Digital Third Coast

How Do Small Business Owners Really Feel About SEO in the Age of AI?

We surveyed 800+ entrepreneurs and small business owners to find out how they're navigating search in 2025... and the results might surprise you.

The headline? SEO isn't dead. It's evolving.

Here's what we learned:

-83% still see value in SEO despite AI disruption
-1 in 5 attribute the majority of their business to SEO
-78% using AI for SEO say it made a positive difference
-2 in 3 understand the difference between SEO and GEO

But there's nuance here. While 35% feel anxious about AI search's impact, 39% believe it will ultimately benefit their business. The winning strategy? A hybrid approach: 50% say combining Google visibility with LLM visibility is ideal.

The smartest business owners aren't choosing between SEO and AI. They're using both.

The future of search isn't either/or... it's "search everywhere optimization."

Want to see the full breakdown? Read our complete survey findings:

Business Owner Survey: Sentiment and Statistics on SEO & LLM Visibility We surveyed 800+ business owners about their marketing priorities when it comes to search, LLM visibility, and AI. Read more to find out key trends.

Our content team has been working hard the last few months! Take a look at just a few of the top publications we got our clients in🔗

New Case Study: Less Traffic, Better Results

We helped our client, a B2B healthcare diagnostics company, solve a common PPC problem: lots of impressions, but low-quality leads.

The Strategy: Paused hundreds of broad match keywords and focused on high-intent phrase and exact match terms instead.

The Results:
✅ 141% increase in CTR
✅ 10% increase in clicks
✅ 70% decrease in impression share lost to rank

Even with 54% fewer impressions, the campaign delivered MORE clicks and far better engagement.

The takeaway? Quality beats quantity. Focusing on high-intent keywords drives better leads and smarter spend.

🔗Read the full case study: https://www.digitalthirdcoast.com/our-work/case-studies/b2b-healthcare-preludedx-phrase-exact-keywords

Streamlined Keyword Targeting Boosts Clicks and CTR for B2B Healthcare Diagnostic Company Refining PreludeDx’s keyword strategy led to a 141% increase in CTR and 10% more clicks, while significantly reducing irrelevant traffic through a focus on high-intent terms.

New Case Study: Data-Driven Content Campaign Boosts Local Visibility

We helped our client in the custom fine jewelry space increase their local visibility and authority through a research-backed content campaign!

By combining SEO strategy with creative storytelling, we developed original content around high-value local keywords.

The results:
-Top-tier media coverage
-Improved search visibility for engagement-related terms

🔗Read the full case study to see how research-driven content can create measurable SEO wins:

Data-Driven Content Campaign Boosts Local Visibility for Christopher Duquet Fine Jewelry Research-backed content helped Christopher Duquet Fine Jewelry earn seven high-authority media placements and rank locally for key engagement ring searches.

SEO Case Study: Expanding keyword reach & increasing conversions

We helped our real estate investment client grow their organic visibility by uncovering untapped keyword opportunities and optimizing content to better match audience search intent.

The results:
-16% increase in exchange form submissions (PoP)
-14% increase in organic sessions
-65% growth in page 1 keyword rankings (YoY)

This keyword expansion strategy boosted visibility nationwide and drove higher-quality traffic, turning organic searches into real business results.

🔗Read the full case study to see how thoughtful SEO growth makes a measurable difference:

SEO Keyword Expansion Drives 16% More Form Submissions for 1031 Exchange Platform Targeted keyword expansion helped IPX1031 grow organic form submissions by 16% and page 1 keyword rankings by 65% across the United States.

We helped our health-tech client transform their LinkedIn campaigns and see amazing results!

By implementing a full-funnel strategy focused on awareness, consideration, and lead generation, plus A/B testing and clear performance goals, they boosted leads by 385% and cut cost per lead by 54%.

Want to see how we did it? Check out the full case study 👉 https://www.digitalthirdcoast.com/our-work/case-studies/b2b-healthtech-linkedin-funnel-lead-growth

LinkedIn "Full-Funnel" Strategy for Health-Tech Company Increases Leads by 385% YoY DTC implemented a full-funnel LinkedIn strategy to drive a 385% increase in leads and a 54% drop in cost per lead for a virtual-first healthtech company.

