Practical Guide Rebuilding Your Site in the AI World

Practical Guide: Rebuilding Your Site in the AI World ![rw-book-cover](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HfSDo0dvjdk/maxresdefault.jpg) 🔗 **Source:** [Practical Guide: Rebuilding Your Site in the AI World](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfSDo0dvjdk) > [!note]+ Document Notes > tags: #ai-search #seo #wordpress #content-strategy #website-optimization > author: WP Engine > source: YouTube > reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfSDo0dvjdk > date created: 2024-12-19 16:45 > > # 🏷️ Title: Practical Guide: Rebuilding Your Site in the AI World >  ## 🧰 Action Inbox - [H1] Audit current AI visibility by asking ChatGPT/Claude what they see on your pages — immediate assessment #ai-search - [H2] Align organizational teams on success metrics before tackling technical solutions — foundation building #strategy - [H3] Structure data layer and taxonomy properly in CMS workflows — technical infrastructure #wordpress ## 🧭 Table of Contents - [[#📝 Summary]] - [[#📖 Main Content]] - [[#🗒️ Notes]] - [[#📚 References]] - [[#🗣️ Paraphrase]] - [[#📰 Newsletter]] - [[#✅ Action Items]] - [[#🧪 Hypotheses]] - [[#📊 Methodology]] - [[#❓ Questions]] - [[#🔮 Future Research]] - [[#💡 Implications]] - [[#🧠 Learning Styles Assessment]] - [[#📊 Accessibility Assessment]] - [[#🌍 DEIB Assessment]] - [[#✅ Logical Validity]] - [[#🛡️ DARVO Analysis]] - [[#🎯 Conclusion]] ### 🔗 References - [WP Engine](https://wpengine.com) - [Publisher Desk](https://publisherdesk.com) - [Strategic Agency](https://strategic.com) ## 📝 Summary - **What happened:** WP Engine hosted a panel on rebuilding websites for AI search visibility featuring marketing operations, publishing, and agency experts - **Why it matters:** Brands ranking #1 in Google often don't appear in AI search results, requiring new strategies for visibility - **Key stakeholders:** Marketing teams, content creators, developers, SEO professionals, and brand managers - **Risks and tradeoffs:** Trying everything at once leads to worse results; focus and intentional execution beats speed - **Bottom line takeaway:** AI visibility requires foundational SEO work, cross-team collaboration, and structured data rather than new specialized tactics ## 📖 Main Content The panel addresses a critical challenge: traditional SEO success doesn't guarantee AI search visibility. Experts explain that websites now serve two types of intelligence - human visitors and AI crawlers - fundamentally changing how teams must work together. The core insight is that AI search requires the same foundational principles as traditional SEO, but executed with better internal workflows and data structure. Rather than treating Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) as a separate discipline, successful brands focus on enabling cross-functional teams to work more effectively together. Key technical requirements include proper data layer structure, clean taxonomy, server-side rendering for content accessibility, and avoiding over-reliance on JavaScript for core content. However, the bigger challenge is organizational - getting editorial, engineering, and marketing teams aligned on shared success metrics. ## 🗒️ Notes #### ⏱️ [00:00](https://youtu.be/HfSDo0dvjdk?t=0) — [H1] Introduction and AI visibility challenge - Key idea: Being #1 in Google doesn't guarantee AI search visibility - Evidence: "You can be number one in Google search but still not showing up in AI search results" #### ⏱️ [02:30](https://youtu.be/HfSDo0dvjdk?t=150) — [H2] E-commerce brand visibility issues - Key idea: Traditional keyword rankings don't translate to AI results - Evidence: "They're an e-commerce brand, the results are actually showing other brands products in that paradigm switch" #### ⏱️ [04:15](https://youtu.be/HfSDo0dvjdk?t=255) — [H2] Publisher content syndication problems - Key idea: Content licensing deals can hurt brand visibility in AI - Evidence: "If you did a licensing deal with a portal or major newspaper and now they're outweighing you...because your brand mention isn't there" #### ⏱️ [06:45](https://youtu.be/HfSDo0dvjdk?t=405) — [H3] Avoid trying everything strategy - Key idea: Scattered approaches perform worse than focused execution - Evidence: "The worst strategy is to try everything...publishers that are just trying to throw everything at the wall...are seeing the most difficulty" #### ⏱️ [08:30](https://youtu.be/HfSDo0dvjdk?t=510) — [H1] Serving two types of intelligence - Key idea: Websites must now serve both human visitors and AI crawlers - Evidence: "For the first time you are serving two stakeholders...two types of intelligence coming to sites" #### ⏱️ [10:20](https://youtu.be/HfSDo0dvjdk?t=620) — [H2] Internal transformation drives discoverability - Key idea: Better internal workflows improve external AI visibility - Evidence: "The more structured the data is, the more structured the workflow is, the better you're going to be with discoverability" #### ⏱️ [12:45](https://youtu.be/HfSDo0dvjdk?t=765) — [H2] AI-enabled editorial workflows - Key idea: LLMs can enhance content creation without replacing creativity - Evidence: "We built an LLM that integrates into the workflow where once the article is written, you can click a button that says generate key takeaways" #### ⏱️ [15:10](https://youtu.be/HfSDo0dvjdk?t=910) — [H3] SEO fundamentals remain critical - Key idea: Core SEO principles must be in place before advanced AI tactics - Evidence: "You have to start with and get the basics...you have to have those core principles in place first" #### ⏱️ [18:30](https://youtu.be/HfSDo0dvjdk?t=1110) — [H2] Cross-team collaboration essential - Key idea: Editorial and engineering teams need shared understanding - Evidence: "We need the editorial team to embrace the technology team...they both have very defined roles" #### ⏱️ [22:15](https://youtu.be/HfSDo0dvjdk?t=1335) — [H2] Site purpose signals affect classification - Key idea: Revenue strategies can confuse AI about site's primary purpose - Evidence: "The signals coming off the site were no longer a sports site. It was a shopping site" #### ⏱️ [25:40](https://youtu.be/HfSDo0dvjdk?t=1540) — [H3] AI-generated content experiment failure - Key idea: Injecting hundreds of AI articles in hidden sections doesn't work - Evidence: "Those articles were not ranking, they were not being cited...had to use development hours to take it all down" #### ⏱️ [28:20](https://youtu.be/HfSDo0dvjdk?t=1700) — [H1] Data layer and taxonomy structure - Key idea: Proper information architecture is foundational for AI consumption - Evidence: "Get your data layer right...is there a hierarchy of information that I want to deliver and is it clear in the CMS" #### ⏱️ [32:50](https://youtu.be/HfSDo0dvjdk?t=1970) — [H2] Technical requirements for AI crawlers - Key idea: Server-side rendering needed since LLM crawlers can't execute JavaScript - Evidence: "The LLM crawlers are not doing that to that level at this stage" #### ⏱️ [35:45](https://youtu.be/HfSDo0dvjdk?t=2145) — [H1] First step: Ask AI what it sees - Key idea: Direct assessment reveals visibility gaps immediately - Evidence: "Ask a chat AI bot...have a look at my page. What can you see? Often people are quite surprised" ## 📚 References - [WP Engine](https://wpengine.com) - [Publisher Desk](https://publisherdesk.com) - [Strategic Agency](https://strategic.com) - [Schema.org](https://schema.org) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase - AI search visibility requires the same SEO fundamentals that have always mattered, not entirely new tactics - Internal team workflows and data structure improvements naturally lead to better AI discoverability - Cross-functional collaboration between editorial, engineering, and marketing teams is more critical than specific tools or technologies ## 📰 Newsletter **Key WordPress Takeaway:** Your WordPress site needs proper data structure and taxonomy more than AI-specific plugins to show up in AI search results. The biggest insight from WP Engine's AI visibility panel? That structured content workflows in your CMS directly impact how AI platforms discover and cite your