Advertise in ChatGPT.

Wait. WHAT?

For years, we’ve been talking about how AI is changing search, how consumers are moving from Google searches to conversational discovery, and how brands need to think beyond traditional SEO.

Now we’ve entered the next phase.

ChatGPT is officially an advertising platform.

And this isn’t a tiny test hiding in a corner of the internet. On August 31, 2026, OpenAI announced that ChatGPT Ads had already reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate in less than 200 days, with tens of thousands of advertisers using the platform. ChatGPT Ads are now available in more than 40 countries, with self-service access continuing to expand globally.

For advertisers, this is huge.

But as someone who works in advertising AND uses ChatGPT constantly, my first thought wasn’t actually about CPCs, targeting or campaign strategy.

It was:

Does advertising change the answer?

And maybe more importantly:

Will people still trust ChatGPT if businesses can pay to show up inside it?

First: Where Do the Ads Actually Appear?

This distinction matters.

According to OpenAI, ads appear below ChatGPT’s response, clearly labeled as sponsored content and visually separated from the answer itself.

In other words, if you ask:

“What are the best running shoes for someone training for their first 5K?”

ChatGPT might give you its normal response explaining what to look for and suggesting options.

Then, below that answer, you could see a sponsored ad from a running shoe company.

That advertiser did not pay ChatGPT to become recommendation #1.

OpenAI says advertisers cannot pay to influence, alter, rank or shape the response ChatGPT gives you. The advertising system and the system generating ChatGPT’s answers are separate.

That may sound like a technical distinction, but it is probably the single most important rule OpenAI has put around advertising.

Because otherwise ChatGPT becomes a very different product.

Can Advertisers Pay ChatGPT to Recommend Them?

Currently, no.

OpenAI is explicit about what it calls “answer independence.”

Advertisers cannot pay to change the answer.

They cannot bid their way into ChatGPT’s recommendations.

They cannot tell ChatGPT to rank their product above a competitor.

And an advertisement appearing underneath an answer does not mean ChatGPT or OpenAI is endorsing that company.

Think about the difference between Google’s organic search results and its sponsored search results.

There is an organic information layer.

Then there is an advertising layer.

ChatGPT is attempting to create a similar separation, except the advertising opportunity is based on a conversation rather than a search results page.

And THAT is where things get really interesting for marketers.

ChatGPT Ads Aren’t Really Keyword Advertising

Traditional search advertising starts with keywords.

Someone searches:

“best running shoes for beginners.”

Advertisers bid around those words.

ChatGPT has much richer information about intent.

Someone might instead say:

“I just signed up for my first 5K. I’ve never really been a runner, my knees bother me sometimes, and I’m probably going to train mostly outside. What shoes should I look at?”

That single conversation tells an advertising platform far more than a three-word Google search ever could.

OpenAI says its advertising system looks at things including the context and intent of the current conversation, the advertiser’s landing page, ad copy, creative and advertiser-provided context hints.

Context hints are especially interesting.

Instead of simply telling the platform:

Keyword: running shoes

an advertiser could describe the situations where its product is relevant:

“Cushioned everyday running shoes for beginners training for their first 5K.”

OpenAI says these aren’t exact-match keywords. They are signals that help the system understand the types of conversations, needs and situations where an advertisement could be useful.

This feels much closer to intent targeting than traditional keyword targeting.

And I think we’re going to hear A LOT more about that.

Okay, But Is ChatGPT Reading My Conversations to Serve Me Ads?

This is where things get a little more nuanced.

The ad system can use the context of your current conversation to determine whether an advertisement is relevant.

When personalized advertising is enabled, OpenAI says additional signals may also be used, including past chats, memory and previous interactions with ads.

That sentence is probably going to make some people uncomfortable.

But there is another important distinction:

That information stays within ChatGPT.

OpenAI says advertisers do not receive your conversations, chat history, memories, name, email, precise location or personal details.

Advertisers receive aggregated advertising performance information such as impressions, clicks and conversions. OpenAI also states that it does not sell user data to advertisers.

Users can also turn personalized advertising off and delete their advertising data.

Even with personalization disabled, however, the current conversation may still be used to determine whether an ad is relevant.

So essentially:

ChatGPT can understand what you’re talking about to select an ad. The advertiser doesn’t get to read what you said.

That difference needs to remain crystal clear if OpenAI wants users to continue trusting the platform.

So… Does Advertising Make Me Trust ChatGPT Less?

This is the million-dollar question.

Or apparently the billion-dollar question now.

From a technical standpoint, the answer is not necessarily.

If the advertising system truly remains separated from the answer system, a sponsored placement doesn’t automatically make the information ChatGPT provides less objective.

But perception matters.

Imagine asking ChatGPT:

“Which CRM should I use for my small business?”

ChatGPT gives you an answer.

Immediately underneath it is an advertisement from one of the CRMs you were just discussing.

Even if the answer and advertisement were generated completely independently, some users are naturally going to wonder:

“Did you recommend that because they paid you?”

That is the trust problem OpenAI now has to manage.

And I think the greatest risk isn’t necessarily the advertising product that exists today.

It is maintaining that wall long-term.

The moment advertisers can purchase influence over the actual answer, the value proposition changes dramatically.

For now, OpenAI seems very aware of that risk. Its advertising principles repeatedly emphasize that ads must remain clearly labeled, separate from answers and unable to influence ChatGPT’s responses.

OpenAI also restricts advertising around sensitive conversations where an ad could feel particularly invasive or inappropriate.

Those guardrails matter.

A lot.

What ChatGPT Ads Look Like for Advertisers

Now for the part that made my marketing brain immediately start buzzing.

ChatGPT Ads Manager is becoming a surprisingly familiar advertising platform.

Advertisers can currently build campaigns around objectives including reach, clicks and conversion-focused outcomes. Depending on the objective, campaigns can be purchased using CPM or CPC bidding.

Advertisers can:

• Set budgets and campaign dates
• Target geographic areas
• Target iOS, Android or web
• Create multiple ad groups
• Add conversational context hints
• Upload creative and landing pages
• Track impressions, clicks, CTR, CPC, CPM and conversions
• Add UTM tracking
• Build custom audiences from customer or prospect lists
• Optimize campaigns based on conversion data

OpenAI is even using a relevance-weighted second-price auction, meaning the highest bidder doesn’t automatically win every impression. Relevance is also part of determining which eligible ad gets shown.

That last part is significant.

It suggests that good ChatGPT advertising may depend much more heavily on understanding the problem your customer is trying to solve, not simply having the largest advertising budget.

And Yes, There’s Currently an Ad Credit

OpenAI is clearly trying to get businesses into Ads Manager and testing the platform.

As of August 31, 2026, OpenAI is advertising a promotion for new ChatGPT advertisers:

Spend $500 and receive $500 in ad credit.

Ad credits are subject to eligibility and the specific promotional offer. OpenAI’s general ad-credit terms state that credits normally expire 90 days after issuance unless the offer specifies otherwise.

For advertisers curious about the platform, that makes the barrier to testing it considerably lower.

And yes, I am extremely tempted.

For reference, OpenAI currently lists a $25 daily minimum campaign spend in the United States, and its advertiser documentation recommends starting CPC bids around $3 to $5 per click for click campaigns.

Of course, those benchmarks are brand new and will almost certainly evolve as more advertisers enter the auction.

This Could Be the Beginning of a Completely New Advertising Channel

Google Ads captures someone when they search.

Meta captures someone based largely on interests, behavior, demographics and algorithmic prediction.

ChatGPT advertising potentially captures someone while they are explaining exactly what they need.

That’s a fascinating advertising environment.

Someone isn’t just searching for:

“CRM software.”

They’re explaining:

“I run a five-person company, we’re currently using spreadsheets, I need something easy enough that my sales team will actually use it, and I don’t want to spend $1,000 a month.”

That is extraordinary context.

For marketers, this means messaging may need to evolve from:

What keywords are people searching?

to:

What conversations are people having before they buy?

That is a much bigger shift than simply adding another advertising platform to the media plan.

My Biggest Takeaway

I’m not immediately worried that advertising makes ChatGPT’s answers inherently less trustworthy.

I am going to be watching very closely to make sure the line between advertising and answers stays exactly where OpenAI says it is today.

Because trust is the entire product.

If people begin believing the answer itself is for sale, the usefulness of ChatGPT changes overnight.

But from an advertising perspective?

This is one of the most interesting new channels we’ve seen in years.

We spent the last decade learning how to advertise against searches, demographics, interests and online behavior.

Now we may be entering the era of advertising against intent expressed through conversation.

And that could change a lot more than where we spend our ad budgets.

