Graphite

AEO Reforge Webinar * Video: bit.ly/aeo-webinar-video * Slides: bit.ly/aeo-webinar-slides Webflow Case Study * 8% of signups on Webflow now come from LLMs, and LLM traffic and signups are growing quickly. LLM visits convert at 6x the rate of SEO visits. * I share specific examples of what caused, which include Youtube videos that target AEO topics, Reddit optimization, use case specific articles, help center optmiization. Reddit Optimization * We have tried many Reddit optimization strategies, but it’s pretty hard to “game” (which is a good thing). * What has worked is 1) comments from actual people vs. company accounts, 2) disclose who you are and that you work at the company vs. pretending you're a non-employee, 3) give useful information vs. selling your product. Video Optimization * Create videos around topics you want to rank for in LLMs. * This is especially interesting for B2B companies because many high-value topics don’t have many videos about them, so this is an untapped opportunity. * Create videos on YouTube & Vimeo, so that you can be mentioned multiple times vs. only being mentioned on your own website. Top Cited Domains * I share research around the top cited domains. The results are consistent with other studies showing Wikipedia, Youtube, Reddit, and media publishers (e.g. Investopedia) are the most cited domains. * Consumer: For questions like “best travel credit card,” most citations are affiliates that are pay-to-play. AI Content * AI content doesn’t work and never has worked. Claims that AI content works are almost all not true (not 100% of the time, but most of the time). * We also have new data showing AI content does not perform in ChatGPT citations/search in addition to Google.

We had a great Workshop with Webflow on AEO 🔥 Here are the key takeaways: 1/ AEO Is The New SEO * ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and other chat surfaces now use search to power answers. AI chat is converging with search. 2/ Speed to Visibility * Ranking #1 in SEO for a competitive keyword (e.g. “best credit card”) can take years. * Getting mentioned in an LLM answer could happen in days or weeks, with the right approach. * AEO provides a faster path to exposure, especially valuable for early-stage companies. 3/ Question Research * Question Research is the new Keyword Research. * There's no tool that provides question volume. Transform keywords into questions, assuming that the search volume will be similar.  * Don’t stop at one keyword– look at all the variants and subtopics related to a question. * In LLMs, questions are longer than in Search, so optimize for specific long-tail queries. 4/ Earned & Owned Strategies  * Earned: LLMs typically cite third-party sources (e.g. blogs, Reddit, media sites) when answering broad questions like “best X.” * Owned: For more specific or follow-up questions, LLMs often pull content directly from company websites. To optimize for this, create content-rich pages that address detailed user needs. More to come at the Webflow conference: webflow.com/webflowconf

How to separate reality from hype when it comes to AI and SEO? Artificial intelligence is changing the SEO industry, bringing a whole new set of challenges and opportunities. In this Reforge webinar, Ethan shares real data on what’s happening in search today and how to navigate it. Learn about: 👉How large language models (LLMs) are shifting the way people search for information online, and how businesses can adjust their strategies to win in this new channel. 👉How AI-generated content performs in SEO and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), backed by real data. 👉How to focus on the right 5% of AEO and drive the highest impact possible with new pages, content enhancement, and citation optimization. Date & Time: Wednesday, July 30th, 10 AM PT Sign up link in the comments 👇

AI search is already changing how people discover brands, and most companies aren’t ready. Our CEO, Ethan Smith, shared some insights with Cervin Ventures on how B2B brands can prepare for Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). Here are the key takeaways: 1/ AI search is already shifting traffic. LLMs now provide dynamic, clickable answers based on live search queries, creating a shift in traffic that’s expected to continue as LLMs grow. Cervin has already noticed traffic changes for some of their portfolio companies. 2/ Citations = Visibility Quoting Ethan: “You win not by your own URL showing up, but by others mentioning you.” Like Google’s PageRank, LLMs seem to choose answers based on mentions from trusted third-party sources, such as Reddit, YouTube, Wikipedia, G2, or Gartner. 3/ Searches are longer and more detailed. People ask LLMs full questions, 20–25 words on average, versus  ~6 in traditional search. That means your content needs to be clear, complete, and relevant to more specific questions. What B2B marketers can do: 💻 Stick to strong SEO basics. Good site speed, structure, internal linking, and rich content still matter. Google isn’t going away, it’s just adding AI. ❓Focus on question research. Instead of just keywords, think about all the ways someone might ask the same question. Then build content that answers those variations clearly and thoroughly. 🗞️ Get more third-party mentions. Push for more mentions of your brand on: -PR and media -Product review sites -Affiliate content -Communities like Reddit and YouTube 🔍 Use Help Center content as an asset. LLMs often cite product documentation in answers. Make sure your Help Center covers detailed questions like integrations, regions, and languages. Link to full summary in the comments.

