Dear Algorithm, I’m Tired: Content Strategy Reality Check

We posted reels, built carousels, chased trends and Google still asked: ‘Do Kenyan brands really know who they are?’ Here’s what the first half of 2025 taught us and how this week’s industry intel flips the script.

Key Lessons from Jan–June 2025

AI changed discovery

AI-aware platforms now complete full buyer journeys within a single query no click needed  Create content that answers questions directly, with clear structure and citation-ready format.

Authority > Speed

AI and Google prioritize trusted content with credible authorship and sources. Display your expertise prominently byline, expert quotes, case studies.

Reviews power local visibility

Consumer reviews boost local ranking in AI-powered SERPs and local packs Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews especially for Kenyan GMB profiles.

Calendars aren’t strategy

Posting frequency meant little without content direction. Start with message, then format. Never reverse it.

Brand health signals now SEO signals

Declines in branded searches or rising “Is this legit?” queries show up fast in search data. Use GA4 to monitor branded terms weekly and act fast.

This Week’s Hot Takes

According to Lemuel Park (Search Engine Journal), users today aren’t just searching, they’re consulting AI as a final decision-maker. From discovery to evaluation, the buyer journey is now compressing into a single AI-powered interaction.

That means search engines aren’t just matching keywords; they’re interpreting your content for accuracy, authority, and usefulness in real time

Why This Matters for Kenyan Brands:

Let’s say a user types: “best way to buy Land as a beginner”. Google’s AI Overview isn’t just listing results, it’s summarizing advice. Only the clearest, most reliable, and source-backed articles get quoted.

If your content lacks structure, context, or credibility cues (like authorship, data, or internal links), it’s invisible, even if it ranks.

Kenyan Strategy Moves:

• Structure your content for AI summarization. Use H2s, FAQs, lists, and clear intros.

• Use internal linking to signal depth and authority across related topics.

• Cite credible sources (CMA Kenya, NSE, World Bank reports).

• Add author bios that reflect expertise AI looks at them too.

Think of AI like a journalist: it pulls quotes from the most credible sources not necessarily the top-ranked ones.

2. Local SEO’s New Secret Weapon: Reviews

Mél Attia and other analysts are tracking how AI-powered search now integrates reviews directly into rankings especially in local results like the Google Map Pack. Crowd-sourced sentiment (volume, velocity, and language of reviews) is now a major ranking factor

For brick-and-mortar Kenyan businesses think cafes in Westlands, law firms in Kisumu, or schools in Eldoret your Google Business Profile reviews could be the difference between ranking and vanishing.

It’s no longer enough to have a good-looking website. If no one is talking about you online, AI assumes you’re irrelevant. And outdated, templated 5-star reviews? They’re easy to spot and ignore.

Kenyan Strategy Moves

• Launch a monthly review drive. Incentivize real customers to leave honest feedback.

• Reply to every review. Engagement boosts trust signals.

• Use keywords in responses. Mention your service + location: “Thank you for choosing our Nairobi-based accounting firm!”

• Track language in reviews. Words like “best,” “trusted,” “affordable” act as ranking triggers in local AI results AI reads reviews like humans but processes hundreds at once. Make yours count.

3. AI Now Replaces Traffic, Not Just Search

Reports from Barron’s, AP News, and Search Engine Land show that Google’s AI Overviews are cannibalizing organic clicks. Publishers globally from Forbes to local outlets are seeing 20–50% drops in search traffic. Why? AI now gives users what they need without clickin

Why This Matters for Publishers and Content Platforms:You can rank #1 but never get the traffic if you’re not part of the AI’s “answer set.” That means

• Content must be optimized for summary.

• Your brand must be cited as a trusted voice.

• You must expand visibility beyond just Google.

Kenyan Strategy Moves.

• Double down on newsletters. You own the channel no algorithm interference.

• Invest in social visibility. X (Twitter), Threads, and LinkedIn are becoming search surfaces for AI tools.

• Create community hooks. Telegram groups, Substacks, WhatsApp lists these are your new retention channels.

The traffic isn’t gone. It’s just moved. The future is not “how do I rank” it’s “how do I become the default answer?”

A Note From Me to You Fellow Strategist,

If you’ve made it this far, first of all respect. This newsletter wasn’t just a scroll; it was a strategy session.

Over the past 6 months, I’ve sat with clients asking why their SEO wasn’t working. I’ve rewritten “urgent” content briefs that forgot the customer. I’ve watched AI disrupt traffic patterns and shake our confidence and still, here we are. Plotting, refining, evolving.

If you’re tired, I get it. Not just tired of chasing updates, but of carrying brands that don’t know their message.

Of explaining that SEO isn’t just rankings. That content isn’t just noise. That we’re not “just writers.” But hear me out: this work still matters.

Because we’re no longer just optimizing for Google. We’re training AI on what truth looks like.

We’re shaping how brands are remembered in seconds. We’re building meaning, not just metadata.

So whether you’re a strategist, writer, or the one wearing 12 hats stay curious. Stay sharp. And for the love of algorithms, please rest. Burnout doesn’t rank.