brand. Focus on clean data relationships, proper taxonomy, and cross-team collaboration rather than chasing the latest GEO tools. **Practical Next Steps:** - Test your current AI visibility by asking ChatGPT what it sees on your key pages - Audit your content workflow for structured data opportunities - Align your editorial and development teams on shared success metrics **WordPress Resources:** [Learn WordPress](https://learn.wordpress.org/), [Developer Docs](https://developer.wordpress.org/), [WP-CLI](https://wp-cli.org/) ## ✅ Action Items #### WordPress - Core: Implement structured data markup for better AI content consumption - Community: Create AI visibility assessment tools for WordPress users - Documentation: Develop guides connecting CMS workflows to AI discoverability - Plugins: Review AI-focused plugins for effectiveness vs fundamentals - Themes: Ensure server-side rendering for core content accessibility #### DevRel - Education: Workshop series on AI-ready WordPress development practices - Developer experience: Tools for testing AI crawler accessibility - Community management: Gather feedback on AI visibility challenges - Developer marketing: Case studies of successful AI optimization strategies #### OSPO - Community engagement: Support AI ethics discussions in WordPress ecosystem - Strategic alignment: Measure AI readiness across WordPress properties ## 🧪 Hypotheses - Proper CMS data structure correlates more strongly with AI visibility than specialized AI tools - Cross-functional team alignment predicts AI search success better than technical implementations alone - Server-side rendering requirements will drive WordPress development patterns toward progressive enhancement - AI visibility issues stem from organizational workflow problems rather than technical limitations ### 📊 Methodology - Compare AI visibility scores across sites with different data structure maturity levels - Survey cross-functional teams on collaboration effectiveness and measure against AI search performance - A/B test server-side vs JavaScript-heavy content rendering for AI crawler accessibility ### ❓ Questions - How can WordPress core better support structured data workflows by default? - What organizational structures best enable AI-ready content creation at scale? - Which AI crawlers require different technical approaches than traditional search engines? ### 🔮 Future Research - Impact of WordPress block editor structured data on AI search visibility - Cross-platform AI citation analysis for WordPress vs other CMS platforms - Organizational readiness frameworks for AI-driven content strategy ### 💡 Implications - **Practice:** Content teams need AI workflow integration, not AI replacement tools - **Policy:** AI search optimization falls under existing SEO governance rather than new compliance frameworks - **Education:** Cross-functional collaboration skills matter more than AI technical training - **Funding:** Investment in data structure and workflows yields better ROI than AI-specific tools ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment Reading level estimate: 12th grade (technical business content) #### 👀 Visual learners - Present: Minimal visual content in video panel format - Improve: Workflow diagrams, AI visibility assessment charts, before/after examples #### 🔊 Aural learners - Present: Full panel discussion with multiple expert perspectives - Improve: Timestamped audio chapters, key quote compilations #### 🗣️ Verbal learners - Present: Clear definitions of GEO vs SEO, technical terms explained - Improve: Glossary of AI search terminology, analogy-driven explanations #### 🧩 Kinesthetic learners - Present: Actionable "ask AI what it sees" exercise provided - Improve: Step-by-step audit checklists, hands-on WordPress configuration guides #### 🧠 Logical learners - Present: Clear cause-effect relationships between workflow and visibility - Improve: Decision trees for AI optimization priorities, ROI calculations #### 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Social learners - Present: Panel discussion format with multiple perspectives - Improve: Community discussion prompts, team collaboration frameworks #### 🧘‍♀️ Solitary learners - Present: Individual assessment exercises suggested - Improve: Self-guided audit worksheets, reflection questions on team readiness #### 🌿 Naturalistic learners - Present: Ecosystem thinking about content distribution and relationships - Improve: Content lifecycle diagrams, platform interdependency maps ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment #### Screen reader semantics - Present: Video content with spoken dialogue - Improve: Full transcript with speaker identification, heading structure for navigation #### Keyboard navigation - Present: Standard video player controls - Improve: Timestamped navigation, skip-to-section functionality #### Contrast and readability - Present: Standard video player interface - Improve: High-contrast transcript option, adjustable text sizing #### Text resizing and reflow - Present: Video format doesn't support text resizing - Improve: Responsive transcript layout, scalable interface elements #### Media and captions - Present: Auto-generated captions available - Improve: Professional captions with technical term accuracy, downloadable transcript #### Forms and interactions - Present: Basic video player interaction - Improve: Accessible timestamp navigation, keyboard-friendly controls ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment #### Cultural breadth - Present: US-focused business perspective with enterprise examples - Improve: Global WordPress community examples, diverse market contexts #### Inclusive language - Present: Professional business terminology, some technical jargon - Improve: Plain language alternatives for technical terms, avoid business idioms #### Neurodiversity support - Present: Structured panel format with clear transitions - Improve: Content warnings for rapid technical discussions, consistent pacing #### Representation - Present: Mixed-gender panel with diverse professional backgrounds - Improve: Include perspectives from different organization sizes, global regions #### Psychological safety - Present: Professional, supportive tone about AI adoption challenges - Improve: Acknowledge varying AI comfort levels, normalize learning curves ### ✅ Logical Validity #### Strong reasoning - Deductive strength: Clear connection between data structure and AI discoverability - Inductive strength: Multiple case studies supporting foundational approach over tactics - Causal reasoning: Well-established links between team collaboration and execution success - Analogical strength: Effective comparison of AI crawlers to human readers #### Fallacies - Appeal to novelty: Slight tendency to frame AI as completely new challenge when fundamentals remain constant - False dilemma: Minor framing of technical vs content solutions rather than integrated approach #### Tone of voice - Overall tone: Professional, pragmatic, and reassuring with concrete actionable advice ### 🛡️ DARVO Analysis - Deny: No denial patterns present - Attack: No attacks on accusers present - Reverse victim/offender: No victim/offender dynamics present - Emotional cues and rhetoric: Supportive, educational tone focused on empowerment rather than fear ## 🎯 Conclusion The key insight is that AI search visibility isn't about learning entirely new tactics, but about executing foundational SEO and content strategy principles more effectively through better team collaboration and data structure. WordPress sites succeed in AI search when they focus on clean information architecture, cross-functional workflows, and structured content creation rather than chasing specialized AI tools. The practical next step for any organization is to audit current AI visibility by directly asking AI platforms what they see, then align teams on shared success metrics before implementing technical solutions. ## 🧱 Refactor Appendix ### 📚 Literature Split Pad ### [H1] Proper data structure drives AI discoverability more than specialized tools > [!quote] Practical Guide: Rebuilding Your Site in the AI World by WP Engine via