The latest shift in AI search strategy is a good reminder not to build your marketing strategy around any one platform.
Axios and other outlets recently reported that Reddit’s share of citations in ChatGPT Search have dropped dramatically over the course of just a few weeks. According to data from Promptwatch, Reddit accounted for an average 3.83% of citations from July 18 through August 7. But after August 14, that average fell to just 0.52% through the following Monday.
And while we don’t yet know the exact cause of this change (and may never know…), it’s important that we don’t miss the bigger picture here. Not long ago, Reddit was being discussed as one of the key places brands needed to enter if they wanted to show up in AI-generated answers. Today, that guidance has shifted, and it will probably shift again.
That’s the challenge with what we’ve taken to calling the “new SEO,” or Search Everywhere Optimization. The platforms, models, and sources they choose to cite are (always) changing. And while marketers absolutely need to understand what is happening with AI search, we’re cautioning our partners not to put all their eggs in one (digital) basket.
The better strategy is to build a strong digital presence that can perform across search engines, AI platforms, social channels, media coverage, and whatever comes next. This approach also keeps you focused on what your audience actually wants and needs.
Start With Content Only Your Organization Can Create
There is more content being produced than ever, and AI can summarize existing information incredibly well. What it cannot manufacture is the lived experience of your team and the people you serve. That’s where your best content is.
Think about what questions your clients, customers or members are asking right now. What changes are your leaders noticing in your industry? What does your team know today that it did not know a year (or two weeks…) ago? What lessons have you learned from solving real problems?
Google’s current guidance for AI search strategy makes this point especially clear. It recommends creating valuable content with unique viewpoints and firsthand experiences instead of simply recycling information that already exists online. And this has not changed.
So instead of starting your content brainstorm by asking, “What keyword should we write about?” try starting with:
- What are we hearing from our customers or our association members?
- What does our team have a strong opinion about?
- What have we learned that could help someone else?
- What can we explain better than anyone outside our organization?
Those answers can become blog posts, videos, social posts, FAQs, interviews, case studies, podcast topics, media pitches, and more. Your people are one of your biggest marketing assets. Tell their stories and leverage their perspectives and expertise.
Do Not Abandon the Fundamentals for the Latest AI Tactic
AI search feels new, which makes it tempting to believe it requires an entirely new playbook. However, it does not. You can call it AEO, GEO, SEO, LLM SEO … etc, etc. But search is still search, and it requires the same fundamentals.
Google’s guidance says: “The best practices for SEO remain relevant for AI features in Google Search (such as AI Overviews and AI Mode). There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, nor other special optimizations necessary.”
That means the basics still deserve our attention, and it’s worth reviewing your website with the following checklist:
- Is the information accurate and up to date?
- Do your pages clearly explain what you do?
- Are page titles and metadata current?
- Is your location information correct and consistent across platforms?
- Can search engines crawl and index the site?
- Does it work well on mobile devices?
- Is your website fast?
- Are awards, credentials, projects, or other proof points missing?
The key takeaway here? Fix and continually update your foundation. If the information AI systems and search engines find about your organization is outdated, thin, inconsistent, or generic, chasing the newest optimization hack (always beware of optimization hacks…) is not going to solve the bigger problem.
Give Your Google Business Profile Some Attention
Google recommends keeping Business Profile information complete, accurate, and consistent, including your business name, location, hours, website, and phone number. We call it: “playing the Google Game.” May the odds forever be in your favor 😉
While you don’t need to treat your Google Business Profile like another social media account that demands constant content, it is best to have clear ownership and guardrails around your account.
Make sure your team knows:
- Who has access to the profile
- Who is responsible for updates
- Whether the information matches your website
- Whether your hours and contact information are current
- Whether recent photos, updates, and reviews accurately represent your business
Accurate information builds a clearer, more consistent digital footprint and makes it easier for people—and search entities—to find you, trust you, and recommend you.
Remember: Your Website Is Not Your Entire Online Presence
Now open an incognito window and Google your organization. What shows up? Look beyond your website and check your social media profiles, review sites, directory listings, news coverage, association directory pages, awards, executive bios, and any other places your organization appears online.
Does it all tell the same story? If your LinkedIn page has not been updated in years, Yelp lists an old phone number, an industry directory has the wrong address, and your website describes services differently from your Google profile, it creates a pretty messy picture of who you are.
This is where we return to the Reddit story.
The broader lesson is that no single external platform should become your entire visibility strategy. They are all just pieces of the puzzle. Thinking about search (not just your AI search strategy) this way gives you a more balanced approach that’s more likely to stand the test of time.
Earn Visibility Beyond the Channels You Control
Your digital footprint shouldn’t only be what you’ve posted about yourself. What others say about your organization matters, too.
Maybe one of your subject matter experts can contribute perspective to a reporter covering your industry. Maybe your organization has original data worth sharing. Maybe there is an award, association, conference, podcast, community organization, or industry publication where your expertise genuinely belongs.
The goal is not to get your company name onto as many websites as possible. The goal is to be mentioned in places that make sense, for reasons that are real. That is good PR and good awareness building for your brand. And in a search environment where systems are pulling information from many different sources, with weights that are constantly shifting, it is simply smart marketing.
Bottom line: Build authority in more places than your own website and social channels.
Use AI to Help Create Content, Not to Invent the Expertise
AI certainly has a place in this conversation. Generative tools can help you record an interview, organize a transcript, summarize research, or turn one strong idea into several different formats.
What it cannot manufacture is your organization’s firsthand experience, original thoughts or expertise. AI is working from information and patterns it has already learned, literally pulling from what already exists. Whether its true, false or entirely made up! It wasn’t in the meeting, on the job site, talking with your customers, or solving the problem alongside your team.
So be careful about outsourcing content creation entirely to AI, or you may end up with what one of our friends calls “intelligent BS.” It might have the right headings, keywords, length, and tone, but it offers no real value (or worse yet, inaccurate information). That makes the people with firsthand knowledge and experience even more important. It makes your people your superpower. Everyone is using AI to work exponentially faster. Just be sure your organization is using it in smart ways that keep your thoughts and ideas human.
Where We Would Focus Right Now
Search is going to keep changing, and new platforms will emerge. Citation patterns will rise and fall. And marketers will continue debating whether we should call the next evolution SEO, GEO, AEO, or something else entirely.
Pay attention to those changes and experiment where it makes sense. But don’t rebuild your entire AI search strategy every time someone publishes a new chart showing which websites an AI platform cited this week.
Instead, invest in the things that make your organization easier to understand and more credible everywhere. While ranking within evolving platforms may be a moving target, building a strong digital presence does not have to be.
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