How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Google’s AI Mess
I used to think I had SEO figured out. Find the right keywords, build a few links, write a decent blog post. Rinse, repeat, watch the traffic graph go up. For years, I watched founders play this game, obsessing over their rank like it was the only thing that mattered.
Then I saw Google’s new AI Mode. And I realized something: we were all playing the wrong game.
The Problem with "SEO"
Most advice about SEO reads like an instruction manual for a robot. "Optimize for keyword density," "acquire high-DR backlinks," "satisfy search intent." It’s no wonder our content sounds like it was written by a particularly boring machine.
The real issue isn't that Google’s AI is killing SEO—it’s that it can smell our old tricks from a mile away. And when your "authoritative" post is just a rehash of the top 10 results, designed to please an algorithm that no longer cares, people—and the AI—notice.
What Actually Works: Three Truths That Don't Suck
Your #1 Ranking Is a Vanity Metric
Instead of fighting for a top spot that the AI will ignore, share things that prove you’re a real human who has solved a real problem.
The brutal truth? That #1 organic spot you fought for is practically a ghost. One study found that of all the websites Google’s AI cites in its answers, a measly 14% were in the top 10 organic results.
Let that sink in.
You can be the undisputed champ for "best project management tool," and there's still an 86% chance the AI will recommend a random Reddit thread, a six-month-old YouTube review, or a listicle from a personal finance blog instead.
Your perfect pillar page? Ignored. Because the AI isn’t looking for the best-optimized page. It’s looking for the most useful answer, and it believes that answer is found in real-world experience, not just polished content.
The key: Stop obsessing over your rank. Start obsessing over being citable.
Be the Ingredient, Not the Final Dish
Google’s AI doesn't work like a library card catalog, neatly filing away the one "correct" answer. It’s more like a chaotic kitchen, grabbing ingredients from all over to cook a new meal for every single person who asks.
The same study found that when they searched for the exact same thing three times, only 9% of the sources were the same across all three tests. For more than 1 in 5 searches, none of the sources were the same. The answer was completely different every single time.
This isn’t a bug. It’s the whole point.
The goal isn't to be the top result anymore. The goal is to be the ingredient the AI wants to use over and over again. Chasing a permanent spot is like trying to nail Jell-O to a wall. Instead, you want the AI to think, "Oh, that query? I need to grab that helpful bit from their site again."
The key: Consistency beats a single win. Be so consistently useful that the AI can't help but keep coming back.
Act Like a Platform (Even a Tiny One)
So, who is the AI citing? Wikipedia, Reddit, YouTube. And the number one source? Google itself—mostly Google Maps and Business Profiles.
Notice a pattern? These are all "trust platforms." They’re built on community consensus (Reddit), structured data (Google Maps), and real, lived experience (YouTube). They aren’t just blogs; they are ecosystems of trust.
You can't be Wikipedia. But you can be the Wikipedia for your tiny corner of the world.
Your goal is to build a "micro-platform." A place so packed with genuine expertise, helpful guides, and real-world proof that the AI sees you as the most trusted source on your specific topic.
The key: Don’t just write a blog post. Build the most comprehensive resource hub for the problem you solve.
The Real Cheat Code for AI Search
Here’s the single most actionable thing you can do right now. It's not sexy, but it works: Optimize your Google Business Profile.
Seriously.
Google’s AI is leaning heavily on local signals to ground its answers, even for queries that don't seem local. That B2B software company with a perfectly filled-out profile in Denver is now more likely to get cited for a "best software for breweries" query than a national competitor with no physical footprint.
Your physical office just became a digital asset.
Here's what to do:
Fill out every single field. Obsessively.
Get reviews. Ask for them. Respond to every single one.
Use Google Posts weekly. Share updates, articles, anything. Show you're alive.
Answer your own FAQs in the Q&A section.
Upload photos. Of your team, your office, your dog. Show you're human.
This is no longer a task for an intern. It's a core strategic priority.
What This Actually Looks Like
Here's a real-world example of how this works:
You run a SaaS for accountants. Instead of writing "10 Tips for Accountants," you create "The Ultimate Guide to Modernizing Your Accounting Firm." It’s a resource hub with articles, tool comparisons, and video interviews with three firm owners who used your software.
You also post a video on YouTube titled, "We Watched 3 Accountants Waste 5 Hours on Manual Tasks—Here's How We Fixed It."
Then, you make sure your Google Business Profile is packed with positive reviews and details about how you serve accounting firms.
Result: When someone searches "how to modernize my accounting firm," the AI skips the generic blog posts. It pulls a quote from your guide, embeds your YouTube video, and cites your company (linking to your beautifully optimized GBP) as a potential solution. Not because you "ranked," but because you were the most helpful, multi-format resource available.
Getting Started (Without the Playbooks)
Pick one core problem your customers face.
Spend a week mapping out a "micro-platform" to solve it—not just one article, but a whole hub.
Go optimize your Google Business Profile. Right now.
Film one simple, helpful video on your phone answering a common customer question.
Be patient and consistent.
That’s it. No "link-building campaigns." No "keyword stuffing." Just showing up consistently and being undeniably useful.
The Bottom Line
SEO works when it doesn't feel like SEO. When you stop trying to game an algorithm and start trying to be the most trusted, helpful, and authentic expert in your field, the right people—and the AI—will find you.
The best SEO doesn’t feel like SEO at all. It feels like getting to know someone interesting who happens to be the best person to solve your problem.
And that’s not a strategy you can hack—it's just being an expert.