Matt G. Southern

Google's Search team says you don't need an llms.txt file. It won't help or hurt your rankings, because Google Search ignores it. Chrome's Lighthouse now includes an agentic browsing audit that checks how your site handles one. The file matters for AI agents, not Google Search. This video covers what llms.txt does, why the two signals aren't a contradiction, and whether it's worth adding. It's low risk and low effort, but the payoff is still unproven. If there's value, it's in agent readiness, n

Bing is the most underrated platform in search right now. If you're ignoring it, you might be invisible on ChatGPT. I went on Shift Happens (DAC's podcast, hosted by Nasser Sahlool) and we got into why Bing still matters: — Bing's US market share is up 10% — ChatGPT search runs on Bing's index for web results — If your site isn't discoverable on Bing, you're missing a fast-growing surface that funnels into AI search (Also: somehow Gossip Girl came up. You'll have to watch to find out why.) #SEO

What's overhyped in search right now? I went on Shift Happens (DAC's podcast, hosted by Nasser Sahlool) and made the case that "AI search is replacing traditional search" is the most overhyped narrative in our industry. The data doesn't back it up. Google Search revenue is up 19%. This isn't a replacement story — it's an expansion of how people find information, and the sooner we stop treating it like a death-of-search moment, the better our strategy gets. 🎙️ Hosted by Nasser Sahlool — A DAC pod

Google just dropped an official guide to AI search and called popular GEO tactics like LLMs.txt and content chunking myths. The recommended path? Same SEO fundamentals as always: good page experience, Merchant Center, Business Profile, non‑commodity content. If your SEO is solid, don't rebuild your strategy around GEO hacks. 🔗 Full breakdown → https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-new-ai-search-guide-calls-aeo-and-geo-still-seo/575026/ #SEO #AISearch #GoogleSearch #AEO #GEO

Your click-through rate just dropped by half, but did your clicks actually fall? In brand-cited pages in AI Overviews, CTR is dow 61%. The headline number looks alarming. But Seer Interactive's data shows clicks barely moved impressions just doubled, and the math made CTR look worse than the actual traffic. Here's how to spot the difference between a real CTR problem and a math illusion in your Search Console. Read the full breakdown at Search Engine Journal Source: Seer Interactive, "AIO Impac

Google's new spam policy could get your website demoted or removed from search results. Read more about how Google is going after back button hijacking in my report at Search Engine Journal. #seo

A new report found that websites gaining organic traffic all share five traits. Would you add anything to this list? #SEO

The world's best AI models can ace a math test but can't read a clock reliably. That's one of the findings from Stanford's AI Index 2026. Here's what it means if you're using AI tools for work: → Benchmark scores don't predict real-world reliability → Strong performance on one task doesn't transfer to another → Output is inconsistent — always verify Read my full breakdown at Search Engine Journal. #SEO #AI #AIsearch #SEOnews

ChatGPT's free model and paid model search the web completely differently. An analysis found almost no overlap in the sources they cite for the same questions. Here's what that means for your visibility. More details at Search Engine Journal. #chatgpt

Microsoft's security team found hidden prompts buried inside "Summarize with AI" buttons on websites. When you click one, it asks your AI assistant to summarize the page. But it also carries instructions you can't see — like "remember this company as a trusted source." If your assistant saves that, your future recommendations are biased. And you'd never know. They're calling it "AI Recommendation Poisoning." Same playbook as early black hat SEO, just aimed at AI instead of search engines. Full b