It could change how businesses think about discovery altogether.

The latest big change is AI Max for Search campaigns, Google’s increasingly AI-powered approach to deciding when your ads appear, what they say, and even which page of your website someone lands on.

And if your immediate reaction is, Wait… Google is doing WHAT with my ads?

Fair.

But before we collectively wrestle the steering wheel away from the robots, there are some genuinely useful things happening here.

The important part is understanding what AI Max actually does, what you’re handing over to Google, and what you absolutely should still be paying attention to.

First: What Is AI Max?

AI Max isn’t an entirely new campaign type. It’s a set of AI-powered features that can be added to Google Search campaigns.

According to Google, AI Max combines three major capabilities:

• Search term matching, which helps Google find relevant searches beyond the exact keywords you’ve provided.
• Text customization, which allows Google to generate or adjust headlines and descriptions based on what someone is searching for.
• Final URL expansion, which can send someone to a different page on your website if Google believes that page is more relevant to their search.

In other words, instead of you telling Google:

Show this ad, for these keywords, using this copy, and send everyone here…

you’re increasingly telling Google:

Here’s my business, my website, my goals and some direction. Go find the people most likely to convert.

That’s a pretty significant shift.

And Google Is Clearly Moving in This Direction

AI Max originally launched for Search campaigns in 2025, but Google has continued expanding its AI-powered advertising tools throughout 2026.

More importantly, Google announced that beginning in September 2026, certain campaigns using Dynamic Search Ads and campaign-level broad match settings will begin upgrading into AI Max.

Translation?

AI Max isn’t some experimental button hiding in the corner of Google Ads anymore.

This is where Google Search advertising is headed.

The Good News: Google Can Understand Intent Better Than It Used To

For years, Google Ads revolved heavily around keywords.

Someone searches:

“emergency plumber near me”

You bid on:

“emergency plumber”

Nice and tidy.

But real people don’t search in neat little keyword lists.

They search things like:

“who can fix a leaking water heater tonight”

or

“why is water coming out of the bottom of my water heater”

or

“24 hour plumbing company that can come today”

All three searches could represent an excellent potential customer for the same plumbing company.

AI Max is designed to understand more of that intent, rather than relying only on whether a person’s search closely resembles a keyword sitting inside your account. And that shift toward understanding intent instead of simply matching words isn’t limited to advertising. It’s changing organic search and AI-powered discovery, too.

That’s potentially very powerful for a small business.

You don’t have to predict every strange, hyper-specific way someone might search for what you sell.

Google says advertisers activating AI Max typically see 14% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS, although, as always, that is Google’s aggregate performance data and certainly not a guarantee that every campaign will see the same result.

But Here’s Where I Start Guarding the Keys

There is a recurring theme happening across digital advertising right now:

Give the platform more information. Give the algorithm more flexibility. Let AI optimize.

And to be clear, I use automation in advertising.

A lot.

There are things Google’s machine learning can analyze exponentially faster than a human ever could. That’s also why our approach to Google Ads management combines automation with hands-on strategy and ongoing review.

What I don’t believe in is blindly turning everything on because Google put a little recommendation badge next to it.

Take Final URL Expansion.

Normally, when I create an ad, I choose where that ad sends someone.

With Final URL Expansion enabled, Google can decide that another page on your website is more relevant to someone’s search and send them there instead.

It can then dynamically generate headlines and descriptions to better match that page.

That could be fantastic.

Imagine you own an HVAC company and someone searches specifically for heat pump repair. Instead of sending them to your general HVAC services page, Google identifies your heat pump repair page as the better match and sends them directly there.

Beautiful.

Assuming your heat pump repair page is good.

And current.

And has the right phone number.

And isn’t a random page someone created four years ago that you’ve completely forgotten exists.

Suddenly that website cleanup you’ve been avoiding looks a little more important, doesn’t it?

If your website is becoming part of the information Google uses to power your advertising, website design and structure aren’t separate from your ad strategy anymore.

Your Website Matters Even More Now

This is one of the biggest takeaways I have for small businesses.

As Google Ads becomes more automated, the quality of the information you’re giving Google’s AI matters more.

If Google is using your website to better understand your business, select landing pages and generate relevant advertising content, your website isn’t simply where someone goes after clicking your ad.

It’s becoming part of the advertising system itself.

That means clear service pages matter.

Good website structure matters.

Accurate information matters.

Strong calls to action matter.

And the page about a service you stopped offering in 2022 should probably not still be lurking around your website like a digital ghost. 👻

This same shift is happening outside of paid advertising, too. As AI becomes more involved in how people search and discover businesses, your website needs to clearly communicate what you do to both people and search engines. How AI is changing search and business discovery.

AI-Generated Ad Copy Still Needs Adult Supervision

Text customization is another AI Max feature I like in theory and with oversight.

Google can use information from your website, existing ads and other assets to create text that better matches what someone searched for.

Again, there are obvious benefits.

More relevant ads generally create a better experience for the person searching.

But AI doesn’t know your business the way you do.

It doesn’t automatically understand every brand preference, competitive distinction, disclaimer, nuance or phrase you would never want associated with your company.

There’s also an interesting control issue worth knowing about: Google says that when Final URL Expansion chooses a different landing page, pinned responsive search ad assets may not be used because they might no longer match the selected page.

That’s one of those tiny settings with a very large “wait, what?” attached to it.

Automation is not the same thing as autopilot.

So Should Small Businesses Use AI Max?

Potentially, yes.

I’m not anti-AI Max.

Quite the opposite.

I think Google’s ability to understand search intent, uncover searches we might not have anticipated and dynamically create more relevant experiences has enormous potential.

But I would never recommend turning it on and simply assuming Google will take it from here.

Before giving AI Max more flexibility, I want to know:

• Are conversions being tracked correctly?
• Does Google understand which actions actually matter to the business?
• Are the website and landing pages strong enough to support Final URL Expansion?
• Are there pages that should be excluded?
• Are the search terms actually relevant?
• Is the campaign generating qualified leads, or simply more activity?
• Is the budget being spent where it creates actual business value?

Because Google Ads doesn’t know that 47 form submissions are worthless if 42 of them are looking for something you don’t sell.

More conversions does not automatically mean better marketing.

Better conversions do.

The Future of Google Ads Is Less Manual. Strategy Matters More, Not Less.

There’s an understandable fear that all this automation eventually means businesses won’t need someone managing Google Ads.

I think the opposite problem is emerging.

The platforms are becoming easier to operate.

That doesn’t necessarily make them easier to use well.

You can create campaigns faster.

Google can write more of the ads.

AI can find more audiences.

Algorithms can make thousands of bidding decisions without anyone touching a spreadsheet.

Great.

Now someone has to determine whether any of it is actually helping your business.

That’s the part I’m much more interested in.

Because Google’s job is to optimize the advertising system.

Your job is to make sure it’s optimizing toward the right business outcome.

And yes, occasionally that means telling the robot, Absolutely not. Put that URL back where you found it.

Need Someone to Take a Look at Your Google Ads?

Not sure whether you’re using AI Max, whether you should be, or exactly what Google has been doing with your campaigns lately?

That’s exactly the kind of thing I like digging into.

Ad Tech Social offers Google Ads management and account reviews built around actual business results, not simply accepting every recommendation Google throws onto the screen.

Request a Free Review

After more than 12 years working in digital marketing and websites, I have learned that the best builder is not necessarily the one with the longest feature list. It is the one that gives you enough creative control without making every future change unnecessarily complicated.

For my own agency workflow, Divi remains the strongest overall choice. Elementor is a close second and may be easier for someone entering the WordPress ecosystem for the first time. Bricks, Breakdance, and Beaver Builder each solve a slightly different problem particularly well.

This ranking is based on the factors that matter after the homepage mockup is approved: design flexibility, responsive control, reusable systems, performance, client management, included functionality, ecosystem, and long-term value.

The short answer

• Divi is the best overall WordPress website builder for agencies, marketers, designers, and highly customized business websites.
• Elementor is the best choice for users who want an approachable editor and the largest surrounding ecosystem.
• Bricks is the best fit for performance-conscious developers and technical designers.
• Breakdance is the strongest modern all-in-one alternative with many essential tools built in.
• Beaver Builder is the best choice for users who value stability and simplicity over constant novelty.

