Are You Ready For SEO In The Age Of AI?
It’s a whole new ballgame with SEO since AI platforms have gained in dominance. Google’s recent core updates emphasized originality and relevance to rank high on a search page. Meaning you will be rewarded for content that offers unique insights and value rather than relying on generic or AI-generated material. Businesses should focus on creating well-researched, user-focused content that aligns with Google’s E-E-A-T principles, while optimizing for local and zero-click searches to maintain visibility in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.
Key Take-Aways:
- Google’s core algorithm updates give greater preference to content that demonstrates originality and helpfulness, impacting businesses rankings and signaling a preference for unique, insightful, and user-focused, informative content over generic, promotional or AI-generated material.
- Businesses should prioritize creating content that shows Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, including naturally incorporated keywords, relevant visuals and engaging layouts to improve user experience.
- With Google’s AI Overview and zero-click searches reducing organic traffic, businesses should optimize their Google Business Profiles, focus on local SEO with geo-specific keywords, and create content like FAQs and blogs addressing customer questions.
- Key factors for SEO success include factors that a business can do themselves and Technical SEO that should be done by a professional SEO expert. In this post we will explore both.
- Actively managing online reviews, engaging with customer feedback, and maintaining accurate business listings in directories help improve search rankings, build credibility, and enhance visibility across platforms.
What Are Google Core Updates:
Google had 4 “core updates” to their algorithm in 2024 (March, August, November & December) and all 4 had impact on how they rank content on websites. Many believe that these core updates signal Google’s war on AI generated content on websites. Does Google penalize AI content on your website? In various forums, Google representatives have said that Google doesn’t automatically detect and penalize AI-generated content. What they have said is that Google highly values originality. This means that repeating generic or widely available information without adding new insights can harm content rankings, as search algorithms prioritize unique, helpful content.
The proof? In a study of websites relying on AI content, they lost an average of 17% of their traffic and dropped eight positions in search rankings. Conversely, 85% of marketers saw increased rankings for content that offers original insights or perspectives. According to Google’s Search Central Blog, they’re focused on “helpful” content, regardless of whether a human or AI created it. Content that lacks credibility, is generic (easily found on AI platforms) and not original, or fails to add user value, may be demoted in search rankings.
Sources: https://www.inc.com/ben-sherry/googles-latest-search-update-suggests-business-owners-need-a-new-content-marketing-strategy/91019074; https://neilpatel.com/blog/googles-spam-update/; https://writesonic.com/blog/does-google-penalize-ai-content
What Should A Business Do?
- Focus on creating unique, insightful content that goes beyond superficial, well-known information.
- Google core updates emphasized E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Enhance AI-generated content with human insight and expertise. Show trustworthiness and authoritativeness by showing well-researched information with proper citations and sources.
- Incorporate keywords naturally rather than repetitive keyword use. You should aim for a keyword density of 2-5%. (If you use your target keyword 10 times in a 1000-word blog post, you’ll have a keyword density of 1%.)
- Articles with relevant images get 94% more views than text-only articles. To keep users engaged: organize your content into short paragraphs under clear, short paragraph headlines, use bullet points and lists (formatted like this blog!).
- Look at time spent by visitors on your pages (Google Analytics). If someone stays on your content, it signals to Google that they found what they were looking for, but if they bounce back to search results quickly, it thinks your content wasn’t helpful.
- Google also rewards pages that load quickly and are easy to navigate. Check your website loading speed at https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights
Sources: https://www.inc.com/ben-sherry/googles-latest-search-update-suggests-business-owners-need-a-new-content-marketing-strategy/91019074; https://neilpatel.com/blog/googles-spam-update/; https://writesonic.com/blog/does-google-penalize-ai-content
Example Of Optimizing A Blog:
- A unique and engaging graphic (you can ask an AI platform to create one).
- Have a strong headline that usually is formed as a question or an answer to a perceived question.
- An opening sentence that describes your overall proposition for the article and is in a larger font than the rest of the article.
