Ahrefs Podcast

Is SEO actually dying, or are you just listening to the wrong people?
While the media claims that AI is causing a 25% traffic collapse, data from 40,000 of the largest websites in the U.S. tells a completely different story.
In this episode, Ethan Smith (CEO of Graphite) joins Tim Soulo to perform SEO Necromancy — resurrecting search from the dead by debunking the biggest myths in the industry.
Ethan is widely regarded as the leading expert on Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), having built growth engines for brands like Instagram, Robinhood, and BetterUp. He doesn’t just share opinions; he shares data-backed insights from his recent study on how search behavior is actually shifting.
You’ll hear why the rise of ChatGPT isn’t the Google killer everyone predicted, how small websites are actually gaining traffic in the AI era, and the exact strategy you need to ensure your brand is cited by LLMs.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

00:00 - Intro
01:00 - Why AI isn’t actually killing the web
04:49 - Measuring the real traffic drop
07:31 - The winners and losers of the AI traffic shift
13:24 - How AI behaviors are expanding the search pie
18:18 - Cleaning up outdated and inaccurate citations
23:28 - Why SEO and AEO are the same thing
27:09 - Why your AI tracking is biased
38:33 - Mining sales calls and Reddit for high-intent prompts
41:29 - How to win the RAG citation game
47:29 - Why being #15 in citations is better than #15 in Google
51:04 - ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Perplexity: where to focus first?

Where to find Ethan:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanls/
Website: https://graphite.io/

Where to find Tim:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/
X: @timsoulo
Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/

Early-stage marketing is often a race for reach, but Jay Acunzo argues that resonance is the only metric that actually moves the needle in 2026.
Jay is the former Head of Content at HubSpot and Google, a world-renowned keynote speaker, and an expert in storytelling. He has helped countless brands find their "Premise"—the distinct point of view that makes them irreplaceable in a sea of commodities.
In this episode, Jay breaks down why "being the best" is a losing game and why "being their favorite" is the ultimate competitive advantage.
Here's what you'll learn:
(00:00) Intro
(01:24) Why "Marketing More" is a trap in the AI era
(04:16) Why 100 fans beat 100,000 followers
(07:36) The Disney Strategy: Why you should stop trying to be "The Best"
(09:52) Using Unsolicited Response Rate (URR) to measure resonance
(13:50) How to close deals faster by making people care
(16:21) Why generic content is dead (and how to find your "Premise")
(24:13) Why brands need personalities to survive
(28:55) 5 steps to differentiate your brand
(34:38) The Wistia Example: Why your homepage copy isn't your message
(41:55) Future-proofing your content for 2026
(51:09) The right way to use LLMs in creative work
(59:40) Why you can't automate thought leadership

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast!
Where to find Jay:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo/
Website: https://jayacunzo.com/
Where to find Tim:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/
X: @timsoulo
Referenced:
HubSpot, Wistia, Google, SparkToro, TopRank Marketing, Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Davis, Melanie Deziel.

AI is already better at writing than 90% of people. It’s faster, cheaper, and never gets writer’s block. Yet, most companies that try to fully automate their content end up with "AI slop" that tanks their engagement.
Meet Neville Medhora, the founder of Copywriting Course and SwipeFile.com. As an "OG blogger" who started in 1999 and a mentor to many top marketers, Neville has a front-row seat to the massive disruption ripping through the copywriting industry.
In other words, Neville isn't just watching the AI revolution. He's actively rewriting the playbook for how professional writers survive it.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
(00:00) Intro
(02:14) The 3 levels of copywriting (and who is safe)
(03:27) Why companies are regretting "All-AI" content
(07:19) The death of "How-To" blogs (and what replaces them)
(11:46) Neville’s "Voice Ramble" workflow for rapid writing
(17:39) Why "Prompt Engineering" is a waste of time
(25:29) Generating custom GIFs with Grok
(30:48) The new #1 skill: Developing "Taste"
(39:03) Using AI to aggressively repurpose winning ads
(46:24) Speed of ideation: Using AI as your "Junior Employee"
(55:12) The future of the copywriting profession
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend).
Where to find Neville:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neville-medhora-654749/
X: @nevmed
Website: https://copywritingcourse.com/
Swipe File: https://swipefile.com/
Where to find Tim:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/
X: @timsoulo
Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/
Referenced:
• Copywriting Course: https://copywritingcourse.com
• SwipeFile: https://swipefile.com
• Grok (xAI): https://grok.x.ai
• Ahrefs: https://ahrefs.com

Is Your Marketing Career Safe from AI? Ryan Law’s 6-Point Defense Plan

Sam Altman predicts that 95% of what marketers do will eventually be handled by AI, and Microsoft claims that copywriters are at the top of the replacement list. So, is your marketing career in trouble?

To answer this, we sat down with Ryan Law, our Director of Content Marketing. Ryan’s been experimenting with AI since the GPT-3 closed beta in 2020 and has developed a concrete plan for not just surviving—but thriving—in the age of AI.

In this episode, Ryan breaks down his 6-point defense plan to future-proof your career. We argue about the death of skyscraper content, why taste is more valuable than technical skill, and why marketers need to be more like rockstars.

What you’ll learn in this episode:
(00:00) Intro
(00:48) Ryan Law’s AI “Origin Story”
(04:56) Will AI take your marketing job?
(15:10) The Right Way to Use AI in Your Workflow
(22:24) Why “Taste” is Your Most Valuable Skill Now
(32:00) The Death of Skyscraper Content
(41:51) Using AI to Learn New Skills (Like Python)
(49:25) Be a Rockstar, Not a Session Musician

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! Be sure to like, subscribe, and tell a friend.

Where to find Ryan:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thinkingslow/
X: @thinking_slow

Where to find Tim:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/
X: @timsoulo
Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/

Referenced:
OpenAI: https://openai.com/
Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com/
Seer Interactive: https://www.seerinteractive.com/

Clay went from zero revenue to a 3.1 billion dollar valuation in just 2 years. Was it luck, skill, or are they just riding the AI hype bubble?

Meet Bruno Estrella, the Head of Marketing at Clay. He joined when the company was just 20 people and helped build one of the most effective partner and community-led marketing engines in SaaS.

In this episode, Bruno reveals Clay’s full growth playbook, from the influencer strategy that popularized the “GTM Engineer” role to the strategy behind their 7-figure campaigns.

Here’s what you’ll learn:
00:00 Intro
00:53 The GTM Engineer: How Clay created a new role through influencers
07:13 The story behind Clay’s iconic “Play-Doh” branding
09:55 How to split marketing for self-serve vs. enterprise
16:26 Clay’s programmatic SEO play generating 60 percent of their traffic
21:27 Why Clay uses Substack instead of a traditional blog
25:33 The playbook for scaling to hundreds of global events
31:09 How to get the right people to attend your events
38:20 Why adding a service arm accelerates enterprise revenue
40:57 How Clay uses its own product to grow
45:00 Clay’s social media and executive content strategy
51:31 The strategy behind Clay’s 7-figure billboard campaigns
55:41 Your brand is your advertising budget
01:00:28 The secret to hiring A-players
01:05:15 Clay’s single most effective growth tactic

Where to find Bruno:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brunoestrella/

Where to find Tim:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/
X: https://x.com/timsoulo
Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/

Referenced:
Clay: https://www.clay.com/
OpenAI: https://openai.com/
HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com/
Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/
Webflow: https://webflow.com/
Substack: https://substack.com/
Miro: https://miro.com/
Gong: https://www.gong.io/
ClickUp: https://clickup.com/
Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/