AI is and will continue to dramatically change how the world uses search. Join Mucker Capital for a webinar with our CEO, Ethan Smith, as he shares key insights and recommendations for early-stage companies to win on Answer Engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity. This session will help you sift through the AI chat noise to identify the few AEO strategies that can drive meaningful growth for early-stage companies and the strategies that won't work at the early stage. We will cover: - AI Trends: Growth & Paradigm Shift - The 5%: What actually drives impact for early-stage companies - Answer Optimization Strategies: Earned vs Owned Register now to secure your spot 👉 https://lnkd.in/gGYaeDiw Date & Time: Friday, June 27, 11 AM PT | 2 PM ET

Check out the latest additions to the #WebflowConf 2025 lineup! 💻 Learn how Vanta's web team scaled innovation and agility using Webflow's collaborative power — straight from their Director of Web Strategy. 📊 Discover how to future-proof your brand for the shift from SEO to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) with Webflow and Graphite. 🤯 Learn how PushPress builds 100 custom sites a month using Webflow, AI, and automation — without compromising on quality. 🎨 Join Relume for a hands-on exploration of AI-powered tools that generate sitemaps, wireframes, and style guides in minutes — and walk away with a starter project. 🧩 Get practical insights from experts on structuring scalable, on-brand builds in Webflow using frameworks, section libraries, and modular design systems. Stay tuned for more #WebflowConf agenda updates, and don’t forget to save your seat here: https://wfl.io/4ncotRE

AI is no longer just shaping how people find and interact with information; it’s becoming an active participant in how the web is navigated. Join our CEO, Ethan Smith, for a conversation with strategic leaders at PwC, Vectra, and Designit, moderated by Webflow, on how organizations can adapt their websites for an AI-driven future. The panel will share insights on: ⏺️ Structuring content for AI search ⏺️ Balancing human and machine audiences ⏺️ Preparing digital platforms for AI interfaces This conversation will focus on practical strategies for ensuring your website remains discoverable, relevant, and effective as AI continues to redefine digital engagement. 📅 June 10, 10:00 am PT / 1:00 pm ET 🔗 Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eCcHPa5T

To optimize effectively for AEO, brand mentions and third-party citations play a significant role. Key recommendations for earning mentions include: 👀 Track and Analyze Citations: Identify the top citations (URL, not domain) for all your top questions or topics. 🤝 Outreach & Relationships: Consider conventional link-building tactics such as outreach and affiliate arrangements to secure mentions on relevant pages. 🤳 Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC): Platforms like Reddit are increasingly cited in answer engine results. Optimizing presence on Reddit threads and Quora discussions is becoming essential. 🎭 Sentiment Management: It is also critical to monitor and manage sentiment on UGC platforms. Negative threads can harm brand perception unless countered by more favorable content with stronger visibility.

The numbers don’t lie. If you are not seeing results, maybe it’s time to rethink your strategy, not abandon SEO. Love seeing clients win! 💪 From struggling to scale to 936% SEO revenue growth in just 9 months 💰 Fourthwall’s journey with Graphite is proof that the right guidance changes everything. Their team went from “guesswork” to a repeatable system that drives real results. Fourthwall empowers creators to monetize their brand 
while delighting fans–a true win-win. Founded in 2019, they’ve quickly become the preferred platform for over 
50,000 creators to sell products online. The Challenge Despite unsuccessful attempts to grow SEO in the past, the client remained bullish and said that SEO was a big opportunity. They needed to scale SEO-driven growth but lacked expertise and consistent content results. The Solution Fourthwall began using the Graphite Platform 📌 Target high-potential topics using the Topic Explorer tool 📌 Optimize content with the Writing Assistant tool to consistently outrank competitors 📌 Identify and fill content gaps on product pages, adding FAQs that significantly boosted traffic The Results ✅ In just 9 months, Fourthwall achieved a 936% increase in search-driven revenue. ✅ SEO impressions up 3,310% and clicks up 2,301%.  ✅ Established a repeatable, scalable SEO system and plan to expand their investment in SEO further source: Graphite.io

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) Is the New SEO https://lnkd.in/dFsnEG9C How LLMs Work * ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and other chat surfaces now use search to power answers. AI chat is converging with search. * This means that optimizing for answers (AEO) is an evolution of optimizing for search (SEO), and the principles of SEO largely apply to AEO. AEO Topics * SEO Topics in search are a cluster of keywords that a single page targets - targeting by individual keywords is a thing of the past * AEO topics in AI chat are a cluster of *questions* that a single page targets, so rather than targeting single questions, you should target many similar questions with a single page * "Question Research" is the new keyword research. The Long Tail of AEO Questions * In SEO, there are head, mid, and long-tail keywords. * In AEO, there are head, mid, and long-tail questions. * Head questions tend to show publishers and summarize multiple search results. * Earned: Unlike in SEO, it's hard to win a head question with a single page on your site. Instead, optimizing head questions focuses on being mentioned by citations (earned). * Owned: For mid and long-tail questions, destination sites often rank. For these questions, you can optimize by adding pages to your site as you do with SEO. * Further, chat is built for long multi-step conversations with many questions vs. search, which tends to have a small number of searches to fulfill intent. The 5% of AEO * In SEO, most work is wasted, but a few things cause a significant impact. * In AEO, the same will be true. Most AEO work will be a waste, but a small set of strategies have an outsized impact. * To identify The 5% of AEO, test and evaluate ideas and reproduce results. Don't just focus on blog posts and case studies. * At Graphite, we have not yet reproduced impact in AEO multiple times, so we do not know The 5% of AEO. But, given our analysis and experience with SEO, this is what we expect to be most impactful. * New Pages — Create landing pages for AEO topics you haven’t covered yet. * Content Enhancement — Find AEO topics where you have existing landing pages, assess whether these pages have content gaps or important unanswered questions, then add content that fills these gaps. * Citation Optimization — Identify the most cited URLs for AEO topics with the most opportunity, then find a way to persuade those citations promote your product or brand. Beware of Fake AEO Case Studies * After 20 years of SEO, people still do things that don't work. This is in part due to fake case studies, misleading studies, and false information. * The same will be true for AEO. Beware of fake AEO case studies and validate which strategies drive impact yourself. Request As you evaluate and reproduce impactful strategies, share what works and what doesn’t so we can all learn together. As we find what drives impact in AEO at Graphite, we will share our learnings.