- A “takeaways” section towards the beginning which outlines 4-6 bullet points that are the key points of the article. (Upload your post to an AI platform and ask it to summarize in 4 bullet points).
- Ask yourself: Is this content going to provide the reader with useful information that can’t easily be found anywhere else?
- Use AI to research information and provide idea starters but you need the human touch for originality, to maintain credibility and quality in your content, and avoid being penalized by Google.
Zero-Click Searches – What A Business Should Do:
- Google “AI Overviews” continue to eat into the organic search traffic volume, the SEO traffic is predicted to drop 30% for informational queries in the next year because users get their info from the Google AI Overview Snippet. This is called a Zero-Click Search.
- Optimize Google Business Profile to ensure your client’s Google Business Profile is fully claimed and verified. Complete every section.
- Actively encourage and respond to customer reviews, which appear prominently in zero-click search results.
- Use Google Posts in the Google Business Profile to share news, promotions, or events. This will help ensure a Knowledge Graph appears when the business name is Googled.
- Focus on Local SEO using local geo-specific keywords like “best pizza in [city]” in website content, meta descriptions, and Google Business Profile.
- Collaborate with local blogs, newspapers, and directories to gain relevant backlinks. Include terms like “near me” in your content where relevant, to optimize for near me searches.
- Create FAQs, blogs & optimized content to address common customer questions directly on your website. These could be selected as featured snippets or directly answered on SERPs or AI platforms.
- Maintain active social profiles, as they may show up in search results. Share regular updates, promotions, and customer testimonials to maintain engagement.
- Ensure website is mobile-friendly since most zero-click searches are conducted on mobile. Test loading speed and navigation.
- Monitor local search metrics using tools like Google Analytics, Google Business Profile Insights to see traffic and engagement. This will help you determine what content is resonating with visitors.
Appearing In AI Platform Results – What A Business Should Do:
- How does a business get mentioned on an AI Platform? AI Platforms (LLMs) are taught their information and one of the key inputs is Google Search results. So all of the things that get you noticed by Google will in turn get you noticed by LLMs!
- Getting reviews from more sources than just Google (angie, yelp, bbb.org). Adding reviews from customers and testimonials to the home page of the site.
- Use superlatives, and describe the quality of your work in your content (LLM’s seem to take things very literally – if you say “we provided excellent customer service” they believe it.)
Pay-Per-Click Ads & Organic Listings:
- A business appearing as high up in the Organic Listings of Google is critical.
- It’s important to appear at the top of Google’s organic listings for your primary keywords, because the first 3 organic listings get more than half the clicks.
- On average, only about 1% of all website traffic to a business website comes from paid search ads. The other 99% of website traffic comes from organic search or other websites.
- Why is organic traffic so important?
- It’s free exposure on the Google search page.
- You can reach people who have never heard of your brand before.
- You can bring visitors with a relevant and specific intent to your site.
- You can reach people locally or worldwide.
- It can be targeted and scaled with a content/SEO strategy.
- It can build your credibility.
Sources: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/397414/nearly-two-thirds-of-google-searches-stay-within-i.html; Datos; SparkToro
The info we’ve covered in this webinar so far, are all things you can coach your clients to do on their own to improve their SEO rankings. Now we look at how our SEO campaigns help them improve their SEO rankings. We do the “Technical SEO”.
Technical SEO:
On-Page SEO Factors: Title, Meta and ALT Tags, URL Structure, Keywords, Quality of Content, Site Maps, Inbound & Outbound Links, Speed, Error Messages, Voice Search Optimization.
- TITLE TAGS are html code on a business’ website that displays on search engine results pages as the clickable headline for an organic search result. They are meant to be an accurate and concise description of a page’s content for both the search engine and the user. Every page of a website should have a unique title tag. This helps search engines understand that your content is unique and valuable, and also drives higher click-through rates.
- META DESCRIPTION TAGS provide descriptions about the webpage, which can be used by search engines to help categorize the page correctly and users to understand what is on that webpage. Every page of a website should have a unique meta description tag. It’s like a free snippet of advertising for your business.
