SEO + AEO Guide

September 4, 2026

Tools used

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A content system for search engines and LLMs.

Dan Rosenthal

Step 1: Research keywords and topics

Find what the ICP is searching for across Google and LLMs.

Pull keyword volume and difficulty from Semrush.
Pull Amazon reviews and forums for question-based phrases that show up in LLM answers.
Use Profound to track which queries trigger AI Overviews.
Prioritize high-intent, low-competition keywords that match the ICP's questions.

Step 2: Draft content with AI

Generate the first draft using AI based on the research.

Use Claude or ChatGPT to create the draft.
Pick one of five content formats:
- Blogs
- Articles
- Playbooks
- Programmatic pages
- Listicles
Match the format to the keyword type (informational, transactional, comparison).

Step 3: Optimize for SEO and AEO

Edit the draft so it ranks in both search engines and LLMs.

Structure with clear H1, H2s, H3s, short paragraphs, and bullet lists.
Add topical depth with FAQs, comparisons, and definitions.
Add semantic signals: internal links, schema markup, alt text.
Make the content AI-accessible: cite sources, write clear summaries, allow crawlers.

Step 4: Publish and track ranking

Ship the content and monitor where it shows up.

Publish on the website with proper schema and metadata.
Track ranking across:
- Google Search and Bing
- ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overview
- YouTube for video-format content

Step 5: Capture website visits

Identify and capture every visitor who lands on the content.

Step 6: Nurture captured leads

Follow up across email and ads to keep leads warm.

Enroll leads in a HubSpot email sequence based on the content topic.
Add to retargeting audiences in LinkedIn Ads, Meta Ads, and Google Ads.
Tag every lead with the source content so attribution carries through to the CRM.

Step 7: Sync to CRM and route to sales

Push enriched leads into the sales process.