This week: the shift from SEO to GEO, why your generalist agency is at risk, and why billing by the hour is limiting your business. And how trust is your ultimate competitive advantage, especially in an AI world.

AI's Impact on Marketing and Content

In a world of declining clicks, website traffic is becoming a questionable goal. Rand Fishkin argues that with AI Overviews and answer engines taking over, we're entering the era of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), making your old SEO playbook less effective.

GEO shifts your strategy from ranking for keywords to becoming a trusted, citable authority. As search becomes conversational, you must organize content to directly answer your audience's questions with clarity. John Jantsch explains this movement from rankings to relevance requires thinking like a teacher, not an algorithm.

For your firm, this means adapting now. Wil Reynolds suggests combining paid and organic data to identify where AI Overviews already appear for your most valuable terms, helping you focus efforts where you can still have influence.

Comment insights:

• A commenter on Rand's post notes that clients still demand traffic metrics, creating an educational challenge for agencies.
• On Wil's analysis, a user highlights how cross-channel data analysis separates strategic agencies from tactical ones.

Business Strategy & Growth for Small Firms

What if your biggest weakness is that your positioning is lacking? That's David C. Baker's direct feedback to agencies that are difficult to differentiate because they refuse to specialize.

Many firms fear specializing will limit opportunities. But Jonathan Stark argues that competition actually proves demand exists. The real danger isn't competition—it's being a commodity where clients can only compare you on price.

Specializing requires courage. Blair Enns points out it's not about "service quality" claims—it's a deep commitment to a specific market that makes you meaningfully different to ideal buyers, allowing you to escape price-based judgment.

Comment insights:

• A user on David's post calls the advice a necessary "kick in the pants," highlighting how blind leaders can be to their own lack of focus.
• A commenter on Jonathan's post adds: "If you're not different, you better be cheap."

Pricing and Value

If you bill hourly, how do you double your income? Jonathan Stark explains your limited options: work twice as much and burn out, double your rates and lose clients, or become a manager. The billable hour is a limitation.

Value pricing offers escape—basing fees on client outcomes, not your time. It shifts from selling labor to selling results. Stark clarifies this isn't about gouging; true value pricing means charging a fraction of the significant value delivered, creating a win for clients.

This matters more with AI. As Made With Love notes, AI makes you more efficient—and if you bill hourly, efficiency means making less money. Value pricing decouples income from time, letting you benefit from technology's leverage.

Comment insights:

• A commenter on Jonathan's post notes the hardest part is having confidence to propose fixed prices based on future outcomes.
• Another user adds that value pricing forces better sales conversations to truly understand clients' desired business outcomes.

The Importance of Trust & Authenticity

In a world saturated with AI content and spam, your greatest advantage is being human. John Jantsch notes the irony that cold outreach has become so problematic that marketers use "burner domains" to protect their real brand—the opposite of real marketing.

Real marketing builds trust. Mark Schaefer observes that brands no longer control their message completely. Trust comes through authentic actions and genuine connection, not polished, soulless campaigns—an area where small firms can outmaneuver larger competitors.

Being authentic means showing your work and sharing your point of view. Michael Katz advocates positioning yourself as a "likeable expert." Whether through newsletters, podcasts, or social media, you're sharing a piece of yourself—building relationships that lead to business.

Comment insights:

• On John's post, a commenter states: "If you have to hide who you are to do marketing, you're not doing marketing."
• A comment on Mark's post reinforces that "the brand is what people say it is"—every interaction shapes your real brand story.

Sound Bites

• 🎥 ChatGPT Changed SEO...But Can It Replace Me?: Ahrefs pits an SEO expert against a custom-trained ChatGPT to see who knows more about SEO.
• 🎙️ Why AI Is Reshaping Every Stage of the Buyer's Journey: John Jantsch explores how AI impacts every stage from awareness to referral.