- ALT TAGS are used by search engine crawlers to decipher what an image represents.
- URL STRUCTURE is what search engines look at to analyze a website. If it is confusing they may index only a fraction of the website’s pages.
- KEYWORDS utilized on your website help search engines connect searchers to your site. We’ll determine what keywords the client can rank for. One strategy is to focus on long-tail keywords when you’re in a highly competitive keyword vertical. These are keywords that generally have lower search volume than short-tail keywords (or “head terms”). For example, rather than trying to rank for “pie,” you target “homemade blueberry pies near me”.
- QUALITY, FRESHNESS OF CONTENT refers to how often content is added, updated and linked to, how authoritative and trustworthy it is. Fresh content impacts SEO in multiple ways: It enhances the user experience, encourages frequent crawls by search engine bots, improves relevance and authority within your niche, targets long-tail keywords, boosts user engagement, opens up opportunities for valuable backlinks. With our SEO campaigns we discuss content strategy on earning higher search traffic for core keywords and we optimize the client’s content for SEO once published.
- Research has shown that video content is many times more likely to appear at the top of Google search pages than a web page with just written content. Encourage your clients to put video on their website. Videos have been found to boost on-page engagement, which is a powerful rankings factor. The majority of web users prefer watching a video to reading words. Using videos on a landing page can increase conversions by 86%. The average user spends 88% more time on a website with video.
- INBOUND & OUTBOUND LINKS refers to the amount of traffic on your site and the number of quality links coming into your website from other websites and links you have on your website to other websites.
- ERROR MESSAGES such as Page Not Found can lower your rank position.
- VOICE SEARCH OPTIMIZATION is helping a business to be featured in the Google AI Overview or the Featured Snippet at the top of a search page which means that users who voice search will hear that read aloud by the voice assistant.
- How does our technical SEO help a website get featured in the AI Overview & snippets? Analyzing the website’s loading speed and making suggestions. Suggesting long tail keywords on the business’ website not just stand-alone keywords. Optimizing the URL structure and internal linking are effective ways to ensure that Google can easily crawl and index the website.
Off-Page SEO Factors: Online Directories, Submitting to Search Engines, Online Reputation Management.
- SEARCH ENGINE SUBMISSION includes the top 3 (Google, Bing, Yahoo) and also important but lesser known search engines.
- DIRECTORIES SUBMISSIONS is important because directories rank well for search terms and give you relevant links to your website from the directory’s website.
- Getting your local business’ NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) information listed on directories, online business listing sites, and citation sites helps to improve visibility of your website. Backlinks from these sites (the sites linking back to your website) can also have a benefit to your search engine ranking.
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Your website may already be getting traffic — but are you converting visitors into conversations before they leave? Today’s consumers expect fast, convenient communication. If they have a question, they want answers immediately, not hours later through email or after sitting on hold. That’s why more businesses are turning to live chat and text-to-chat tools to engage prospects in real time and capture more leads directly from their websites. Live Chat Increases Conversion Rates Businesses that use live chat often see a significant boost in conversions. In fact, studies show that live chat can lead to a 40% increase in conversion rates . Why? Because timing matters. When a prospect lands on your website, they’re already showing interest. A live chat box gives them an easy, low-pressure way to ask questions, get information, and move forward without interrupting their browsing experience. Instead of leaving your site to “think about it,” they can get the answers they need immediately. Whether someone is comparing services, checking pricing, or deciding whether to contact your team, live chat helps remove friction from the buying process. Your Leads Don’t Stop After Business Hours One of the biggest advantages of live chat is that it works even when your office is closed. According to industry data, 59% of chat leads come in outside of normal business hours . That means many potential customers are researching and making decisions at night, on weekends, or during times your staff may not be available. Without a chat solution in place, those opportunities may be lost entirely. A live chat program allows your business to stay accessible 24/7, helping you capture leads whenever prospects are ready to engage — not just during office hours. Customers Prefer Live Chat Convenience drives customer behavior, and live chat has quickly become one of the preferred communication channels for consumers. Research shows that 73% of customers say live chat