Hi there,

​The August 2025 spam update is still in progress as I write this.

Maybe it's going so long because Google is targeting more elaborate manipulation tactics on sites using those 'guaranteed AI GEO methods.'

We'll wait and see…

Today's highlights include:
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1. AI search grows fast
2. Broken tools and messy reporting
3. Demand capture vs. demand creation
4. ~16 million videos snatched
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As always, thanks for being here.

I'll be back on October 1. (I can't believe we're nearly in Q4!).
Nicole

P.S. Why "will this help me rank?" might be the wrong question.

I want to share your:

Big news, latest resource, or outstanding results.
I'd love to support you by featuring you here. It's FREE!
​
Smash the button and show me what you've got.

Insights

AI-powered search platforms grow fast
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BrightEdge published new data showing that AI search usage is growing fast, yet still accounts for less than 1% of referral traffic.

And the increased traffic isn’t translating into transactions.

What I found interesting is that PR and media coverage accounts for 34% of AI citations.

The good news for SEOs and marketers is that we don’t need to fundamentally change what we do on our/our clients’ websites.

But those AI citations increase brand visibility and trust so we need to consider how to influence the results.

Ideas

Focus less on trying to manipulate an algorithm and more on building authority signals that AI models pull from.

A few practical ways to do this:
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1. Pitch smarter stories: PR coverage in trusted outlets is gold for citations.
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2. Publish quotable assets: Stats, frameworks, and definitions get referenced more than generic blog posts.
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3. Show up in conversations: Podcasts, expert roundups, and interviews often feed into AI training data.
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4. Engage on targeted social and community platforms: LinkedIn, subreddits, forums, and industry groups. Genuine participation here pays off.
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Does this playbook look familiar to you?

Create things worth referencing and put them where journalists, creators, decision-makers, and (now) AI can find them.

Have you gained any media coverage recently?

Reply with your examples and I’ll feature some in the next newsletter.

Broken tools and messy reporting

Since Google dropped the ability to show a hundred search results per page last week, Google Search Console is also struggling to report organic ranking data.

Brodie Clark reported a significant decline in desktop impressions, which resulted in a sharp increase in average position.

Clark wrote a LinkedIn post noting, “Either way, if you’ve just checked GSC and are noticing a significant drop to overall impressions in the past couple of days of data, you’re not alone.”

Glenn Gabe pitched in on the &num=100 parameter:
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No one knows exactly what's going on with the &num=100 parameter or GSC reporting, and let's not talk about the third-party tracking tools mess.

Questions:

• Are the changes a bug, temporary, or permanent?
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• Has Google had enough of OpenAI scraping their SERP data?
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• Was our first-party data ever accurate?
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Reply with your thoughts and we'll see who gets closest to the right answer!

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​Related: For SEOs, the removal of &num=100 is painful​

Quoteworthy

—Jim Yu, Co-founder, BrightEdge

[Source]

~16 million videos snatched

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​The Atlantic dropped a bombshell last week.

AI companies are finding ways around YouTube's terms of service to download videos and use them for training.

Who's grabbing the content?

Major tech companies like Meta, Amazon, and ByteDance have used these data sets to train their AI models without permission from the creators.

It's interesting that filmmakers' works appear to be a prime target—probably due to the high-quality content.

Repeat offenders

In the same way that authors had their books pirated, AI companies are using this as a workaround to train their tech.

Bear in mind that this tech is designed to replace the people running these channels.

If you have a YouTube channel, head to the Atlantic article to check whether your videos have been scraped.

Related: The AI-Scraping Free-for-All Is Coming to an End​

"AI firms scraped the web to build models that will continue to scrape the web until there’s nothing left."

Do you follow me on LinkedIn? I share regular tips and stories I don't have room for here. Come and join me​.

Information

✶ State of AI Search Optimization

The results of Aleyda Solis' The SEOFOMO State of AI Search Optimization Survey are in.

3 highlights:

• 91% of SEOs reported that decision-makers or clients have asked about their company’s AI search visibility in the past year.
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• For the majority, AI platforms account for 0-5% of site revenue, with traditional search remaining the main revenue driver. (This echoes the data I discovered in the BrightEdge report).
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• The top three tools used to optimize and monitor AI search optimization efforts and impact are: Ahrefs, Google Analytics, and Semrush.

You can check all the questions and responses in the survey report.
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✶ Quick SEO tip

Nikki Pilkington wrote "Stop ignoring Updates on your Google Business Profile."

When you post weekly offers, news, and tips, this keeps your listing active and can boost your local visibility.

Google likes fresh content.

(You might enjoy the rest of Nikki's article, too).
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✶ Don't worry about AI taking your job...yet

h/t to Mark Williams-Cook for the entertainment.

Inspiration

Demand capture vs. demand creation

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I’ve been thinking a lot about how the lines between Digital PR and SEO are blurring.

For a long time, SEO was about one thing: capturing demand. People searched, you showed up, and everyone was happy.

But now we're dealing with AI Overviews, zero-click results, and shrinking click-through rates.

Demand capture isn't what it was, so we need to put more effort into creating it.

I've mentioned this quote from Rand Fishkin before:

While competitors fight over a shrinking pool of search clicks, more brands are creating conversations that turn into searches.

Brands turn conversations into searches with:
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• Media coverage that positions them as the expert.
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• Original research that gets quoted everywhere.
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• Podcast appearances that introduce them to new people.
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• Thought leadership that makes people think, "I need to know more about this company."

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All of these strategies place brands in front of people who weren’t actively searching for their solutions.

They see a name, they get curious, and suddenly they’re typing the brand into Google. That’s demand you’ve created, not just captured.

The most successful brands I work with aren’t choosing between SEO and Digital PR.

Here's how I explain the need for both:

Go out and create the demand.

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Thanks for being here!
I'll see you again on October 1.

In the meantime, feel free to ask me a question, send an interesting link, or tell me what's on your mind. I read all your emails!

Dates to watch

October Monthly Observances

• Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• Bully Prevention Month
• Halloween Safety Month
• Financial Planning Month
• National Pizza Month

Weekly Observances

• October 5-11: Fire Prevention Week
• October 13-19: Earth Science Week
• October 19-25: National Business Women’s Week

Days

• October 1 – International Coffee Day
• October 1 – World Vegetarian Day
• October 1 – Yom Kippur
• October 3 – National Techies Day
• October 4 – National Golf Lovers' Day
• October 5 – World Teachers' Day
• October 5 – Oktoberfest ends
• October 6 – Child Health Day
• October 10 – World Mental Health Day
• October 11 – National Coming Out Day
• October 12 – National Farmers' Day
• October 13 – Indigenous Peoples’ Day
• October 13 – Columbus Day
• October 13 – Thanksgiving Day (Canada)
• October 16 – World Food Day
• October 19 – LGBTQ Center Awareness Day
• October 24 – United Nations Day
• October 25 – Make a Difference Day
• October 28 – National First Responders' Day
• October 30 – Mischief Night
• October 31 – Halloween

Keep in touch