We noticed a page we’d worked hard to rank was losing clicks, even though it kept appearing in search results. The reason? AI Overviews were answering the query before users reached our page.
That observation has changed how we approach SEO for 2027. With people also searching for answers through ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, we’re looking beyond rankings to how content gets discovered, surfaced, and cited.
In this blog, we’ll break down six changes we’ve made to our SEO strategy, from strengthening technical foundations and improving content quality to building visibility across AI-driven search experiences.
6 SEO Changes We’re Making Before 2027
As an agency, we’re rethinking how we plan, create, and optimise SEO content. With fewer clicks coming from some rankings, every page needs to be more useful, more specific, and harder to replace.
Here are six changes we’re making before 2027 to strengthen search visibility and drive more meaningful results:
1. Building Topical Authority Through Vertical Depth, Not Horizontal Coverage
We’re shifting from publishing content across loosely related topics to building deeper coverage of the subjects we genuinely understand. For our clients, this means prioritising focused content clusters over publishing more pages just to target additional keywords.
Vertical Depth Versus Horizontal Coverage
Horizontal coverage means publishing basic pages on every related topic. Vertical depth means covering one subject thoroughly, from fundamentals to practical use cases, challenges, and first-hand insights. This gives readers more value, makes content harder to replicate, and provides AI-powered search tools with more substantive information to draw from.
How We Decide What Stays Out
Before adding a topic to our content plan, we ask two questions:
- Do we have genuine experience in this area?
- Does it connect to something we offer?
For example, a B2B SaaS SEO agency might skip broad lifestyle topics that attract traffic but have little relevance to its expertise. This keeps content focused on the audiences we can actually help.
2. Publishing First-Hand Experience Content on Every Page
We’re moving beyond content that summarises existing information. Every page should offer insights grounded in real experience, aligning with Google’s emphasis on experience as part of content quality and trust.
What Experience Looks Like on the Page
We prioritise original screenshots, verified data, practical examples, clear opinions, and author expertise. Commercial pages should go beyond listing features to include insights from product use, customer experiences, or hands-on research.
Why AI Tools Can’t Copy It
AI can generate generic explanations quickly, but real-world testing, client insights, and lessons from implementation provide context that generic summaries lack. Our goal is to publish content that demonstrates genuine expertise rather than repeating what’s already available.
3. Dropping Keywords That No Longer Earn Clicks
We’re becoming more selective about the keywords we target. We’re cutting back on informational content that earns impressions but few clicks, along with topics unrelated to our services. Publishing unrelated content can send mixed signals about our areas of expertise.
Why “What Is” and “How To” Queries End Without a Click
AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini can answer basic informational queries without users visiting a website. We’re watching for this pattern in our search data, particularly when impressions remain steady but clicks decline. Instead of targeting every informational keyword, we prioritise opportunities with clearer business value.
When Definition Content Is Still Worth Publishing
We’re not abandoning definition pages or how-to content. They can attract relevant audiences, build topical authority, and support AI-generated answers.
Our rule is simple: every informational page should support a commercial topic we specialise in. If it has little connection to our expertise, services, or audience, we won’t prioritise it just for search volume.
4. Moving the Budget to Bottom-of-Funnel Keywords
We’re focusing more on keywords that signal buying intent. Instead of prioritising traffic, we’re creating pages that help potential customers compare options and make decisions.
Comparison, Alternatives and “Best For” Searches
Comparison, alternatives, and “best for” searches often indicate that buyers are evaluating their options. They may consult multiple websites, review platforms, and forums before deciding.
Our approach is to stick to the facts. Avoid piling on jargon to sound better than competitors. Clear claims, verifiable details, and honest trade-offs help readers compare options and trust what they read.
Why Lower Traffic Can Still Mean More Conversions
Pages with fewer visitors can still deliver value if they attract the right audience. We’re looking beyond traffic to qualified leads, demo requests, and sign-ups to assess business impact. The goal is to attract potential customers, not just more visitors.
