Importance of Quality Content

My biggest takeaways from Ethan Smith on how to win at AEO (i.e. get ChatGPT to recommend your product): 1. Being mentioned most often beats ranking first. In Google, the #1 blue link wins. In ChatGPT, the answer summarizes multiple sources—so appearing in five citations beats ranking #1 in one. Ethan’s strategy: get mentioned on Reddit, YouTube, blogs, and affiliates. Volume of mentions matters more than any single placement. 2. LLM traffic converts 6x better than Google search traffic. Webflow saw this dramatic difference because users who come through AI assistants have built up much more intent through conversation and follow-up questions, making them highly qualified leads. 3. Early-stage startups can win at AEO immediately, unlike with SEO. Traditional SEO requires years of domain authority. But a brand-new Y Combinator company mentioned in a Reddit thread today can show up in ChatGPT tomorrow. The playing field is finally level. 4. The long tail of AEO is 4x bigger than SEO. People ask ChatGPT questions with 25 or more words (vs. 6 in Google). Ethan found gold in queries like “Which meeting transcription tool integrates with Looker via Zapier to BigQuery?”—questions that never existed in search but are perfect for AI. Own these micro-niches. 5. Reddit is proving to be the kingmaker for AI visibility. ChatGPT trusts Reddit because the community polices spam better than any algorithm. Ethan’s exact playbook: make one real account, say who you are and where you work, give genuinely helpful answers. Five good comments can transform your visibility. No automation, no fake accounts—just be helpful. 6. YouTube videos for “boring” B2B terms are a gold mine for AEO. Nobody makes videos about “AI-powered payment processing APIs”—which is exactly why you should. While everyone fights over “best CRM software,” the high-value, zero-competition long tail is wide open in video. 7. Your help center is now a growth channel. All those “Does your product do X?” questions flooding ChatGPT can be answered by help-center pages. Move them from subdomain to subdirectory, cross-link aggressively, and cover every feature question. Ethan calls this the most underutilized opportunity in AEO. 8. January 2025 was the inflection point in AEO growth. That’s when ChatGPT made answers more clickable (maps, shopping cards, citations) and adoption exploded. Webflow went from near zero to 8% of signups from AI. This channel is accelerating faster than any Ethan’s seen in 18 years. 9. The AEO playbook: (1) Find questions from competitor paid search data, (2) set up answer tracking, (3) see who’s showing up as citations, (4) create landing pages answering all follow-up questions, (5) get mentioned offsite via Reddit/YouTube/affiliates, (6) run controlled experiments, (7) build a dedicated team. This exact process is driving real results at scale.

If AI is making feeds “smarter,” why do YouTube and LinkedIn feel more repetitive than ever? The real question is simpler: Are you actually learning? Or just consuming? The issue isn’t volume. It’s value. There’s more content than ever, yet fewer moments of genuine insight. Scroll for a while and the patterns repeat: • Familiar ideas, lightly reframed • Advice optimized for reach, not depth • Recycled narratives with new hooks What’s being optimized isn’t learning. It’s attention. The first wave of AI-powered feeds optimized for metrics: Clicks, watch time, replays. But engagement is not the same as understanding. Algorithms crave momentum, not nuance. The result? Feeds that feel busy—but don’t move you forward. Time gets consumed. Perspective stays static. That’s why the next shift won’t come from generating more content. It will come from value-led curation. People (or purpose-built agents) who filter for: • What actually teaches • What adds context • What justifies your limited attention The platforms that matter won’t just capture time. They’ll justify it. AI can distribute content. AI can scale reach. But wisdom requires judgment. And judgment remains human.

Founder: We can't track the ROI of content. Me: Shift your focus to these 13 benefits: A content strategy facilitates the buying journey. Yet, many founders see only the measurement 'problems': - Can't know exactly the ROI of each piece of content - An overall feeling of losing control (vs precise tracking) - Cost per qualified leads are not precise so 'unpredictable' - Can't track "key metrics" such as reply rate with outbound - Not a direct revenue line as a google ads retargeting campaign It's hard to go from siloed revenue streams to an holistic strategy covering the whole buying journey. But the impact is clear at so many levels: - More visibility, awareness, and qualified traffic - Improved brand's perception (mix of trust and interest) - More qualified inbound leads (and facilitated outbound) - Better sales velocity (increased closing + faster cycles) - Higher satisfaction rate (because customers find answers) Plus there is a good news; you don't need to drastically change your existing system. Content creates a fertile ground for your current revenue team: - Increased visibility → SDRs outreach is easier for socials/emails - More trust + address objections → Sales team can close smoothly - Answer questions and onboard → Account Executives focus on relations In a nutshell; - Stop trying to over-control - Shift your focus to metrics that matter - Analyze the impact on the whole buying journey

