In a recent webinar, Crystal Carter, Head of SEO Communications at Wix, shared her insights on bridging the gap between LLM visibility and SEO KPIs. Crystal emphasized the importance of measuring and optimizing content for both search engines and large language models (LLMs) to drive traffic and conversions.

Connect with Crystal on LinkedIn!

Top 5 Takeaways

1. Early Investment in LLM Optimization Pays Off
   The rapid increase in LLM visits makes it crucial to start optimizing now, setting a strong foundation for future growth.
2. Citation Quality Matters
   Regular, accurate, and positive brand citations in LLMs significantly impact your visibility and reputation.
3. Schema Markup Remains Critical
   Implementing scalable schema markup continues to be valuable for both traditional SEO and LLM visibility.
4. Track AI Referrals
   Monitor and analyze traffic and user behavior from LLM sources to understand their impact on your business.
5. Engage with LLM Feedback
   Actively participate in LLM feedback mechanisms to improve the accuracy of your brand information.

Best Practices and Key Learnings

Leverage Common Metrics Across SEO and LLMs

Traffic and conversions remain crucial metrics for both SEO and LLM optimization. While the impact may not be immediate, marketers should expect a gradual increase in LLM-driven traffic and conversions over time.

To track conversions from LLMs, consider adding "ChatGPT" or "AI" as an option in your "How did you hear about us?" form field. This simple step can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your LLM optimization efforts.

Measuring LLM Visibility

To effectively measure LLM visibility, marketers should focus on the following metrics:

1. Brand Mentions: Similar to share of voice in SEO, brand mentions in LLM responses indicate relevance to a topic, even if a link is not included.
2. Citation Quality: Assess the quality of citations using the RAPP framework - Regularity, Accuracy, Prominence, and Positivity.
3. Pages Known to LLMs: Identify which pages are seen and valued by LLMs, similar to pages indexed by search engines.
4. Website Citations: Audit backlinks to understand which partners are regularly cited in LLMs and adjust investments accordingly.

Key tips:

• Use LLMs to generate example prompts and questions based on your target keywords and audience
• Monitor bot traffic to understand which parts of your site LLMs are crawling

Optimize for Bottom-of-Funnel Keywords

LLMs often have extensive knowledge on top-of-funnel topics, making it less likely for them to surface citations. However, when users ask bottom-of-funnel questions, such as product comparisons or where to purchase an item, LLMs are more likely to provide specific recommendations and citations.

Focus on creating content that addresses bottom-of-funnel keywords and questions to increase the likelihood of your brand being cited in LLM responses.

Utilize LLMs for Keyword Research and Question Generation

LLMs can be powerful tools for keyword research and generating questions your target audience might ask. By inputting your bottom-of-funnel keywords and audience personas into an LLM, you can generate a list of relevant questions to guide your content creation and optimization efforts.

Additionally, if your brand doesn't appear in an LLM response for a relevant query, you can ask the LLM why it didn't mention your company. The insights provided can help you identify areas for improvement in your content and overall online presence.

Implement Schema Markup Strategically

While the impact of schema markup on SEO has evolved over time, it still plays a role in both search engine and LLM visibility. For high-priority pages, invest in creating detailed, high-quality schema markup. For other pages, consider implementing schema at a template level to reduce the workload while still reaping the benefits.

LLMs that rely on search results for information may be influenced by rich results, making schema markup a worthwhile investment for both SEO and LLM optimization.

Putting the Insights into Practice

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, marketers must adapt their strategies to encompass both traditional SEO and the growing importance of LLM visibility. By focusing on metrics such as brand mentions, citation quality, and pages known to LLMs, optimizing for bottom-of-funnel keywords, and implementing schema markup strategically, you can improve your brand's visibility and drive traffic and conversions from LLMs.

Remember to leverage LLMs themselves for keyword research and question generation, and don't hesitate to ask them for insights on how to improve your online presence. Embrace the power of AI and stay ahead of the curve in this exciting new frontier of digital marketing.

Take the Next Step with AirOps

Ready to optimize your content for both search engines and AI platforms? Book a demo with AirOps to discover how our platform can help you create high-performing content that resonates with both human readers and AI systems.

Book a call with our team to discuss your specific content needs and challenges.

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