The way people find and consume information is changing—fast. With AI search engines like Search Generative Experience from Google and ChatGPT surfacing answers instantly, the days of obsessing over page-one rankings and click-through rates are numbered.
This shift presents a massive challenge and an even bigger opportunity. The challenge, of course, is that AI-generated search results reduce website traffic and favor content that is structured for AI understanding. More than that, though, there is a pretty big opportunity because it also prioritizes expertise over backlinks.
The good news is that we communicators are well-suited to adapting to own the conversation by creating AI-optimized content, securing authoritative earned media, and building engaged communities.
AI search doesn’t mean your efforts no longer work. It just means the things you used to think about don’t matter as much anymore.
How AI Search is Changing the Game
We have now entered an era where we no longer have to rely on matching keywords to show up in search results. AI-powered search engines now understand context, intent, and nuance in ways that fundamentally change how people discover information.
Instead of scanning through multiple blue links, users now get comprehensive, synthesized answers right at the top of their results.
Think about how you’d traditionally search for crisis communications strategies. You’d type in your query, click through several articles, and piece together the best advice. Now, AI search engines pull insights from multiple authoritative sources, presenting a cohesive answer that might include examples from well-handled crises, expert quotes, and step-by-step response frameworks.
This shift means our content strategy must evolve. Rather than focusing solely on keywords and meta descriptions, we need to create content that demonstrates clear expertise and real-world experience. AI engines are particularly good at identifying and surfacing content that shows a deep understanding of a topic rather than surface-level aggregation.
E-E-A-T Takes Center Stage
Google’s emphasis on Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust isn’t just another acronym to memorize—it’s transforming how we approach content creation and thought leadership. AI search engines are increasingly more sophisticated at identifying content from genuine expertise than well-optimized content.
What does this look like in practice?
Instead of writing generic “top 10” lists, successful content now needs to include:
- Detailed case studies
- Original research with meaningful insights
- Expert commentary that goes beyond conventional wisdom
- Clear citations and references to authoritative sources
- Specific examples that demonstrate hands-on experience
This means moving away from content farming and toward building genuine thought leadership. Your content needs to reflect real experiences, lessons learned, and unique insights from being in the trenches.
This is great news for us because it’s what we do inherently well. While we do still need to favor content that people are actually interested in, we can focus on where the organization has expertise and what makes us different. This is the content that will be surfaced in AI searches.
The Evolution of Traffic Metrics
Perhaps the most significant shift is happening in how we measure success. With AI search engines providing direct answers, we’re seeing a decline in traditional website click-throughs. This is part of the reason so many media companies are suing OpenAI and others. They derive income from clicks, and AI search is making that almost non-existent.
But this isn’t necessarily bad news.
Instead of focusing solely on driving traffic to your website, success now means:
- Building authority across multiple platforms where your audience spends time
- Creating content that gets referenced and cited by AI search engines
- Developing engaged communities that actively seek your expertise
- Establishing your brand as the go-to source in your specific area of expertise
This means expanding your digital footprint beyond your own website. Your LinkedIn articles, YouTube videos, podcast appearances, and newsletter content are becoming just as important as the content that lives on your website.
That’s why I love repurposing content in places outside of Spin Sucks. It allows us to reach people where they are versus forcing them to come to our site, which most people won’t do anymore.
Think of it this way: rather than trying to funnel everyone to your website, you’re building a network of authoritative content that meets your audience wherever they are. When AI search engines pull answers from across the internet, you want your insights to be the ones they’re citing, regardless of where that content lives.
Owned Media: AI-Optimized, Experience-Rich Content
The foundation of your digital presence needs a complete overhaul. It’s no longer enough to publish regular blog posts optimized for keywords. AI search demands content that demonstrates genuine expertise and delivers real value.
Your owned media strategy should now center on creating comprehensive resources that showcase your unique insights and experiences.
This means developing content that:
- Draws from your personal expertise and customer experiences
- Includes original data and research that can’t be found elsewhere
- Addresses common questions in your industry with depth and authority
- Features expert commentary from subject matter experts
On the technical side, we need to make our content more discoverable and understandable for AI. This means implementing proper schema markup, which is essentially providing AI with a roadmap of your content’s structure and meaning. It’s fairly easy to do if you know how to work within WordPress. But if it feels out of reach, talk to your IT team or go to Upwork and hire someone to do it for you.
Once that is complete, you can start to build comprehensive pillar pages that serve as authoritative resources on core topics. In the past, we might have called this cornerstone content or hub content. But the point is that you need clear hierarchical organization that AI can easily parse and reference.
A great example of this is our Ultimate Guide to the PESO Model that lives on Spin Sucks. Everything you ever needed to know about the framework is on that page and AI pulls from it all the time.
