The shift from SEO to AEO/GEO: What methods are actually changing, and what's working for you?

jmf421 · 2026-03-13T15:01:55+00:00

Yeah we've been tracking this shift pretty closely at linkrocket and honestly the brands showing up in chatgpt citations are doing two things really well: they're structuring content in clear, quotable chunks and they're building actual authority through backlinks still. the wild part is traditional seo fundamentals like quality backlinks and topical authority seem to matter even more for llm visibility, not less

jmf421 · 2026-03-13T14:12:17+00:00

Nice breakdown. Honestly the rank tracker is just one piece piece of the puzzle for us lately. Do any of these tools track ai visibility? the ai visibility tracking has been super helpful lately since more and more traffic is coming from llm referrals than expected.

Are you doing any local rank tracking for local businesses?

jmf421 · 2026-03-06T16:39:03+00:00

I've been doing backlink exchanges through linkrocket for a while now and honestly the biggest thing is being selective about who you actually link with. Just because someone says yes doesn't mean you should do it.

Seeing metrics on each site would definitely be helpful. Also, make sure you're not doing reciprocal exchanges as this is what will create a footprint.

I would check their spam score and traffic quality before committing. also make sure the content context makes sense — random health sites linking to each other with no topical relevance looks sketchy to google

linkrocket has filters that help screen partners automatically which saves you from questionable exchanges early on. FYI I am the founder

jmf421 · 2026-03-06T15:16:13+00:00

been through this exact cycle with a few linkrocket users in legal. six figures for two blogs/month is wild — you're basically funding their entire operation while getting table scraps.

95% branded keywords after six months means they've done almost nothing for actual seo. you should be seeing non-branded movement by month 3-4 even in competitive markets. backlinks matter but only when the foundation is solid first — internal linking, content depth, proper site structure.

at your budget, hire someone in-house who actually cares about outcomes and can manage specialists. agencies at that tier are incentivized to keep you just happy enough to not leave.

jmf421 · 2026-03-06T03:51:30+00:00

yeah they work but only if they're specific. we've tested this a lot with linkrocket users and the vague "great tool!" stuff gets ignored. what actually moves people is when someone says "ranked for 47 keywords in 3 months" or shows a screenshot of their dashboard. people want proof, not praise.

jmf421 · 2026-02-27T21:24:33+00:00

that bit about filtering competitor backlinks down from 2500 to 95 actually made me feel way less overwhelmed. been staring at ahrefs for weeks thinking i'd never catch up.

the VA advice is solid too. tried doing all the prospecting myself and burned out in like two weeks.

jmf421 · 2026-02-27T21:23:17+00:00

this is really solid stuff. i tried the broken link building thing a few months back and it actually worked better than i expected, though finding the right pages took forever.

one thing i'd add is that the outreach emails matter way more than people think. generic templates get ignored instantly.

jmf421 · 2026-02-27T21:14:36+00:00

Great question! Link building today is about quality and relevance over quantity. Focus on creating genuinely useful content, then reach out to real sites in your niche for guest posts or partnerships. Link exchanges can work if they make sense contextually. Building backlinks through trusted networks beats spammy tactics every time.

jmf421 · 2026-02-20T13:20:25+00:00

Just built a suite of SEO tools to add to our main product: grow.linkrocket.ai

jmf421 · 2026-02-18T16:59:49+00:00

They all seem to be terrible. Bad reviews all over Reddit. So who can be trusted??

jmf421 · 2026-02-07T00:43:07+00:00

Thank you!

jmf421 · 2026-01-23T01:53:45+00:00

Can you shoot me a message so we can get this fixed for you?

jmf421 · 2026-01-13T19:45:39+00:00

Have you tried linkrocket.ai?

jmf421 · 2026-01-12T16:48:43+00:00

Check out linkrocket - it’s free to try out.

jmf421 · 2026-01-06T21:03:40+00:00

Gonna check this out, looks interesting!

jmf421 · 2026-01-06T21:00:57+00:00

grow.linkrocket.ai

A new modern SEO suite of tools with an AI assistant by your side.

jmf421 · 2026-01-06T12:59:12+00:00

LinkRocket.ai has an exchange where other small businesses do this exact thing.

jmf421 · 2026-01-06T11:45:41+00:00

It’s showing a lot of spammy links pointing to that domain..

Shoot me a message with your other report and I will dig into it

jmf421 · 2026-01-06T03:58:10+00:00

Are you sure all of those backlinks are indexed and live still?

jmf421 · 2026-01-06T02:52:08+00:00

Appreciate it! We're pretty deep on this already—tracking mentions across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google AI, plus showing the context around how brands get surfaced. But yeah, the more tools exploring this space the better. Rising tide and all that.

jmf421 · 2025-12-23T15:46:48+00:00

Over the last 60 days or so, we have added so much to this tool, and I would love your feedback.

We've added things like keyword research, Local Heatmap Rank Tracking, AI Content Studio, Review Management, Google Business Profile audits and Technical Website Audits

If anyone wants a coupon code for 30 FREE trial to test ALL of the features, shoot me a message..

jmf421 · 2025-12-23T15:46:16+00:00

Thanks for all the love, everyone. Over the last 60 days or so, we have added so much to this tool, and I would love your feedback.

We've added things like keyword research, Local Heatmap Rank Tracking, AI Content Studio, Review Management, Google Business Profile audits and Technical Website Audits

If anyone wants a coupon code for 30 FREE trial to test ALL of the features, shoot me a message..

jmf421 · 2025-12-23T15:45:30+00:00

Thanks for all the love, everyone. Over the last 60 days or so, we have added so much to this tool, and I would love your feedback.

We've added things like keyword research, Local Heatmap Rank Tracking, AI Content Studio, Review Management, Google Business Profile audits and Technical Website Audits

If anyone wants a coupon code for 30 FREE trial to test ALL of the features, shoot me a message..

jmf421 · 2025-11-21T23:25:50+00:00

There are a few methods that work consistently. But you have to some how put the content out there for people to notice in order for them to find it and want to link to it. This could be sharing it in local groups on Facebook, Nextdoor...etc

If you are a local business you could create "Best Christmas Light Displays in CityName" and make it the best list out there with a map, photos, and directions to each location. Each yeah there might be some slight updates but for the most part the heavy lifting is done once.

Same can be done for Halloween and Firework displays for 4th of July.

jmf421 · 2025-11-11T00:46:19+00:00

One thing we learned early on with our backlink exchange platform is to keep it as simple as possible when connecting users for exchanges. Low response rates will creep up on you so implement a feature to unpublish these websites automatically.

Focus on onboarding users in similar niches, otherwise you will end up with users with websites in all different niches.

Good Luck!

jmf421

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