Have you heard the news about LinkedIn’s recent experiences with AI-powered search? It turns out that Google’s AI Overviews have significantly impacted our non-brand B2B awareness traffic, cutting it by up to 60% in some areas, even while rankings remained steady. This shift compels us to rethink our discovery strategies fundamentally.
I’ve noticed we’re transitioning from the traditional ‘search, click, website’ model to a more dynamic approach: ‘Be seen, be mentioned, be considered, be chosen.’ This new paradigm reflects a deeper understanding of modern digital visibility.
By the numbers. Early in 2024, our B2B organic growth team started researching Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE). By the time SGE evolved into AI Overviews in 2025, the impact was undeniable. Our non-brand, awareness-driven traffic took a hit of up to 60% across specific B2B topics.
Yes, but. Many of the insights we’re gathering are reiterations of established SEO and AEO best practices. I’ve learned that LinkedIn’s guidance emphasizes strong headings, clear information hierarchy, improved semantic structure, and accessibility. It also stresses publishing authoritative, fresh content by experts and moving quickly to gain an early advantage.
Why we care. These strategies should be familiar to anyone versed in technical SEO and content-quality fundamentals. LinkedIn’s article may not present new tactics, but it highlights the relevance of modern SEO/AEO and AI-driven visibility.
Measurement is broken. A significant challenge we face is the ‘dark’ funnel—the difficulty of quantifying how visibility in LLM answers affects our bottom line when discovery occurs without a click.
LinkedIn has seen triple-digit growth in LLM-driven traffic to its B2B marketing websites. However, while we can track conversions from these visits, many websites are also experiencing similar growth. Although it’s an emerging channel, LLM-driven traffic still represents a small portion of overall traffic.
What LinkedIn is doing. To tackle these challenges, we’ve formed an AI Search Taskforce that spans SEO, PR, editorial, product marketing, and more. We’re correcting misinformation in AI responses, publishing new content optimized for AI visibility, and testing social content for AI discovery strength.
Is it working? It’s exciting to see our efforts yielding results. Our early tests are showing a meaningful increase in visibility and citations, particularly from our owned content. According to one external datapoint from Semrush, our structural advantage in AI search is significant, with Google AI Mode citing LinkedIn in 15% of responses.
Incomplete story. While LinkedIn’s developments are noteworthy, some details remain unclear. We’re still waiting on specifics like the exact topics behind the traffic decline, how much click-through rates have softened, sample sizes, and timeframes. These details could provide clarity on the broader industry impact.
Bottom line. I believe LinkedIn’s insights affirm that visibility is the new currency in digital marketing. However, there’s still much to prove if our playbook truly differentiates us from basic SEO practices.
AI search sentiment seems largely positive, yet there’s a real risk that isn’t in the acronyms – it’s in the volatility of the debate.
The SEO versus GEO debate has been a significant topic in our industry for the past year. New acronyms pop up almost weekly, and the sentiment can flip rapidly, with even the most reliable voices changing their stances from time to time.
This volatility isn’t confined to the periphery. It’s evident among a small group of highly visible SEO influencers who adjust their perspectives on AI-era searches in reaction to news, platform updates, and branding pressures.
My curiosity drove me to delve into how 75 leading SEO influencers discuss AI-driven search on LinkedIn. The objective wasn’t to identify the winning acronym but to gauge consistency, sentiment, and volatility in the discourse surrounding discovery shifts.
Teaming up with Danny Goodwin from Search Engine Land, I reviewed 2,025 LinkedIn posts from these influencers, examining references to various AI-related SEO terms including GEO, AIO, AISEO, AEO, LLMO, SXO, and ASO.
Each post’s sentiment was analyzed using VADER, providing a score between -1 to +1, while volatility was measured by tracking the standard deviation of sentiment over time. The data was anonymized to safeguard individual identities while retaining relational trends.
In 2025, while industry leaders engaged passionately in debates about AI-era search terms in their LinkedIn posts, they were reluctant to integrate these new terms into their personal headlines.
Our analysis reveals that 43% of SEO thought leaders still use “SEO” in their LinkedIn headlines, compared to 21% with “AI” and a mere 3% with “GEO.”
