SEO in an AI-First World: How to Adapt and Win in 2025 with Andrei Țiț

#269 AI Search & SEO | In this episode, Dave is joined by Andrei Țiț, Head of Product Marketing at Ahrefs, a leading SEO tool trusted by marketers around the world. Andrei has been on the front lines of how AI is reshaping search and what that means for marketers trying to stay visible in an AI-first world.Dave and Andrei cover:Why branded search volume is now a top indicator of visibility in AI-generated results (and how to grow it)The new playbook for SEO in 2025, including what metrics to track beyond traffic and backlinksActionable tactics to get your brand mentioned by AI search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI OverviewsWhether you’re a marketing leader or an SEO newbie, this episode will help you rethink your approach to content, attribution, and brand in the AI era.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (01:00) - – Why this was Exit Five’s most-registered webinar ever (03:20) - – Meet Andrei from Ahrefs (05:00) - – Is SEO dead? Not quite, but it’s harder than ever (06:40) - – AI traffic is growing fast (63% of sites already see it) (07:30) - – Why brand is your best SEO defense (10:00) - – How Google measures brand impact (keywords, mentions, clicks) (13:00) - – Calculating content ROI with traffic value (15:30) - – Why branded search volume predicts AI visibility (19:30) - – How to track brand mentions in ChatGPT, Perplexity & AI Overviews (22:30) - – AI traffic = fewer clicks, better leads (26:00) - – How to improve your visibility in AI-generated answers (33:00) - – Why backlinks matter less and PR matters more (40:00) - – New rules for writing content LLMs can surface (49:00) - – Final takeaways: metrics to watch and content to prioritize Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterLearn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/***Brought to you by:Webflow - A website platform built for the agentic web, helping modern marketing teams build fully custom sites—no developer needed—that perform in AI search. Learn more at webflow.com/for/exitfive.Markup AI - A content quality platform that scans your content against brand voice, preferred terms, messaging standards, and AI-search readiness before it goes live, right inside Google Docs. Learn more at markup.ai.Optimizely - A no-code AI platform where autonomous agents execute marketing work across webpages, email, SEO, and campaigns. Learn how to deploy agents on your marketing team at Agents in the Mix. Learn more at optimizely.com/exitfive. Walker Sands - An integrated B2B marketing and growth services agency that helps marketing leaders turn strategy into measurable business impact through their Outcome-based Marketing model. Learn more at walkersands.com/exitfive.Knak - A no-code, campaign creation platform that lets you go from idea to on-brand email and landing pages in minutes, using AI where it actually matters. Learn more at knak.com/exitfive, or check out the MCP server by clicking this link.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more