My AEO strategy

In just 62 days, I ranked on Google, ChatGPT, and Perplexity for the search term "SEO tool".

One of the most competitive terms in all of marketing. And it's not the first time I've done something like this.

Here's what it looks like on ChatGPT:

And on Perplexity:

And here’s how that’s resulted in traffic:

Over $96K/month in traffic value from just one blog post.

Now, I'm not saying this to brag. I'm not an expert on algorithms. But what I have learned to do over the years is create content around things I love and have the most experience with.

Somehow, by doing that, and having some foundational knowledge of SEO on Google (and Bing), it's resulted in a some success. Not only for my own websites, but also my clients'.

And the funny thing is, I don't specifically optimize for AI search.

If you somewhat pay attention to what's going on with AI search and SEO, there's a good chance you've come across this trendy term AEO (Answer Engine Optimization).

Some call it GEO, some call it LLMO, some call it regular ol SEO.

There's an overwhelming amount of information out there on the subject. But very little data backing up anything people are saying.

And what I've come to realize is that there are two types of SEO/AEO people:

1. The ones in the seats. The commentators, analysts, and journalists. They watch what others are doing, report on algorithm updates, recap case studies, and post their opinions from the sidelines.

2. The ones in the arena. They're writing and publishing world-class content every week, building links, and testing strategies on their own sites. They're too busy running plays to care about discussions in the seats.

While I love to be the second person most of the time, I realize at times I need to speak up and share what's actually working.

So if you're trying to get more traffic in AI search engines, and really in Google (because it's still the dominant platform by far), here's how I did/do it:

• Build a brand people talk about. Have a product or brand so good that people mention it on social media, they link out to it in their content, there's case studies about it, and the brand name starts to get directly searched in Google. This is the foundation.

• Create a list of topics you want to go after. Use the APTK framework to tie this to revenue. And then focus on developing topical authority. (I ranked high for that SEO post because I already had over a dozen other blog posts on my site about SEO, spanning from the past 3 years). You have to earn your right to rank fast(er).

• Make sure your site is technically clean. Fast load speeds, implement schema on your homepage and every article page, have canonical tags set for all pages, and make sure your sitemap.xml file updates with every new blog you publish. Out of every website I’ve built, and client I’ve worked with, Webflow websites seem to be the best for SEO (Google’s CapitalG is also an investor in them).

• Create an outline for your article. Use AlsoAsked to generate H2 and H3 heading ideas (these can be pulled into AI search questions). Ask ChatGPT to create a list of questions related to your target keyword (sprinkle these in as H2/H3/H4 headings if it makes sense). Use Clearscope or Surfer to enhance the on-page SEO of your content.

• Write from lived experience (EEAT is real, the author matters more than you think). Focus on crafting the most compelling intro. People smell right through BS, don't fake your expertise and don't try to sell. Have your reader's best interest at heart, even if it means no immediate financial upside for you (very hard to get buy in at large companies, but this is how I beat big brands).

• Publish your article, put it in your sitemap. Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console and request to index the new post. Submit your sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools and request to index the new post.

• Go back to previous relevant blog posts and link out to your new blog post in them (try to do this at least 3 times).

• Wait 2-4 months.

One way I like to think about writing for SEO is to think about it like a YouTube creator. On YouTube, your thumbnail CTR (click through rate) and watch time are the most important thing.

I’d argue, for writing, outside of on-page SEO optimizations (keywords, schema, internal links), the most important things are the same as YouTube. CTR + how much time someone scrolls and spends time on your web page.

But in all this AEO talk I keep seeing on LinkedIn and X, nobody wants to talk about how it’s all about branding and original copywriting (what great SEO has always been). All the information on AEO seems flawed, or sprinkled with half-truths from someone trying to sell you something.

It claims some new way to do things. Every step above is how I've been approaching SEO since 2019. The only thing that has changed in my strategy is that I've slowly become a better writer and my articles are way more engaging and in-depth these days (compared to when I first got into SEO).

There have been zero hacks or tactical stuff that's changed.

And in the next edition, I'm going to go a bit deeper in how to ethically leverage AI to help you write, rank, and make a profit from SEO. Because ranking is great, but making money from your rankings is better.

With that, let's get into what we have in store this week (lots of good stuff):

• Marketing news from the past week

• Claude’s unique growth engine

• How to fix bad copy

• Does LLM traffic convert better than organic?

• How to win with AI video ads

• Ad in the wild

• Website of the week

• Cool marketing jobs

• And much more

🗞 In the news

• US government says TikTok sell off deal has been agreed upon

• Still spending, still nervous: the paradox of Q4 advertising

• Snapchat’s CEO outlines the difficult path forward for the app

• Google modifies search results parameter, affecting SEO tools

• Roblox’s growth comes with growing pains between creators and ad sales

🚀 All things growth & product

 🤖 AI, emails, & copywriting

✍️ SEO & content marketing

🤳 Social media, paid ads, & branding

🧠 Wild card

📣 Ad in the wild

💻 Website of the week

🏝 Cool marketing jobs

• Brand Marketer @ Phantom

• SEO Manager @ Adobe

• SEO Content Marketing @ ElevenLabs

• B2B Growth Marketing Lead @ Anthropic

• VP, Global Media @ Oura

Okay, that's it for now 💛. See you in the next edition!

“God will not have his work made manifest by cowards.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Riddle answer: A lightbulb