u/RealisticPosition169

I keep seeing general claims like "informational content is dying" but want more specific picture by industry.

If your niche has been noticeably affected — positively or negatively — would love to know:
- What industry / niche?
- What type of content is getting hit (definitions, how-tos, comparisons, reviews)?
- Are you seeing AI Overviews, AI Mode, or ChatGPT as the main cause?
- Have you found any content types that are holding up better?

Building a picture of where the impact is landing hardest. The more specific the better.

I'm interested in building SEO automations — things like auto-generating meta descriptions at scale, crawling competitor pages, or triggering content updates when rankings drop.

Looking for real examples from people who've actually built something:
- What was the SEO task you automated?
- What tools did you use (Python, Make, n8n, Zapier + AI)?
- How much time does it save per week?
- Would you share the logic or script?

Even simple automations are interesting. Not everything has to be a full pipeline.

There’s something annoying that came up during a six-month audit of our local SEO firm’s performance.

Keyword ranking went up. Website traffic went up. GBP went up. Local search phone calls the only thing that matters when deciding if your investment in a local SEO company was worth it were stagnant.

There is nothing more expensive in local SEO services than the lack of correlation between standard local SEO metrics and actual revenues for a business. Rankings are not the goal; they are a way to achieve it. The goal is a ringing phone line, a filled-out contact form, booked appointments on a calendar.

Local businesses who have terminated their agreement with one local SEO company and hired another what specifically did the new local SEO company do better than the first that led to actual phone calls and revenue?

1. What local SEO company services helped improve Google Maps 3-Pack placements vs what only improved organic rankings?

GBP optimization, local citation management, review momentum, proximity, local link building what were the specific tactics used by the local SEO company that had a measurable impact on Google Maps 3-Pack placements for your business? And what local SEO company services only impacted organic rankings without changing Google Maps visibility?

2. How long does it really take for a local SEO company to get phone calls moving vs rankings?

Local SEO company service timelines can be very different depending on competitive factors however, businesses can expect measurable increases in GBP impressions within 4–6 weeks and measurable improvements in phone calls after 3–4 months. How long did it take a local SEO company to actually drive more phone calls to your business?

3. Do phone calls increase due to local AI Overview Optimization provided by an SEO firm, compared to regular 3-Pack ranking optimization?

Google AI Overview Optimization results compared to Google Maps 3-Pack Optimization results: which is getting more real phone calls in 2026? Any reports based on separate tracking of phone call volume per discovery source?

Actual phone call and sales figures from real local businesses only.

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

Looking at local SEO companies currently available and found a niche that most of them have failed to address.

The role played by the conventional local SEO company such as optimizing GBP, creating citations, managing local keyword ranks, and review management, is well known. However, 76% of people who use "near me" searches visit the company on the same day and 78% mobile local searches lead to offline buying.

And here’s the catch: it’s already being intercepted by AI even before it reaches Google. “Best [service] near me in [city]” is now answered by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. But if your local SEO company isn’t securing clients in these AI-curated answers, then it is literally missing out on the most valuable local searches.

Is your business among those hiring a local SEO company in 2026? Is it optimizing for both AI-driven local citations AND regular local listings?

1. What separates a local SEO company that does genuine GEO from one that just added "AI SEO" to their website?

Showing actual AI Overview local citation examples for existing clients, explaining how they structure content for AI extraction, demonstrating AI citation tracking tools in live use what specific evidence separated genuinely GEO-capable local SEO companies from those using AI language without AI strategy?

2. Does a local SEO company need to be based in your city to deliver effective local SEO?

Local market knowledge neighborhood search behavior, local competitor landscape, city-specific citation sources does it actually require a locally-based SEO company to execute effectively? Or can a national local SEO company deliver comparable results for a Denver, Colorado Springs, or Boulder business without local presence?

3. What local SEO company contract terms protect businesses if AI search results don't improve?

Traditional local SEO company contracts define success as Google rankings and GBP visibility. As AI Overview local citations become equally important how should local SEO company contracts be updated to include AI search visibility accountability? Has anyone negotiated AI citation performance clauses into a local SEO company contract?

