Why We’re Talking About This

Noticing fewer people showing up on your site? You’re not alone. My clients have been talking about the same drop in organic traffic. And it’s frustrating, especially when you’re already juggling delivery, marketing, admin, and everything else. Paid ads start to feel like the only way to be found.

But SEO isn’t dead. It’s just different now. Search engines are layering AI over results, and people are asking ChatGPT or Perplexity instead of typing a few stiff keywords into Google. If you want to stay visible, you don’t need to give up on SEO—you just need to shift how you approach it.

What’s Changed with Search

Search feels more like conversation

People don’t search like robots anymore. They type (or speak) the way they’d ask a friend.

• Therapist
  Old way: “trauma therapist Denver.”
  New way: “I’m a parent in Denver feeling overwhelmed after a loss. Are there trauma therapists who help with grief and family stress?”
  

• Product-based business
  Old way: “crystal water bottles online.”
  New way: “Are there crystal water bottles that are safe for hot tea and ship quickly in the U.S.?”
  

• Event business
  Old way: “women’s retreat California.”
  New way: “I want a retreat in California this fall that blends yoga, meditation, and time in nature. What options are available?”

If your content only says “I sell crystal water bottles” or “I host women’s retreats,” you’ll miss the people asking those fuller, more specific questions.

Fewer clicks to your site

Google now answers many questions directly in search results. If you’ve searched for a recipe, directions, or even “symptoms of burnout,” you’ve seen this in action. The answer shows up right at the top of the page, often in a little box or “AI overview.” You get what you need without ever clicking through.

And it’s not just recipes anymore.

• A therapist’s blog on anxiety might have its coping tips lifted into a bulleted snippet.

• A product shop’s FAQ about “Are crystal water bottles safe for hot tea?” could be summarized into a yes/no box with a short explanation.

• An event host’s page about “what to pack for a meditation retreat” might get turned into a mini packing list in search results.

The upside? Your content is being used. Sometimes your brand or page is cited. The downside? People often stop there. They don’t visit your site.

AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity take this further by blending answers from multiple sources. For users, it’s convenient. For business owners, it means you need to work harder to stand out.

So what can you do?

• Go deeper than the basics. If Google is showing the surface-level answer, your job is to give the why, the how, or the what next. That’s what makes people click through.

• Make your expertise visible. Include case studies, stories, or step-by-step examples. AI can summarize general facts, but it can’t replace lived experience.

• Brand your answers. Add your name, business, or unique approach in your content. That way, even if AI summarizes your work, it carries your authority with it.

• Use FAQs strategically. Write them in a way that matches conversational searches. If your FAQ is the one Google pulls from, at least your site is being credited.

The goal isn’t just to show up in summaries. It’s to create content that makes people think, “This is useful—I want to see more from them.”

Trust signals carry more weight

Search engines and AI now prefer content they can trust. Keywords alone won’t cut it anymore. They’re looking for proof that you’re real, reliable, and credible.

What does that look like in practice?

• Therapists: A site with a consistent name, professional headshot, reviews on Google or Psychology Today, and blog posts tied to your specialty signals authority. A random blog with no credentials? Less likely to be trusted.

• Product businesses: A shop with product reviews, clear return policies, and a consistent brand presence on social media looks more legitimate than a barebones site with no feedback.

• Event hosts: A retreat page with testimonials from past attendees, photos of real events, and listings on trusted event platforms carries more weight than a one-off landing page with no context.

AI tools are essentially asking: Can we verify this person or business is who they say they are? If the answer is yes, your chances of showing up in results go way up.

What you can do:

• Keep profiles consistent. Use the same business name, title, and description across your website, social media, and directories.

• Collect reviews and testimonials. Make it a habit to ask happy clients, customers, or attendees to leave feedback.

• Show proof. Add case studies, before-and-after stories, or examples of your work to your site.

• Be findable in more than one place. If someone Googles you, they should see your site, but also a LinkedIn profile, maybe a Substack, maybe an event listing—multiple touchpoints.

In short: trust signals are how search engines decide who to highlight when answers are everywhere. If you’re consistent, visible, and credible, you’ll rise above the noise.