Earned Media: Thought Leadership & AI-Friendly PR
As you well know, the media landscape is evolving rapidly, with journalists increasingly using AI tools to evaluate and filter pitches. This means our approach to earned media must adapt accordingly. Generic news releases and promotional pitches won’t cut it. Like your content, you need to lead with exclusive insights, compelling data, and genuine expert perspectives.
Remember that AI search engines heavily weigh content from established, authoritative publications. Getting featured in top-tier media outlets isn’t just about immediate visibility—it’s about building long-term authority that AI will recognize and surface in search results.
To succeed in this new landscape:
- Develop pitch angles that center on original research or unique industry insights
- Build relationships with journalists at authoritative publications in your space
- Create compelling data visualizations and original graphics that enhance your story
- Position your experts as go-to sources for industry commentary
And really truly consider whether or not the publication allows AI to search its site. If they don’t, you may want to consider pitching someone else.
Shared Media: Building Engaged Communities
With AI search potentially reducing direct website traffic, the focus shifts to building engaged communities where your audience naturally gathers and interacts. This means thinking beyond traditional social media metrics like likes and shares.
Create content specifically designed for different platforms:
- Share detailed industry analyses on LinkedIn
- Develop quick-hit expert tips for TikTok
- Build engaged discussion groups on platforms like Discord or Slack, like the Spin Sucks Community, which you should join if you’re not already there!
- Contribute thoughtful insights to relevant industry communities
The key is maintaining consistent authority across platforms while adapting your content format and tone to match each platform’s unique characteristics. Your insights should be valuable whether someone finds them through AI search or within your community spaces.
Paid Media: Strategic Amplification
In the AI search era, paid media takes on a new role. Instead of focusing solely on driving website traffic, use paid promotion to amplify your authority-building content across platforms.
This means:
- Boosting your most insightful LinkedIn articles to reach broader professional audiences
- Promoting earned media placements to increase their visibility and engagement
- Using sophisticated targeting to reach decision-makers in your industry
- Supporting your community-building efforts with strategic paid promotion
The goal is to create a virtuous cycle where paid promotion increases the visibility and engagement of your high-quality content, strengthening your authority in AI search results.
Successful paid media in a PESO Model program isn’t about interrupting people with ads—it’s about amplifying your authentic expertise and getting it in front of the right audiences. Focus on promoting content that demonstrates real value and expertise, not just promotional messages.
Measuring Success in an AI Search World
The metrics we’ve relied on for years are becoming less relevant as AI search transforms how people consume information. But this doesn’t mean we can’t measure success; we just need to shift our focus to metrics that matter in this new landscape.
Let’s look at what really indicates success now.
First, monitor your content’s presence in AI-generated search results. Are your insights being pulled in as authoritative answers? Are you being cited as a primary source?
While this can be challenging to track systematically, you can start by conducting regular searches for your core topics and analyzing how often and in what context your content appears in AI-generated responses.
Brand authority has always been important, but now it’s crucial. Track your share of voice across platforms, paying particular attention to how often you’re cited or referenced by others in your industry.
This includes monitoring:
- Mentions and citations in industry publications
- References to your research or insights in others’ content
- Expert quote requests and speaking invitations
- Backlinks from authoritative sources
Engagement metrics need to focus on platforms where AI search engines are likely to pull content.
This means closely watching:
- LinkedIn engagement rates on your thought leadership content
- Newsletter subscription growth and engagement
- YouTube video performance and comment quality
- Community participation in your owned spaces
Most importantly, measure the strength of direct relationships with your audience.
Track:
- Newsletter click and reply rates
- Private community participation and discussion quality
- Direct message engagement on social platforms
- Event attendance and participation
AI Search Success in 2025
If we know anything to be true amongst all these changes is that we can’t rest on our laurels. To succeed in 2025, you’ll want to focus on:
- Creating owned content that demonstrates real expertise and experience, structured in ways that AI can easily understand and surface
- Building relationships with journalists and publications that AI search engines recognize as authoritative sources
- Developing engaged communities where your audience naturally gathers and interacts
- Using paid media strategically to amplify your authoritative content and strengthen your digital presence
This shift won’t happen overnight. You have time to adapt your strategy thoughtfully. Start by identifying where to make immediate improvements to align with AI search priorities.
To do that, ask yourself the following questions:
- Where does your organization’s true expertise lie, and how can you better showcase it?
- Which platforms do your audiences prefer for consuming content?
- How can you structure your content to serve human readers and AI search engines better?
- What unique insights can you share that aren’t available elsewhere?
The transition to AI-optimized communications won’t happen overnight, and that’s okay. Focus on making incremental improvements, starting with the areas where you will see an immediate return. The key is to begin adapting now while focusing on what truly matters: creating valuable content that serves your audience, regardless of how they find it.