Hey Reader,

I was just reading this interesting study from Growth Memo about how AI Overviews are affecting Google search.

That topic has lots of folks like me stressed, and the study (with a tiny sample size, grain of salt required) confirmed a lot of what you'd expect:

Yes, AIO overviews are driving down traffic. Duh.

Around 40% of users in the study said they felt satisfied by AI Overviews during their searches.

There's no way around that harsh fact, but there is some good news in the report --- for example, getting cited in the top third of an AI overview can move the needle and recoup some lost traffic.

But what really interested me about this report was the idea of the 60% of users who took an action after the AIO. Because for many, the AI overview was part of the journey, not the final destination.

From the study:

Growth Memo made a handy chart to show where people went to get their final answers:

If we can push aside the terror that we feel when thinking about AIOs, we can see that there are actually quite a few ways to get in front of your audience.

Organic search is still the obvious leader. Traffic won't be as good as it once was, but we still see people scrolling past AIOs to click on blue links more often than not.

But look at these other ones...

📌 Local Map Packs: How is your Google My Business looking these days? Is your info up to date? Are you responding kindly and thoughtfully to reviews? Have you uploaded photos and content pieces? Now's the time to make sure you shine in local search.

Discussion Forums: Reddit, LinkedIn and other platforms are where people go to get answers from "real people" when they don't trust the AI Overviews. I don't like encouraging people to "game" Reddit (that platform is delightfully untouched by in-your-face promotion), but having a social presence where you answer questions thoroughly is key.

Think about the last time you searched something, read the AI overview, and then thought... Hmmm, I want to know more.

Maybe you went to Reddit, or clicked on a Medium article, or maybe you went over to YouTube and watched a short video. (ICYMI that's among the reasons I'm learning the YouTube algorithm).

👆 If you aren't the one in these spaces, answering these questions, then you're missing out on those confirmation clicks.

That's why I'm going building "confirmation content" into my strategies going forward. I will actively push my clients to create the content that people seek after a dissatisfying AIO experience.

Here's how I plan to do it:

1. Closely monitor where we are showing up in AI search. Semrush already gives me some ability to monitor this, and I recently posted about their upcoming features that will make it even better.
   ​
2. Analyze the AIO overviews and use my human brain to consider what users might want after they read some or all of that AIO. This is where creativity comes into play: I think about what questions people will still have, or what parts of the AIO they will mistrust, and then consider what kind of content they would most likely click next.
   ​
3. Look at the SERP to identify the format. Semrush also gives me the ability to see what types of content show up around an AIO. This tells me whether I should make a TikTok video, weigh in on a Reddit thread, or post a LinkedIn article.
   ​
4. Create the confirmation content and distribute it. Now, take all that information and make the dang content people want. Shoot the YouTube demo. Write the LinkedIn article. Post the TikTok about it. Watch the results. Tweak the experiment. Repeat.

There's not much positive I can say about AI's impact on SEO and content marketing, but one thing is for sure: It's changed the game and created lots of new puzzles for nerds like me to untangle.

Need some help guiding your content in the right direction in this new age? I'm here to help. Just reply to this email or book a free 15-minute consultation with me. No obligations, and odds are you'll get me talking and get way more than your 15. 🤓

Until next time.

- Liam