YouTube. Published 2024. Accessed 2024-12-19. > "The more structured the data is, the more structured the workflow is, the better you're going to be with discoverability." Internal workflow improvements naturally translate to external AI visibility benefits through structured content creation. [view highlight](https://youtu.be/HfSDo0dvjdk?t=620#H1) #xref #articleseed ID:rw_ai_data_structure ### [H2] Cross-functional collaboration predicts AI search success > [!quote] Practical Guide: Rebuilding Your Site in the AI World > "We need the editorial team to embrace the technology team...they both have very defined roles." Editorial creativity combined with technical --- ## Full Transcript [00:20] Hi everyone. Thank you so much for [00:22] tuning in to today's session, Rebuilding [00:24] Your Sight in the AI World. I'm Rebecca [00:27] Baron. I'll be moderating today's [00:29] session. I'm the head of organic growth [00:31] at WP Engine. And I am joined today by [00:34] Amorei Langstaff who is the VP of [00:36] marketing operations and technology at [00:38] WP Engine. We've got Jeff Menti who is [00:41] the co-founder of the publisher desk and [00:43] James Bington who is the chief [00:46] experience officer at Strategic. Thank [00:48] you all for joining me today. So today [00:50] in our session we're going to talk a lot [00:52] about AI visibility. How do we get it? [00:56] How uh do we deal with not having it? Um [00:59] and ultimately how to create a roadmap [01:02] to get to a place where we are more [01:04] visible in the world of AI search. Uh [01:08] one of the biggest, you know, roadblocks [01:10] today people have is figuring out why am [01:12] I suppressed as a brand within AI search [01:15] results. So, we'll really be discussing [01:16] today how to audit that, find the [01:19] opportunities and what all of you as as [01:21] various experts in your own fields [01:23] recommend we do uh with our content and [01:26] even our tech stack to ensure that we [01:28] are visible. So, I'd love to to kick us [01:31] off here um with a little bit of a [01:34] prompt around an issue that a lot of [01:36] folks deal with today, which is you can [01:38] be number one in Google search but still [01:40] not showing up in AI search results. So [01:44] when have any of you seen this if you [01:46] have and and what's the first action [01:48] anyone can take? [01:50] Uh James, I'll actually go ahead and [01:52] throw this to you I think uh from your [01:54] perspective. [01:55] >> Yeah, it's it's quite a common problem [01:57] in that what brands have been used to [02:00] seeing in the search results where they [02:02] expect to appear and rank for certain [02:03] keywords. It is very different for AI [02:07] search. Even if you look at Google's AI [02:10] mode or AI overviews, they can be very [02:12] different to the traditional Tendul [02:13] links. And there's a there's a brand [02:15] that we've been working with more [02:16] recently where they are very reliant [02:18] their organic traffic from, you know, [02:20] Google in particular is very reliant on [02:21] a really just half a dozen big keywords [02:24] and putting those those same keywords [02:26] and variations of them into chat GPT [02:29] into Google A mode. They're not [02:31] necessarily there. They're not present. [02:33] They're not showing up because they're [02:34] an e-commerce brand. the the results are [02:37] actually showing other brands products [02:39] in that sort of like paradigm uh switch [02:41] up that's taking place. So it's [02:43] definitely something that we're we're [02:44] kind of seeing more and more. It's not [02:46] it's not a given that just because you [02:47] used to rank well in in Google that [02:49] you're going to rank well in in AI. [02:51] >> Jeeoff, anything from your perspective, [02:53] especially in the publishing world? [02:55] >> I agree with most of what James said. I [02:57] think that the one thing we're seeing is [02:58] that publishers that were very strong on [03:01] search search traffic or organic search [03:03] traffic even you know we had some [03:06] publishers that just did very well [03:08] because they were buying search traffic [03:09] so they were ranking in SEMRs what have [03:12] you and they're not seeing the same and [03:13] some of them were seeing they didn't [03:15] have a dedicated social strategy so [03:18] mentions and and different places were [03:20] you know lacking so you know [03:22] unfortunately they overlook something [03:24] that we need to try and build up in a [03:26] time when it's more difficult difficult [03:27] and the other thing we're seeing success [03:29] with especially with publishers is to [03:30] say how a lot of publishers syndicate [03:33] content. So, you know, where did you [03:35] give that content and how did you give [03:37] that content? Um, because we are seeing [03:39] times when a, you know, if you did a [03:43] licensing deal with a portal or a major [03:45] newspaper and now they're outweighing [03:47] you and everything from search to to AI [03:49] results, it's just because your brand [03:51] mention isn't there as much. And I think [03:53] the biggest thing we're seeing is that a [03:55] lot of folks are trying a lot of [03:57] different strategies. And you know, I [04:00] can tell you we've always said to folks [04:02] is like the the worst strategy is to try [04:04] everything. And this trip holds true [04:06] even more now. Um publishers that are [04:08] just trying to throw everything at the [04:09] wall, put more tools in their site, um [04:12] they're being they're seeing the most [04:14] difficulty and because I think as we'll [04:16] go through our discussion today, a lot [04:19] of what we're talking about is core [04:20] fundamentals we've been talking about [04:22] for a lot of time. So, you know, in my [04:24] industry or the publishers we focus on, [04:26] so media publishing, um, the biggest [04:29] thing is is like a lot of folks come at [04:31] all of these folks with, you know, new [04:32] jargon terms and industries where it's [04:34] like just do this and it's going to fix [04:36] everything. This is just the latest time [04:38] where it's just not. Uh, and being [04:40] pragmatic and true to your brand is [04:42] still paramount to everything going [04:44] forward. [04:44] >> At WP Engine, we're definitely seeing [04:46] that as well as we've tried to tackle [04:49] our own uh, strategies. It's been [04:52] focusing intentionally on the right [04:54] things and not trying to spread [04:56] ourselves too thin with too many [04:57] strategies. I think it's an easy thing [04:59] for everyone today to get distracted by. [05:02] And I think it's when they're feeling [05:03] the pressure and the urgency to show up [05:05] as a brand and AI. And I I think that's [05:07] the biggest challenge that everyone's [05:09] facing today. I want to switch gears [05:11] just a little bit and talk about um [05:13] website visibility and performance and [05:16] what has changed in today's new world. [05:19] What's the same? And maybe what are some [05:22] of the tradeoffs? Amorei, I'd love for [05:24] you to take this one and and kick us off [05:26] first. I mean, the first big thing is [05:28] like not only are customers, prospects, [05:33] visitors to websites changing a lot, [05:35] right? Because you have two types of [05:36] intelligence coming to sites. So that's [05:38] an incredible paradigm shift because for [05:40] the first time you are serving two [05:43] stakeholders. [05:45] But I think the more incredible sort of [05:47] transformative change is what's [05:49] happening with people who are building [05:50] sites, right? How teams are working, [05:52] what they're trying to do. Um what that [05:55] means and the implications of what that [05:57] means, right? So it's not just simply, [05:59] hey, the way we show up in LLMs is go to [06:02] chat GPT, figure out what is the, you [06:05] know, top three things that you need to [06:06] do. I think the best way to really get [06:10] into this new form of intelligence is to [06:12] allow teams to really go and open the [06:14] box and explore it, right? Not