And that’s the point—SEO isn’t gone, it’s just playing by new rules. Which is why it still matters, even if it looks different than it used to.

Why Bother With SEO At All?

Even with clicks dropping, SEO is still the backbone of how people and AI find you.

• It helps search engines and AI understand who you are and what you do.

• It makes your content easier to show up when people ask questions.

• And unlike ads, it doesn’t vanish the second you stop paying.

Think of it like this: ads give you a quick burst of attention, but SEO builds the foundation. You need both, but if you only rely on ads, you’re always renting your visibility instead of owning it.

The AI-Aware SEO Checklist for 2025

This isn’t about chasing tricks. It’s about making your site and content clear, trustworthy, and usable—for both humans and machines.

1. Get the basics right

• Keep your site fast and mobile-friendly.

• Use clear menus and page titles.

• Write descriptions that sound like headlines a human would click.

• Use natural phrasing, not stiff keywords.

You can handle: running your site through free tools like PageSpeed Insights and checking your titles to make sure they make sense.

Where specialized support makes sense: technical fixes, schema markup, or deeper keyword research.

2. Publish real content

• Share your own insights.

• Answer the exact questions clients ask you.

• Update old posts with new examples.

Examples:

• Therapist: “How do I know if therapy will help with burnout?”

• Product seller: “What’s the safest way to clean a crystal water bottle?”

• Event host: “How to prepare for your first silent meditation retreat.”

These are the kinds of posts AI tools love to pull from. They’re specific, helpful, and human.

3. Add structure

Search engines love clarity.

• Use headings that mirror real questions.

• Add FAQs right on the page.

• Use schema markup if you can.

You can handle: writing an FAQ section with common questions you already hear.

Where specialized support makes sense: schema code and technical setup so your content can appear in rich results.

4. Build trust signals

• Ask for reviews.

• Share testimonials on your site.

• Get featured in places that link back to you—guest blogs, podcasts, directories.

Most of this you can do yourself with a simple review request email. Agencies can step in if you want bigger placements or media features.

5. Write with AI in mind

• Q&A blog posts work best.

• Simple how-to guides and checklists are easy for AI to summarize.

• Keep your name, bio, and services consistent everywhere.

If you call yourself a “business coach” on your site, an “operations consultant” on LinkedIn, and a “growth strategist” on Instagram, AI might not connect those dots. Keep it simple: pick one way of describing yourself and stick with it.

6. Share your content in more places

Your website isn’t the only stage. Repurpose what you’ve written.

Take one blog post and break it into shorter versions for LinkedIn, Threads, or Pinterest. A post on “Signs of Caregiver Burnout” can become a LinkedIn article, a Pinterest graphic, and a short Threads thought.

If you just want the basics, you can handle this yourself. If you want analytics, scheduling, and a bigger-picture plan, that’s when it makes sense to bring in outside help.

7. Stay visible in human spaces

AI matters, but so does human presence.

• Join a community where your clients hang out and answer questions. This could be a Facebook group for new moms, a LinkedIn group for entrepreneurs, or a local wellness forum. By answering questions or sharing insights, you position yourself as someone helpful—not just another business trying to sell. That trust often turns into referrals or direct leads.

• Guest on a podcast. Podcasts often publish transcripts, which means your words get indexed in search results. More importantly, podcasts give you a chance to connect with an audience that already trusts the host. Even one short interview can lead to new subscribers, clients, or invitations to collaborate.

• Partner with another professional so your name surfaces in new places. This doesn’t have to be complicated. A therapist might co-host a webinar with a nutritionist. A product-based business could team up with a lifestyle blogger for a giveaway. An event host might collaborate with a yoga teacher or musician. Every time you show up in someone else’s space (their newsletter, their Instagram, or their workshop), you’re introduced to a warm audience you’d never reach alone.

You don’t need to be everywhere. One or two spaces done consistently are better than trying to cover every platform.

Why I Care About This (and Why Strategists Should Too)

Here’s the truth: I’m not a website designer, and I don’t run an SEO agency. My role is as a growth partner and strategist.

But if I ignored SEO, I’d be missing a huge part of the growth puzzle. Every decision about offers, marketing, and visibility ties back to how people find you.

