AI Search Has Made Content Marketing the Biggest Opportunity in SEO

Content Isn’t Dead. Quite the Opposite

Content isn’t dead in SEO. Far from it. AI search has created more demand for good content than ever before.

In this article, we use data to show how new SEO agencies have taken a place in Google’s search results, and why. You’ll also find out what it means for your business and where the opportunities lie.

Two Reasons Demand for Content Is Growing

Two things are driving up demand for content right now.

1. Almost every website that has been around for a while needs to audit, refresh and prune its content. Old content holds a website back. Searchers don’t find the answer they’re looking for, and the content doesn’t reflect how people search and ask AI questions today. Many websites also have duplicate content, or a build-up of SEO debt that they don’t know about or have put off tackling.

2. AI tools are causing a dramatic rise in the number of searches. When someone asks ChatGPT or Google’s AI Mode a question, the tool breaks it down into several smaller ones. It searches for each one, gathers information from different websites and condenses everything into a single answer. This is called query fan-out. A single question can turn into many searches, and every search needs content to draw its answer from. The result is huge demand for content.

The data bears this out. According to Ahrefs, searches for ‘content marketing’ in Sweden have risen from around 2,400 to 3,700 a month over two years.

Our own Search Console shows more long queries too, written as if for an AI. Examples include ‘vilka metoder för content marketing fungerar bäst i sverige?’ (which content marketing methods work best in Sweden?) and ‘vilka strategier är mest effektiva för content marketing i stockholm?’ (which strategies are most effective for content marketing in Stockholm?). Impressions for queries like these have more than doubled in a year.

New Players Have an Edge

Newcomers have the upper hand here. When they build a website, every page is current and shaped around how search works today. They start with fresh knowledge and new insights.

Older websites struggle to get value from their authority when most of their content is too thin or too dated. Links and domain strength aren’t enough if the pages don’t answer the questions people ask today.

That doesn’t mean age is a problem. But an older website has to put in the work of refreshing its content, or its authority goes unused.

Example: The SEO Industry

You can see this clearly in Topdog’s own industry, SEO. Seven of the ten SEO agencies in the top ten for ‘seo byrå’ (SEO agency) in autumn 2024 have since slipped out of it. Several of the agencies that replaced them are newcomers.

We compared 33 established SEO agencies with six new ones that barely appeared in Google two years ago.

As a group, the established agencies are standing still. The newcomers have taken a share of the traffic in a short time, and one of them now ranks first for ‘seo byrå’.

The gap shows up among the established agencies too. Of the nine established agencies that have published the least new content since 2024, only two have grown their traffic. The group’s median change is a 36% decline.

There’s Opportunity in Every B2B Sector

This isn’t just an opportunity for SEO. It’s there in every B2B sector, for newcomers and established players alike.

Buyers are asking more questions, and more detailed ones, in Google and in AI tools. Whoever has the best answer gets seen, however old their website is.

Newcomers can build their websites properly from day one. Established players have a different edge: strong domains and backlinks. If they refresh their content, they can put that authority to work again.

For a B2B company, that comes down to two things. Go through the content you already have, and create what’s missing, either in-house or with the help of an SEO agency. Your content should answer your buyers’ questions and win business, not just traffic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is content marketing dead because of AI?
No. If anything, the opposite is true. AI tools pull their answers from content on the web. The more questions people ask AI, the greater the need for good content.

What is query fan-out?
Query fan-out is when an AI tool splits a question into several smaller ones and searches for each of them. It gathers the answers from different websites and condenses them into a single response. One question can therefore become many searches.

Why are older websites losing ground in Google?
Often because their content is too thin, too dated or duplicated. It doesn’t answer the questions people ask today, and a strong domain can’t make up for that.

Should you delete old content?
Content that is duplicated or no longer serves a purpose can hold your website back, so it’s worth removing it or merging it with other pages. The rest can be refreshed to answer today’s questions.

Can an established website win back its rankings?
Yes. Established websites often have strong backlinks and domain authority. Once the content is refreshed, that authority can start delivering results again.