Maeva Cifuentes
Want AI to Mention You? Understand the Changes and Discover the Facts with Maeva Cifuentes Ep 255
If you've been wondering how SEO is evolving in the age of AI, this episode of The Global Discussion is one you'll want to spend time with. Host Simon Hodgkins is joined by Maeva Cifuentes, Founder of Flying Cat Marketing, to discuss the shifting landscape of search, content, and digital strategy.
Maeva brings sharp insight, deep experience, and a clear voice to conversations that cut through the hype and get to what matters for businesses today.
SEO Isn't Dead. But It's Not What It Used to Be
The headline is this: Google search is changing fast. As Maeva explains, it's not just about ranking anymore. Visibility alone no longer guarantees results. Companies like HubSpot have lost millions of visits but gained business because their remaining traffic was more aligned with customer intent.
This is the shift. SEO now demands focus. Brands that write about everything tend to fade into the background. Those who stay in their lane, double down on domain expertise, and remain technically sound are the ones who continue to perform.
The AI Overviews Era is a New Battleground for Attention
Maeva doesn't sugarcoat it: Google's AI Overviews are here to stay, and they're cannibalizing clicks. Even top-ranking pages are now sometimes buried below AI summaries, and those summaries often only link to one or two external sources. The result? Less traffic from organic search, even when you're doing everything "right."
But that doesn't mean you stop trying. It just means you adapt.
Maeva urges marketers to rethink how they measure success. Keyword rankings and raw traffic are losing value. What matters now is business impact: revenue, conversions, and brand visibility within LLMs. This isn't theoretical. It's already happening.
So, How Do You Show Up in AI Results?
There's no playbook yet. But Maeva outlines what we do know.
Traditional SEO still matters. Clean technical SEO, clear site structure, and schema markup all help LLMs parse and cite your content.
Your brand strength matters more than ever. LLMs tend to pull in sources with higher branded search volume and social clout.
You can't cheat your way in. Showing up in AI answers will require being genuinely useful, authoritative, and aligned with what users are searching for. However complex those queries become.
Strategies are emerging around "surround sound SEO," writing for NLP parsing, and even experimenting with llm.txt files. But much of this is trial and error. The best foundation remains the same: strong content and strong branding.
Helping Women Step into Leadership
Later in the episode, the conversation takes a more personal turn. Maeva shares her work with ambitious women looking to grow into leadership roles. Through coaching and her Purposeful Living podcast, she helps women build the confidence and strategic thinking they need to navigate the workplace and succeed at the executive level without losing themselves in the process.
This isn't generic self-help advice. Maeva brings the same clarity and strategic mindset to leadership coaching that she brings to her SEO work. It's about understanding the real-world dynamics at play and equipping women with the tools to navigate them effectively.
Don't Panic
If there's one message that sticks, it's this: don't panic. The SEO and AI landscape is changing, yes, but nobody has it all figured out. Most businesses are still experimenting. The important thing is to stay curious, stay grounded, and keep your focus on what delivers real value.
And if you're still relying on old SEO playbooks, it's time to write a new one.
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