This month, we’re celebrating a major milestone: Digital Third Coast turns 18! 🎉

What started with a vision from George Zlatin & Taylor Cimala has grown into 18 years of growth, collaboration, and measurable difference.

Along the way, leaders like our CEO, Lyndsey Maddox, have helped shape who we are today, building an incredible team, supporting strong partnerships, and keeping our core values front and center.

To our clients, partners, and coasters: thank you for being part of this journey. Here’s to many more years of guiding the way in digital marketing!

Excited to share a recent Forbes feature earned through our Digital PR campaign for our client in the healthcare industry!

The article highlights new research revealing that nearly half (46%) of Gen Z has been diagnosed with a mental health condition.

At DTC, we’re proud to help our clients share data-driven insights that position them as trusted voices in their industries.

Read the full article here 👉https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2025/07/10/crashing-out-why-experts-worry-about-the-disturbing-gen--z-trend/

Why Gen Z Is 'Crashing Out' at Work, According to Experts The Gen Z workplace trend "crashing out" signals rising burnout, stress, and anxiety. Experts say it's a cry for help—not just another TikTok buzzword.

Talk about a measurable difference! At DTC, we believe in being true partners to our clients and guiding the way with strategies that drive lasting impact.

For a nearshoring partner connecting Latin American tech talent with U.S. companies, we designed a custom SEO + Digital PR approach focused on trust and visibility.

The result? +198% organic traffic and +11 Domain Authority points.

See how we made it happen👉 https://www.digitalthirdcoast.com/our-work/case-studies/b2b-nearshoring-seo-pr-organic-growth

How a Dual-Track Content Strategy Skyrocketed Visibility for a Nearshoring Platform By combining link-building with SEO-focused formatting, DTC turned seasonal PR content into an evergreen traffic driver—boosting visibility and keyword rankings.

New Case Study: Driving 180% More Conversions for a Luxury Chicago High-Rise

By consolidating campaigns, expanding geo-targeting nationwide, and layering in prospecting and remarketing, we helped our client:

• Increase conversions by 180%
• Cut cost per lead by nearly 69%
• Triple impressions and clicks

This streamlined, multi-channel strategy filled the sales funnel with high-intent traffic, proving that bigger reach doesn’t have to mean bigger costs.

Read the full case study → https://www.digitalthirdcoast.com/our-work/case-studies/luxury-real-estate-campaign-consolidation

Campaign Consolidation and National Targeting Drive 180% More Conversions for Luxury Real Estate See how DTC turned a seasonal link-building campaign into an organic growth engine—earning thousands of SERP features and lasting visibility beyond the PR cycle.

🎉 Q2 wins are in!

Our Digital PR team had a very busy quarter, and we’re excited to share a few standout publications where we secured coverage for our amazing clients.

📰 From The New York Times and CNBC
💼 To Forbes, Yahoo!, USA Today, and more...

We’re landing high-authority, high-visibility placements that really move the needle.

Here’s to more wins in Q3! 🚀

Google’s search results just got smarter... and your customers are paying attention.

🤖 58% of users say they now use AI Mode regularly.
🛍️ Nearly half say they’ve made a purchase based on what AI told them.
🔍 But 68% still double-check the facts.

So what does that mean for marketers?

It’s not enough to rank in traditional search anymore: you need to show up in AI-generated answers, too.

Are your pages optimized for how people actually search in 2025?

📊 Check out our full breakdown of the AI Mode shift
🎥 Watch our CEO explain what it means for your brand’s visibility
🔗 https://www.digitalthirdcoast.com/blog/ai-mode-use-trends

💬 Do you trust AI search results? Or are you double-checking everything? Tell us below ⬇️

Google Search Has Changed: 58% of Consumers Use AI Mode In the last few months, Google’s search experience has changed dramatically—driven by the rise of AI Overviews and, more recently, AI mode, which replaces the traditional search results page with a more iterative chat interface. But is anyone actually using it? To find out, we surveyed 1,000 con...