEO tools for website auditing and monitoring, offering detailed descriptions, usage tips, pricing, and alternatives for each.

These tools, ranging from free options like Google Search Console and HubSpot Website Grader to paid services such as SEMrush and WriterZen, provide actionable insights into website performance, keyword strategy, and technical SEO issues, making them a valuable resource for marketers and SEO specialists aiming to improve online search visibility.

SOUNDS OF SEARCH 🎧

THE RECIPE FOR SEO SUCCESS SHOW
How SEO Has Changed with AI with Matthew Forzan 
AI's impact on SEO is significant, yet not as catastrophic as some might fear. With LLMs reshaping how we approach search, it’s crucial to understand which AI tools are pertinent to SEO strategies today. Optimization strategies should adapt, focusing on relevant AI-responsive content while avoiding the pitfall of monotonous, AI-generated lists.

Business leaders must wisely employ AI, steering clear of common missteps, such as relying excessively on tools like Claude or ChatGPT for website content generation. Instead, the focus should be on leveraging AI positively to augment SEO efforts, enhancing traffic and engagement without succumbing to the hype or neglecting proven methodologies. 

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