only like [06:17] how are they working, which is I need [06:20] better ways for the CMS to structure [06:23] content. That's a way that you build a [06:25] site, but the outcome of that is it's [06:27] going to change the way that the site is [06:29] found. Right? And so what I've been [06:31] trying to tell my teams is don't worry [06:34] about what the end result is right now. [06:37] Go and figure out how you need to work [06:40] in this new world. And what you will [06:42] find is how you build will help us be [06:45] discoverable. For instance, um cleaning [06:48] up workflows and making sure that you [06:50] have really structured data in your CMS [06:52] workflow. That's like a best practice [06:55] for how you build a site, how you're [06:56] maintaining a site. But one of the [06:58] outcomes is the more structured the data [07:00] is, the more structured the workflow is, [07:02] the better you're going to be with [07:03] discoverability. Right? So I think that [07:06] what I'm trying to inculcate into our [07:08] thinking is not just go solve the [07:10] external problem without having any [07:12] transformation internally. Do the [07:14] transformation internally and then you [07:16] will find you will get better and [07:18] better. Right? And also I think the most [07:20] important thing is to give teams time to [07:24] go and explore possible solutions that [07:26] are out there. working with the teams [07:28] and figuring out that crossf functional [07:30] workflow in this new AI ecosystem. Um [07:32] it's been gamecher for us for sure. Uh [07:35] so thank you Amorei. James or Jeff do [07:37] you either of you have any perspective [07:40] um from the content side of things and [07:42] the SEO GEO space of you know tradeoffs [07:45] or what's changed or what's the same? as [07:48] a digital marketing agency and a WP [07:50] Engine partner, we're seeing AI AI [07:54] readiness. It's front and center in a [07:56] lot of briefs and RFPs that we're [07:58] getting. Brands and marketers are [08:00] concerned about it. They want to make [08:01] sure that they're ticking a box. But at [08:03] the same time, there's also a lot of [08:04] confusion, I think, in the marketplace [08:06] whereby there are uh tools and software [08:09] and people out there wanting to help [08:11] with, let's call it GEO, generative [08:13] engine optimization visibility. So [08:16] there's a lot of uh noise about it being [08:19] a new channel. You have to do new things [08:20] to succeed. But you know, we've already [08:22] touched on this. You know, as Jeff said, [08:24] it is getting and doing the basics, the [08:26] fundamentals of SEO right done before [08:29] you look at doing anything else. In my [08:31] experience, in my opinion, because to be [08:34] successful, for your brand to be [08:36] referenced in AI, you have to have those [08:39] core principles in place first. And once [08:42] you have those, it's then sort of [08:44] extending and focusing on other areas of [08:47] really just traditional marketing like [08:49] elevating personal brands, having other [08:52] people talking about your your brand, [08:53] your services, your tools in a positive [08:55] light in in reviews on uh Reddit and so [08:59] forth. So I think at the moment there's [09:01] a lot for people to process. I can't go [09:03] onto LinkedIn without or even social [09:05] media in general without seeing people [09:06] talking about the the death of SEO, the [09:08] rise of GEO. And I think a lot of it is [09:11] uh frankly noise because you have to [09:13] start with and get the basics if you get [09:15] those right and allow your information [09:17] to be accessed and to have if you're [09:19] having your website built um you know to [09:21] not cut corners with uh you know with [09:24] getting those core principles right. [09:25] Yeah, I James said it well is that that [09:27] it's a great term and a great way to [09:29] look at is there's a ton of noise in the [09:31] space and you know if you you think of [09:34] the the clients we deal with is like you [09:35] know even if you talk about your team [09:37] Rebecca one of the things that we see is [09:38] like you guys are a classic example is [09:40] that there's a technology part of uh an [09:42] organization and there's an editorial [09:45] part and a lot of what we've always done [09:47] is to say that hey we need the editorial [09:49] team to embrace the technology team well [09:51] now even more you have two different [09:53] conversations with two parts the but [09:56] they're similar. So we're talking to [09:57] engineers about all the time about how [09:59] they need to use the AI to be efficient [10:01] and go faster and we're talking to [10:04] editorial teams about this isn't going [10:06] to replace you. It's actually going to [10:08] make things better and but actually at [10:10] the center of that it's the same thing, [10:12] right? They're all hearing different [10:13] things from the the world, right? So [10:15] whatever social platform they love, [10:17] whatever news source they love to say [10:19] how this is this is going to change. And [10:21] most of the time change is negative. So [10:23] we read into like okay AI is going to [10:26] replace me or it's going to do this and [10:27] in some cases you know when we had our [10:29] pre session we were talking about like I [10:31] had a conversation with engineers not [10:32] too long ago where it's like well if we [10:34] embrace this um we're going to give up [10:36] some of the core of what we're doing and [10:38] that is true right so there's some parts [10:40] of this where it's like hey I'm going to [10:41] trust that we're going down the path [10:43] with cursor or cloud code or whatever it [10:45] may be to say that at the crux of this [10:47] the AI is doing a lot of things you used [10:49] to do before and the same thing for the [10:51] editorial team where I do want them to [10:54] embrace this. I don't want them to give [10:55] up their creativity, their who they are [10:57] of why we believe in original content [11:00] will prevail in the end. But if I can [11:02] make it easier for as you're crafting [11:04] content to say everyone said it like the [11:06] structure like look should an editor [11:08] know what schema is? Absolutely not. If [11:10] you're curious cool, go find out. But [11:12] like should you understand fundamentally [11:15] that you're talking about a person and I [11:17] need to technically do something? No. It [11:19] goes back to what we're all saying is [11:21] like that was a foundation of a [11:23] foundational element of Google search [11:25] right schema.org has existed for a long [11:27] time and we still find the brands that [11:29] are embracing that and trying to f to [11:33] feed into that doing the best. The last [11:35] thing I'll say is speed does matter. So [11:39] when you look at these things, if I can [11:40] help an editor be creative and be [11:42] amazing, but do it faster, you know, [11:45] take away the monotonous task of like, [11:46] how do I go find the perfect image? You [11:48] know, where's the best focal point for [11:50] this? I need to think about it on six [11:52] different devices. That's making editor [11:54] more efficient. And then the technical [11:57] plumbing underneath. Well, I can still [11:58] have that same conversation with the [12:00] engineers so that we go there. Like a [12:02] lot of what we do and always have done [12:04] is to say, look, there's always going to [12:06] be a gap between your editorial team and [12:08] your engineering team. But now more than [12:10] ever, they both have very defined roles [12:13] and we need to get them to embrace it so [12:15] they feed into each other. [12:16] >> I want to interject something here [12:17] because it's such a great case and point [12:19] of what you're talking about, Jeeoff. So [12:20] one of the problems we needed to solve [12:22] when we migrated our blog from platform [12:24] to platform is this idea of like, hey, [12:26] how do we generate like key takeaways? [12:28] Key takeaways are super important, [12:30] right? You want LLMs