Real local business local SEO company experience only.

Google's official line is they care about quality, not how content is made. But the real-world results people report vary wildly.

Trying to get an honest picture:
- Is AI-assisted content (edited, not raw) performing the same as human-written in your niche?
- Have you seen any correlation between AI content and ranking drops after updates?
- Does your niche seem to matter — i.e. YMYL vs entertainment vs SaaS?

Not looking to debate theory. Want to know what people are actually seeing in GSC and Ahrefs right now.

I've been rotating between all three for keyword and topic research and they genuinely feel different in how they surface ideas.

Trying to settle on a primary workflow:
- Perplexity feels more search-like and cites sources — useful for checking what's ranking?
- ChatGPT feels better for brainstorming and clustering?
- Google AI Mode feels more tied to actual SERP data?

What's your experience? Is there a specific use case where one clearly wins? Or do you combine them — if so, how does your workflow look?

I've been trying to figure out what makes some content get pulled into AI-generated answers while similar content gets ignored.

Things I'm experimenting with:
- Direct Q&A format with clear headers
- Short factual paragraphs with specific data points
- FAQ sections at the end

Has anything specific worked for you? Or have you noticed patterns in the content that does get cited vs what doesn't? Any niche counts — even one real example is more useful than ten blog posts on this topic.

There's so much noise about AI content — Google hates it, Google doesn't care, it works short term but tanks later, etc.

Looking for people who've actually run this experiment properly:
- How many AI-assisted posts did you publish?
- Did you edit/humanize or publish raw?
- What happened to rankings over 3, 6, 12 months?
- Did any penalties hit or was it purely traffic-based decline?

Please mention your niche and rough domain age. That context changes everything.

Starting a new site in 2026 feels very different to 2022. Old playbooks (churn out articles, get a few backlinks, wait) don't seem to apply the same way.

For anyone who's launched a new site recently:
- How are you using AI in your early content strategy?
- Are you targeting traditional keywords, AI search queries, or both?
- How long before you saw any meaningful traffic?
- What would you do completely differently if starting again today?

Doesn't matter what niche — all experiences useful.

Some niches seem to be getting hit hard by AI Overviews pushing down organic results. Others seem unaffected or even growing.

If you've seen a change — good or bad — would love to know:
- Which niche / industry?
- Rough % traffic change since AI Overviews expanded?
- Did you change your content strategy in response?
- Are you now appearing IN the AI Overview or being pushed below it?

Any GSC screenshots or data welcome. Trying to build a picture of which sectors are most affected.

Not looking for the generic "they're all good for different things" answer.

I want to know what real SEOs and marketers actually reach for daily:
- Keyword research — which AI do you use and why?
- Content briefs and outlines — same question
- Technical SEO audits or schema generation — any AI actually useful here?
- Has any of this replaced paid tools like Ahrefs / Semrush for you?

Share your actual stack. Honest takes over promotional ones please.

I've read a dozen articles about "optimizing for AI citations" but they're all vague — structured data, E-E-A-T, be authoritative. Not very helpful.

What I'm actually curious about:
- Has anyone verified their site showing up as a citation in ChatGPT or Perplexity?
- What did you do differently that you think caused it?
- Does the type of content matter (how-to vs opinion vs data)?

Real examples only. What platform, what niche, and what change led to it?

GEO keeps coming up everywhere but I'm seeing people use it interchangeably with AEO, LLM SEO, and AI SEO. No one seems to agree on what it actually means in practice.

For those who've looked into it or tried it:
- How do you personally define GEO vs traditional SEO?
- Are you actively optimizing for AI citations or still focused on Google rankings?
- Has anything you've changed actually moved the needle?

Plain English explanations welcome — skipping the vendor fluff.

I keep seeing conflicting takes some say AI search is cannibalizing organic traffic, others say Google still drives 80%+ of their visits.

Before I run my own comparison, curious if anyone here has actually checked how their site shows up across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews vs traditional SERPs?

