Empire Flippers Podcast SEO in the Age of AI: What Still Works and What Doesn't With Tim Soulo [Ep.203]
Everyone is rushing to "optimize for AI." Most are doing it wrong.
In this episode, Tim Soulo, the Chief Marketing Officer at Ahrefs, cuts through the noise around AEO and GEO and explains why business owners are massively overcomplicating what visibility really means today. While AI-powered search feels new and unpredictable, Tim argues that the same core SEO principles still apply. Create genuinely useful content for your audience, and the algorithms tend to follow.
We dive into how traditional SEO compares to AEO and GEO, and where AI actually changes the game. Tim breaks down how large language models decide what to surface and answers a question many founders are asking right now: how much should you realistically invest in boosting AI visibility before the returns flatten out?
Tim explains why creating content purely for AI is a mistake, and how updating existing content, improving clarity, and leveraging social media can increase AI visibility without risking long-term trust. He also challenges the idea that SEO has to be slow, showing how AI can help businesses move faster when used correctly.
If you want a practical, hype-free take on AI and SEO, this episode delivers.
Topics Discussed in this episode:- How traditional SEO compares to AEO and GEO (03:44)
- Overcoming the pitfalls of AI overviews (06:44)
- Understanding LLM algorithms (09:42)
- Analysing how well you rank in ChatGPT (12:46)
- How much should you invest in boosting your visibility? (19:33)
- Creating content for people, not for AI (25:34)
- Using social media to improve your AI visibility (27:34)
- How to update your existing content to make it more AI-friendly (30:02)
- Using AI to help you rank faster (38:47)
- Will traditional SEO remain relevant or fade away? (42:51)
Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to optimize your brand's visibility in the age of AI.