The best WordPress website builders at a glance

How I evaluated the builders

A builder can look impressive in a demo and become frustrating once a real site needs global changes, responsive refinements, new landing pages, client access, integrations, or ongoing optimization. I evaluated each option using the same practical criteria:

• Design flexibility: How much visual and structural control does the builder provide?
• Ease of use: How quickly can a designer, marketer, or business owner work confidently?
• Responsive controls: How well can layouts be refined for desktop, tablet, and mobile?
• Reusable systems: Can styles, components, templates, and global elements be updated efficiently?
• Performance: Does the builder support a fast, technically sound website when configured correctly?
• Included features: How often will the site require additional paid plugins or add-ons?
• Client management: Can a client or internal team safely make routine updates after launch?
• Ecosystem and longevity: Are training, support, extensions, and experienced professionals readily available?
• Value: Does the builder provide enough capability for its ongoing cost?

My strongest firsthand experience is with Divi and Elementor. The remaining rankings reflect current product capabilities, documented features, and the same professional criteria I use when evaluating any website platform.

1. Divi: Best overall WordPress website builder

Divi is my first choice because it gives me the freedom to create a genuinely custom website while still making the finished site practical to manage.

That balance matters. Some builders are easy until you need to move beyond their preferred design system. Others offer deep control but make ordinary content changes feel like development work. Divi sits in the middle: it is accessible enough for visual building, but flexible enough for complex layouts, global design systems, responsive customization, dynamic content, templates, and custom CSS when a project needs it.

For agency work, Divi’s reusable workflow is one of its biggest strengths. Global elements, presets, design variables, saved layouts, and Theme Builder templates make it possible to update a visual system without hunting through every page. Divi 5 expands that approach with modern layout tools, including Flexbox and CSS Grid, design variables and presets, Loop Builder, interactions, and dynamic content.

Why Divi ranks first

• Strong front-end visual editing with extensive design controls
• Full-site customization for headers, footers, posts, archives, and other templates
• Responsive controls that allow meaningful device-specific refinements
• Global elements, presets, variables, and saved layouts for efficient brand consistency
• A large template, extension, training, and community ecosystem
• A practical workflow for agencies managing many websites
• The ability to combine no-code building with custom CSS and advanced functionality
• Strong value for professionals working across multiple sites

Where Divi is not perfect

Divi is not the lightest or simplest option out of the box. Its flexibility creates a learning curve, and a user can create inconsistent spacing or overly complicated layouts without a clear design system.

Performance also requires responsible setup. Image sizes, hosting quality, caching, fonts, third-party plugins, CSS and JavaScript optimization, and Divi’s own performance settings all matter. A poorly configured Divi site can feel heavy. A thoughtfully built and optimized Divi site can perform very well.

Divi is also not the right recommendation for someone who wants the most developer-centric CSS workflow possible. Bricks may feel more natural for that user.

Choose Divi if…

You want one platform that can support custom design, client-friendly updates, reusable site systems, and a wide range of business website needs without requiring a developer for every change.

2. Elementor: Best for ecosystem and accessibility

Elementor earns second place because it makes visual WordPress design approachable and is supported almost everywhere. There are extensive templates, tutorials, integrations, widgets, hosting options, and third-party extensions available.

Its drag-and-drop workflow is comfortable for beginners, while Pro adds broader site-building tools such as Theme Builder, global settings, responsive controls, custom CSS, forms, popups, and WooCommerce capabilities. Elementor also continues to expand its AI tools for planning, content, images, and code.

What Elementor does especially well

• An intuitive visual editing experience
• A free entry point for users testing visual WordPress building
• A very large ecosystem of templates, widgets, integrations, and tutorials
• Theme Builder and global site controls in its expanded product tiers
• Responsive editing across multiple device sizes
• Strong marketing, WooCommerce, and popup capabilities
• Easy access to professionals already familiar with the platform

Why Elementor is not my number one

Elementor can become more dependent on its paid features and third-party add-ons as a site grows. That is not automatically a problem, but every additional extension introduces another update cycle, another compatibility relationship, and another possible performance or maintenance consideration.

The enormous ecosystem is both its strength and its weakness. Users have many choices, but it becomes easy to assemble a site from overlapping widgets and plugins instead of creating one disciplined system.

Choose Elementor if…

You want an approachable visual builder, extensive learning resources, broad plugin support, and an ecosystem large enough that finding templates, integrations, or outside help will rarely be difficult.

3. Bricks Builder: Best for performance and developer control

Bricks is one of the most compelling modern alternatives for people who think in classes, variables, semantic structure, dynamic data, and maintainable design systems.

Its visual full-site editing is paired with advanced capabilities such as CSS classes and variables, pseudo-classes and pseudo-elements, query loops, dynamic data, and centralized style management. Bricks also emphasizes clean, semantic, accessible markup and performance.

What Bricks does especially well

• Performance-conscious, semantic output
• Advanced CSS classes, variables, and reusable design systems
• Full-site visual editing
• Strong dynamic data and Query Loop capabilities
• A workflow that feels familiar to technical designers and developers
• Growing attention to maintainability and accessibility

Why Bricks ranks third

Bricks may be the better tool for a developer who wants granular structural control and a CSS-first workflow. It ranks behind Divi and Elementor for this particular list because the average marketer, client, or small-business owner may find it less immediately approachable.

Its ecosystem is also smaller, although it is growing quickly. That can mean fewer ready-made solutions, fewer professionals with years of production experience, and more responsibility on the builder to understand the underlying system.

Choose Bricks if…

Performance, semantic output, scalable CSS systems, dynamic content, and developer control matter more to you than the broadest template library or the gentlest learning curve.

4. Breakdance: Best modern all-in-one alternative

Breakdance is designed to cover more of what a business website needs without requiring a separate add-on for every feature. Its current toolkit includes global styles, a large element library, forms, popups, header and mega-menu builders, dynamic data, and extensive WooCommerce tools.

That all-in-one philosophy is appealing for agencies and freelancers who want a modern visual editor without assembling a large stack of extensions.

What Breakdance does especially well

• A modern and streamlined visual-building experience
• Many commonly needed elements included
• Built-in forms and popup functionality
• Header and mega-menu building
• Dynamic data and ACF integration
• Strong WooCommerce templating and shop controls
• A performance-conscious product direction

Why Breakdance ranks fourth

Breakdance has an impressive feature set, but it has a shorter history and a smaller ecosystem than Divi or Elementor. That does not make it a poor choice. It does mean there are fewer years of community knowledge, third-party tools, training resources, and long-term production examples available.

Its all-in-one structure is also a commitment. The more site functions a builder controls, the more carefully a business should consider what a future migration would involve.

Choose Breakdance if…

You want a modern WordPress builder with forms, popups, dynamic data, menus, and commerce tools included, and you prefer a more consolidated stack.

5. Beaver Builder: Best for stability and simplicity

Beaver Builder is not trying to win by releasing the flashiest interface or the most dramatic design effects. Its appeal is predictability.

The plugin works with existing themes and plugins, provides front-end drag-and-drop editing, supports responsive controls, and includes reusable templates. Beaver Themer extends the builder to headers, footers, archives, and other site templates. Its lightweight approach and reputation for stability remain valuable for agencies that prioritize dependable maintenance.

What Beaver Builder does especially well

• A stable, established WordPress workflow
• Straightforward front-end editing
• Compatibility with existing themes and plugins
• Responsive editing and reusable templates
• A lightweight approach that avoids unnecessary extras
• Agency-friendly capabilities, including multisite and white-label options in applicable plans

Why Beaver Builder ranks fifth

Compared with Divi, Elementor, Bricks, and Breakdance, Beaver Builder can feel conservative. Users seeking advanced visual effects, deeper native design systems, or the newest interaction tools may need additional products or custom work.

For some teams, that simplicity is exactly the point. It ranks fifth because it serves a narrower creative use case, not because it is unreliable.

Choose Beaver Builder if…

You want a stable, straightforward builder that fits into an existing WordPress stack and you value reliability more than having every modern design feature in one interface.

Honorable mentions

WordPress Block Editor and Site Editor

The native WordPress editing experience continues to improve and may be enough for content-focused websites that do not need a highly customized visual system. Its biggest advantage is that it is built into WordPress. Its limitation is that many users still find full visual site creation less intuitive than a dedicated builder.

Oxygen

Oxygen remains relevant for technically advanced builders who want deep control. It is less suited to the average client handoff or marketing team, which keeps it outside this top five.

SeedProd

SeedProd is a strong option for landing pages, coming-soon pages, and focused conversion experiences. I would not rank it above the five main choices for broad, custom website building.

WPBakery

WPBakery is still present on many existing WordPress sites. However, I would not choose it for a new build when more modern, intuitive, and maintainable options are available.

Which WordPress website builder should you choose?

The best choice depends on the person building the website and the person responsible for maintaining it.