The gap is notable, indicating a hesitation to move away from the proven SEO strategies we’ve relied on for over a decade.
Well-Structured Content Hubs: Essential for Both AI and Traditional SEO
Successful digital strategies focus on creating comprehensive, persona- and buyer-journey-led content hubs that address genuine FAQs and buying intentions. By nurturing content depth throughout all stages – from awareness to decision-making, brands can provide compounded value to users and reinforce AI search algorithms.
Generate Authority with Off-site Brand Trust Signals
Publishing original research and expert insights helps earn recognition from authoritative sources, which in turn boosts your brand’s trust and recognition.
Mainstream news outlets.
Niche-relevant publishers.
Leading podcasters.
Engaged Reddit communities.
Expanding these digital footprints strengthens entity recognition and reinforces brand trustworthiness.
Leveraging audience intelligence tools like SparkToro identifies which platforms, communities, and topics should be prioritized in your digital PR strategy.
New AI Terms Gain Momentum: See the Enthusiasm Rise
Though few are updating their LinkedIn headlines just yet, industry leaders’ posts reveal growing interest in three specific terms.
63% of leaders mention AIO, with 77% positivity.
59% mention GEO, with 82% positivity.
With over 70% of posts expressing positivity, sentiment often indicates adoption likelihood. When positivity wanes, so does usage. Yet, that’s not what’s happening here.
While AEO, LLMO, and AIO attract broader audiences, GEO stands out for consistent positivity, especially among SEO influencers and LinkedIn users alike.
SEO continues as the industry’s backbone, but it’s clear: we’re witnessing the alignment phase of an emerging platform.
The focus isn’t on acronyms; it’s about accurately describing brand visibility in AI-era searches.
The Real Strategy: Timely, Value-Driven Content
Brands should refrain from over-optimizing towards any singular term, strategy, or platform. Instead, develop value-focused content, repurpose it, and engage with audiences across their existing platforms.
This adaptability ensures brands endure platform shifts, avoiding pitfalls like those seen in once-dominant platforms such as Vine and Clubhouse.
Nomenclature Volatility: A Subtle Yet Critical Indicator
Our research highlights this critical insight: less than a third of thought leaders consistently use AI-related SEO terminology with stable sentiment over the past year.
35% express positive sentiment toward these terms but lack consistency.
Just over a third are consistently positive and stable.
The discourse isn’t about being right or wrong. It’s about reframing discussions as the landscape evolves, with volatility often mirroring visibility.
By evaluating sentiment against volatility, we revealed scattered positions rather than a distinct divide.
The uncomfortable truth is that the most vocal aren’t always the most dependable. The impact of their shifting narratives is vital, as their guidance influences budgets, plans, and careers.
Leaders who maintain a balanced outlook – driven by data and tempered by experience – offer a different perspective compared to those swayed by every update.
The Key Lesson: It’s Not a Strategy Reset; It’s an Emerging Platform
Effective content marketing, digital PR, and technical SEO are the foundation for building brand visibility. AI is simply the next platform evolution, much like social media, enhancing but not replacing existing strategies.
Our analysis indicates the industry isn’t unsure about what to do. It is negotiating how to convey this rapidly evolving discovery system. This discussion is typical at this stage, but volatile shifts harm trust.
Terms like AEO, LLMO, and AIO may gain some traction, but GEO remains consistent among both practitioners and broader audiences, suggesting its potential as a stable narrative bridge as execution evolves.
Crafting a Resilient Digital Footprint: Navigating the AI Era
Market strategies shouldn’t revolve around what’s trending quarterly. Instead, focus on timeless marketing principles:
Create content that delivers real value to your market.
Repurpose and circulate it on platforms where your audience is active.
Generate citations, engagement, and trust that impact search, social, and AI systems.
In today’s era, where answers are synthesized rather than ranked, the voices that resonate won’t be the ones coining the next big label, but those that remain consistent, building trust and visibility over time.
The analysis focused on the top 75 SEO thought leaders, including agency owners, directors, industry speakers, and consultants.
As an advertiser, I’m excited to share that Microsoft is empowering Performance Max campaigns by expanding search themes to 50. This change offers us more control, allowing better alignment with high-intent customer searches.
