Escape the SERP - My Talk at brightonSEO 2025 (October)

Escape the SERP: building SEO assets Google can’t cannibalise

Why this is here now: I’m sharing at the end of my talk so you can use the ideas, not just screenshot them. Everything you need is below—slides, tools, and a 28-day mini-plan.

Please note that I have used AI to generate this post (as it’s quicker).

What’s inside (fast)

Slides — full deck, built to skim.
Tiny tools — make a page useful in under an hour.
Cohort sheet — the simple label system (Colour + Cohort) that helps you move budget to what works.
One-page how-to — the “what to do tomorrow” steps.

This isn’t a presentation. It’s a jailbreak.
Google = the warden. The spoon is a set of tiny tools. The proof is a spreadsheet. We’re getting out the front door—with clicks, not vibes.

The problem (why “Position 1” doesn’t feed you anymore)

Over the last year I’ve seen the same pattern across sectors:

Positions up; clicks down.
AI Overviews (AIO) answer first; your blue link waits underneath.
“#1” used to mean traffic. Now it often means “congrats, you’re featured in someone else’s answer.”

Slides, stories, and numbers all point to one conclusion: search is an interface game now. If your best paragraph looks like the AIO output, you lose the click.

The shift (what actually works now)

Don’t try to outwrite AI. Outsmart the box it lives in.
Build pages people use, not just read:

Mini-tools
Comparison tables with real trade-offs
Your own data and methods
Clear CTAs that make “the next step” obvious

As Cyrus Shepard put it: “Unique, proprietary info is the cost of admission.” And Kevin Indig’s rule is spot on: “Any experience that lets visitors do it rather than learn how to do it is superior.”

Lily Ray zooms the lens out: “Ranking #1 is less about ranking #1, and more about appearing everywhere your audience might find you.” In 2025 that means being present across surfaces—SERP features, AI answers, YouTube, decks, podcasts, imagery—and giving people something to do when they land.

The system (steal this)

I use three simple pieces so teams can move fast without arguing for months.

1) Traffic lights (performance only)

Green: already winning (sign-ups, revenue, or key actions like Copy/Start/Export) → scale it.
Amber: unclear (traffic but weak actions, or vice-versa) → one 28-day test, then keep or change.
Red: consistently poor CTR/actions even with traffic → pivot (tool/compare/data) or park.

2) Cohorts (context/intent, not performance)

AI-hit: AIO or the SERP answers the info query → put a utility at the top (mini-tool/template/checker).
AI-resistant: users still need you to do/decide → result in ≤10s (calculator/builder/checker) + show trade-offs.
Transactional: they’re ready to buy → proof + path (pricing, comparisons, real reviews, obvious CTAs).

3) The 28-day rule (budget sanity)
Run one reversible change for 28 days.

If the number moves (CTR or a button click), keep & scale.
If not, switch the idea (tool ↔ compare ↔ your data) or park
No endless fiddling. Budget follows proof, not feelings.

What to do today (60-minute sprint)

Pick 20 pages. Give each two labels: a colour (Green/Amber/Red) and a cohort (AI-hit/AI-resistant/Transactional).
Choose one AI-hit page. Add a tiny tool/template/checker above the fold. Keep the explainer below.
Pick one KPI (CTR or a single button click like Copy / Start / Sign-up).
Track it (add one event in GA4 for that button).
Fix money pages: Pricing, Compare, Reviews, Login must be obvious.
Add a next step on every tool: Try / Sign up / Buy.

How I’m doing it (and what I shipped)

I didn’t wait for permission. I built small, fast, measurable tools on my own site:

UTM Builder — AIO can explain UTMs; my page lets you create them in seconds.
SEO Cohort Tool — Type a topic; it gives Colour (performance) + Cohort (context) and one next move.
SEO Tool Idea Generator — Drop in your niche; get simple tool ideas you can ship in days.
BrightonSEO Planner — For “brightonseo planner,” the AI Overview cites and links my page, and it’s Page 1 in classic results.

Traffic is early days, but these are live, indexable, citable assets that collect actions (Copy/Export/Print/Save). They’re exits—and exits are the point.

Reporting (teach your team to decide fast)

Reporting should be a postcard, not a novel:

One SERP screenshot (what users see today).
One chart (CTR or Actions per 1,000 views, before → after).
One decision: Keep / Change / Park (because ____).
One timer: 28 days.

Executives don’t need a 30-page deck; they need proof and a clear next step.

Make SEO a team sport

Bill Hunt’s advice for enterprise teams is blunt: “Make SEO a team sport… or fail.” Legal, Brand, Engineering, Data—same table, same 28-day test. This era rewards cross-functional speed.

Tools & resources

Final thought

AI gives the “what.” You deliver “done.”

If your page does something (tool), proves something (pricing, comparisons, real reviews, method), and guides the next step (obvious CTA), it’s hard for AI to replace—and easy for users to click. So: ship small, measure simply, move budget fast.
Escape the SERP. Earn the exit.

Escape the SERP – My Talk at brightonSEO 2025 (October)