Listening is only the first step; doing is something else.

We often get great advice, but the true value isn’t in hearing it—it’s in acting on it. This is a positive and friendly reminder that when it comes to digital marketing, particularly in the new era of AI-powered search, we must be proactive and prepared to change. The future of search is already here, and waiting to see what happens is no longer an option.

Listening is only the first step; doing is something else. Sometimes a hard lesson to learn but one we must consider to gain results

Post by Peter Hanley coachhanley.com

The Power of Accepting Feedback

First off, let’s talk about that moment of truth. You know, when you ask for a little help, and the answer you get isn’t quite what you were expecting. In my case, I asked an AI what it thought of my blog posts. The response was solid but suggested changes that I just didn’t feel were right. I was a bit stubborn, I’ll admit. But then, my wife offered a bit of quiet wisdom: “If you don’t like the answer, don’t ask the question.” She was so right. The AI’s suggestions, while initially jarring, were actually genuine improvements. This experience highlighted a crucial point: listening is fantastic, but it’s only the start of the journey. The real growth happens when we decide to do something with what we’ve learned, even if it pushes us out of our comfort zone.

The Dawn of a New Search Era

This lesson is incredibly relevant to the world of search and digital marketing right now. In fact, it brings me to something that I think is going to revolutionize the way we approach everything: the new Google and Apple AI-powered answer engines. You might have heard about them—Apple is launching “World Knowledge Answers,” and Google is continually evolving its “AI Overviews.” These aren’t just new features; they are foundational shifts. They’re moving away from traditional link-based search results and toward providing users with direct, comprehensive, and multimodal answers right at the top of the page. This is a game-changer because it fundamentally alters the user’s journey. They’re getting answers before they even click on a website.

Preparing for the Future, Today

So, what does this mean for every marketer out there? It means we need to stop just listening to the buzz about AI and start doing. We must begin preparing our content and strategies now. Here’s why:

• From Clicks to Answers: The old model was about getting a click. The new model is about becoming the source for the answer. This means our content must be structured to be easily digestible and summarizable by AI. Think concise, direct, and authoritative.
• Embracing Multimodal Content: These new search engines aren’t just about text. They’re about providing rich, multimodal answers with images, videos, and interactive elements. Marketers must start creating high-quality visual and video content and ensure it’s properly tagged with alt text and captions.
• The Rise of High-Intent Traffic: While organic click-through rates for some queries might decline as AI provides direct answers, the users who do click through from these new summaries are likely to be highly qualified and have a strong intent to convert. Our focus should shift from pure traffic volume to attracting this high-quality, high-intent traffic.

Q&A

Q: Will traditional SEO become obsolete? A: Not at all! The core principles of SEO—creating quality, authoritative, and user-centric content—are more important than ever. However, the how and what of our optimization must evolve. We’re not just optimizing for keywords anymore; we’re optimizing for AI-driven answers.

Q: What is the single most important thing a marketer should do right now? A: Start creating content that is a direct answer to a user’s question. Think about the most common questions in your niche and provide clear, comprehensive, and well-structured answers that are easily pulled into an AI summary.

Ready to start doing?

If you’re looking for a community and training that will help you prepare for these changes and build a thriving online business, check out Wealthy Affiliate. It’s the perfect place to learn how to create the kind of content that thrives in this new world of AI-powered search.

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