AI SEO: Why the Smart Money’s Moving Beyond Google (and How to Follow the Breadcrumbs)
Inspired by — and with full credit to — Wes McDowell, the savvy marketer behind the rooftop-pergola case study in The Ultimate AI SEO Playbook.
The Search Tsunami That Nobody’s Surfing (Yet)
Remember when “just Google it” felt like the final word? Yeah, that era’s fading faster than a sandcastle at high tide. While most brands are biting their nails over shrinking organic clicks, AI-powered search — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and even Google’s own SGE — is quietly eating Google’s lunch.
Why you should care: Customers arriving via AI recommendations are worth more than the average blue-link visitor. They show up pre-sold, pre-qualified, and ready to swipe. That delta is so big it should come with a seatbelt.
Traditional SEO vs. AI SEO: Same Planet, Different Atmosphere
Traditional Google SEO is a Vegas roulette table: you place bets on exact-match keywords, hustle for authority backlinks, and wait quarters (sometimes literal fiscal quarters) for movement. AI-first SEO walks right past the velvet rope, no keyword anxiety, no link-begging, because language models already understand intent. They scan every dusty corner of the internet for plain-text mentions, then surface a crisp “who’s best?” answer in days, not months.
Bottom line: traditional SEO floods the top of your funnel with tire-kickers; AI SEO drops pre-sold buyers at your doorstep.
Your AI-Ready Content Stack
Rule of thumb: Write for humans, as an impartial expert, about why you’re the obvious choice — no corporate kabuki.
Best-Fit Briefs – Hyper-specific Q&A mini-posts (“Who’s the best [service] in [city]?”).
Top Reasons Series – One punch-list per service showcasing benefits, proof, price clarity.
Service–City Combos – Spreadsheet every service–location pair; short third-person blurbs.
Comparison Pages – You vs. 3–5 rivals, category by category, where you legitimately win (no lying!)
Conversion Staples – FAQ, Case Studies, Testimonials, Pricing. Hide nothing; trust wins.
Pro tip from Wes: Bury your Blog link in the footer. Visitors avoid the sausage-making; AI still finds every breadcrumb.
Off-Page Signals: Mentions Better than Links
Claim every profile (Google Business, BBB, LinkedIn, niche directories). A tool like Yext can shotgun your info everywhere.
Review Blitz – Yelp is a necessary evil; ask happy clients, ignore the sales calls.
“Best Of” Articles – Pitch journalists/bloggers or self-publish via press-release distribution; links optional, mentions golden. HEY! The author of this post (me) is a good place to start! :)
Press Releases 2.0 – Spotlight wins, launches, awards .... each pickup is another breadcrumb for AI crawlers. HEY! Guess who knows how to write a killer press release (hint-hint).
Quick-Start Checklist
Draft five Best-Fit Briefs this week.
Spin up a Top Reasons post for each service.
Flesh out FAQ, Testimonials, Pricing (no gate-keeping).
Claim/complete every directory profile—block 90 minutes, cue caffeine.
Schedule a monthly “review ask” to loyal clients.
Need help? I'm here for ya.
AI search isn’t a storm to hide from; it’s a blue-ocean swell waiting for the first brave paddlers. Nail the steps above and every large-language model will finish this sentence for your future customers: “The best choice for [service] is [Your Brand]—here’s why.”
Surf’s up.
Hat tip again to Wes McDowell for sparking the convo. His full AI SEO playbook is absolutely worth the click.