to interpret your [12:32] content in the way that you want to [12:33] interpret it, right? Curated in the way [12:35] that you intended it to do. One of the [12:37] things that we built for our own [12:39] editorial workflow and the content teams [12:41] is we built an LLM that integrates into [12:44] the workflow where once the article is [12:46] written, you can click a button that [12:47] says generate key takeaways. It gives [12:50] you five bullet points that the now the [12:52] editorial team can look at and say, was [12:55] this the intention of the article? We [12:57] use that kind of as an AI enabled [12:59] workflow to do two things which is test [13:02] the content. Is it actually being [13:05] interpreted in the way that we want it [13:06] to be interpreted? The second thing is [13:08] save the editorial team time from [13:10] writing the key takeaways. And the third [13:12] thing is give them full um control to [13:15] actually go and change those right [13:16] within the content and the other things. [13:18] And this is like such a good point that [13:20] you're making, which is the technology [13:22] needs to be accessible, right? The end [13:25] result needs to be accessible to [13:26] editorial teams. They don't have to [13:28] learn everything. Um, but I think those [13:30] ways to show them, hey, here's how you [13:32] can unleash this power is a really [13:35] really powerful way of of, you know, [13:37] making sure that you're seeing uh [13:39] upfront with the technology. [13:41] Yeah, it's well said and I think kind of [13:43] brings up one other thing that's [13:44] directly aligned is the other thing that [13:46] we're seeing is the exact same thing [13:47] you're saying, but the other thing I [13:49] think is important there is like when [13:51] you do do this and the sentiment says [13:52] something completely different than what [13:54] you're thinking like, well, did I do [13:56] this wrong or should I embrace this [13:57] sentiment and do more of that? Right? I [13:59] mean, and that's the other thing we're [14:00] saying. The final thing that's in this [14:02] one that's interesting, right? is most [14:04] of my publishers. I have brands, I have [14:06] a mix of things, I have some agencies in [14:08] here, but since most of mine are ad [14:10] supported, whether it be subscription, [14:12] free to air, you know, premium models or [14:15] premium models, we do see that sometimes [14:18] publishers are paying for the sins of [14:20] the past. And it just made me think of [14:22] Amari when we saw we had a sports [14:24] publisher that was doing really well. [14:27] Then all of a sudden, you know, Google [14:28] made some algorithm changes and they had [14:30] no visibility. And what we could start [14:32] to see the signals were it was a [14:34] shopping site. So one of the things that [14:36] they had really really you know leaned [14:39] into a year and a half ago or two years [14:40] ago was you know content right where [14:43] they were writing content for commerce. [14:45] Actually the brand that they were [14:47] working with did it so well that the [14:49] signals coming off the site were no [14:51] longer a sports site. It was a shopping [14:53] site. So but they would have never seen [14:55] that or known that. But basically it was [14:57] the foundational pieces that were done [14:59] from their partner were done so well [15:02] that it dwarfed their editorial content [15:04] and it was like well okay you know we [15:06] still need to maintain that revenue [15:08] stream but how like how are we going to [15:10] do this so that our we are a sports site [15:12] we're not wire cutter which is what they [15:14] indexed you know clo most closely to. [15:17] So, you know, there are interesting [15:18] findings in here where in a lot of cases [15:21] in my um specific situation, it's [15:24] because of the way you've monetized in [15:26] the past, whether it be with display or [15:28] pay walls or, you know, content, that [15:31] you've actually influenced the thinking [15:33] of the crawlers, whether it be LLMs or [15:35] whether it be traditional search, your [15:37] brand is different than it actually is. [15:39] And some of that is like, hey, we just [15:41] got to clean it up. And you it's [15:43] curious, James, have you seen clients [15:44] that have had to go through similar [15:46] exercises? [15:47] >> Yeah. As in Jeff, you mean sort of like [15:49] cleaning up after making changes? Yeah. [15:52] You know, so there's a brand that we [15:54] work with and they, you know, they were [15:57] exposed to this GEO AI hyperbole. They [16:00] did an experiment and a test with this [16:02] with this new startup and fundamentally [16:04] they worked to inject hundreds of AI [16:08] generated articles in a secret [16:11] compartmentalized area of their website [16:12] that would be accessible for LLMs to [16:15] train on even accessible for Google to [16:16] index. The idea of notion would be that [16:18] that would increase visibility within AI [16:22] and within a couple of months those [16:24] articles were not ranking they were not [16:26] being cited. we were actually approached [16:28] and had to use some development hours to [16:30] take it all down. And you know that's [16:33] just a one example of a few where I [16:36] believe there's this fear this fear of [16:38] being left behind that's created in this [16:40] world of sort of AI visibility that you [16:42] know brands are wanting to not get left [16:44] behind. So they're sort of trying and [16:46] taking out these risks without perhaps [16:47] involving their existing tech or SEO [16:50] company to sort of gauge and balance [16:52] what they're what they're seeing out [16:53] there. I think something that's the same [16:55] in today's world even with the AI [16:57] disruption is doing things correctly [17:00] versus quickly is always going to pay [17:02] out in the long run. I think we saw the [17:04] people the whole this whole tortoise in [17:06] the hair almost situation of these [17:08] people speeding things up and pumping [17:10] out a lot of I know we've seen the term [17:13] AI slop. Um they sure saw a huge jump [17:17] really quickly but then saw that nose [17:20] dive just as quickly after that. So, you [17:23] know, I think leaning into do it [17:25] correctly, do it intentionally. And a [17:28] core theme or two that I was pulling [17:30] from a lot of what all three of you have [17:32] said is enablement and education. Um, [17:36] not just enablement, education of AI, [17:37] which is extremely important. I think [17:39] everyone's comfort level with AI. Um, [17:42] even speaking from the WP Engine side of [17:44] things varied vastly. um we would have [17:48] people who were a little wary of it and [17:50] then that made them a little nervous to [17:52] dive in um especially when it came to [17:54] then some of our more technical folks [17:56] who were absolute whiz kids at it pretty [17:58] quickly that whole cycle can be [18:00] intimidating so I I think it's about [18:03] enabling everyone to feel comfortable [18:04] but then that education the content [18:07] teams being able to educate tech teams [18:09] as the to the why why do we take this [18:12] strategic approach so that they can help [18:14] us understand the how Do we technically [18:17] create the functionality to make this [18:20] come to fruition? You taught taught me [18:22] this, Rebecca, which is LLMs are reading [18:24] and agents are reading like humans are [18:26] reading. And so I would say a key [18:28] takeaway is you can't create 15 versions [18:31] of the same content and expect it to be [18:33] interesting. It's not interesting to [18:35] people and it's not going to be [18:36] interesting to AI either, right? Because [18:38] they're consuming the content and [18:40] reading it on the page just like a human [18:42] is reading it. Um, and so all of the [18:45] things that, you know, we talked about [18:46] with fundamentals, which is make the [18:48] content really relevant, make it [18:50] interesting. You know, if it really [18:51] works for humans, it's going to work, [18:53] you