Instead of only focusing on creating new content with Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust (E-E-A-T) signals, marketers should update older content. Adding elements like case studies, testimonials, and author bios to posts from years ago can significantly increase their current value and authority.

A16z discovered their most successful content wasn't market commentary ("are we in a bubble?") but timeless, practical guides like "Good Product Manager, Bad Product Manager." This type of actionable content provides enduring utility to the target audience (entrepreneurs), building a deeper, more trusting relationship than fleeting, topical chatter.

A viral social media post is visible for about 48 hours, while a blog post or podcast episode can bring in leads for years. Focusing on search-optimized content creates assets that compound in value over time, providing more sustainable results than chasing fleeting attention on social platforms.

Early SEO involved trading content for blog links. When bloggers began demanding payment, a practice against Google's rules, Search Laboratory pivoted. They started creating high-value content on client sites to earn links via outreach, effectively inventing a digital PR model out of necessity before it became a mainstream practice.

The most defensible content strategy is one that competitors cannot replicate. Gong Labs achieved this by analyzing the proprietary call data within their own platform to produce unique, data-driven insights. This provided immense value to their audience while subtly demonstrating the power of their product.

In an AI-driven world, optimizing for website traffic is a losing game. A better long-term strategy is to create high-value content (podcasts, videos, newsletters) across various platforms. This approach helps people directly and simultaneously feeds the large language models that are increasingly becoming information gatekeepers.

A16z found its most successful blog posts weren't hot takes on market conditions, but timeless, practical guides like "Good Product Manager." This evergreen content provided real value to entrepreneurs and demonstrated deep operational expertise to LPs, building a more durable brand than fleeting commentary.

Instead of dozens of disconnected blog posts, consolidate them into comprehensive 'hub pages' or ultimate guides for your core services. This structure is user-friendly and highly rewarded by AI search, as it presents you as an organized, authoritative source on a topic.

In AI-generated search results, a 'mention' offers visibility, but a 'source' provides a clickable link. This distinction is critical for driving traffic. To avoid a zero-click future, brands must focus their strategies on becoming a citable source of authority for LLMs.