is the most convenient way to communicate . People want fast answers without making a phone call or waiting for an email response. Live chat offers a quick, familiar experience that feels easy and efficient — especially for mobile users who are already accustomed to texting and messaging apps. By adding live chat or text-to-chat to your website, you’re meeting customers where they are and communicating the way they prefer. Flexible Solutions for Every Business Not every business needs the same type of chat support, which is why flexible options matter. We offer both: · Virtual chat solutions that help automate engagement and qualify leads · Real human live chat programs staffed by trained agents who can interact directly with your website visitors Whether you want after-hours coverage, full-service lead engagement, or a hybrid approach, live chat can be customized to fit your business goals and customer experience strategy. Turn Website Traffic Into Conversations Your website should do more than provide information — it should actively generate opportunities. Live chat and text-to-chat tools help businesses engage prospects instantly, improve customer experience, and convert more visitors into qualified leads. With consumers expecting faster communication than ever before, businesses that respond quickly are often the ones that win the customer. If you’re looking for a simple way to increase engagement and capture more leads from your website, live chat may be one of the most effective tools you can add. This story was generated using the AI model ChatGPT-5, with human editing for accuracy and tone.
When clients compare the average 0.07% click-through rate (CTR) of impression-based advertising to the higher CTRs typically seen with Pay-Per-Click (PPC/AdWords), it’s natural to question which is more cost-effective. But digital advertising has evolved, and clicks alone are no longer the gold standard for campaign success. Here’s why impression-based buying often delivers better value, stronger targeting, and more measurable results—especially in today’s AI-influenced and search-shifting environment: It’s not just about the click anymore. With AI reshaping search behavior and click volume declining, impression-based ads focus on the full customer journey—not just one interaction. We track view-throughs and conversions, giving a more complete picture of how ads influence purchasing decisions. Conversion tracking > Click tracking. By installing container tags on a client’s website, we track actual actions taken—like form fills, calls, or purchases—which are much stronger indicators of intent than a simple click. 70% of conversions happen after an ad is seen—not clicked – [Comscore]
In today’s crowded marketing landscape, reaching the right audience matters more than ever. That’s where list targeting comes in—a strategy built on consent-based data and first-party insights that helps you connect with high-intent prospects in a more precise, measurable way. At its core, list targeting starts with data you already own or have permission to use. Think of your existing customer list: past buyers, leads that didn’t convert, or prospects who simply slipped through the cracks. Instead of letting those opportunities fade, you can re-engage them—and even go a step further by giving them an exclusive offer to increase urgency. It’s a powerful way to stay relevant and win back attention. Another highly effective approach is leveraging direct mail lists—but with a digital twist. Traditionally, businesses purchase lists based on specific geographic and demographic criteria such as income, home value, equity, recent moves, or lifestyle indicators. While direct mail reaches these individuals once, list targeting allows you to connect with them multiple times each month across digital channels. Even better, you can track their online behavior, giving you real insight into engagement and intent. If you’ve used direct mail in the past, there’s even more opportunity waiting. Those lists don’t have to sit idle—by repurposing them into an addressable digital strategy, you can bring them back to life and extend their value far beyond a single campaign. Beyond purchased and owned lists, your website is another goldmine for audience building. With Website ID technology, you can collect data on visitors over an initial period (typically around three months), then retarget those users later with tailored messaging. These are people who have already shown interest—making them some of your most valuable prospects. Seasonality also plays a key role, especially on Cape Cod that has so many second homeowners and vacation-driven traffic. With list targeting, you can reach these audiences before they even arrive—right at their primary residence—or continue engaging them while they’re in-market during peak seasons. This is especially impactful for businesses looking to connect with affluent customers at the right moment. Ultimately, list targeting isn’t about replacing your existing marketing—it’s about enhancing it. By layering in smarter audience strategies, you can capitalize on missed opportunities, improve campaign performance, and build stronger connections with the customers who matter most. Get started today with CCB Media to learn more about how to put your address lists to better use.
