u/remembermemories

Saw a pretty detailed Semrush guide on using Claude Code + Semrush MCP to pull SEO data into one workflow.

The basic idea is connecting GSC, GA4, Google Ads, and Semrush competitive data so you can ask questions in plain English instead of jumping between dashboards and CSVs. Some useful examples:

find GSC queries in positions 5-15 with high impressions and low keyword difficulty

spot competitor keyword gaps where you get no impressions

compare paid vs organic overlap to find wasted ad spend

flag low-CTR pages and generate title tag ideas

build a simple dashboard with GSC, GA4, backlinks, keywords, and competitor data

Small caveat: you need an eligible Semrush plan/API access, like Semrush One or specific SEO Classic plans, so it’s not a free hack.

But if you already have access, this seems like a pretty useful setup for monthly SEO analysis.

Just saw an analysis of billions of visits across 50k+ sites and 17 industries. The numbers are interesting and a bit counterintuitive:

AI traffic grew +66% in 2025 paid search grew even more, +76% organic barely moved, +2.3% AI still makes up <0.15% of total traffic organic is still massive, with 1T+ visits

So yeah, AI is the fastest-growing channel, but also one of the smallest.

The bigger shift is the mix. Total traffic is basically flat, but where it comes from is changing. Organic is losing share, paid and AI are picking it up, and referrals are growing too.

My takeaway: feels less like “SEO is dying” and more like attention is getting redistributed. AI isn’t replacing search, but it is clearly shaping what people click next.

TIL Google has a patent for a system that could replace underperforming brand landing pages with AI-generated versions in search results. No confirmation they’re using it, but the idea is pretty wild.

From what I understood, Google could score a landing page based on conversion rate, bounce rate, CTR, content quality, and page design. If the page scores poorly, Google could show users an AI-generated version instead, built from the brand’s product data and personalized to the search.

Feels like another sign that brands may have less control over how they show up in search and AI surfaces. Between AI Overviews, UCP, agentic checkout, and now this patent, the actual website visit keeps getting less guaranteed.

Hot take: landing pages need to become much harder for Google to “improve” on. Better UX, clearer product data, stronger schema, and tighter alignment with intent.

Google has expanded agentic restaurant booking in AI Mode worldwide, so it’s no longer just a US-only feature or limited to AI Ultra users.

You can now search something like “book a table for 4 at an Italian restaurant Friday night” and AI Mode pulls up reservation options.

From there, it still routes you through partners like OpenTable or SevenRooms via Reserve with Google, so it’s not fully autonomous yet, but it’s getting close.

Feels like a big signal for local businesses. If people get used to booking directly from AI/search, restaurants that aren’t connected to Reserve with Google partners could lose out before users even reach their site.

Just read an article referencing an IDC Market Note, and the gist is: rankings still matter, but they’re not the whole game anymore because LLMs are now a second gatekeeper for discovery.

One stat that jumped out: in a lot of industries, 90%+ of pages cited by ChatGPT/Perplexity don’t end up getting real brand attribution or traffic back.

Their suggested direction feels like SEO + PR + community blended together:

rebuild topical authority on your own site

strengthen signals on high-trust external sources like Reddit, reviews, and certifications

refresh content more often because recency seems to matter in AI answers

And they also make the point that GEO is not just a marketing task. It needs product, CX, data, and content ops aligned.

How are people here measuring this now? Still mostly rankings and clicks, or are mentions, citations, and sentiment becoming part of the reporting?

Just saw new Semrush data showing that Google is pairing ads with AI Overviews way more aggressively now.

Back in March 2025, only about 5% of SERPs with AI Overviews had ads. By October, that was ~25.5%, basically a 394% jump in 8 months.

Also interesting: AI Overviews aren’t just informational anymore.

Early 2025: ~91% informational

Oct 2025: only ~57% informational

So they’re showing up a lot more on commercial and transactional queries now, which obviously attracts more ads.

Feels like Google is pushing toward SERPs where users either read the AI summary or click an ad, but stay on Google either way.

For anyone running SEO or PPC: are AIO + ads combos showing up more often in your niches?