In a world that's all about speed and bargain-hunting, the concept that quality takes its sweet time and comes with a hefty price tag might make you raise an eyebrow or two. But trust me, the journey to quality is an adventure well worth embarking upon, and it's even sprinkled with a touch of humor along the way. As they say, "Rome wasn't built in a day." And let's be honest, Rome would have been a flop if they tried to rush it. Quality, whether you're baking a cake or building a spaceship, is like fine wine; it gets better with time. When you sprint through tasks, you might as well be racing with your shoelaces tied together. It's a recipe for disaster, where crucial details are easily overlooked. Think about that lovingly crafted Swiss watch – it takes a whole lot of Swiss meticulousness and, yes, time to create one of those masterpieces. Rushing it would be like trying to speed-read War and Peace. You'll miss the point and probably end up with a watch that couldn't even tell time correctly. Now, let's talk about the cost of quality. Quality products and services often sport a price tag that could make your wallet weep. But hey, remember that old saying, "You get what you pay for"? It's like trying to save money by getting the cheapest parachute. It might seem like a bargain until you need it to work, and then it's suddenly not so funny. When you invest in quality over time and cost, you're essentially putting your money where your smile is. The benefits include: 1. Durability: High-quality products and services are like the Energizer Bunny; they keep going and going, saving you from countless replacements and repairs. 2. Customer Satisfaction: Quality is like a magician's spell that turns customers into loyal fans, and loyal fans are like your own personal marketing team. 3. Reputation: A reputation for quality is like a shining knight's armor, protecting your business from competition dragons. 4. Sustainability: Quality products and services are like eco-warriors in disguise, often turning out to be more planet-friendly in the long run. 5. Reduced Stress: Rushed work can lead to premature aging (both in you and the product). Quality work is like sipping a cup of herbal tea on a stress-free Sunday afternoon. So, there you have it, the grand symphony of quality, time, and cost, with a sprinkle of humor to keep it light. In a world that's often in a hurry, where budget concerns can cloud judgment, never forget that quality is the timeless gem that shines through it all. It's like a fine wine – savor it, enjoy the journey, and let it take you to places you never thought possible, without breaking your bank or your funny bone.

📢 ¡Basta de vender humo! Si tienes que convencer de tu calidad, ya perdiste Puedes llenar tu web de palabras como "premium", "innovador", "de alta calidad", pero al final… ¿𝗱𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲́ 𝘀𝗶𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗶 𝗹𝗮 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗹𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼? 𝗘𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗼́𝗻, 𝗹𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗱 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗮, 𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮. Steve Jobs: "It´s funny, the group of people that do not use quality in their marketing are Japanese. You never seem them using quality in their marketing. It´s only the American companies that do. And yet, if you ask people on the street which products have the best reputation for the quality they will tell you the Japanese products. Now why is that? How could that be? The answer is because customers don´t form their opinions on quality from marketing. They do not form their opinions on quality from who won the Deming award or who won the Baldrige award. The form their opinions on quality from their own experience with the products or the services. And so, one can spend enormous amounts of money on quality. One can win every quality award there is. And yet, if your products don´t live up to it, customers will not keep that opinion for long in their minds. So, I think where we have to start is with our products and our services, not with our marketing department. And we need to get back to the basics and go improve our products and services". 📌 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗺𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. Toyota Motor Corporation no necesita repetir que sus coches son confiables. Simplemente lo son. Llevan décadas en la carretera sin fallar. Su marketing habla de eficiencia, no de “calidad superior”. 📌 𝗟𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘆𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗼́𝗻. Canon EMEA y Nikon no buscan golpes de efecto. Año tras año, han mantenido estándares impecables. ¿El resultado? Cuando piensas en cámaras de calidad, piensas en ellas. 📌 𝗖𝗮𝗱𝗮 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗼́𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮. Desde abrir el paquete hasta el uso diario, cada momento refuerza la experiencia. Sony lo sabe: diseño elegante, durabilidad, y funcionalidad crean una percepción de calidad sin necesidad de repetirlo. 📌 𝗟𝗼𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. Shiseido no grita a los cuatro vientos que es la mejor marca de cosmética. Sus productos hablan por sí solos y los clientes hacen el resto. 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗷𝗲𝘀: ➡️ Deja que tu producto hable. ➡️ La calidad no se declara, se construye. ➡️ Si realmente ofreces algo extraordinario, la gente lo notará y lo recomendará. ¿𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗱𝗼 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗱 𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗿 𝗱𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗮? Juzguen ustedes mismos. Feel free to share your opinions in the comments! 💬 Comparto ideas sobre tecnología, ciencia, economía, sociedad, deporte y política. Haz clic en la 🔔 de mi perfil para no perderte mis nuevas publicaciones https://t.ly/wuTI1

