Dear founders: Trust your content team on this one.
When they say AI will kill your search traffic, they’re right.
This new data stunned me:
–> LLMs send 94% less traffic than traditional search engines for the same query.*
That means for a search term sending you 100 visitors, AI-search will send you SIX.
But this change is creating huge opportunities too.
If your business depends on organic traffic, keep reading 👇🏼
Here’s my predictions for a post-SEO world:
𝟭. 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝗘𝗢 – Organic social is growing like crazy, that will be your # 1 source of “free” traffic over the next 5 years. (As it is mine.)
Where are your prospects? YouTube? Insta? LinkedIn? X? TikTok? Substack?
Build your audience there, then move them to an owned channel, e.g. Newsletter, community, free trial.
𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: SEO, Lead gen, outbound, paid ads, all depend on into ONE core skill: Understanding, and satisfying your customer’s information diet 🤯
Best paid ads? Boosted influencer content
Best outbound? Content-warmed leads
Best inbound? Creator-led social
Best branding? Unique content experiences
𝟯. 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀: They’ll master customer information needs, AI tools, and taste. Speed of testing/learning is their sustained advantage.
No more Google gatekeeper. Anyone can blow up, the only requirement: world-class content.
If I were running growth for a startup in 2025, I would:
1. Scan socials in my space for for niche high-growth accounts
2. Find the most talented emerging creators for my audience
3. Partner on some posts to test-drive for fit
4. Hire or acquire the best ones, offering base + heavy incentives
5. Get out of the way and let them do their magic
Ready to navigate this shifting landscape?
I’m running a free Maven workshop on Thursday “Content Marketing in a post-SEO world.” (I’m partnering with Amanda Natividad, who coined “Zero Click Content.”)
Register: https://lnkd.in/eB4M4PeB
Who needs to read this? Tag ‘em in the comments. 👇
*Source: Tollbit State of the Bots Report, Q4 2024
