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This week, we’re diving into how AI is killing SEO - and what that means for businesses that rely on Google to stay alive.
If you’ve noticed fewer blog posts ranking, declining organic traffic, or your competitors showing up on ChatGPT instead of search, you're not imagining it.
AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and Gemini are changing how people search.
And in the process, they're gutting traditional content strategies businesses worked years to build and invested thousands in.
That sounds scary for a lot of businesses. But for you? It’s an opportunity.
In this breakdown, you’ll learn:
Why SEO is collapsing faster than most people realise
The new “AI visibility stack” is replacing Google rankings
How to build a service or product that helps businesses adapt
Ideas for selling AI-first marketing strategies to panicked founders
Let's jump in.
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Google is losing its grip on how people discover information. AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini offer faster, cleaner answers without the noise of SEO-optimised fluff. Users are skipping the 10 blue links and getting straight to the point.
At the same time, AI-generated content is flooding the web, making it harder than ever to stand out organically. Google’s algorithm updates are punishing low-value content, but the line between “low-value” and “AI-written” is blurring.
As a result, organic traffic is drying up. Traditional SEO playbooks are failing. And businesses that were built around Google are panicking.
Hubspot lost 80% of its organic traffic, with companies like Figma and Canva seeing similar results.
⭐️ Examples
These businesses aren’t trying to fix SEO - they’re helping founders replace it.
Growth School AI – Helps creators and solo founders use AI tools to build lean content machines. Instead of writing blog posts, they automate entire funnel systems using ChatGPT and Notion.
Amanda Natividad – SparkToro - Evangelises “zero-click content” and owned channels. Helps companies pivot from traditional SEO to brand-led visibility (newsletters, podcasts, thought leadership).
Jay Clouse – Creator Science - Runs a membership and course platform teaching creators how to build distribution on platforms AI can’t fully replace—email, podcasting, and paid communities.
Marka+ AI (Greenough) - A brand marketing firm that built a dedicated AI search service to help brands appear in chat-driven and LLM-first discovery channels. They optimise trust and authority at the AI-query level—critical as users skip clicks.
Evertune - An AI Brand Optimisation platform that benchmarks how often large language models mention your brand, identifies gaps, and makes content + message recommendations to improve visibility, sentiment, and share of voice in AI-generated results.
Adobe LLM Optimiser - Adobe’s new product focuses on “Generative Engine Optimisation.” It helps brands see where they show up in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and co., then pushes them to optimise content, structured data, and earned mentions—turning AI-driven visibility into measurable business outcomes
What to copy:
Don’t save SEO - replace it. Help businesses move their discovery strategy to where attention is actually going: YouTube, TikTok, Perplexity, newsletters, and podcasts.
Bundle AI with strategy. Businesses don’t just need tools - they need someone to tell them what content to make, where to publish it, and how to track if it’s working.
Monetise the panic. Everyone with a dying blog or stale traffic graph is a potential customer. Package simple migration, repurposing, or AI content services into retainers or digital products.
Sell clarity, not complexity. No one wants another “how-to-SEO” guide - they want someone to say: “Here’s the new playbook. I’ll run it for you.”
💡 Ideas
LLM Visibility Audits
A productized service that shows brands where (or if) they appear in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, etc, and why.
👉 Offer as a one-time audit or monthly monitoring with actionable fixes.
Think of companies like Ahrefs or SEMRush - offer that but for AI.
Get a more in-depth breakdown here.
AI Search Optimisation Agency (AIO)
Specialising in helping brands optimise for AI engines, not Google. Focus on:
Schema + structured data
Authoritativeness signals
Citation strategy
Content reshaping for LLM-friendly summarisation
Get a more in-depth breakdown here.
Brand Mentions Booster
A PR + guest posting + citation service built specifically to increase AI citation likelihood.
Think: "Earned media for LLMs"—get brands quoted, cited, and linked in trusted sources LLMs train on.
Get a more in-depth breakdown here.
GEO Tracker (Generative Engine Optimisation SaaS)
A dashboard tool that tracks how often your brand, products, or keywords show up across AI tools.
Like SEMrush, but for ChatGPT and Perplexity instead of Google.
Get a more in-depth breakdown here.
Zero-Click Content Playbooks
Sell strategy kits or digital products showing how to replace blog traffic with high-performing content for platforms like:
LinkedIn
TikTok
Email
YouTube
Includes swipe files, post formulas, and case studies.
Get a more in-depth breakdown here.
