Listicles Are Dead? Or Rather Shortcuts Are Dead for GEO / AEO
Trying to build visibility in LLMs quickly is understandable but it just doesn't work that way
The SEO industry has always been notorious for looking for shortcuts. This mindset is hard to fight against.
SEOs always discover a tactic that works and massively jump into it until it becomes a problem, even for those who are trying to do it right.
Listicles are just one of many examples of this happening, over and over again.
We know they work for LLMs, as the list format is very easy to pull entities from. And the rise of self-serving and commercial listicles has been insane to watch.
Brands were forced into sponsoring their mentions in listicles, and lots of publications were switching to the “Top lists” format to monetise their existence… until Google noticed.
Poorly researched and self-serving listicles are losing organic search visibility now. One of the popular examples is ClickUp, which went aggressive with listicles to lose about 7M in estimated organic traffic over the past 6 months.
This has been well-expected. There has been so much talk about listicles that Google was bound to listen.
The real problem is that shortcuts are not right or wrong as long as you are making a well-informed decision.
Let’s zoom out just a little bit here… I know “GEO” sells, but so far, there are no actual signs that LLMs are driving real, massive visibility.
Our own study indicates that consumers are not embracing AI as fast as it may seem inside our little tech bubble.
But ours is not the only study that proves that. Ahrefs tracks online traffic trends and reports that LLM traffic is about 0.26% of the overall inbound traffic digital brands generate.
So why are we so obsessed with LLM optimization?
We are discussing this topic this week. Join us!
On LinkedIn, we will discuss the topic and answer your question (no registration required! Just come over! Sam Page, an SEO expert and old friend (and the former Global Head of SEO at Amazon Business and Director of SEO at Slack), will co-host the event to share his insights!
On Reddit, Sam Page is also hosting an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on anything related to SEO and GEO! Ask your questions! This is a great opportunity to
I am not saying you should ignore where AI is going, to be sure…
I am the one talking about SEO for AI all the time. I even started a dedicated subreddit to curate findings and studies around “GEO”.
But let’s all face it: LLM visibility is not something to lose visibility in other channels for. At least not for now.
Even if something seems to work, on a grand scale of things, among all the tactics you can invest in, LLM optimization shortcuts will likely bring you some minimal results, even if successful.
“GEO” visibility is long-term. It is NOT about shortcuts.
It is about building a relevant, clear brand that is associated with what it does (and problems it solves). It is, first of all, building relevant visibility elsewhere where LLMs are pulling from (Google, Reddit, Youtube, maps, etc.)
It is about being known for what you do.
Shortcuts may work for a few months, but they may cost you fundamental visibility, which will be hard to rebuild.
Get real and build something that will sustain any Google reviews or LLM model changes. And if you need help, ask me how.