5. Making Every Piece of Content Do More Than Rank
We’re no longer judging content solely by its ability to rank. Each piece takes time and research, so we want it to support distribution, brand visibility, and sales beyond organic search.
Planning Video, Social and Sales Uses Before Writing
Before commissioning an article, we identify how else we can use it. Its insights could become a video script, social posts, or a resource that helps the sales team answer prospect questions. This makes repurposing part of the plan, not an afterthought.
How the Content Brief Changes
Our briefs now include potential video angles, quotable data points, social takeaways, and relevant sales use cases alongside the target keyword and search intent. This asks writers to think beyond the article itself, helping us get more value from every piece we publish.
6. Building Original Data That Others Have to Cite
We’re focusing more on creating original data that gives other websites a reason to reference our work. Rather than relying entirely on existing research, we want to publish insights drawn from our own accounts, customer research, and industry observations.
Simple Formats That Work
Original research doesn’t have to mean producing a lengthy industry report. It could be a single tracked statistic, a short customer survey, a pricing comparison, or a benchmark based on data from our own accounts. We can start with information we already have and turn it into something useful for our audience.
How Data Pages Earn Links and AI Citations
Journalists, bloggers, and content creators need reliable sources to support their claims. Similarly, AI-powered search tools may reference original data when answering relevant questions. Clear, specific, and regularly updated data gives others something concrete to cite.
We’re focusing on publishing data that is easy to verify, with clear sources and context. We’ll also track backlinks and brand mentions to understand whether these resources are earning references across traditional search and AI-driven discovery.
Where to Start With Your SEO Plan for 2027
Preparing for 2027 doesn’t require a large team or a complete SEO overhaul. It requires a clear plan. These seven steps will help you target relevant queries, create distinctive content, and measure results without overreacting to fluctuations.
Step 1: Settle Your Positioning First
Decide what you want your brand to be known for and who you want to reach. This shapes the queries you target, the content you create, and how you measure success. Focus on subjects where you have genuine expertise and can build depth, rather than covering every adjacent topic.
Step 2: Identify the Queries That Matter to Your Product
Identify relevant keywords and prompts people use in Google, ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. Use Google Search Console, sales calls, customer support logs, and chatbot prompts to find them. Prioritise queries aligned with your expertise and commercial goals, not just search volume.
Step 3: Find Your Content Tilt
Study what competitors publish for your target queries and identify what’s missing. Your content tilt is the perspective that sets your content apart.
Use original data, product testing, client insights, or lessons from past mistakes. Ask what you can share that others cannot. If a chatbot could write the page without unique inputs, it needs a stronger angle.
Step 4: Build a Content Calendar
Create a documented plan around your most important queries. Each piece should have a clear target query, purpose, and place in your broader strategy. Group related topics to build topical depth.
Step 5: Prioritise Relevance Over Volume
Don’t publish just to increase output. Include first-hand experience, original data, and expert opinions that competitors cannot easily reproduce. Audit existing pages for unique value. Improve those lacking original insights and retire content that no longer serves your audience or business goals.
Step 6: Distribute Every Piece
Publishing is only the starting point. Once a piece is live, identify where it can reach your audience beyond search. Share its strongest insights through social posts, email, relevant communities, and sales conversations. Adapt the format to each channel rather than copying the same content everywhere. Distribution helps your work reach people who may never discover it through a search result.
Step 7: Measure the Whole Channel, Without Obsessing
Measure traditional and AI-driven search together. Track organic clicks, qualified leads, sign-ups, brand visibility, and relevant AI citations to assess overall search performance.
Rankings and citations fluctuate, so don’t overhaul your strategy over a single day’s movement. Review performance regularly, look for meaningful patterns, and prioritise business outcomes over short-term changes.
Conclusion
SEO in 2027 will reward businesses that offer genuine expertise, useful content, and clear answers to the right audience. Chasing every keyword or publishing more pages won’t build lasting visibility. A focused strategy, backed by first-hand insights and consistent execution, will.
At Contensify, we help businesses build SEO strategies that strengthen organic visibility, attract qualified leads, and improve discoverability across traditional and AI-driven search.