know, for for AI as well and that [18:55] intelligence. [18:56] >> Absolutely. Especially with the fact [18:58] that what AI platforms are doing is [19:00] continuously shifting how they respond [19:03] because of what they're learning from [19:05] their interactions with humans and [19:06] what's going to satisfy the human. Um, [19:09] that's such a great point to bring up. [19:11] So, I I want to quickly shift gears back [19:14] to um a couple of of you brought up, you [19:17] know, some brands or or folks seeing [19:20] that again their their visibility it's [19:22] pretty suppressed in AI platforms even [19:25] if their content is good. So, you know, [19:28] what are the patterns you guys are [19:30] seeing um that is causing that type of [19:32] suppression and how much of it is really [19:34] a content problem versus a technical [19:37] problem? Um, James or Jeff, I don't know [19:39] if either of you want to step in here [19:40] first. [19:41] >> So, I've seen quite a bit of this where [19:44] I actually think that it's not [19:45] necessarily a content or a technical [19:47] problem. Well, we can all point out the [19:49] technical problems like look, if your [19:51] website was built without care 10 years [19:52] ago, it's doesn't have care today, [19:54] right? So, let's just, you know, take [19:56] that off, right? Cuz we come across that [19:57] all the time. The other thing we see is [19:59] I know that AI can enable everyone, but [20:02] everyone isn't an engineer. So, you [20:03] know, we've all had these things where [20:05] like, you know, a person that you know [20:06] that was, you know, a baker for their [20:08] whole life, you know, tomorrow or [20:10] yesterday calls you and says, "I I'm an [20:12] engineer. I built this." You kind of [20:13] didn't, right? So, you prompted [20:15] something to do something and now, you [20:17] know, you don't know what's inside that [20:18] black box. So, you know, that's not the [20:21] answer either. And then on the opposite [20:23] end of the spectrum, [20:25] we see a lot of folks that have great [20:27] content, but whether, you know, they [20:29] just didn't have a social strategy or [20:31] they didn't have an outreach strategy [20:32] or, you know, they just weren't picked [20:34] up, they weren't mentioned. All of the [20:36] content was behind a payw wall. Like the [20:38] most successful example is the New York [20:40] Times. But if you go back to the New [20:42] York Times and you think of the [20:43] diversification of their business in [20:45] 2008, they were at their absolute [20:47] bottom. And as they've come back, think [20:49] about the things that they've done, [20:50] right? The content is always king, but [20:53] they bought games like Wordle, best [20:56] example, that's ultimately engaging. [20:58] They bought the athletic, okay, sports, [21:00] ultimately engaging, but they also focus [21:02] in food, lifestyle. So, the breath of [21:04] what they're looking at is touching [21:05] folks in everywhere. So, we do see a lot [21:08] of folks that say, "Hey, my content was [21:10] this. I was a one-man band. I was very [21:12] proud of it. I didn't focus on Facebook [21:15] or Instagram." And so, by by default, [21:18] Instagram becomes threads. And you know [21:20] these things are moving traffic. So as [21:22] we think about rebuilding these things [21:24] which basically say it's like okay let's [21:26] bring this so the organization is [21:27] grouped together. So whether you be a [21:29] oneman show or a massive company let's [21:32] bring all the stakeholders together cuz [21:34] like their objectives are usually pretty [21:36] similar and what we've seen in the past [21:37] there's been fracture. So they thought [21:39] of their exact objectives as very [21:40] different. So you know a lot of the [21:43] tools that we'll build now is to say [21:44] like look you know again WP Engine [21:47] right? I'm assuming that 99% of the [21:50] folks are saying the CMS is WordPress. [21:52] Great. So that's solved, right? What do [21:54] we like about that? And then we do a lot [21:56] now. So it's to say like look, I didn't [21:58] have an email outreach program. Great. [22:00] So we build extensions so that you know [22:02] you can follow an author, you can follow [22:03] a topic, but it's not follow as a [22:05] checkbox. It's to start the relationship [22:09] with your customer as an email address [22:12] and not just a silly, hey, put up your [22:14] email address, give it to me, and I'm [22:15] going to send you this. to say no no no [22:17] there's going to be a onetoone [22:18] relationship with this author beyond [22:20] that we're teaching the author hey you [22:23] need to engage with your users so you [22:25] know if a 100 people came and subscribed [22:27] to you like like let's talk to them [22:29] whether it be through commenting direct [22:30] messaging you know whatever it may be [22:33] you can't just like say it's a megaphone [22:35] right the classic example is like if you [22:37] keep calling the same telephone number [22:39] and all it does is rings and nobody [22:42] answers you're never going to call back [22:43] you're going to give up you're going to [22:44] say like well I didn't get what I on, I [22:46] move on. So, so much more and more is [22:48] there. So, we also built some tools now [22:50] to say, okay, forget about your CMS, [22:53] your website. Um, hey, you're a sports [22:56] writer, right? I'm in New York. So, I'm [22:58] covering the New York Giants. The NFL [22:59] draft is this week. Well, what do you [23:02] follow? So, I follow this social. I [23:04] follow these Twitter accounts. I follow, [23:06] you know, these news sources. I follow [23:08] this YouTube channel, these substacks. I [23:10] follow all these things. So we actually [23:12] build something for the author so that [23:14] they can put in everything about them, [23:16] right? So then we look at the SERs and [23:18] then okay cool based on that we're [23:20] saying like look based on the things [23:21] that you Mr. author follow. Here's the [23:24] kind of things that are trending out [23:25] there and that should help you generate [23:27] content. And by a byproduct of that is [23:30] actually we're helping the users to [23:32] follow these things upstream, right? [23:33] Because if they care about the the [23:35] author, the author follows all of these [23:37] things. Actually, you're taking a very [23:38] big funnel and you're driving it down [23:40] through an individual person. That's [23:42] paramount. Too many times we'll go in [23:44] and it's like, I heard that I need to [23:46] have this JavaScript framework or I need [23:48] to work in, you know, Nex.js or Versal [23:51] is amazing. like yes, all these tools [23:53] are awesome, but I think that we need to [23:55] think about the business goals. So, you [23:57] know, what is a subscription business, [23:58] right? Because we see a lot of folks [24:00] that'll just put up a payw wall and then [24:01] all of a sudden like, whoops, my [24:02] content's not visible anymore or they'll [24:05] just say like, I'm going to go to [24:06] Substack and it's all going to be a [24:07] newsletter. But, you know, part of this [24:09] is to get buy in from the organization [24:11] is like, what is our overall goal? Then [24:14] you can worry about the underlying [24:15] technology uh concerns as well as the [24:18] others. But, you know, I gotta be [24:20] honest, Rebecca. To me, [24:22] it's the same issue we've faced with [24:24] folks, you know, from you have a bunch [24:26] of different stakeholders that have [24:27] competing agendas. And it's like look in [24:30] the middle now more than ever, those [24:32] competing agendas start to, you know, [24:34] show through in the technology or the [24:36] visibility of where you were where it's [24:37] like if you had a cohesive strategy 10 [24:39] years ago, those folks have a pretty [24:42] good chance at being ahead of folks that [24:44] just were single mind focused on one [24:45] thing and not another. I really [24:48] appreciate that perspective. It [24:50] honestly, you know, to to