Most copy fails to convert before the first word. Why? Because copy isn’t just content. It’s psychology, structure, and insight. Here’s what’s actually breaking your copy: 1. Your story does not hook You start at the beginning, when nothing’s happened yet. People scroll past. ✅ Start with the tension. Add backstory later. 2. You’re doing surface-level research You sound like you know the topic, but you don’t sound like them. The copy feels distant. ✅ Read what your audience reads. Use their exact words. 3. Your CTA is too heavy You ask people to buy straight away. Most aren’t ready. ✅ Make the next step easier. Help them start small. 4. You’re trying to speak to everyone So no one feels like you’re talking to them. ✅ Picture one person. Write like you're speaking to them. 5. Your voice keeps changing One post sounds friendly. The next sounds formal. People don’t recognise it’s you. ✅ Pick a tone. Stick with it. 6. Your verbs are weak The copy feels flat. Nothing moves. ✅ Use words with action. Break → smash. Make → build. Good copy isn’t clever. It’s clear. Save this copywriting cheat sheet for later (top right 3 buttons). What else would you add? 💛

Original HubSpot is gone. ChatGPT finished the job. What is “original HubSpot,” you might be wondering? If you were around before 2014, you remember. HubSpot was built on one big idea: drive growth through the inbound funnel. That meant starting at the top with a blog packed with long tail SEO posts that showed your expertise on topics related to your products or services. Someone found you on Google, clicked a CTA, downloaded gated content, signed up for a newsletter, or visited a page that moved them further toward buying. Automation then nurtured those leads toward sales through a series of emails. Over time, HubSpot evolved from inbound software into a CRM and all-in-one growth platform. The inbound funnel strategy was still promoted for years. But AI has changed the game. ChatGPT has nearly a billion users, with 200 million active every day. Those curiosity-driven, top-of-funnel questions that used to bring people to your blog now stay inside ChatGPT. When buyers get serious and enter the middle or bottom of the funnel, asking about performance, pricing, or availability, ChatGPT sends them to shortlists of providers with website links. Google is still used at that stage, and paid ads and bottom-of-funnel SEO still work. The takeaway is simple: long tail SEO and traditional top-of-funnel are gone. Your site now needs to win the decision stage. Define your ICP, clearly state who you help and how, and give buyers every reason to choose you. This is not just a marketing job anymore. Sales needs to be part of the process. It is time for a site refresh led by someone who thinks like a salesperson, not just a creative director. Build a site designed to dominate the ChatGPT bottom-of-funnel handoff and the same for Google decision-stage searches. By doing this, you not only increase your chances of being recommended, but you also make your site far more buyer-friendly in the process. Where to double down right now: 👉 Social proof and testimonials that sound like real customers 👉 Case studies and customer stories with measurable results and names 👉 Sales deck content turned into web pages buyers can find without asking 👉 Industry pages and use cases showing exactly how you solve problems 👉 Clear “how to buy / where to buy / who to talk to” and why it helps 👉 Robust FAQs covering product, service, and buying concerns 👉 Comparison pages showing how you stack up against alternatives 👉 Clear pricing or ranges to remove guesswork 👉 Take the stuff you say during the sales process and put it on the site When you build a site this way, you position yourself to win the ChatGPT and Google bottom-of-funnel handoff, make it easy for decision-stage buyers to choose you, and create a site that works as hard as your best salesperson. 