Just ahead of next week’s major announcements, Microsoft Advertising has confirmed that we can now incorporate up to 50 search themes in our campaigns, a notable increase from previous restrictions.
Why this matters to me. Search themes serve as strategic signals that guide Performance Max toward the search queries and intent patterns that we prioritize. With this expanded capacity, I have more room to refine how automation interprets customer demand, especially for businesses with diverse product lines or complex structures.
This update also means I no longer need to compress different intents into a limited number of themes or run multiple campaigns just to portray various product offerings.
The bigger picture. Microsoft’s focus is shifting towards signal-based control rather than strict keyword targeting. By combining search themes with LinkedIn profile targeting and other audience signals, including impression-oriented remarketing, I can better target high-value customers rather than a generic audience.
What I’m looking forward to. Next week, Microsoft’s Advertising blog will feature additional updates, suggesting this change is part of a larger initiative to make Performance Max not only more flexible but also more responsive to advertisers’ needs without undermining the automation logic.
Where I first learned about this. Microsoft Product Liaison Navah Hopkins shared these insights on LinkedIn, along with hints of upcoming updates slated for next Wednesday, January 14th.
The bottom line for me. By increasing the number of available search themes to 50, Microsoft is improving our control over Performance Max, not through additional complexity, but by widening the range of pivotal signals.
Here’s how LinkedIn professional attributes enhance intent, automation, and creative decisions in Microsoft Advertising.
Using LinkedIn targeting within Microsoft Advertising allows me to align creative strategies with the perfect audience. By engaging with this thoughtfully, I can apply professional insights to intent-driven inventory without breaking the bank.
The key is understanding how these targeting methods collaborate across different campaign types. In this guide, I’ll walk you through leveraging LinkedIn data within Microsoft Advertising, including:
LinkedIn in Search campaigns, including Multimedia ads.
Using LinkedIn insights for an enhanced audience strategy.
Performance Max targeting signals.
Audience reach and composition insights via Audience Planner.
Disclosure: As a Microsoft employee, I’ve kept this article objective, focusing on LinkedIn targeting mechanisms, targeting action items, reporting, and message mapping strategies.
LinkedIn Profile Targeting in Search
Microsoft Advertising search campaigns fully support LinkedIn profile targeting, allowing me to layer professional attributes on top of keyword targeting. The supported attributes include:
Company
Industry
Job function
These audiences can be utilized across Microsoft‑owned environments, such as Bing Search, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Start, and other eligible search surfaces, provided users are signed in.
In search, LinkedIn targeting works as a contextual guide rather than a standalone target. Keywords carry the main weight, while LinkedIn data helps me adjust my response when professional relevance is present.
How to Approach It
Start with keywords that already convert: LinkedIn targeting enhances existing intent with proven keywords. I apply bid adjustments to campaigns or ad groups where search terms already demonstrate business value, potentially increasing bids by 10%-15% for aggressive bidding or more aggressive adjustments when impression share is lost to rank.
Choose one professional dimension first: I begin with either company, industry, or job function instead of applying all three simultaneously. This approach prevents double-bidding on potential customers.
Use bid-only mode to establish a baseline: Observation mode provides performance clarity before I make delivery decisions. This acts as audience research to identify who engages profitably.
LinkedIn Professional Demographics in Audience Ads
Audience Ads leverage LinkedIn Professional Demographics as both a targeting and observation layer, introducing professional context into native, display, and video formats tailored for scalable reach.
Audience Ads aren’t driven by keyword intent; however, Professional Demographics anchor delivery and insights in real-world business contexts, bridging broad reach with professional relevance.
These ads let me apply company, industry, and job function as professional audience layers, which I can use to observe performance trends or influence delivery, depending on campaign objectives.
How to Approach It
Start in observation to understand natural performance: By observing performance trends in Professional Demographics, I learn which industries, job functions, or company types naturally engage with Audience Ads before imposing delivery constraints.
Let LinkedIn data inform creative, not just delivery: In content-rich environments, creative matters more than targeting alone. I use insights from high-performing professional segments to shape tone, examples, and value framing in my messaging.
