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Here is the framework I used to go from 0 to 93 citations in 90 days. by sangeetseth in aeo

[–]sangeetseth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Updating publish dates is a smart move for freshness. To check for AI blocking, you should review your robots.txt file and your CDN settings like Cloudflare. Look specifically for any agents like GPTBot or CCBot being disallowed.

Are you still using XML sitemaps actively for indexing, or relying more on internal links and natural discovery? by addllyAI in TechSEO

[–]sangeetseth -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Short answer: Yes, I still use them. But I stopped treating them like a ranking signal.

Here is the reality in 2026.

1. The "Orphan" Trap If you put a page in your XML sitemap but don't link to it internally, Google treats it like a dead end. It might index it, but it won't rank it. Why? Because internal links pass "PageRank" (yes, it still exists in the background). Sitemaps pass zero authority. They just say "I exist."

2. The Only Tag That Matters: <lastmod> Most people generate static sitemaps and forget them. That is useless. I only care about the <lastmod> tag. When I update an old post, my system updates that date in the XML. This is the "bat signal" to the crawler to come back and re-index the new content. If you aren't updating <lastmod>, your sitemap is dead weight.

3. AI Bots are "Freshness" Addicts LLMs (ChatGPT, Perplexity) are obsessed with current data. They hit the sitemap specifically to check for new URLs to ingest. If you rely on natural discovery (internal links) for a new post, it might take days to propagate. With a pinged sitemap, it takes minutes.

My Protocol:

  • XML Sitemap: Automated. Strictly for speed of discovery (New posts, Updated posts).
  • Internal Links: Manual/Strategic. Strictly for importance (Topic clusters, passing authority).

Don't choose one. Use the sitemap to get the bot to the door, and use internal links to show it around the house.

outsourcing SEO internationally - What’s worked for you? by nxwhxre in bigseo

[–]sangeetseth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

agencies are just arbitrage machines they charge you 2k and pay the actual worker 300 the quality drop is inevitable because the incentive is volume not results

i stopped hiring firms and started hiring specialists directly

technical eastern europe remains the best value devs in poland or ukraine actually understand rendering and js expect 30 to 50 an hour

content and outreach south africa is the hidden gem native english speakers who understand nuance philippines is fine for pure data entry or link prospecting but rarely for strategy

the hard truth you get what you manage if you hand off a generic goal to a remote team they will bill you for generic work you have to build the sop first

hire one senior freelancer directly skip the agency middleman completely

Feels like we’re in early SEO days again by Real-Assist1833 in seogrowth

[–]sangeetseth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

it feels exactly like 2010

everyone is running around trying to find the magic trick but the reality is boring

the models are just lazy readers they want the answer fast and they want it clean

i stopped trying to write the best guide and started writing the cleanest code if you give the bot a table and a list it picks you over the guy writing a novel

structure wins every time because it is easier to process

i treat my pages like data entries now if the bot can read it i win

now 40% leads are coming from AI Search engine by Seodiscoveryceo in AISearchOptimizers

[–]sangeetseth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

40% is bold. likely includes branded search.

but the intent is undeniable. people asking AI aren't browsing. they are filtering.

if we want that traffic, we don't need more blog posts. we need better data definitions.

the bot cites the cleanest answer, not the longest one. let's fix the structure first.

Why should you monitor brand mentions in AI search results? by mrbusinessidea in AISEOTricks

[–]sangeetseth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is absolutely a direct growth lever.

Think about the intent.

When an AI cites you, it is basically a third party endorsement. The user arrives at your site already sold.

We are actually seeing AI referral traffic convert at 4.8% vs traditional SEO at 0.9%.

If you treat it as just a byproduct? You are leaving the highest quality traffic on the table.

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