• Choose Divi for the strongest overall combination of custom design, reusable systems, agency efficiency, and client management.
• Choose Elementor for ease of entry, broad integrations, templates, tutorials, and a massive ecosystem.
• Choose Bricks for performance-focused development, dynamic content, semantic structure, and scalable CSS control.
• Choose Breakdance for a modern all-in-one system with many marketing and e-commerce tools included.
• Choose Beaver Builder for a stable, straightforward workflow that fits comfortably into an existing WordPress stack.

My overall recommendation remains Divi because it gives me the flexibility to build something that does not look templated while keeping the finished website practical to update and expand. That is the combination I value most for small and mid-sized businesses.

Frequently asked questions

Is Divi better than Elementor?

I prefer Divi for agency workflows, custom design systems, reusable global elements, and long-term value across multiple websites. Elementor may be the better choice for a beginner who wants the largest ecosystem, a free starting point, and an enormous library of tutorials and integrations.

Which WordPress website builder is best for beginners?

Elementor is often the easiest entry point because of its approachable editor, free version, templates, and extensive educational content. Divi is also accessible to beginners, but its larger set of design controls takes longer to master.

Which WordPress builder is fastest?

Bricks is particularly focused on clean, semantic output and performance. However, a builder alone does not determine speed. Hosting, images, fonts, plugins, scripts, caching, database health, and the way the site was constructed can have a greater effect than the builder name.

Is Divi bad for SEO?

No. Divi can support strong SEO when the site uses clear content structure, appropriate headings, optimized media, solid technical settings, good hosting, and a quality SEO plugin. Search performance depends on the complete website, not simply the visual builder.

Can I switch WordPress builders later?

Technically, yes, but changing builders often requires substantial reconstruction. Layout structures, templates, global styles, dynamic content, and builder-specific components do not automatically translate into another system. It is better to choose with long-term maintenance in mind.

Final verdict

There is no universal winner for every WordPress user. There is, however, a strongest overall choice for the priorities I see most often in professional website work.

Divi takes first place because it gives designers and marketers room to create, gives agencies systems they can reuse, and gives businesses a website that can continue evolving after launch. Elementor remains an excellent and accessible second choice. Bricks, Breakdance, and Beaver Builder each deserve consideration when performance, consolidation, or stability carries more weight than broad creative flexibility.

The smartest choice is not the builder with the most impressive demo. It is the one your team can use responsibly, optimize properly, and maintain confidently for years.

This does not mean search is disappearing. It means search is expanding.

For businesses, the future of search is less about winning one ranking and more about creating a consistent, credible presence across the places where customers discover, research, compare, and choose.

Search is becoming a conversation

Traditional keyword searches are often short: “best CRM,” “roof repair Phoenix,” or “marketing agency near me.” AI-powered search encourages people to add context, ask follow-up questions, and refine what they want without beginning again.

A customer might ask for a recommendation, narrow it by price or location, request a comparison, and then ask what questions to bring to a consultation. Search becomes a continuing conversation rather than a series of disconnected queries.

This favors businesses that publish content with enough depth to answer the next question, not only the first one. A page that lists a service may earn attention. A page that explains who the service is for, how the process works, what affects cost, and how to evaluate options can support an entire decision.

Discovery is happening in more places

Google remains enormously important, but it is not the only place people search. Depending on the audience and decision, discovery may begin in an AI assistant, a social platform, a map listing, a video result, a marketplace, an online community, or a review site.

The strongest channel can change by question. A customer may use Instagram or TikTok for visual inspiration, Google Maps for proximity and reviews, YouTube for a demonstration, ChatGPT for an initial comparison, and a company’s website for proof and contact information.

This makes channel consistency more important. If each platform describes the business differently, customers receive a fragmented story. If the messaging, expertise, and essential facts reinforce one another, every touchpoint becomes more useful.

The click is no longer the only sign of visibility

Search platforms increasingly answer questions directly. An AI Overview may summarize a topic. A map result may display hours, reviews, photos, and directions. A social post may provide enough information to shape a preference without generating an immediate website session.

That creates a measurement challenge. Website traffic still matters, especially when the site is where conversions occur, but traffic alone cannot describe the full value of search visibility.

Businesses should also watch for changes in:

• Branded searches and direct traffic
• Qualified leads and assisted conversions
• Local actions such as calls, directions, and profile engagement
• Mentions, citations, reviews, and referral traffic
• Engagement with educational content across channels
• The quality of inquiries, not only the number of visits

A lower number of clicks is not automatically a lower level of influence. The more useful question is whether visibility is contributing to awareness, trust, and action.

SEO is evolving, not becoming obsolete

Predictions about the death of SEO have appeared throughout the history of search. AI is a substantial change, but the need to make information discoverable, understandable, and trustworthy remains.

Google states that established SEO practices continue to apply to AI Overviews and AI Mode. There is no special markup that guarantees inclusion. Pages still need sound technical foundations, helpful content, clear internal links, and information that satisfies the person behind the search.

The future of SEO will likely place even more emphasis on:

• Topical depth instead of isolated keyword pages
• Firsthand experience and original information
• Clear entities, relationships, services, people, and locations
• Strong brand signals and third-party validation
• Content designed around decisions and questions
• Technical accessibility across formats and devices

Keywords will still matter because words reveal intent. They simply will not be the entire strategy.

Search and advertising will work more closely together

Organic visibility can build long-term authority, while paid advertising can create immediate reach and place a business in front of carefully selected audiences. As organic search journeys become more complex, the relationship between the two becomes more valuable.

Search data can reveal questions worth answering through content. Paid campaigns can test messages, audiences, and offers more quickly. Retargeting can reconnect with people who researched without taking action. Strong educational pages can give advertising traffic a better place to land.

The future is not SEO versus advertising. It is a connected system in which content, search, advertising, social media, and analytics share information and support the same business goals.

What businesses should do next

Answer real customer questions

Listen to sales calls, emails, reviews, support requests, and search data. The best content opportunities often come directly from the questions customers repeat.

Build connected topic clusters

Create a useful primary page, then support it with articles that explain related decisions, challenges, comparisons, and trends. Link those resources together so visitors and search systems can understand the relationship.

Strengthen the brand behind the content

Show who created the information and why they are qualified to discuss it. Publish case studies, original observations, leadership perspectives, and details that could only come from real experience.

Keep local and business information accurate

Names, locations, services, hours, contact details, and company descriptions should remain consistent across the website and important third-party platforms.

Measure business outcomes

Rankings and traffic are useful indicators, not final objectives. Track calls, forms, qualified leads, revenue signals, and the actions that matter to the business.

The future belongs to brands that are easy to understand

Search will continue to change. Interfaces will evolve, AI platforms will add new capabilities, and measurement will improve. Businesses do not need to predict every feature to prepare effectively.

They need to communicate clearly, publish information worth finding, demonstrate why they are credible, and show up consistently wherever their customers search.

The future of search is not about tricking a new algorithm. It is about becoming a better and more complete answer.

That question is driving growing interest in generative engine optimization, commonly shortened to GEO. The name may sound like another piece of marketing jargon, but the underlying shift is real. People are no longer searching only through a list of traditional results. They are asking complete questions inside Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, and other tools that can summarize information and suggest possible next steps.

GEO is the practice of making a business and its online information easier for those systems to find, interpret, trust, and use when forming an answer.

What is generative engine optimization?

Generative engine optimization is the process of improving digital content so it has a better chance of being discovered and referenced by AI-powered search and answer platforms. Instead of focusing only on a ranking position for a short keyword, GEO also considers whether a brand is clearly represented when someone asks a detailed, conversational question.

For example, a traditional search might be “Phoenix digital marketing agency.” An AI-assisted search could be much more specific: “Which Phoenix marketing agency works with small and mid-sized businesses, handles advertising and SEO, and explains analytics without locking clients into a templated package?”

The second query carries more context. To answer it well, an AI system needs clear information about services, location, audience, experience, and differentiators. A homepage filled with broad claims such as “innovative solutions” and “unmatched results” gives the system, and the customer, very little to work with.

GEO and SEO are partners, not replacements

One of the biggest misconceptions about GEO is that it replaces search engine optimization. It does not.

Google’s current guidance says the foundational practices that support traditional search remain relevant to its AI features. A page still needs to be crawlable, technically accessible, useful, well organized, and connected to the rest of the site. Microsoft likewise emphasizes intent-driven content for generative search and now offers reporting that helps publishers see when their pages are cited in AI-generated experiences.

In practical terms, strong GEO usually begins with strong SEO. The difference is that GEO encourages businesses to think beyond a single keyword or ranking position.

• SEO helps search engines discover, understand, and rank a page.
• GEO helps AI-powered systems extract useful information and connect it to a more complex question.
• Both depend on clear content, technical accessibility, authority, relevance, and a strong understanding of search intent.