Overview: A well-established building materials supplier wanted to increase brand visibility, engage professional audiences, and drive meaningful online and in-store actions—without relying solely on traditional advertising channels. The goal was to reach contractors, builders, and decision-makers across devices while maintaining efficiency and measurable performance. Digital Strategy: A full-funnel digital advertising approach was deployed, combining high-impact awareness tactics with performance-driven targeting. The campaign leveraged mobile, desktop, and streaming advertising by using advanced B2B behavioral targeting, AI, and retargeting with Social Mirror and CTV, Mobile Conquesting with Geo-Fencing and Geo-Retargeting relevant retail and competitor locations, and QR code-enabled Connected TV ads with Social Mirror to bridge TV exposure with mobile engagement. This multi-channel strategy ensured consistent brand exposure while capturing intent and engagement signals throughout the customer journey. Results: Due to the strong performance and sustained success of the initial campaign, the client has continued running campaigns for more than five years. Over that time, their efforts have generated more than 6,800 total conversions, including 5,400+ verified in-store visits and 2,300+ QR code scans, demonstrating consistent engagement and measurable results across multiple channels.
Stop settling for one-off handshakes and expensive paper ads. If you’re paying for a presence at a Home Show or Boat Show , you need a strategy that doesn’t expire when the doors close. Here is how to dominate your next event using Geo-Fencing and Geo-Framing: 1. Build a Digital Fence We "fence" high-traffic events—home shows, boat shows, or conventions. Every mobile phone that enters that zone is captured. While your competitors are handing out flyers, you’re quietly building a high-intent digital audience. 2. The 30-Day Retargeting Blitz The show doesn’t end when the booths come down. We retarget those attendees for 30 days after the event. By showing your ads 10–30 times on their mobile devices, you stay top-of-mind long after the initial handshake. · Pro Tip: Use a specific offer to push urgency and turn "just looking" into a closed sale. 3. Target the Neighborhood (Lookalikes) Since we know where these attendees live, we can target their neighbors . If someone is interested in a home remodel or a new boat, there’s a high statistical chance their neighbors are, too. This "Geo-Retargeting Lookalike" strategy expands your reach to the exact zip codes that matter. 4. Travel Back in Time with Geo-Framing Missed the big regional show last month? No problem. With Geo-Framing , we can pull past data from large-scale events to capture attendees who were there weeks ago. It’s the ultimate "second chance" for your sales team. The Bottom Line: Don’t just sponsor a booklet. Own the digital space and stay in front of qualified prospects before they buy and increase your chances to close the project.
If you’ve noticed your blog traffic dipping lately, you aren’t alone. The traditional "how-to" blog post is losing its punch. Why? Because AI is already answering the question for your customers before they ever click your link. In a world of Generative AI, the old SEO playbook is being rewritten. We are moving from standard SEO into the era of GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). If you want your local business to stay visible in 2026 and beyond, here is exactly what you need to do right now. 1. Audit Your "AI Reputation" Before you change a single word on your website, do this: Open ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity and search for your business. See what the AI says about your business. If it returns incorrect hours, an old address, or misses your key services, you have a data problem. AI models pull from across the web; if they are getting it wrong, it’s because your "digital footprint" is messy. · The Fix: Find the source of the bad info (Yelp, an old directory, or a social profile) and fix it immediately. Ensure your website and Google Business Profile (GBP) have the most current data. 2. Move Beyond "Generic" Content National brands are feeling the AI squeeze most, but local businesses aren't immune. To rank now, your content must be uniquely yours. · Stop writing: "5 Tips for Maintaining Your Roof." (AI can write that in 2 seconds). · Start writing: Case studies of local projects, deep-dives into how our specific climate affects materials, before/after customer stories or client testimonials. · The Rule: If an AI can't replicate the experience, it's worth publishing. 