AI/LLM tracking and the value behind Answer Engine Visibility
episode
Voices of Search // A Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Content Marketing Podcast
42 min
2 speakers
7 chapters
transcribed 1 month ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What is the paradox of AI visibility tracking without business impact?
The Voices of Search Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast? I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth, and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit IHear Everything.com. Welcome to the Voices of Search Podcast, a member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Ready to expedite your company's organic growth efforts? Sit back, relax, and get ready for your daily dose of search engine optimization wisdom. Here's today's host of the Voices of Search Podcast, Jordan Cooney.
For over a decade, SEO was simple. Rank higher, get more traffic. But our previsible state of AI study analyzing 1.96 million LLM sessions shows that AI now sits before the click, and it is quickly rewriting how decisions are made. Here's the paradox. AI traffic accounts for less than 1% of total organic sessions. Yet it disproportionately lands on pricing, industry, and tool pages where buying decisions are actually happening. Enterprise SEO teams are racing to track AI visibility. Citations in ChatGPT, mentions in Google AI overviews, dashboards lighting up all over the place. And yet a whole industry has emerged selling AI visibility dashboards, counting mentions, tracking these citations, and here's the uncomfortable question.
If AI mentions don't reliably drive qualified traffic, pipeline and revenue, are visibility tools measuring impact or just giving teams something to report? Right now, generative engine optimization looks a lot like impression tracking without attribution. I'm Jordan Cooney, and joining me today is Eli Schwartz, growth advisor, strategic consultant, and author of Product Led SEO. Eli has helped companies like Tinder, Coinbase, LinkedIn, and WordPress generate millions in organic revenue. Today, Eli's challenge is entering this premise of AI visibility and what it really means as a success metric in explaining why we need real intent, demand, and distribution around topics like GEO and SEO traffic.
Okay, Eli, welcome to the Voices of Search podcast.
It's great to be here. I don't know if you know this, Jordan, but this is my third time being on this podcast. So uh I expect some equity after this time where I'm not coming back.
Equity granted, equity granted. You know, we've had we've had almost 1,500 guests on the show, but uh by all means, you are one of our frequent guests, and we're we're very appreciative to have you here. And on that note, like let's talk about 2025. 2025 is probably one of the most uh transformative years in organic traffic or SEO. It has changed dramatically in terms of just how we think about the industry. Industry and how we how we work with clients and support the industry at large. Tell us about your year. How's it been? What's been working for you?
So this has been one of my most challenging years as a consultant. Not that any, you know, I real they're not real challenges. Consulting is great. I don't want to ever have a full-time job. I love working with so many brands and so many people. But in my seven years of consulting, this has been the most interesting. Whereas the year started off really, really well, ended off really, really well, but the middle was kind of weird where all of a sudden no one wants To spend money on any SEO. And the reason why was because this belief started settling in that SEO is dead. And we can pinpoint where it came from. Not gonna name names or point fingers at people, but there's been a lot of talk both on social media and in traditional media.
There's just a Wall Street Journal article that came out about this, that SEO is not as viable and not the best place to invest as it has been for the last. Two decades. And I think that part of this could be true. You know, if you think back to all the Google updates over the last 25 years, I think that the Panda update, which was in 2011, 2012, right around then, was what was the most impactful updates where Google really cut down on very thin and useless content.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What is the paradox of AI visibility tracking without business impact?
0:00–9:27
2
How does Eli Schwartz explain first‑click attribution and its $200 M revenue impact?
9:27–15:19
3
Why should SEO teams focus on share‑of‑voice instead of granular AI prompt tracking?
15:19–21:25
4
What are the pitfalls of counting AI citations and how can teams avoid manipulation?
21:25–27:27
5
How can marketers shift from “publish‑and‑pray” to a user‑centric SEO strategy?
27:27–33:18
6
What role does Eli’s newsletter play in teaching sustainable SEO practices?
33:18–38:27
7
How will emerging interfaces (wearables, cars, voice assistants) reshape SEO and search?
38:27–42:09