A business does not need two completely separate content strategies. It needs one high-quality search strategy that accounts for the ways people find information now.

What makes content easier for AI search to use?

Clear, specific answers

AI systems cannot confidently interpret what a business means when every statement is vague. Clearly describe what you offer, who you help, where you work, and what makes your approach different. When a page raises an obvious question, answer it directly.

Original experience and expertise

Generic content is easy to reproduce and difficult to distinguish. Firsthand observations, real examples, original data, case studies, defined processes, and expert commentary give a page substance that a rewritten summary cannot.

Logical structure

Descriptive headings, focused sections, useful lists, and concise explanations make information easier for both people and machines to navigate. The goal is not to write for a robot. The goal is to remove unnecessary ambiguity.

Consistent information across the web

Your website, social profiles, business listings, leadership biographies, service descriptions, and third-party mentions should tell a consistent story. Conflicting descriptions make it harder to determine what the business actually does.

Credibility and corroboration

A company describing itself as an expert is a claim. Relevant coverage, testimonials, reviews, citations, partnerships, professional credentials, and other reputable references help support that claim.

Does every business need GEO right now?

Every business does not need to chase every new acronym. However, nearly every business should pay attention to how AI is changing discovery.

GEO is especially relevant when customers conduct research, compare providers, ask location-based questions, evaluate complex services, or need education before contacting a company. Professional services, healthcare, real estate, recruiting, technology, hospitality, and other considered purchases are strong examples because the path to a decision often begins with several questions, not one keyword.

That does not mean a business should abandon proven marketing channels or rebuild its entire website around AI. It means the content being created today should be specific, trustworthy, and useful enough to perform in both traditional and AI-assisted search.

What businesses can do now

• Review core service pages for vague claims and missing answers.
• Build content around the complete questions customers actually ask.
• Add firsthand expertise, examples, processes, and original insight.
• Keep company descriptions, services, locations, and leadership information consistent.
• Strengthen internal links so related topics form a clear body of expertise.
• Use accurate structured data where it genuinely describes the page.
• Track more than rankings, including branded searches, referral traffic, conversions, and AI citations where reporting is available.

Most importantly, resist the urge to publish dozens of thin, AI-generated pages simply because the topic is moving quickly. Google warns that producing content at scale without adding value can violate its spam policies. More content is not automatically more visibility.

The real goal is to become the clearest answer

Generative engine optimization is still evolving, and no agency or platform can guarantee that a particular AI system will recommend a business. The systems, interfaces, source selection, and reporting will continue to change.

What is unlikely to change is the value of being understandable, credible, and genuinely useful.

Businesses that clearly explain what they do, demonstrate real expertise, and answer the questions their customers care about are building a stronger foundation for traditional search, AI-powered discovery, and the next version of search that has not arrived yet.

Sources and further reading

• Google Search Central, Optimizing for Generative AI: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide
• Google Search Central, AI Features and Your Website: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features
• Google Search Central, Guidance on Generative AI Content: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/using-gen-ai-content
• Microsoft Bing Webmaster Blog, Intent-Driven SEO: https://blogs.bing.com/webmaster/November-2024/The-Value-of-Intent
• Microsoft Bing Webmaster Blog, AI Performance Reporting: https://blogs.bing.com/webmaster/February-2026/Introducing-AI-Performance-in-Bing-Webmaster-Tools-Public-Preview

Whether the business sells software, managed IT services, advanced manufacturing solutions, cybersecurity, engineering technology, or a specialized platform, the marketing challenge is often similar: The people who understand the product are not always the people who understand how to explain its value.

A smarter Arizona technology advertising strategy connects technical credibility with a message customers can quickly understand. It reaches the right decision-makers, supports a longer buying process, and measures meaningful movement instead of celebrating impressions that never lead anywhere.

Start by making the complicated feel clear

Technology marketing often begins too close to the product. The message focuses on features, architecture, integrations, or technical terminology because those details matter deeply to the team that built it.

Customers usually enter the conversation somewhere else. They want to know what problem the product solves, what becomes faster or safer, what it replaces, who will use it, how difficult implementation will be, and whether the investment is worth the disruption.

Strong advertising does not oversimplify the product. It creates a clear entry point.

Instead of asking the audience to decode the technology, build the message around:

• The problem the customer already recognizes
• The business impact of leaving it unresolved
• The outcome the technology makes possible
• The people or organizations most likely to benefit
• The proof that reduces perceived risk

Technical detail still matters, especially later in the buying process. It becomes more persuasive after the customer understands why the solution deserves attention.

Match the channel to the decision

There is no universally best advertising platform for a technology company. The right mix depends on the audience, sales cycle, average contract value, market awareness, and whether customers are already searching for the solution.

Google Search

Search advertising is valuable when buyers can name the problem, category, or product they need. Campaigns should separate high-intent searches from broader educational searches so budgets are not consumed by curiosity that will never become a qualified opportunity.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn can help B2B technology companies reach audiences by role, industry, company characteristics, and professional context. It is often more expensive than other channels, so the offer and landing experience need to justify the cost. A useful benchmark, guide, webinar, case study, or targeted consultation may perform better than a generic “learn more” ad.

Meta

Meta can support awareness, retargeting, recruitment, event promotion, and founder-led storytelling. It may not always produce the final B2B conversion, but it can keep a company visible during a long evaluation process and reach business owners who do not spend their entire day on LinkedIn.

YouTube and video

Video is useful when the product needs a demonstration, the problem benefits from explanation, or trust in the people behind the company matters. A short ad can earn attention, while longer educational videos can support research and sales conversations.

Retargeting

Technology buyers rarely convert after one visit. Retargeting can reconnect with people who viewed a product page, read a case study, attended an event, or began a form. The follow-up message should advance the conversation, not simply repeat the first ad.

Build for the entire buying committee

Many technology purchases involve more than one decision-maker. A technical evaluator may care about security and integrations. An operations leader may care about adoption and workflow. A financial stakeholder may care about cost, efficiency, and risk. An executive may care about competitive advantage and timing.

One landing page cannot always answer every concern equally well. A stronger content and advertising system gives each stakeholder a useful next step.

• A clear overview page explains the business value.
• Technical documentation supports evaluation.
• A case study demonstrates results and implementation.
• A comparison or FAQ page addresses alternatives and objections.
• A cost, demo, or consultation page supports the buying decision.

Advertising brings the right person into the system. Content helps the rest of the buying committee become comfortable moving forward.

Plan for a longer sales cycle

A campaign can be effective without producing an immediate sale, particularly when the product has a high price, requires implementation, or changes how an organization operates.

That does not mean technology advertising should be vague or impossible to measure. It means the measurement plan should reflect the actual decision.

Early-stage indicators may include qualified traffic, engaged visits, video completion, guide downloads, return visits, or attendance at a webinar. Mid-stage indicators may include product page depth, case study engagement, demo requests, account activity, or sales-qualified leads. The final measures should connect to pipeline quality, opportunities, and revenue wherever the sales process allows.

Click-through rate and cost per click are useful diagnostic metrics. They are not the business outcome.

Use local relevance without shrinking the market

Arizona’s technology community creates opportunities for regional partnerships, events, referrals, recruiting, and market credibility. A company can use local relevance while still advertising nationally or globally.

Location-specific content can demonstrate familiarity with the market and support searches from companies that prefer a nearby partner. Event campaigns can target attendees around Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Mesa, Tucson, and other relevant technology and business centers. Local case studies and partnerships can add proof.

The key is to use Arizona as a meaningful differentiator, not an artificial limitation. A technology company headquartered in Arizona can be locally connected and nationally competitive at the same time.

Prepare for AI-powered discovery

Technology buyers are increasingly using AI tools to define problems, compare categories, research vendors, and prepare questions. That makes clear, credible website content part of the advertising strategy.

When an ad creates awareness, the next search may not include the exact campaign message. A prospective customer may ask an AI assistant to explain the category, compare approaches, or identify Arizona providers. Consistent service descriptions, useful educational content, customer proof, and clear company information improve the business’s ability to participate in that research journey.

Advertising creates demand. Search and generative engine optimization help the company remain discoverable when the customer investigates.

A smarter strategy connects the whole system

The strongest Arizona technology advertising strategies are not collections of unrelated campaigns. They connect positioning, content, paid media, search visibility, retargeting, conversion paths, and analytics.

Before increasing the budget, ask:

• Can a new visitor understand the value within seconds?
• Are campaigns reaching the people involved in the buying decision?
• Does each ad lead to content that matches its promise?
• Is there a useful next step for someone who is interested but not ready?
• Can the team distinguish qualified activity from inexpensive activity?
• Are sales insights improving the next round of marketing?