3. Feed the AI "Trust Signals" AI models and search engines are looking for "Proof of Life." They need to know your business is real, active, and trusted. · The "Everything" Strategy: Your website shouldn't just have text. It needs high-quality images, video tours, and a comprehensive "About Us" section. · Seek Awards: Industry awards and "Best of [City]" mentions are huge trust signals for AI. · Maximize Off-Site Profiles: Don't just fill out your Chamber of Commerce or Yellow Pages profile—over-optimize them. Use superlatives (e.g., "The #1 Rated Plumber in Hyannis") and fill out every single available field. 4. Diversify Your Reviews We know that 25% of local search rankings come from your Google Business Profile. While Google reviews are king, AI models look at the whole picture. · Get reviews on Yelp, Facebook, Angi, and industry-specific sites. · AI uses reviews as a primary data source. If customers mention specific services in their reviews ("They fixed my leaking faucet perfectly"), AI learns that you are an expert in that specific service. 5. Get "Hyper-Local" with Reddit and News Google and ChatGPT currently have a "crush" on Reddit. It represents authentic human conversation—something AI can't fake. · Reddit Strategy: Look for your city’s subreddit (e.g., r/Austin or r/Chicago). Engage naturally. When someone asks for a local recommendation, being mentioned there provides massive SEO and GEO weight. · Local PR: Get mentioned in local news articles or press releases. These high-authority local mentions help AI engines "trust" your business location and authority. The Bottom Line SEO isn't dead; it’s just evolving. By focusing on GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)—feeding AI the right data, diversifying your reviews, and proving your local authority—you’ll stay ahead of the curve while your competitors are still wondering where their traffic went. This story was generated using the AI model ChatGPT-5, with human editing for accuracy and tone.
The New Rules of Search: How to Future-Proof Your Local SEO Right Now
Key takeaways: · Engagement matters before purchase - Attention and interaction are early buying signals. · Relevance beats reach - Personalization cuts through noise. · Confidence drives conversion - Address hesitation at the right moment. · Connected marketing wins - Unified experiences build loyalty. Remember when marketing was simple? You put up a billboard, punched a target demo into some platform, and hoped for the best. Yeah — those days are gone. Today, consumer behavior isn’t just shifting — it’s evolving in ways that make a lot of old playbooks feel downright obsolete. The 2026 Predictions: Consumer Trends Shaping the Marketing Landscape (link to: https://cdn.sanity.io/files/b7pblshe/marketing-prod/d4cac01cc22b6d545997b901f47d2966feba2e80.pdf ) report lays out four big patterns shaping how people engage with brands — and here’s the kicker: these trends aren’t squirreled away in some ivory-tower slide deck. They’re happening now — and the brands that adapt early will own the next wave of customer loyalty and growth. But understanding trends isn’t the same as reaching them. That’s where three modern tools come in: Social Mirror , Mobile Conquesting , and Website Visitor ID — and together they’re a marketer’s playbook for taking trends off the page and into reality. Let’s unpack how this all works — without the jargon and marketing buzzwords.
Native Ads – When and Why to Use Them?
Key Takeaways: · Meta advertising continues to deliver strong ROI for the right brands because it combines unmatched scale, rich first‑party data, and machine‑learning optimization across the full funnel. · Facebook and Instagram are still heavily used by adults with purchasing power—especially parents, homeowners, and decision‑makers—and Meta remains one of the most effective platforms for driving awareness, engagement, and measurable action when paired with the right creative and strategy. You’ve heard it: “Meta doesn’t work anymore.” The reality is more nuanced. Meta still works exceptionally well—but not for everyone, and certainly not in the same way it did in 2018. The brands seeing consistent success on Meta today understand how the platform’s machine learning operates, what types of businesses it is built to serve, and which audiences continue to respond strongly across Meta’s ecosystem. Just as importantly, Meta is far more than “just Facebook.” Meta is the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads , rebranded to Meta in 2021 to reflect a broader focus on immersive digital experiences and the future of connection. When marketers dismiss Meta, they often overlook the scale, data depth, and intent signals that make it one of the most powerful advertising environments available.
