How do I keep my website and content marketing relevant in the age of AI? And what about SEO \u2014 does it matter anymore? Which matters more, optimizing for AI or SERPs?<\/p>\n
These questions keep marketers up at night, and for good reason. As platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity reshape the ways we find information online, the rules of digital visibility are being rewritten.<\/p>\n
Weidert Group recently invited HubSpot Evangelist Kyle Jepson as a guest on The ChangeOver Podcast<\/a> to discuss brand advocacy<\/a> in a B2B context, and Kyle brought this bonus conversation to the table:<\/p>\n In exploring differences between AI and SEO outcomes for brand visibility, he found some surprising results \u2014 many websites that dominate in SERPs are practically invisible to AI. <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Equally intriguing: Some lesser-known sites are becoming AI superstars.<\/span><\/p>\n Plus, a point that deserves more discussion: while optimizing for AI search is in itself a new marketing tactic<\/strong>, the differences between AI and SEO optimization indicate a fundamental shift in how we need to think about digital content. If you\u2019re still focusing solely on traditional SEO, you might be setting yourself up for a fall as search queries move from Google and its ilk to the likes of ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and other AI search tools. Check out the podcast for the backstory on Kyle\u2019s experiment:<\/span><\/p>\n Check out episode 15 of The ChangeOver now, then subscribe on <\/span>Apple<\/a>, <\/span>YouTube<\/a>, <\/span>Spotify<\/a>, <\/span>Weidert.com<\/a>, or your favorite podcast app.<\/span><\/p>\n As HubSpot\u2019s first-ever Evangelist, Kyle has built a community<\/a> on social media by sharing quick videos with tips, insights, and tools that help marketers get the most out of their efforts \u2014 and their HubSpot investment. He engages daily with his communities to explore trends and challenges in marketing, to crowdsource burning questions, and get users\u2019 opinions on new HubSpot features after they ship.<\/p>\n So Kyle reached out to his social networks and asked them to use these two HubSpot tools and share their scores with him:<\/p>\n HubSpot\u2019s Website Grader has been around for years, helping marketers identify areas to improve their website\u2019s SEO performance. It\u2019s a quick, go-to resource for checking to see how fast, responsive, and technically sound a website is.<\/p>\n HubSpot\u2019s newer AI Search Grader focuses on a different angle: how content performs in AI-powered search tools. It measures how often a business is mentioned, sentiment behind the mentions, and how aligned a brand\u2019s content is with users\u2019 AI queries.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the twist: there was often an inverse relationship between the SEO score and the AI performance score.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n As Kyle explained it,<\/p>\n \u201cWebsites that nailed the technical side of SEO didn\u2019t always do well with AI visibility. That\u2019s because AI platforms like ChatGPT don\u2019t crawl websites like search engines do. Rather, they \u2018read\u2019 web pages in a way that\u2019s more like humans do; they prioritize clear, high-quality content that answers precise questions (think: prompts). Sentiment \u2014 that\u2019s emotion \u2014 factors in. On the other hand, traditional SEO is impacted not solely by content, but also a great deal by technical optimization strategies.\u201d<\/p>\n So, a website that scores high marks<\/a> based on functionality, structure, and performance \u2014 things like page load speed, mobile responsiveness, structure, schema markup, meta tags, etc. \u2014 might not perform as well in terms of AI visibility if its content doesn\u2019t address AI search priorities.\u00a0<\/p>\n And the same can be true in reverse: a site that does a great job answering specific questions, providing contextually rich answers, and structuring content for readability can perform well in AI search. But without solid SEO, it\u2019ll struggle to show up in SERPs.<\/p>\n Before you assume you have to pick one (and hope it\u2019s the right one), remember there are things you can do to perform well in both. Prioritize based on your target audiences, business goals, and your awareness of which platforms they prefer for finding information.<\/p>\n Use surveys, website analytics, and CRM data to understand how customers find your business. Ask these questions:<\/p>\n For example, If you\u2019re targeting tech-savvy professionals who rely on AI tools for research, prioritize AI visibility. For audiences that heavily rely on Google searches, a focus on SEO may have greater impact.