Lazy SEOs, Your Time Is Up!

Perhaps until about a year ago, anyone with enough money for a top-tier SEO platform (plus extras like content writing services) and a tech specialist with a full-stack background could call themselves an SEO agency.

Did it work? Yes, when Google Search was the main (and arguably the only) source for organic traffic. All you had to do was scramble to keep up with Google’s geniuses, who kept inventing hurdle after hurdle to prevent reverse-engineering their secret SERP algorithms.

An entire industry was built around these challenges, offering tools to check if Google’s bot liked your site—whether your H1 had too many or too few words, if your meta title had a “power word,” and so on. But times have changed: even spending hundreds of dollars a month on these SEO platforms (which can add up fast) is becoming obsolete or insufficient for the lazy SEO.

AI Is Changing the Game

Whether you like it or not, AI chat technology is taking over. AI search—spearheaded by ChatGPT, debates aside—now offers website suggestions exactly when users want them. With the rise of apps and audio chat, AI is even more prevalent, and the Google Search era we knew is ending.

Everyday corporate employees looking for dinner plans and a Netflix show at five o’clock simply ask GPT for suggestions. By the time they get home, GPT has a complete plan: from Chinese restaurants to the top show of the week.

If you think that’s nonsense, we can part ways now.

So, SEOs, What Does This Mean for Us?

We’ll share a proven concept based on user feedback, but you must leave your comfort zone. If you’ve been lazy, thinking that having 10k backlinks on some website tool is enough, it’s time to actually work—like going to the gym and lifting real weights. Those ready to do so will adapt to the new game.

After observing this shift from legacy Google Search to AI apps for nearly a year, let’s highlight the obvious: AI searches for candidate URLs in real time. It may bypass Bing (for GPT) or Google or merge both. (If you still firmly believe in the exclusivity of certain search engines, we hope this is reassuring.)

Second, AI sources multiple options. Look at its references, and you’ll see it might list 20–30 URLs for something like “great Chinese food in NYC open tonight,” then narrow down to 2–5. If you check Bing and Google for the same terms, you’ll see GPT’s search results differ greatly from old-school SERPs, partly because people address GPT in a conversational, friend-like way. Bottom line: AI search and legacy SERPs are two different creatures.

AI search apps aren’t necessarily the final nail in the coffin for legacy SERPs, and Bing remains a key source for ChatGPT. Still, user behavior is shifting away from direct search engines. I’m not calling them doomed; I’m simply pointing out that compared to using an AI app or voice assistant to find the best of something, the older approach is “legacy.”

Adapting to the Transition

Everything is in flux. You must adapt or risk being left behind. Clients may already grumble about sinking organic traffic or weird anomalies—often because they haven’t adopted AI search tactics like GPT.

The solution is “content gap closing.”

Why Content Gap Closing?

AI search doesn’t place much weight on backlinks, industries, backlink tiers, page speed, site structure, schema, or H1 vs. H2. That’s old-school SEO thinking. AI takes a split second to read titles, descriptions, and a glance at the content, comparing them for gaps among all candidate URLs, then decides which best matches the user’s request.

The main takeaway? Content and metadata. This might sound like classic SEO, but we’re not talking about the same approach. AI also casts a wider net, looking at external reviews and social buzz about a site before choosing which pages to display.

We can split factors into two categories: 80% content and meta, and 20% signals like online reviews and social media. If your site is lagging and traffic is falling, AI is likely part of the problem. How do we fix it?

Again, “content gap closing.” It’s not new, but our usage of it has changed. And this isn’t for lazy SEOs. If you think you can let AI handle content gap closing, forget it. You’ll wind up right back where you started. Real people—those who understand the site, the topics, the industry, and the competition—need to uncover what’s missing and fill those gaps.

Why Humans Are Still Essential

Picture puzzle boxes: out of 30, most are missing pieces, so only the ones with complete puzzles get recommended. If your competitors mention brands, manufacturers, hours, or other details that you skip, you have a content gap.

Stop delegating this research to AI. That’s just laziness. AI might (and probably will) miss important details or produce gibberish, forcing you to redo the work. Meanwhile, diligent SEOs will surpass you. You lose.

Not convinced? Fine, see you. Convinced? Great—let’s get practical.

Ranking in AI Search:
Steps to Succeed

1. Scrape Competitor Pages: Use Web Carrots’ automated system to grab the metadata and content of the top competitor URLs (it’s usually just a few hundred words each). As you read, look for critical details: business hours, brand names, prices, special offers (like free delivery or installation), service areas, relevant keywords to your target search term, and so on. You know what matters most to your site. Keep notes of all the content gaps across your 3–5 competitor URLs.
2. Check Social Signals: In the Web Carrots “INTEL” tab, see what AI might find about your competitors on Facebook, other social networks, directories, or strong referral sources. Do they have lots of followers? Solid reviews? Jot down what those reviews say. This tells you how to bolster your brand to compete.

Welcome to the New Era of SEO

After this research—especially identifying those content gaps—it’ll be enlightening to see what details all AI-promoted competitors have in common. That reveals which “puzzle pieces” AI values. Gather your missing pieces and slot them into your site in your own words (not by copying).

Then, dig into your notes about referrals, citations, mentions, and reviews. AI checks these before picking which pages to show.

Final Take

Filling these info gaps in your content, meta, and H1 helps you catch up with the competition. Strengthening your online reputation—through more reviews and social followings—can lift you even higher.

After benchmarking your site, think about details you can add that your competitors lack, creating a gap for them instead. Make sure you’re on the same social platforms and directories (like Facebook and Yelp) that are free and level the playing field.

These methods not only help with AI-driven search but also boost your standing in legacy search engines. So roll up your sleeves and get busy—the hustlers in this new era will be the ones who win!