"LLM Injection" API Tool
Helps companies structure and inject their product data (FAQs, features, reviews) into AI training pipelines or retrieval plugins via APIs, RAG tools, or vector databases.
Especially relevant for SaaS, e-commerce, or info businesses.
Get a more in-depth breakdown here.
LLM-Focused Content Repurposing Agency
You take brands’ old SEO blog content and repurpose it into high-impact formats that rank in LLMs or spread on social (threads, carousels, shorts, explainer scripts).
Get a more in-depth breakdown here.
🛠 How to Build
1. Start With Pain, Not Keywords
Forget keyword tools. The pain is the new search term.
Find business owners complaining about traffic drops, dead blog ROI, or content invisibility.
Where to dig:
Reddit (r/SEO, r/smallbusiness, r/Entrepreneur)
Twitter/X (search “traffic down,” “SEO dead”)
Facebook groups or Slack communities
Turn these complaints into service offers:
“I’ll turn your dead blog posts into LinkedIn carousels that drive leads”
“I’ll help you show up in ChatGPT instead of Google”
2. Pick Your Visibility Wedge
Choose one high-leverage outcome you’ll deliver.
Examples:
Get brands mentioned in AI tools (LLM optimisation)
Replace blog traffic with email list growth
Build structured content that LLMs can cite
Turn old SEO pages into top-performing UGC/ad creatives
This becomes your product. Package it tight.
3. Use What Already Exists
You don’t need to build software (yet).
Stack existing tools to deliver your service.
Some ideas:
Use Perplexity + ChatGPT to test brand visibility
Use Surfer SEO or Clearscope to analyse old content
Use Notion or Google Docs to build deliverables
Use Zapier or Make.com to semi-automate reports
The delivery is the product—make it look clean, fast, and valuable.
🚀 How to Grow
Build an “AI Discovery Report” Lead Magnet
Everyone’s worried they’re invisible. Turn that anxiety into leads.
Offer a free scan that shows:
Where they don’t appear (Perplexity, ChatGPT, etc.)
Why (lack of citations, unstructured content, weak brand mentions)
What they can do instead
Gate it behind an email opt-in. Sell your service in the follow-up.
Hijack SEO Forums and News
Drop helpful insights (not promos) in:
Reddit threads on SEO panic
Slack groups like Traffic Think Tank
LinkedIn posts about AI replacing Google
Post: “I’ve been helping brands fix this. Here’s a breakdown of what’s working…”
It positions you as the solution without hard-selling.
Other ideas:
Cold email outreach to SEO agencies offering a white-label AI visibility service
Turn each client into a case study showing "before vs. after" AI visibility results
Publish comparison threads/posts like “Here’s what Google says vs. what ChatGPT says about your brand”
Offer free teardown videos on LinkedIn/Twitter showing how top brands are or aren’t discoverable in AI tools
Rank on Product Hunt with a free tool: “Where do you show up in ChatGPT?”
Get on podcasts or panels talking about SEO collapse and what’s replacing it
Use LinkedIn Carousel posts to share frameworks like “5 ways to show up in AI search”
Run a “Visibility Sprint” challenge—5-day cohort where founders improve AI visibility daily
Join Slack/Discord groups for founders and offer AI visibility audits as value-adds
Create explainer content on TikTok/YouTube Shorts, breaking down how AI search works and how to win in it
🎬 How to Start
1. Startup Capital Needed
Tools:
Perplexity + ChatGPT (free or pro plan)
Notion, Google Sheets, Docs (free)
Make.com/Zapier (optional)
Total Cost: Under £30 to start.
2. What an MVP Looks Like
An “AI Visibility Audit” in Google Docs.
One-pager showing where a brand does or doesn’t show up in major AI tools.
Quick wins + structured recommendations.
Don’t overcomplicate it.
3. Initial Outreach Strategy
Use this DM/email script:
“Hey, just noticed your blog hasn’t been updated in a while. Most of that traffic is probably dead now—happy to send you a quick report on where your brand shows up in ChatGPT & Perplexity (if at all). Want me to send it over?”
Make it helpful. Make it feel exclusive.
4. What a "Good Start" Is
Week 1: Land 3 free audits.
Week 2: Convert 1 into a paid retainer or project.
Month 1: Have 3–5 recurring clients or high-ticket reports sold.
5. Pricing Benchmarks
Visibility Audit: £100–£300
Repurposing Package: £500–£1,500
Full Retainer: £2,000+/month if you manage all AI-discovery content
👀 Things Worth Checking Out
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