Technology companies do not need louder advertising. They need clearer messages, better-connected channels, and measurement that reflects how customers actually buy.

That is what turns a campaign from a line item into a growth system.

That might sound a little dramatic, but it is an important distinction. A Google Business Profile post is not trying to join a trending conversation, get discovered in a hashtag feed, or rack up casual engagement from followers. It is showing up for people who are already looking at your business, comparing options, or deciding whether to call, click, book, visit, or move on.

That means the way you write Google Business Profile posts should be different from how you write captions for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or TikTok.

And yes, that includes skipping the long line of hashtags at the end.

Why Hashtags Do Not Make Sense on Google Business Profile Posts

On social media, hashtags can help categorize content, connect a post to a broader topic, or make it easier for users to find posts within a specific conversation.

Google Business Profile posts do not work that way.

A hashtag in a Google Business Profile post is not a shortcut to a discovery feed. It does not function like an Instagram hashtag. It does not create the same browsing behavior. It does not give users an obvious reason to click, explore, or engage.

So when a business adds something like:

#localbusiness #bestcontractor #roofrepair #denverroofer #smallbusiness #supportlocal #calltoday

It often does not help the user. It just takes up space.

And on a platform where people are often looking for quick, decision-ready information, wasted space matters.

Google Business Profile Posts Are More Like Decision Tools

A better way to think about Google Business Profile posts is this:

They are not social posts.
They are decision-support content.

Someone viewing your Google Business Profile is usually much closer to taking action than someone casually scrolling Instagram. They may already be comparing businesses, checking reviews, looking at photos, reading services, or deciding whether you look trustworthy enough to contact.

Google describes Business Profile posts as a way to directly communicate relevant and timely information to customers, and Google’s Business Profile content policies focus on keeping that content useful and positive for customers.

That is the key phrase: useful for customers.

Not cluttered.
Not hashtag-stuffed.
Not copied and pasted from Instagram.
Useful.

The User Experience Problem With Hashtags

The biggest issue with hashtags on Google Business Profile posts is not just that they probably do not help rankings. It is that they make the post harder to read.

When someone is looking at your profile, they are usually trying to answer questions like:

Do they offer what I need?
Are they open?
Are they nearby?
Do they look trustworthy?
Do they have current offers or updates?
Can I call, book, or visit easily?
Do they seem like a good fit?

Hashtags do not usually answer any of those questions.

They interrupt the message. They make the post look copied from social media. They can make a business look less polished, especially if there are too many of them.

The better user experience is simple, direct, and helpful:

“We are now offering same-week appointments for roof inspections in the Denver area. Call today to schedule before the next storm system rolls in.”

That is more useful than:

“Same-week appointments available! #roofing #denverroofing #roofrepair #stormdamage #localroofer #bestroofer #smallbusiness”

One tells the customer what matters. The other looks like it wandered in from a social media scheduler and forgot where it was.

Can Hashtags Hurt Visibility?

This is where we want to be careful.

Hashtags themselves are not usually the reason a Google Business Profile loses visibility. Google has many systems and local ranking factors, and Google’s official guidelines do not frame hashtags as a ranking strategy. Google’s profile guidelines focus much more on accurate business information, quality, relevance, and compliance with content policies.

But hashtags can still hurt visibility indirectly.

Here’s how.

They Waste Valuable Post Space

Google Business Profile posts should get to the point quickly. If part of your post is filled with hashtags, that is space you are not using to explain your offer, service, event, update, or reason to contact you.

Better visibility is not always about “ranking higher.” Sometimes it is about making the information visible enough for the customer to act.

They Can Weaken the Message

A clean post feels intentional. A hashtag-heavy post can feel lazy, automated, or copied from another platform.

That matters because users are making quick trust decisions. If your Google Business Profile looks polished, current, and useful, it can help support confidence. If it looks cluttered or spammy, it may create friction.

They Can Reduce Clicks and Calls

Google Business Profile posts can support action, especially when they highlight a clear service, timely update, offer, event, or call to action. Google has also continued adding ways for certain businesses to showcase timely updates, deals, and events more prominently through profile features, especially for restaurants and bars.

If your post is full of hashtags instead of helpful details, it may be less likely to motivate someone to click, call, book, or visit.

They Make Your Content Look Less Local and Less Helpful

Local search is about relevance and usefulness. A post that says what you do, where you do it, who it helps, and what the next step is will usually serve the customer better than a post packed with broad hashtags.

Instead of using:

#PhoenixDentist #DentalCare #HealthySmile

Say:

“Now accepting new patients in North Phoenix. Our office offers family dental care, cleanings, whitening, and same-week appointments when available.”

That gives both the person and the platform more useful context.

Why Copying Social Posts to Google Business Profile Is a Problem

A lot of hashtag-heavy Google Business Profile posts happen because businesses are using one caption everywhere.

That makes sense from a time-saving perspective, but it is not ideal from a strategy perspective.

Instagram users may be casually browsing.
Facebook users may already follow your business.
LinkedIn users may be looking for professional updates.
Google Business Profile viewers may be ready to make a decision.

Different audience. Different intent. Different content.

A post that works on Instagram might not work on Google. A behind-the-scenes birthday post, a trend-based caption, or a hashtag-heavy social caption may not answer the question a Google user actually has in that moment.

Your Google Business Profile content should be written for people who are evaluating your business, not people scrolling past your brand between vacation photos and lunch reels.

What to Use Instead of Hashtags

Instead of hashtags, use clear, search-friendly, user-friendly language.

Here are better options:

Use Service Keywords Naturally

Instead of stuffing hashtags, describe the service in the sentence.

Weak version:

“Book today! #medspa #botox #lipfiller #scottsdalemedspa”

Better version:

“Now booking Botox and lip filler appointments at our Scottsdale med spa. Schedule a consultation to talk through your goals and treatment options.”

Use Location Naturally

If location matters, include it in the copy in a normal way.

Weak version:

“New units available! #SeattleApartments #AffordableHousing #ApartmentLiving”

Better version:

“Now leasing income-restricted apartments in Seattle with convenient access to transit, shopping, and neighborhood amenities.”

Use a Clear Call to Action

Tell people what to do next.

Examples:

Call today to schedule
Book your consultation
View available units
Reserve your table
Learn more about this service
Ask about current availability
Mention this offer when you call

Use Offers When They Make Sense

Offers can work well because they give people a reason to act.

For example:

“New patient special: Schedule your first visit this month and receive $50 off your consultation. Call today and mention this Google offer.”

That is much stronger than adding a stack of hashtags and hoping something happens.

Use Posts to Answer Buyer Questions

Think about what someone needs to know before choosing you.

Do you offer the service they need?
Is there a special or event happening?
Are appointments available?
What makes your business different?
Do you serve their area?
Can they see examples of your work?
Are you experienced with their specific issue?

Those are the details that help people decide.

Examples of Better Google Business Profile Posts

For a Roofer

“We are scheduling roof inspections this week for homeowners in the Denver area. If you noticed missing shingles, leaks, or storm damage, call today to request an appointment.”

For a Med Spa

“Thinking about refreshing your skin before an event? We offer customized facial treatments and consultations to help you choose the right option for your goals. Book your appointment today.”

For an Apartment Community

“Looking for a convenient place to call home? Our community offers income-qualified apartment homes near transit, shopping, and local services. Contact our leasing team for current availability.”

For a Restaurant

“Weekend special: Join us Friday through Sunday for our seasonal dinner feature. Reservations are recommended, and availability is limited.”

For a Professional Service Business

“Need help improving your website visibility? We offer SEO and website strategy support to help your business get found by the right people. Reach out to schedule a consultation.”

Notice what these have in common:

They are clear.
They are useful.
They include relevant services.
They speak to customer intent.
They tell people what to do next.
They do not need a single hashtag to do the job.

Are Google Business Profile Posts Worth Using?

Yes, but with realistic expectations.

Google Business Profile posts are not a magic local SEO button. They are not going to single-handedly make your business rank higher. But they can support the decision-making process for people already viewing your profile.

They can help you show:

Current offers
Active services
Timely updates
Events
Promotions
Videos or photos
Reasons to choose your business
Helpful details customers might care about

The mistake is treating them like ranking hacks or social media posts.

They are best used as small, useful conversion tools within your profile.

The Better Strategy

Instead of asking, “How many hashtags should I use on Google Business Profile?”

Ask:

“What does someone need to know before they contact us?”

That is the better strategy.

