Drift: How LLMs Alter Prompts Before Searching

E859: David Quaid returns to explain how large language models surface webpages and how you can measure and influence your visibility in tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini.

We walk through query fan-outs, drift, search console interpretation, Looker Studio reporting, and practical steps for testing what LLMs return and why.

Topics covered: - How LLMs retrieve information in real time rather than storing the web - How PageRank still influences what LLMs cite - Query Fan-Outs: what it is, how to observe it, and why it matters - Drift: how and why LLMs alter your prompt before searching the web - How ranking in Google impacts whether you appear in LLM answers - Why schema is frequently overstated as a ranking factor - How to detect LLM-driven impressions in Google Search Console - How to identify high-volume keywords using low-position impressions - When to expand an existing page vs. creating a new one - How to measure referral traffic from ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity in GA4 - Building or requesting a Looker Studio report to track LLM referrals - Practical ways to test visibility in LLMs using search replication

Demonstrations and walk-throughs in this episode: - Identifying Query Fan-Out patterns - Detecting prompt drift in Perplexity and ChatGPT - Inspecting ChatGPT search queries using browser dev tools - Reading Search Console impression patterns to locate high-volume queries - GA4 filtering for referral-based LLM traffic - Using Looker Studio to consolidate source reporting

⭐️ David Quaid on 𝕏 - https://x.com/DavidGQuaid ⭐️ David Quaid on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidquaid/ ⭐️ David Quaid's agency - https://primaryposition.com/

💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/

00:00 Introduction to Ranking in LLMs 00:11 Debunking LLM Myths and Misconceptions 00:59 Understanding Query Fan Outs 02:02 Real-Time Ranking Examples 02:45 The Role of EEAT in SEO 04:54 Query Fan Outs in Different LLMs 14:53 Analyzing Traffic with Looker Studio 16:12 Using Google Analytics for Traffic Insights 23:26 Leveraging Reddit for SEO Insights 26:24 General Overview 27:24 Starting with SEO Rankings 27:40 Understanding Search Console and Content Testing 28:07 Exploring Perplexity and Brave Search 28:43 Popular Episodes and Guest Highlights 29:13 Finding Query Fan Outs in ChatGPT 32:10 The Dead Web and Bot Conversations 34:06 The AMI Paradox and Generative AI 39:30 SEO Practices and Misconceptions 42:05 Schema Implementation and Its Necessity 47:50 Topical Authority and Keyword Research 51:35 Concluding Thoughts and Future Episodes

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#generativeengineoptimization #answerengineoptimization #searchengineoptimization #pagerank