kind of round [24:52] that out, sounds like it's not so much [24:54] about the depth of your content or um [24:58] how technically sound the website is if [25:00] you lack the breadth of distribution of [25:03] your content, the breadth of styles that [25:06] you're distributing that content. That's [25:08] where you're losing. And it's exactly as [25:10] you say, if you didn't have that [25:11] foundation with the workflow of your [25:12] teams and the strategies and tactics [25:14] you're employing [25:16] yesterday, then today and tomorrow, it's [25:19] not it's not going to move the needle [25:20] yet. U really appreciate that, Jeeoff. I [25:23] want to I want to switch gears just uh a [25:25] little bit into the more tech stack and [25:27] performance layer of things. So what [25:30] does it actually mean to have a website [25:33] that is consumable for both bots and [25:36] humans? Um, and what's the minimum [25:38] viable foundation that a brand needs [25:40] before visibility efforts will actually [25:42] stick? And I think Amore, it would be [25:44] really great to kind of hear from you [25:46] conceptually of how WP Engine has been [25:49] tackling this. Um, because I know this [25:51] has been very top of mind on our end. [25:52] >> Yeah, I'll I'll try to keep it like [25:54] really short and simple. The first thing [25:56] is like get your data layer right. [25:58] Right. So when we think about like [25:59] websites, we think a lot about the [26:01] structure of the thing, right? How it [26:03] looks, like what the blocks are, etc. [26:05] um information architecture super key [26:08] right having come from CRM and built [26:10] sort of data [26:13] data relationshipbased products I think [26:16] that is one of the keys for a website [26:18] which is does the website have a really [26:20] good intrinsic relationship with the [26:22] data layer does it have great taxonomy [26:25] are the relationships of one section to [26:27] the other really strong right so the one [26:30] thing that I would say is just [26:32] foundational which is it's not just [26:34] what's in the website, it's is it well [26:37] structured, right? And is the data very [26:40] very obvious at every single point. So, [26:43] we're used to I write an article and I [26:46] have a bunch of tags, but I don't want [26:48] tag proliferation. What you really [26:50] should say is, is there a hierarchy of [26:52] information that I want to deliver and [26:54] is it clear in the CMS on the page how [26:57] it's actually written and how do you [26:59] substantiate that? Right? So what is the [27:01] higher highest end of the information [27:03] technology um information architecture [27:06] is the tax t taxonomy really really [27:09] tight and are you proliferating that in [27:11] a very disciplined way all through the [27:14] website because what you don't want is [27:17] just like any kind of calculation engine [27:21] um which is what all of these AI models [27:23] are which is you don't want a lot of [27:25] proliferated data that's hard to [27:27] interpret. So get your data right. I [27:29] would say that's the first most [27:31] important thing structurally for the [27:33] site. What are musthaves within a [27:37] website and within a tech stack? um from [27:40] both the perspective of of James if you [27:42] want to kick us off like what are you [27:44] guiding a lot of your clients to make [27:46] sure they have um tech stackwise either [27:49] on the martekch stack operations side of [27:51] things or um when it comes to actually [27:54] website plugins or anything like that to [27:56] ensure that you know you can actually [27:58] track and ensure performance of a [28:00] website in in today's world. Yeah, I [28:03] mean it still goes back to me of of [28:05] things that we were doing and aspiring [28:07] to do in SEO and tech even before AI GEO [28:10] became a thing. Me that the table stakes [28:13] are just core simple discoverability of [28:16] the content. You know that comes in the [28:18] form of sitemapsing comes in the form of [28:20] ensuring that pages aren't reliant on [28:23] JavaScript to heavily render that [28:25] there's sufficient content in the in the [28:27] sort of server side rendering. Not a lot [28:29] of people realize that even though [28:31] Google's quite advanced now at rendering [28:33] and and sort of uh caching and indexing [28:35] pages with JavaScript executed, the LLM [28:39] crawlers are not uh doing that to that [28:41] level at this stage. So for me, it's [28:43] it's sort of checking the basics. And a [28:45] really good tip if you're unsure is to [28:47] actually ask a chat AI bot, whether it's [28:50] chat GPT, Perplexity, Gemini, have a [28:53] look at my page. What can you see? Can [28:54] you see that I've got a thousand reviews [28:56] for this product? and you know tell me [28:58] what the sentiment is. And often people [28:59] are quite surprised to see that if you [29:01] actually ask what the LM's know about [29:04] your brand or know about your page, it [29:05] can be incredibly revealing about those [29:08] core basic table stakes that might not [29:10] be in place with the the website, the [29:13] content, the technical nature which has [29:14] always been a core fundamental of SEO. [29:16] >> Really appreciate everyone's point of [29:18] view today. I would love to wrap up with [29:21] one final thing um to ensure that [29:24] everyone walks out of this session [29:26] knowing what their next step is. So if [29:28] someone in the audience goes back to [29:30] their team today and says we need to fix [29:32] our visibility issue, what's the first [29:35] conversation they need to be having and [29:37] who needs to be in that room? Uh Jeff, [29:40] I'll I'll go ahead and let you kick this [29:42] off. I would say just like James said is [29:44] the first place I would start is that [29:45] with Claude or Chach GPT if that's your [29:48] thing and just ask like you know what [29:49] are you seeing I mean it's it is kind of [29:51] amazing how you know these tools are you [29:53] know if nothing else they're transparent [29:55] right they'll tell you what's going on [29:56] in there and even Meta has something [29:58] when you're looking at how do I look for [29:59] for my social visibility they're they're [30:01] pretty good tools I think that the [30:04] bigger thing though is to say is [30:05] organizationally what is our alignment [30:08] right and I think that again I've said [30:10] it a few times I've heard it with others [30:11] is like Right now we hear the terms of [30:14] like paying for the sins of the past and [30:16] that is more than ever true that you're [30:18] paying for things that you didn't focus [30:20] on in the past is so I would say is [30:22] organizationally let's go back in align [30:24] on what we want success to be going [30:26] forward and you know the other thing is [30:29] not to tackle everything at once right [30:31] so if you come up with your plan of [30:32] here's 10 things and here's how they go [30:35] because the last thing to me is like I [30:37] mentioned it here the engineering teams [30:39] that are embracing AI are delivering [30:42] iterations and tools faster than ever [30:44] before. Like lightning fast. You're [30:46] talking about hours as opposed to weeks. [30:48] And you know that's a good thing. And I [30:49] think that some of that's really [30:51] actually great because I think for [30:53] business users, one of the big things is [30:55] you're like, well, I'm going to put this [30:56] feature request in. It's going to go [30:58] into whatever tech is and I don't really [31:00] like tech and it's just a thing and it's [31:02] annoying and six months later I'm going [31:04] to get something and by the time I get [31:05] it, I've forgotten about it. I'm looking [31:07] for four other things and oh by the way [31:09] we stuck in six other things to fix it [31:11] at the same time and we're just that [31:13] doesn't exist anymore. So if you think [31:15] you can iterate that quickly, if you go [31:17] back and say, "Hey, organizationally, [31:19] here's the 10 things we want to