The New Search Reality: Clicks vs. Citations
Let's get straight to the point. The way people find information has fundamentally changed. For twenty years, the goal of SEO was simple: get the click. You wanted to be one of the top links on Google that a user might click on.
Today, that's only half the battle.
AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's own AI Overviews don't just give a list of links; they synthesize information and provide a direct answer. They cite their sources, mentioning brands by name.
The goal is no longer just to win the click. It's to become the authoritative source the AI chooses to cite.
"Think of it like this: Google reads your website, but an AI has a conversation about it. If your site isn't built for that conversation, you won't be part of the answer."
This isn't a small change. Market analysis shows that as users get direct answers, up to 70% of traditional Google traffic is at risk. That #1 ranking your agency is so proud of might soon deliver zero traffic.
Your customers are already there. In Australia, 49% of people used generative AI in the past year. They're not just typing keywords; they're asking complex questions.
What They're Doing vs. What We're Doing
| Feature | The Old Way (Your Current Agency) | The AI-Native Way (Duty Digital) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Goal | Rank keywords to win a potential click. | Become the cited source to win the argument. |
| Content Focus | Generic blog posts targeting keywords. | Conversational content that directly answers questions your customers ask AI. |
| Technical SEO | Basic on-page (meta tags, site speed). | Advanced SEO for AI crawlers (deep schema, entity recognition). |
| Success Metric | Keyword rankings and organic traffic. | Citation frequency in AI and qualified referral traffic. |
If your agency's reports are still just showing keyword rankings, you're measuring yesterday's success while your competitors are capturing tomorrow's customers.
The 80/20 Rule: An AI-Native SEO Strategy
Here's what I've learned after a decade in this game: every major shift builds on the foundation of what came before. AI search is no different.
The good news is that 80% of what constitutes great traditional SEO—a fast website, quality content, authoritative backlinks—is still the essential foundation for AI search optimisation. Your current agency is probably doing a decent job with that 80%.
But they're missing the critical 20% that makes an AI trust and recommend you.
We are an AI SEO agency built from the ground up for this new reality. We don't just use AI tools to write content faster; our entire methodology is AI-native. We deliver that critical 20% on top of the 80% foundation, giving you complete coverage for the modern search landscape.
Our proprietary D.U.T.Y. Framework™ is the system that delivers this. It ensures every signal your website sends—from its technical structure to its content—is optimised to establish you as the definitive authority for both Google's crawlers and AI answer engines.
The 20% They're Missing: Our AI SEO Services
So, what is this "missing 20%"? It's a specific set of AI powered SEO services designed to make your brand the trusted source for answer engines.
1. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)
This is the new frontier of technical SEO for AI search. It goes way beyond site speed. We use advanced structured data (schema markup) to spoon-feed AI crawlers clear, unambiguous context about who you are, what you do, and why you're an expert. We essentially build a "knowledge graph" for your business, making it easy for platforms like Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Google to understand and trust your information. This is the core of our Perplexity optimisation services.
2. Conversational Content Optimisation
Your customers ask AI assistants full questions, not fragmented keywords. We analyse these natural language queries and restructure your content to answer them directly. We create content that is "citable by design," often using Q&A formats that mirror the interaction a user has with an AI. This makes it incredibly easy for an AI to pull your content as a source for a generative AI SEO response.
3. AI-Driven Authority Building
We don't just "build links." We engineer the signals of Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) that AI models are programmed to seek out. This means building deep topic clusters, earning digital PR, and publishing unique data that positions your brand as the definitive authority—the source everyone else, including AI, quotes.
Same Budget, Complete Coverage: The Price-Match Guarantee
I'm so confident our AI-native approach delivers more value that I'm making this incredibly simple. We will match the price of your current SEO agency's retainer while delivering a fundamentally more complete, future-proof strategy.
You're already paying for SEO. The only question is whether you're paying for 80% of a strategy or 100%.
The math is simple. There is zero financial risk to upgrade.
Here's How It Works:
- Upload Your Current Invoice: Securely send us the latest invoice from your SEO agency.
- We Match The Price: We'll create a proposal that matches your current monthly investment, down to the dollar.
- Get a Superior Strategy: Our proposal will detail the complete, AI-native strategy you'll receive for that same price.
You get a strategy built for the future of search for the price you're already paying for the past.
Ready to Stop Paying for an Incomplete Strategy?
Secure your brand's visibility in the new era of AI search. Stop wondering if you're falling behind. Upload your invoice now and let me show you what a complete SEO strategy looks like.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is an AI SEO agency?
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An AI SEO agency specialises in optimising a brand's online presence not just for traditional search engines like Google, but also for AI answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews. The focus shifts from just ranking for keywords to becoming a citable, authoritative source within AI-generated answers.
Is traditional SEO dead?
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Not at all. A strong traditional SEO foundation (technical health, quality content, authority) makes up about 80% of what's needed for AI search optimisation. However, it's no longer the complete picture. Without the additional 20% focused on GEO and conversational content, you'll be invisible on AI platforms.
How long does it take to see results with AI SEO?
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While SEO is a long-term strategy, we often see initial brand mentions and citations appear in AI chats within the first 30-60 days of implementing our D.U.T.Y. Framework™. The goal is to build compounding authority that secures your position for the long term.
What is your D.U.T.Y. Framework™?
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Our D.U.T.Y. Framework™ is our proprietary system for AI SEO. It stands for:
- D - Data Structure (How AI models understand your content)
- U - User Intent (Whether you answer questions the way AI expects)
- T - Training Signals (Authority markers that make AI trust and cite you)
- Y - Yield (Your share of AI recommendations vs competitors)
How does your price-match guarantee work?
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Our price-match guarantee promises to meet any Australian agency's written quote for an equivalent AI SEO scope, ensuring you never overpay. Provide the competitor proposal, and once verified, we adjust your contract within 48 hours—no downgrade in deliverables.