Specifically curious about:
- Did your traffic drop after AI Overviews expanded?
- Does your site get cited in ChatGPT / Perplexity for your main keywords?
- What niche are you in? (seems to matter a lot)

Drop your real numbers if you have them. Looking for actual experience, not theory.

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

3. In what way will law firms measure their SEO consultants' performance on AEO against the traditional rankings in 2026?

Traditional SEO measurement metrics such as rankings, traffic, and leads are well-established; while AEO metrics such as AI citation frequency, AI Overview appearances, and Perplexity citation tracking are relatively new. How will law firms evaluate SEO consultant performance on AEO against the traditional metrics?

SEO consultant evaluation information from law firms who have performed their due diligence in evaluating legal marketing agencies. No black hat SEO tactics that may lead to manual penalties from search engines; no de-indexing of your site and the loss of all organic traffic overnight.

In my review of twelve legal marketing agencies during four months time span – here's what I found out about the difference between agencies that are real top performers in helping US law firms rank higher in search engines and agencies that are top performers in marketing themselves as top SEO agencies in USA.

Law firms who have gone through rigorous process of agency evaluation - what was the actual verification process that helped to distinguish the genuinely top legal marketing agencies from the ones that call themselves 'top'?

1. What did references from comparable US law firms tell you about leading legal marketing agencies?

Get references from comparable US law firms based on size, specialization, or market. If they are hesitant, move on! What do real-life references tell you about leading legal marketing agencies in the US and which questions yielded the most insightful information? JD Supra

2. What KPIs distinguish between real and vanity top legal marketing agencies?

Real legal marketing agencies will report at the intake level and not only on clicks and impressions but also on calls, form submissions, and chats converted into consultations and retentions by channel and campaign. What are the exact reporting standards that top legal marketing agencies in the US adhere to without hesitation — and which companies turn out to be vanity metrics providers when challenged for intake-level reporting?

3. What impact has the purchase of these agencies by PE had on the definition of "top legal marketing agency in USA"?

Several of the best US legal marketing agencies have been bought out by private equity from 2024 through 2026. Once an agency has been acquired by PE, there is no doubt that it has moved from a small founder-operated business to a bigger entity with other considerations. Have you ever done business with any legal marketing agency before and after being bought out by PE?

Real data on evaluating the law firm agencies please.

After spending three months researching different options for law firm SEO, I ended up somewhere unexpected - seriously contemplating using an independent SEO consultant for lawyers rather than a full-service agency.

Here’s why: legal marketing agencies servicing multiple clients at once tend to implement cookie-cutter strategies that don’t take into account the unique position, specialities, and competition of a particular law firm. While an independent SEO consultant for lawyers dealing with fewer clients can develop better strategies, can they also implement them with the same efficiency as a full-service agency?

The legal SEO consulting market is entirely unregulated. Anyone with basic SEO knowledge can claim to be a legal SEO consultant after studying three blog posts. Distinguishing between the two requires asking the correct questions.

For those who’ve used an independent SEO consultant for lawyers vs a full-service agency, how do you compare the two experiences?

1. What specifically does an SEO consultant for lawyers provide that isn't provided by an SEO agency – and vice-versa?

Depth of strategy vs execution resources – SEO consultants for lawyers usually offer more depth in strategy formulation and less in execution capacity. In the case of a lawyer with some existing capabilities, is there evidence that hiring an SEO consultant will yield more value for money compared to a full-scale SEO agency retainer?

2. How can one determine whether an SEO consultant for lawyers really knows anything about legal SEO vs standard SEO?

Questions related to YMYL standards, E-E-A-T for lawyers, bar ethics requirements for lawyer advertisements, differentiating between practice areas as to keyword search intent – what were the questions asked when evaluating the SEO consultant that showed a real mastery of legal SEO versus general SEO adapted to lawyers?

3. How much does it really cost to hire a lawyer SEO consultant compared to a complete legal SEO agency by 2026?

Legal SEO consulting firms vs. small boutique legal SEO firms vs. large legal SEO marketing companies – what is the actual difference in pricing and where does each option become financially viable?

True legal SEO consultant vs. SEO agency price comparison numbers.