If I didn’t pay attention, I’d risk:

• Helping someone build an offer no one can find

• Writing content that doesn’t line up with how people actually search

• Leaning too heavily on ads because organic visibility wasn’t set up

That’s why I aim to know enough to be dangerous. I don’t do deep technical SEO, but I understand the basics, I know what matters, and I know when to call in a specialist.

And honestly, I think every strategist and consultant should. You don’t need to code schema or run backlink campaigns yourself, but I do recommend that your VA or website person learns how. And if you’re curious, you’re absolutely capable of learning the basics too—it’s not as out of reach as it sounds. 

What matters most is knowing how search is shifting and how it connects to the bigger strategy. Without that, you risk building plans in a vacuum.

Best Practices Right Now

Websites

• Make it clear who you help and what you do.

• Use schema so search engines understand your services.

• Keep the site fast and mobile-friendly.

Blogs

• Write the way people ask questions.

• Focus on quality over quantity.

• Add FAQs at the end of posts.

• Use straightforward blog titles. Good titles say what the post is about. Vague or “cute” titles usually don’t work for search.

• Straightforward:
  “How to Tell If Therapy Can Help With Burnout”
  “5 Ways to Clean and Care for Your Crystal Water Bottle”
  “What to Pack for a Weekend Meditation Retreat”

• Not straightforward:
  “When the Fire Finally Burns Out”
  “Shine Bright, Sip Light”
  “A Bag Full of Possibility Awaits You”

The second group might feel creative, but they don’t answer the question people are actually typing into search.

Landing Pages

• Be clear about the offer and the outcome.

• Add reviews or testimonials for trust.

• Use straightforward headlines and descriptions. That means saying exactly what the page is about, without clever wordplay that hides the point.

• Straightforward:
  “Therapy for Anxiety and Burnout in Denver”
  “Crystal Water Bottles for Hot and Cold Drinks”
  “Fall 2025 Women’s Yoga Retreat in California”

• Not straightforward:
  “Find Your Calm Where You Least Expect It”
  “Drink in Style, Shine From Within”
  “A Weekend to Transform Your Life Forever”

• For events, always include dates and a call to action.

What You Can Handle vs. When to Get Help

Do it yourself:

• Write blog posts that answer client questions

• Collect and share testimonials

• Keep your profiles consistent

• Check your site speed and fix easy issues

Hire specialized support:

• Technical SEO (schema, site structure, indexing)

• Strategic content calendars

• Backlink building and media features

• Performance tracking and analytics

The Bottom Line

SEO isn’t dead—it’s just different. It’s less about tricks and more about clarity, trust, and making your work easy to find.

Your goal is simple: make it easy for people (and machines) to know who you are, what you do, who you help, and why they can trust you.

Paid ads can give you a boost, but they’re not a replacement for organic presence. Think of ads as sunlight—they help you grow faster—but roots (SEO) are what keep you steady.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is SEO still worth the effort if AI tools are taking over search?

Yes. SEO helps both search engines and AI understand who you are, what you do, and why you’re credible. Without it, you’re invisible to both humans and machines.

2. What’s the difference between paid ads and SEO?

Ads can get you quick visibility, but the traffic stops when the budget stops. SEO builds long-term visibility and trust, even if it takes longer to see results.

3. What can I realistically do myself as a solopreneur?

Write blog posts that answer real client questions, collect reviews and testimonials, keep your profiles consistent, and check your site speed. These small steps go a long way.

4. Do I really need schema markup?

Schema isn’t mandatory, but it helps search engines and AI categorize your content. It’s especially useful for blogs, services, and events. You don’t need to code it yourself—your VA or website person can learn the basics.

5. How do I write blog titles that work for SEO?

Use straightforward titles that say exactly what the post is about: “How to Tell If Therapy Can Help With Burnout.” Avoid vague ones like “When the Fire Finally Burns Out.”

6. How do I know if I should hire SEO help?

If your site has technical issues, you want a strategic content calendar, or you need backlinks and media features, that’s a good time to bring in specialized support.

7. How do trust signals actually help with SEO?

Reviews, testimonials, consistent profiles, and case studies all show that you’re credible. Search engines and AI use these signals to decide whether to surface your content.