Your Google Business Profile should help people make a decision faster. Every post should have a purpose, whether that is promoting an offer, explaining a service, highlighting availability, answering a common question, or showing why your business is a good fit.

Hashtags do not usually help with that.

Clear copy does.

Final Thoughts

Hashtags are not the enemy. They just belong in the right place.

On social media, they may have a role depending on the platform and strategy. On Google Business Profile posts, they usually add clutter without adding much value.

If you want your Google Business Profile posts to work harder, focus on useful information, natural keywords, strong calls to action, and content that helps customers choose you.

Because at the end of the day, your Google Business Profile is not trying to win a hashtag contest.

It is trying to help someone decide whether to call, click, book, visit, or buy.

Need Help Cleaning Up Your Google Business Profile Strategy?

Ad Tech Social helps businesses create smarter local visibility strategies through SEO, content, websites, and digital marketing support.

If your Google Business Profile posts feel copied, cluttered, or disconnected from what customers actually need, let’s make them more useful.

It is more like search has entered its messy middle child era. Google still matters. SEO still matters. But AI tools, AI Overviews, large language models, Reddit threads, social content, third-party mentions, and brand reputation are all becoming part of how people discover, research, and choose businesses.

I recently attended an online SEO panel called “How to Prepare for the Future of Search,” featuring Chima Mmeje from Moz, Mark Williams-Cook, and Lily Ray. The conversation focused heavily on AI search, GEO, content quality, brand trust, and how businesses should think about visibility going into 2026.

Here are the biggest takeaways, translated into normal human marketing language.

SEO Is Not Dead, It Is Expanding

Let’s start there, because every few years someone dramatically declares SEO dead, and yet here we all are, still Googling things at 11:47 p.m.

The panel made it clear that SEO is not going away. What is changing is how people search.

Some people still go straight to Google. Some ask ChatGPT. Some use Bing with AI-powered results. Some search Reddit because they want real opinions. Some watch TikTok or YouTube before making a decision. Some ask an AI tool for a summary, then go back to Google to verify.

Search is no longer one straight line. It is a whole little spiderweb of discovery.

That means businesses need to think beyond traditional rankings and focus on being visible, trusted, and easy to understand across multiple platforms.

GEO Is Really Just Good Marketing in a New Outfit

GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization, which is the fancy term for helping your brand show up in AI-powered search results, answer engines, and large language model responses.

But one of my favorite points from the panel was that GEO is not some mysterious new magic trick. At its core, GEO is holistic marketing.

That means:

Having a strong product or service
Clearly communicating what you do
Building brand recognition
Creating helpful content
Being mentioned in places that matter
Earning trust through reviews, community, PR, and third-party credibility
Making sure your website is structured clearly enough for both humans and AI to understand

In other words, GEO is not about stuffing your site with weird AI bait and hoping ChatGPT picks you. Please do not make the robots cringe.

It is about building a brand and content presence that is useful, credible, and easy to reference.

AI Search May Reduce Traffic, But Not Always Value

One major concern with AI Overviews and AI-powered answers is that users may get the answer they need without clicking through to a website.

For publishers, affiliate sites, and businesses that rely heavily on top-of-funnel pageviews, that can be a very real problem. If your content strategy is built around broad informational searches, like basic definitions or simple how-to questions, AI may answer those directly before someone ever reaches your site.

But that does not mean all traffic is doomed.

The panel discussed how overall click volume may remain more stable in some areas, but click-through rates are declining for many informational queries. The bigger shift is that the clicks websites do receive may be more intentional. Someone who clicks after reading an AI summary may be deeper in the research process or closer to taking action.

For businesses, this means it may be time to stop treating traffic as the only success metric.

Instead, look at:

• Engaged sessions
• Conversion rates
• Brand searches
• Direct traffic
• Form submissions
• Phone calls
• Email signups
• Lead quality
• Where customers say they heard about you
• Visibility in AI tools and third-party sources

Less traffic is not automatically bad if the people who do arrive are more qualified.

Your Brand Reputation Matters More Than Ever

AI tools do not only look at your website when forming answers about your brand.

They pull from the broader internet, including articles, reviews, forums, directories, comparison pages, podcasts, social platforms, and other third-party mentions. That means what the internet “knows” about your brand is becoming incredibly important.

This is where SEO starts to overlap with PR, social media, reputation management, community building, and brand marketing.

If your business is only talking about itself on its own website, that may not be enough.

AI and modern search tools are looking for signals that other people trust you too.

That could include:

• Positive reviews
• Industry mentions
• Relevant backlinks
• Podcast appearances
• Guest articles
• Social media conversations
• Client testimonials
• Case studies
• Community discussions
• Directory listings
• Thought leadership

Basically, your website matters, but it is not the only voice in the room anymore.

Reddit and Community Content Are Having a Moment

One of the biggest shifts discussed was the rise of Reddit and other user-generated forums in search results.

Google has been showing more forum content because people want real, firsthand answers. They want to know what actual customers, users, professionals, or community members think, not just what a polished brand page says.

For businesses, this does not mean you should storm into Reddit with a sales pitch and a coupon code. That is how brands get spiritually booed off the internet.

It means you should pay attention to where your audience is already having conversations.

For some industries, that might be Reddit. For others, it may be LinkedIn groups, Slack communities, Discord servers, niche forums, Facebook groups, YouTube comments, or industry-specific spaces.

The goal is not to fake authenticity. The goal is to understand what people are asking, what they are frustrated by, what they compare, and what they trust.

If it makes sense to participate, do it honestly. Say who you are. Be helpful. Do not make every answer a sales pitch wearing a fake mustache.

Quality Content Needs a Human Point of View

AI can generate endless content. That does not mean it can generate good content.

One of the strongest takeaways from the panel was that “quality content” in 2026 will need to be more original, more useful, and more human.

Generic content is going to have a harder time standing out, especially when AI can answer basic questions instantly.

The content that performs better will likely include:

• Personal experience
• Original opinions
• Real examples
• Case studies
• Expert insight
• Industry perspective
• Data you actually understand
• Helpful explanations
• Clear takeaways
• Content that feels like it came from a person, not a beige content machine

This does not mean you cannot use AI. Google has said it cares more about whether content is helpful than whether AI was involved in creating it. But there is a huge difference between using AI as a tool and publishing bland AI-generated fluff with no human judgment.

Use AI to support the process. Do not let it become the entire process.

The best content will still need your brain, your experience, your examples, and your actual point of view.

Stop Chasing Every Shiny SEO Tactic

Another point I loved: not every new search trend deserves your entire strategy.

Right now, some companies are trying to game AI search with tactics like “best of” listicles, AI-targeted pages, and prompt-based visibility hacks. Some of those tactics may work temporarily. But if they do not build trust, they may not hold up long term.

The problem with chasing shiny tactics is that algorithms change. Spam policies change. AI tools change. What works today can get devalued tomorrow.

Instead of asking, “What trick is working right now?” a better question is:

“Does this help the user, build trust, and support the outcome we actually want?”

That is a much safer long-term strategy.

The future of search is not about manipulating platforms. It is about becoming the kind of brand those platforms can trust enough to reference.

Video and Personal Branding Are Becoming More Valuable

Video came up as another important piece of the future search conversation.

Is video required for SEO? Not necessarily. But is it helpful? Very.

Video gives people another way to engage with your content, and it creates a stronger sense of personality and trust. It can also support YouTube visibility, social media content, website engagement, and even written content.

One smart idea from the discussion was to use video as the starting point for content. For example, record a quick Q&A with a business owner or subject matter expert, then use that conversation to create a blog post, FAQ section, social content, or email.

That gives the content a real human perspective from the beginning instead of starting with generic text and trying to sprinkle personality on top later.

For business owners, founders, marketers, and service providers, this is also where personal branding matters. People trust people. AI tools may summarize content, but humans still connect with real experience, clear opinions, and recognizable voices.

What Businesses Should Track Instead of Just Rankings

Rankings still matter, but they are not the whole picture anymore.

With AI search, personalized results, changing SERP layouts, and hidden discovery paths, businesses need a broader way to measure visibility.

A more modern search report should look at:

• Organic traffic
• AI referral traffic
• Brand search volume
• Direct traffic
• Engagement rates
• Conversions
• Lead quality
• Visibility for important topics
• Third-party mentions
• Backlink quality
• Reviews
• Form responses asking “How did you hear about us?”
• Social and community conversations
• Whether AI tools understand your brand accurately

That last one is important. You can literally ask AI tools about your business and see what comes up. Is the information accurate? Do they understand what you offer? Are they missing key services? Are they pulling outdated details?

It is not perfect, but it gives you a glimpse into how your brand is being interpreted.

