21 Hats Podcast Dashboard: Can AI Save Small Businesses from Google?
Aug 18, 2025
Gene Marks, a seasoned CPA and writer for The Guardian, shares his insights on the struggles small business owners face with Google’s advertising monopoly. He discusses the potential of AI to disrupt this dominance, highlighting how tools like ChatGPT can reshape discoverability. Marks advocates for using YouTube as a more effective platform for promotion, emphasizing advantages like targeted advertising and tutorial videos. He also touches on professionalism in handling layoffs and the discomfort of sharing personal experiences in the digital age.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
AdWords Failure Story
- Gene Marks repeatedly failed to get traction with Google AdWords despite trying many keywords and localized phrases.
- He says clicks were mostly bots and small budgets got eaten quickly with poor transparency from Google.
AI Overviews Reduce Clicks
- Google is adding AI overviews that answer queries at the top of results and reduce click-throughs to websites.
- That change threatens traditional site traffic and Google's own click-based revenue model.
Create Answer-Focused Content
- Produce clear, authoritative content so AI overviews may source your site and drive higher-quality leads.
- Focus on content that answers user questions concisely to improve chances of inclusion.