Welcome to a new edition of the Ahrefs’ Digest.
We’re giving away three "Standard pass" tickets to Ahrefs Evolve in San Diego (14-15 Oct) and a 3-night stay in the gorgeous 5-star InterContinental hotel.
Join the giveaway here
Here's our meme of the week:
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Quick search marketing news
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OpenAI launches GPT-5.
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Google rolls out AI mode to the UK.
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Danny Sullivan is no longer the Google Search Liaison.
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Microsoft launches Copilot Mode, a new experimental mode in Microsoft Edge.
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OpenAI launches Study Mode.
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Best of the week
New Study: AI Assistants Prefer to Cite “Fresher” Content (17 Million Citations Analyzed): From a study of 17 million citations across 7 AI search platforms.
Is SEO Dead? Real Data vs. Internet Hysteria: The data says SEO is still one of the most effective ways to get in front of large audiences. It also plays a big role in shaping the answers AI assistants give to their growing user base.
My Complete AI Content Process for Ahrefs: Here’s the complete process our Director of Content Marketing, Ryan Law, uses to publish high-quality AI content on the Ahrefs blog.
How to Win the New SEO Game: AI Search, GEO, and the Future of Visibility: A hands-on guide to ranking across AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google.
The Web Isn’t URL-Shaped Anymore: Stop optimizing individual URLs and start engineering consistent assertions that machines can trust across the entire graph.
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Latest from our podcast
This week’s podcast guest is best-selling author and marketing futurist, Mark Schaefer. Here’s what we covered:
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Why AI is replacing “competent” marketing
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The Prattfall Effect: Why making mistakes can make your brand more lovable
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Peacocking for attention: The surprising power of ridiculous effort
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The $1,500 Pig: Your secret weapon for unforgettable marketing
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Taboo by Design: Breaking rules to become memorable
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How to measure the ROI of boldness in marketing
Listen to the full episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.
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Latest from our YouTube
The Genius Marketing Strategy In Ryan Trahan's 50 States Challenge
Ryan Trahan’s 50 states in 50 days fundraiser for St. Jude’s is one of the most viral philanthropic campaigns YouTube has ever seen and it's become a strategy brands need to study. In this video, we unpack how a $100K donation from Lectric eBikes evolved into a viral masterstroke that’s putting them in front of million of viewers without ever buying a traditional ad slot.
You’ll learn the 4-part marketing framework behind Lectric’s unexpected rise and how you can do it to get your brand mentioned more in Google’s AI overviews, ChatGPT, Reddit, and other social media networks. We dig deep into how generosity + creator partnerships are influencing not just audiences, but the very algorithms behind modern discovery.
Keyword Research for 2025: 3-Step Tutorial To Research Like A Pro
Keyword research isn’t rocket science. Learn how to generate keyword ideas, pick the best ones using reliable metrics, and group them into topical clusters — without wasting hours sifting through noise.
See you next week,
Si Quan
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