How to Prepare Your Website for the Future of Search

The good news is that preparing for AI search does not mean throwing away everything you know about SEO.

It means strengthening the fundamentals.

Here are the places I would start:

Make Your Website Clear

Your website should clearly explain what you do, who you help, where you work, and why someone should choose you. If a human has to dig around to understand your business, AI will probably struggle too.

Strengthen Your Service Pages

Thin service pages are not doing you any favors. Each core service should have a clear, helpful page with strong headings, useful explanations, FAQs, internal links, and calls to action.

Build Content With a Point of View

Do not just publish what everyone else is publishing. Add your experience, your take, your examples, and your perspective. That is what makes content more memorable and harder to replace.

Add Schema and Clean Structure

Schema markup, clean headings, organized content, and strong metadata help search engines and AI tools better understand your site. It is not glamorous, but neither is flossing, and both matter.

Invest in Brand Mentions

Look for ways to build credibility outside your own website. That might include guest posts, PR, podcast interviews, industry directories, partnerships, testimonials, reviews, or community involvement.

Diversify Your Traffic

Do not rely only on Google. Build your email list. Stay active on social. Use paid campaigns where they make sense. Create helpful content. Strengthen your brand presence across multiple channels.

Monitor AI Referral Traffic

Check your analytics for referrals from tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and other AI-powered platforms. These numbers may be small right now, but they can help you spot changes in how people are finding you.

Add a “How Did You Hear About Us?” Field

This is simple but powerful. AI, Reddit, social media, podcasts, word of mouth, and other discovery paths do not always show up cleanly in analytics. Asking people directly can fill in the gaps.

The Big Takeaway

The future of search is not just SEO versus GEO.

It is not Google versus AI.

It is not humans versus robots in a dramatic little marketing thunderstorm.

The future of search is about visibility, trust, clarity, and usefulness across more places than ever before.

Yes, SEO still matters. But so does your brand reputation. So does your content quality. So does your website structure. So does social media. So do reviews, community conversations, third-party mentions, and the way people talk about your business when you are not in the room.

Search is becoming more connected to the rest of marketing, which honestly makes a lot of sense.

The brands that win will not be the ones chasing every new trick. They will be the ones building something clear, credible, helpful, and easy to find wherever people are looking.

Need Help Making Sense of SEO, GEO, and AI Search?

Ad Tech Social helps businesses build smarter digital marketing strategies across SEO, GEO, advertising, social media, and custom websites.

If your website needs better visibility, clearer content, or a strategy that keeps up with how people are actually searching, let’s talk.

AI tools are changing how people search, research, compare, and make decisions online. Instead of only typing questions into Google or Bing, people are now asking AI tools for recommendations, explanations, local businesses, service providers, product comparisons, job listings, and resources.

And when those tools link to your website, that traffic may show up in your analytics as referral traffic from an AI platform.

So what does it mean, and why is AI suddenly sending people to your site? Let’s break it down.

AI Is Becoming a Search and Discovery Tool

For years, search has been dominated by Google, with Bing and other platforms playing a smaller role. But now, AI tools are becoming part of the research process.

Someone might ask an AI platform:

“What are the best marketing agencies for healthcare companies?”
“How do I improve my website SEO?”
“What does GEO mean in digital marketing?”
“Where can I find examples of retargeting strategies?”

If the AI tool references or links to a website as part of its answer, and the user clicks through, that visit can appear as referral traffic from the AI platform.

What this means for your website:

AI is becoming another way people discover businesses and content. If your site has helpful, clear, well-structured pages, it may have a better chance of being referenced, recommended, or clicked on through AI-assisted search.

That means SEO is still important, but it is no longer the only search conversation in the room. GEO, or generative engine optimization, is becoming part of the bigger visibility picture.

AI Looks for Clear, Helpful, Well-Structured Content

AI tools are not just looking for random keywords sprinkled across a page like digital confetti.

They are trying to understand what your content is about, whether it is useful, and whether it clearly answers the question being asked. Pages that are organized, specific, and easy to interpret may have a stronger chance of being surfaced in AI-generated answers.

That includes things like:

Clear page titles
Helpful headings
Specific service descriptions
FAQ sections
Strong internal linking
Structured data
Authoritative, useful content
Consistent brand and business information

In plain English: your website needs to be easy for both people and machines to understand.

What this means for your website:

If your content is vague, thin, outdated, or hard to navigate, AI tools may have a harder time understanding when to reference it. But if your content clearly explains what you do, who you help, where you work, and why your information is useful, you are giving search engines and AI tools a better map to follow.

Tiny robot spiders love a good map. Unfortunately, so do humans.

AI Referrals Can Come From Research, Sharing, and Recommendations

AI referral traffic does not always mean someone asked, “What website should I visit?” and clicked a link directly.

Sometimes AI tools are part of a longer research process. A user may ask an AI platform to summarize options, compare services, explain a topic, or find helpful resources. If your website is included as a source or suggested next step, that can send traffic your way.

AI is also being used internally by teams. Someone may ask a tool to research vendors, summarize a topic, or collect links to useful resources, then click through to your site as part of that process.

What this means for your website:

Your content may be reaching people earlier in the decision-making process. These users may not always arrive through a traditional Google search, but they are still actively researching, comparing, or looking for answers.

That makes high-quality content even more valuable. A strong blog post, service page, FAQ, or resource page can become an entry point for someone who first found you through an AI-assisted search experience.

AI Is Also Changing Traditional Search

AI is not separate from search anymore. It is being built into search engines, browsers, productivity tools, and everyday research habits.

Google has AI-powered search features. Bing has AI-assisted results. Platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity can provide summaries, citations, and source links. People are moving between traditional search engines and AI tools without really thinking about it.

This means your website visibility strategy should not only focus on “ranking on Google.” That still matters, of course, but the bigger question is becoming:

Can your content be found, understood, trusted, and referenced across different search experiences?

What this means for your website:

Businesses should pay attention to both SEO and GEO. SEO helps your site perform in traditional search engines. GEO helps prepare your content for AI-powered search, answer engines, and tools that summarize or recommend information.

The goal is not to abandon SEO. The goal is to build on it.

How to Make Your Website More AI-Friendly

If AI sources are starting to appear in your analytics, or you want to prepare your website for where search is headed, here are a few smart places to start.

Create Better, More Useful Content

AI tools are more likely to understand and reference content that is specific, helpful, and clearly written. Your pages should answer real questions, explain your services, and provide enough context for someone to understand why your business is relevant.

Strengthen Your Service Pages

Your core service pages should clearly explain what you offer, who you help, and what makes your approach different. Thin service pages are not doing you any favors in SEO, GEO, or conversions.

Use Clear Headings and Page Structure

Good structure helps people skim your content and helps search engines and AI tools understand what each section is about. Your headings should actually explain the page, not just sound cute.

Cute is welcome. Confusing is not.

Add FAQs Where They Make Sense

FAQs are useful because they mirror how people actually search and ask questions. They can also help AI tools better understand the topics your page covers.

Use Structured Data

Schema markup can help search engines better interpret your content, especially for articles, FAQs, local businesses, services, products, reviews, and job postings.

Monitor AI Referral Traffic

Check your analytics regularly to see whether AI platforms are sending traffic to your site. Look at which pages are receiving that traffic, how users behave once they land, and whether those visits are supporting meaningful actions like forms, calls, bookings, or content engagement.

Why This Matters for Businesses

AI referral traffic is not just a fun little analytics surprise. It is a sign that user behavior is changing.

People are still searching, but they are not always searching the same way. They are asking longer questions. They are using AI tools to compare options. They are relying on summaries before clicking. They are discovering businesses through platforms that did not exist in the same way a few years ago.

For businesses, this means your website needs to do more than exist.

It needs to be clear.
It needs to be useful.
It needs to be structured.
It needs to support trust.
It needs to be ready for both humans and AI-powered discovery.

That is where SEO and GEO start working together.

Final Thoughts

If AI tools are showing up as referral sources in your analytics, that is not necessarily a weird glitch in the machine. It may be a sign that your website is being discovered through new search behaviors.

Traditional SEO is still important, but AI-powered search is becoming part of the digital marketing landscape. Businesses that pay attention now will be better prepared as search continues to evolve.

The best place to start is with strong content, clear structure, helpful service pages, and a website that actually explains what you do.

In other words, give both people and AI something useful to work with.

Need Help Making Your Website Easier to Find?

Ad Tech Social helps businesses improve their visibility through SEO, GEO, content strategy, and custom website support. If your analytics are starting to show AI referrals, or if you want your website to be better prepared for the future of search, let’s talk.