I'm hearing CMO's talk about AEO (AI engine optimization) a lot. They're asking "How do I rank in genAI platforms?" So what should CMOs ask their teams to do in order to become citable, authoritative sources for AI? The AEO playbook is still being written. New measurement are being created. From what I'm seeing and what experts in the field are saying, the consensus is that AEO is more like SEO (search engine optimization) than not, but with some important tweaks. 1️⃣ Double down on genuinely valuable, original content (especially original data): This cannot be overstated. AI engines are getting smarter about recognizing true expertise as they get excellent signals from users about what's useful or not. While Google was the "database of intent" from a search query, LLMs typically get the benefit a back and forth with users that make it really clear to the LLM what's valuable or not to the user. 2️⃣ Optimize for answers rather than keywords: Rather than building original content for a keyword you want to rank for and then a cluster or keywords around it, build content that fully answers a question you think your prospects are asking... and then build content for a cluster of questions they might ask around that original question. This reframing is important for your content strategy. Also consider conversational language in your writing to more closely mirror how people actually ask questions in LLMs. While we all needed to learn how to "speak Google" as users of search, the LLM query is, as we all know, much closer to a typical conversation. 3️⃣ Structure for AI Consumption: LLMs "remember" better clearly organized information. Consider these techniques: * Direct answers up front: Get to the point quickly * Clear hierarchies: Use your H1s, H2s, H3s logically. This structure is important for the LLM to understand difference in and relationships between concepts * Scannable formats: Bullet points, numbered lists, and FAQ-style sections are often your friends, but not required * Schema Markup: Another useful way to clearly indicate to LLMs the structure and meaning of content 4️⃣ Build and broadcast authority: High-quality backlinks still matter. New for LLMs, authoritative sites mentioning _in plain text_ that your brand is an authority on specific topics is really important. Why? Because LLMs consume that plain, unlinked text for training. You can think of each repetition in plain text as another round of the LLM trying to memorize something... the more reps, the more you remember. 5️⃣ Technical Readiness: * AI Crawler Access: Can bots like GPTBot & Google-Extended actually reach your content? Check robots.txt and consider llms.txt. This is a simple extension from SEO * Speed & Clean HTML: Fast-loading, well-structured pages win, which is not really a change from SEO This is the best guidance I see in a rapidly evolving space with no definitive guidance. What are you seeing? Please share in the comments

Stop Posting Just Room Photos on Socials! Here’s What Guests Actually Want to See. Be honest with yourself, how many times has your hotel’s socials posted a perfectly polished room photo with a caption like: "A cozy escape awaits. Book now. ✨" And how many times did that post actually drive engagement… or, better yet, a booking? The truth? Guests don’t book because of a bed and four walls. They book for the experience. Yet, so many hotels (and restaurants) flood their feeds with soulless, salesy photos that look just like every other property. If your social media feels more like an online catalog than a destination, you’re missing the point. And here’s the real game-changer: With AI improving at an insane pace, software will soon generate better images of our hotel rooms than we ever could anyway! Perfect lighting, flawless composition, AI will do it all. Just like the image in those post. So, what will actually make a difference? The stories and experiences we share. What Should You Post Instead? 📍 The Destination : Guests aren’t just staying at your hotel; they’re visiting your city. We’re focusing on highlighting local gems, hidden spots, and experiences they won’t find on TripAdvisor. 👩🍳 Behind-the-Scenes Stories : Meet the chef behind your restaurant. Show how your cocktails are crafted. Introduce the team that makes the magic happen. People connect with people, not just places. 🎥 Guest-Generated Content : A guest’s TikTok or Instagram Story will always feel more authentic than a corporate post. That’s why we’re actively encouraging and sharing real experiences from real people. 🐶 Unique Experiences – Is your hotel pet-friendly? Show a guest’s dog getting VIP treatment. Do you have a rooftop with an insane sunset view? Capture it in the moment. We’re prioritising content that makes guests feel something. 😂 Relatable Moments – The WiFi struggle at check-in. The joy of room service at midnight. The feeling of slipping into a fresh hotel robe. We’re leaning into humour, nostalgia, and moments guests actually remember. The Bottom Line? Our guests don’t just want a room. They want a story to tell and a memory to take home. That’s exactly why our hotel group has shifted the focus of our social media strategy. Less staged perfection, more real experiences with the teams on the ground diving right in to get on board! AI will generate the polished images, but it won’t replace human connection. What’s the best-performing post you’ve seen from a hotel or restaurant? Drop a link, I’d love to check it out! 👇🏼

Zillow’s content strategy started by producing market reports and giving them away for free - and helped turn them into a household name doing over $2 billion a year. Content works, but performance marketing will destroy your content strategy if you let it get too close… We work with over 100 teams investing in brand publishing, and *the* most common mistake we see is letting the wrong incentives drive content strategy into the ground. Great brand publishing creates long term authority with potential customers, ensuring that you are top of mind when potentials are in buy-mode. But too often, companies start measuring content by the leads it generates. This quickly incentivizes the content team to produce built-to-convert content, or focus on bottom of funnel topics that might convert a few users but miss the overall picture. If Zillow had produced only “Which mortgage is right for me?” and “Best time to buy a house,” they would never have won. If you’re going to invest in content, don’t kneecap the strategy. What are other examples of brands that get it - and are thinking long term with their content strategies?