<\/p>\n Run an audit using HubSpot\u2019s Website Grader or a similar SEO score checker, to evaluate your SEO performance. Use AI Search Grader to measure how often your brand appears in AI-powered search results and the sentiment of those mentions. If your SEO scores are high but AI visibility is low, consider focusing on creating high-quality, E-E-A-T-ified, precise question-driven content<\/a> to address the needs of AI users in your audience. On the other hand, if you outperform in AI and lag in SEO, start by scrutinizing your site\u2019s technical performance \u2014 simple things like content structure and schema markup can help take that valuable content and make it more visible to search engines.<\/p>\n Achieving strong performance in both traditional SEO and AI-driven search isn\u2019t about choosing one over the other. Optimizing for both today sets you up for success in the future as AI platforms keep rising in popularity \u2014 and as the technology evolves.\u00a0<\/p>\n Make sure your website performs in the technical basics, and tailor content to deliver context, specificity, and timeliness \u2014 characteristics prioritized by AI search tools.\u00a0<\/p>\n Use strategic keywords, optimize meta tags, and leverage structured data (schema markup) to enhance search engines\u2019 understanding of your content, as you answer questions users might ask AI platforms. Go deeper than basic, surface-level Q&As. Include clear examples and practical applications. Update regularly.\u00a0 Revisit the grader tools to track performance changes.<\/p>\n AI platforms love trustworthy content. That means demonstrating Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) in everything you publish. For example, if you\u2019re an industrial manufacturer, showcase your team\u2019s decades of experience, certifications, and high-profile customer stories.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s a traditional search engine or an AI crawler, your site needs to be user-friendly and crawlable. Simplify the navigation, fix broken links, and ensure every page is accessible.<\/p>\n AI tools like ChatGPT mimic how people think and talk. Certain types of content should do the same. Instead of stuffing web pages with keywords, focus on answering real questions. For instance, if customers often ask how to reduce maintenance costs on industrial equipment, create a guide that addresses their questions in plain language.<\/p>\n Brainstorm the ways people might phrase questions to AI. As a thought exercise, think about the way you might ask a voice assistant, versus how you type a search query into Google. Are they the same?<\/p>\n AI visibility isn\u2019t solely about your site. It\u2019s also about your presence across the web. Contribute to forums, guest blog on reputable sites, and maintain active social media accounts to build awareness and authority.<\/p>\n Along with the graders for quick assessments, HubSpot\u2019s\u00a0 tools make optimizing for SEO and AI visibility easier, too:<\/p>\n The way people search for information is changing fast. AI platforms are becoming an integral part of how buyers make decisions, and as marketers, our job is to adapt. By leveraging the right tools and strategies, it\u2019s possible to achieve the SERP performance and AI visibility you need to keep growing your business.<\/p>\n Want to dive deeper into the future of AI and SEO? Check out The ChangeOver Podcast<\/a> for insightful discussions on topics that matter most to B2B marketers and industrial business leaders. Listen today and unlock fresh, proven strategies to optimize your marketing in an AI-powered world.<\/p>\nSo, Kyle Set Up a Quick Experiment\u2026<\/h2>\n
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Which Matters More, SEO Performance or AI Visibility?<\/h2>\n
Understand your audience\u2019s behavior and preferences<\/h3>\n
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Assess Your Current Performance<\/h3>\n
What Marketers Can Do to Improve SEO & AI Search Performance<\/h2>\n
Should You Prioritize SEO or AI Visibility?<\/h3>\n
1. E-E-A-T First<\/h4>\n
2. Make Your Site Easy to Navigate<\/h4>\n
3. Write for Humans, Not Robots<\/h4>\n
4. Align Content With AI Prompts<\/h4>\n
5. Go Beyond Your Website<\/h4>\n
How HubSpot Tools Can Help With Both<\/h3>\n
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The Road Ahead: Balancing SEO & AI<\/h2>\n
![\"Podcast_Social_Blog-Footer-CTA\"](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/65360\/interactive-178290165113.png\")