achieve [31:20] in the next 3 months, then attack that [31:22] like one at a time because you can do it [31:24] that quickly now." And that's really so [31:26] I guess my big thing in all of this is [31:28] like look, we can all talk about like, [31:30] you know, what code we like or what [31:32] language or what framework. Cool, right? [31:33] And honest answer is none of them are [31:36] wrong. But the honest answer is what's [31:39] wrong is trying to do all of them at [31:41] once. So if you come up with 10 things [31:42] and you pragmatically go through those [31:44] tins, wait till you get to number 10 [31:46] before you go to number 11, right? [31:47] Because you can do it that quickly. So [31:49] that's the big thing that I'm looking at [31:51] these days. [31:52] >> Amorei, anything to add? [31:54] >> I would say ditto to everything Jeff [31:55] said. It's like be very very I would say [31:59] road maps and priorities are like the [32:02] most important thing, right? The idea of [32:03] just the other thing is like set aside [32:06] time. You know, I I have a small agency [32:08] within WP Engine. We have over 20 sites [32:11] that we manage. We have so much run the [32:13] business tasks, right? So, one of the [32:15] ways that we need to organize is to [32:17] simply say here are some bigger [32:18] problems. How do we make time for them? [32:21] And so, keeping on, you know, we can do [32:23] them faster, but the whole idea is like [32:26] what is the right sequence that we [32:28] should do them in? And I think that kind [32:30] of thinking is like really, I think, [32:32] key. and and that takes great [32:35] communication with teams that are not [32:38] historically known for working very well [32:41] together, right? And that might be the [32:42] brand team, the SEO team, the GEO team, [32:45] the content team, the web marketing [32:47] team, the commerce team, right? All of [32:49] these folks have swim lanes. And now the [32:51] question is like how do you bring them [32:52] together? [32:53] >> James, any final thoughts from you? [32:55] >> It's just to bring together what Jeff [32:56] and Mor have been saying. It is it is [32:58] collaboration at the moment. If I was [33:00] putting a team together to talk about AI [33:02] visibility, I would be bringing together [33:04] creative team uh you know brand tech and [33:07] SEO and and to not overlook the fact [33:10] that organic traditional organic search [33:12] is still driving a huge amount of [33:14] traffic through for brands. The direct [33:16] referrals from AI are still tiny. You [33:19] know, they're a pimpric for most brands. [33:20] They're less than a percent. But AI [33:23] discovery is a whole new channel. there [33:25] are people discovering brands and whilst [33:27] measurement is emerging and it's very [33:29] ethereal there's there's a whole bunch [33:31] of tools cropping up now to try and help [33:33] I would get together as a brand and just [33:34] work out right entities wise what do we [33:37] want to be discovered for how do we [33:39] coordinate all of our marketing efforts [33:41] because it is the same core good [33:43] marketing good brand marketing that that [33:45] enables AI visibility so it's it really [33:49] is at the moment collaboration [33:51] >> thank you all so much I think we can all [33:53] walk away with a few key themes here. [33:55] One is, you know, the more we can get [33:57] our teams working most efficiently [33:59] together and the more we can as [34:01] organizations enable and educate, uh, [34:05] the better we can tackle this AIdriven [34:07] search world. Um, but it's about working [34:10] together on the foundation, having a key [34:12] foundation, working intentionally, not [34:14] working too quickly, doing things [34:16] correctly. Um, I think this is some [34:18] really helpful actionoriented feedback [34:21] for everyone to walk away with. So, [34:22] thank you James, Jeff, and Amorei. I [34:24] really appreciate all of you and your [34:26] insights so much. And thank you to [34:28] everyone who joined the session today.  📄 **Full text:** ![[Full Document Contents/Articles/Practical Guide Rebuilding Your Site in the AI World.md|Practical Guide: Rebuilding Your Site in the AI World by YouTube]] ## Highlights - say how a lot of publishers syndicate content. So, you know, where did you give that content and how did you give that content? Um, because we are seeing times when a, you know, if you did a licensing deal with a portal or a major newspaper and now they're outweighing you and everything from search to to AI results, it's just because your brand mention isn't there as much. And I think the biggest thing we're seeing is that a lot of folks are trying a lot of different strategies. And you know, I ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kr1vpqfgr4kvh67n9v1d49sb)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - all of these folks with, you know, new jargon terms and industries where it's like just do this and it's going to fix everything. This is just the latest time where it's just not. Uh, and being pragmatic and true to your brand is still paramount to everything going forward. >> At WP Engine, we're definitely seeing that as well as we've tried to tackle our own uh, strategies. It's been focusing intentionally on the right things and not trying to spread ourselves too thin with too many strategies. I think it's an easy thing for everyone today to get distracted by. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kr1vpqfyhg6rpzn3d8v5b17n)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - And I think it's when they're feeling the pressure and the urgency to show up as a brand and AI. And I I think that's the biggest challenge that everyone's facing today. I want to switch gears just a little bit and talk about um website visibility and performance and what has changed in today's new world. What's the same? And maybe what are some of the tradeoffs? Amorei, I'd love for you to take this one and and kick us off first. I mean, the first big thing is like not only are customers, prospects, ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kr1vpqga62jpxndyp69jn6vc)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - workflow in this new AI ecosystem. Um it's been gamecher for us for sure. Uh so thank you Amorei. James or Jeff do you either of you have any perspective um from the content side of things and the SEO GEO space of you know tradeoffs or what's changed or what's the same? as a digital marketing agency and a WP Engine partner, we're seeing AI AI readiness. It's front and center in a lot of briefs and RFPs that we're getting. Brands and marketers are ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kr1vpqgz58m2m19wb2fthkhg)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - take it all down. And you know that's just a one example of a few where I believe there's this fear this fear of being left behind that's created in this world of sort of AI visibility that you know brands are wanting to not get left behind. So they're sort of trying and taking out these risks without perhaps involving their existing tech or SEO company to sort of gauge and balance what they're what they're seeing out there. I think something that's the same in today's world even with the AI disruption is doing things correctly ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kr1vpqn2ps9796mnmz6zr8pe)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - putting a team together to talk about AI visibility, I would be bringing together creative team uh you know brand tech and SEO and and to not overlook the fact that organic traditional organic search is still driving a huge amount of traffic through for brands. The direct referrals from AI are still tiny. You know, they're a pimpric for most brands. They're less than a percent. But AI discovery is a whole new channel. there are people discovering brands and whilst measurement is emerging and it's very ethereal there's there's a whole bunch ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kr1vpqta891s75mxrfg6srt0)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted