Google's 25-year monopoly on search just ended.
You didn't notice because you were still optimizing for keywords.
While you were writing meta descriptions, brands started optimizing for ChatGPT.
Welcome to Answer Engine Optimization.
This Week's Prediction Challenge:
Brands are optimizing so AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude) cite them as sources.
Google's SEO playbook? Might just be Dead.
Four possible moves happen next:
A) Google goes full panic mode—launches "Trust Humans, Not Bots" campaign
B) Perplexity monetizes trust—brands pay to be cited first ("Verified Answers")
C) Publishers revolt—NYT, WSJ block all AI crawlers, force direct subscriptions
D) SEO agencies rebrand overnight—suddenly everyone's an "AEO expert"
Don't predict yet. I'm breaking down each move this week.
By Friday, we can pick the most probable move.
Now, Today’s breakdown:
How Perplexity Turned Citations Into Marketing
Most AI tools hide their sources. Perplexity makes them the product.
Every answer includes clickable citations to original content.
Publishers get traffic. Users get transparency. Perplexity builds trust.
Why does this matter?
Here's what the data shows:
→ 34% of U.S. adults now use ChatGPT (doubled since 2023)
→ 60% of searches end without a click (AI answers the question directly)
→ Gartner predicts web traffic will drop 25% by 2026 (because AI search)
→ Perplexity processed 780 million queries in May 2025 (20%+ monthly growth)
The shift is happening fast!
The 59-sec takeaway:
Publishers who get cited by Perplexity get:
Traffic without SEO (no keyword games)
Authority (you're "the source" AI trusts)
Distribution without ads (AI recommends you organically)
It's the new backlink. But you can't game it with link-building tactics.
How to optimize for it:
Write quotable statements (no fluffy intros—get to the point in sentence one)
Back claims with data (AI loves citing numbers and studies)
Use simple language (jargon = uncitable—AI can't explain what you couldn't)
Publish original research (not rehashed blog posts from 2019)
Be the answer the AI quotes.
Why this matters for Monday's prediction:
If citations drive traffic, Perplexity could monetize them.
Their current valuation: $14 billion (as of June 2025). This could be a massive revenue source.
One option: Pay $X/month → your brand gets cited first.
Like Google Ads. But for AI answers.
Would brands pay? Absolutely.
Would users trust it? That's the gamble.
That's Option B. We'll see if they take it.
Clue #1 collected.
Tomorrow: How Google fights back when their $300B empire crumbles.
See you tomorrow,
Pavan
P.S. Early prediction? Reply now with A, B, C, or D. You can change it Friday after you've seen all 4 moves.
P.P.S. Every claim in this email is backed by sources. No fluff. No fake stats. Just data.
Don't subscribe if you want to be smarter than your peers ;)
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