Weathering the AI Storm: A Strategy to Combat Falling Top of Funnel Traffic

By late 2025, plugin companies were reporting sharp organic declines as AI systems answered more top-of-funnel questions directly. Gravity Wiz needed to protect search acquisition while creating material that AI systems could confidently cite and optimizing existing content for AI exposure.

I developed and implemented an SEO & GEO/AEO strategy using AI-assisted analysis to identify exposure risks and building content systems specifically designed to protect acquisition while earning AI citations. These included content audits, first-party research, citation-friendly formats, use case hubs, and video.

1. Ran an AI-assisted audit of existing content.
   • Used performance data, forecasted search exposure, content freshness, and existing SEO/GEO best practice.
2. Introduced a company wide GEO/AEO checklist.
   • Kept the approach human-first while improving structure, clarity, definitions, headings, and AI discoverability.
3. Built a mixed content portfolio.
   • Published first-person analysis, original studies, and material based on first-party data.
     • Example:
       • Conditional Logic: What We See Most in Gravity Forms
   • Produced practical bottom-of-funnel tutorials for problems Gravity Wiz products solved.
     • Examples:
       • How to Filter Gravity Forms Spam With AI
       • Advanced Conditional Logic Operators for Gravity Forms
   • Created comparison content covering Gravity Wiz products and relevant alternatives.
     • Examples:
       • Comparing WordPress Booking Plugins for Gravity Forms
       • Comparing Spam Solutions for Gravity Forms
   • Developed cornerstone guides for broad, durable topics.
     • Examples:
       • The Ultimate Guide to Gravity Forms Hooks
       • The Ultimate Guide to Testing and Debugging Gravity Forms
4. Created use-case landing pages as content anchors.
   • Focused each page on an important Gravity Forms workflow and connected it to relevant products and supporting articles.
5. Expanded video strategy.
   • Prioritized thought leadership, original findings, and product explanations because the data shows that AI platforms (even beyond Google’s AI Mode) frequently cite YouTube.
6. Used paid support selectively.
   • Ran light campaigns to conversion-focused pages and content where appropriate.
7. Systematized optimization and upcycling.
   • Audited existing content for freshness and product changes.
   • Developed list of freshness criteria and ran regular audits.
   • Validated ideas through performance, demonstrated interest, and customer feedback before adapting them into video or other formats.