Align format choice with professional mindset: Different formats perform distinct roles. For example, native and display formats excel in awareness and education within professional segments, while video supports storytelling and industry-specific narratives. Professional Demographic insights guide the most suitable formats for varied business audiences.
LinkedIn Data in Performance Max: Guiding Automation with Purpose
LinkedIn profile targeting is available within Performance Max campaigns, where it functions as an audience signal. These signals help the system identify professional profiles most likely to yield profit for my business and influence budget allocation.
Within Performance Max, professional signals are most effective when representative and directional, rather than exhaustive, providing the system a strong starting point.
How to Approach It
Select signals that reflect your best customers, not every customer: Using LinkedIn attributes to describe my most valuable segments is crucial, especially if different personas represent varying ROAS/CPA goals, as this affects PMax campaign asset groups’ shared ROAS/CPA bidding.
Pair LinkedIn signals with strong conversion definitions: Automation improves when reinforced by clear success metrics. Ensuring at least 30 conversions over a 30-day period is vital for autobidding effectiveness.
Allow time for learning: Audience signals need sufficient volume to influence delivery, so I avoid frequent changes during the initial learning period (two weeks). Afterward, budget adjustments up to 15% can be made without triggering learning period fluctuations.
Aggregated LinkedIn audience reporting is divided by company, industry, and job function, letting me analyze how professional segments contribute to campaign performance. This reporting, found under Reporting > Professional demographics, includes LinkedIn targeting or audiences applied through predictive targeting.
How to Approach It
Look for consistency across time, not single spikes: Patterns emerging over weeks or months are more actionable than short-term anomalies. I allow “observation” audiences ample time to prove themselves or use Audience Planner for informed decisions at scale.
Use reporting to inform creative and bids together: Upon identifying outperforming professional segments, I scrutinize messaging and bidding before initiating changes. It’s crucial to confirm creative resonance without overbidding.
Avoid over-segmentation early: Excessive audience segmentation can weaken signal strength, especially when conversion scarcity is a concern.
Bidding with LinkedIn Audiences
In Microsoft Advertising, I use bid adjustments alongside automated strategies, enabling flexibility in how LinkedIn audiences influence auctions. Overlapping audiences can amplify bid adjustments, necessitating overlap awareness as part of my bid strategy.
Effective bidding adjustments should be incremental and reversible, aiming for calibration rather than acceleration.
Creative Strategy: Professional Relevance Without Narrow Assumptions
LinkedIn targeting controls ad visibility, but creative determines engagement. Professional cohorts encompass a variety of experiences, identities, and viewpoints. My aim is effective creative that respects diversity while remaining relevant to shared contexts.
Effective creative exhibits professional empathy, addressing challenges, goals, and constraints without reliance on stereotypes.
How to Approach It
Anchor creative in shared problems, not titles: I focus on challenges common to roles and seniority levels within a LinkedIn targeting segment.
Keep language inclusive and adaptable: I avoid assumptions about background, experience, or decision-making authority.
Use AI tools to localize, not homogenize: Adapting tone or examples by region or industry while preserving message intent is crucial.
Test creative alongside audience layers: I evaluate messaging performance within LinkedIn segments to refine both together.
Extending LinkedIn Insights Across B2B Campaigns
LinkedIn targeting in Microsoft Advertising provides an opportunity to combine professional expertise with intent-driven media scalably, in a privacy-conscious and economical manner.
Teams already using LinkedIn Ads can leverage this strategy to extend learnings into additional inventory via automation, amplifying reach and efficiency.
The value lies not in complexity, but in alignment – aligning data, mechanics, and human behavior enhances results.
Key takeaways:
LinkedIn profile targeting is fully accessible in Search and Performance Max on Microsoft surfaces.
Professional attributes act as targeting layers in search and optimization signals in Performance Max.
An observation-first approach fosters understanding before commitment.
Aggregated reporting aids informed optimization without revealing individual data.
Empathy-anchored creative fosters professional relevance.
When I use LinkedIn data with curiosity and care, it offers a way to view audiences more clearly rather than control them more tightly. For B2B advertisers navigating complex buying journeys, such clarity often becomes the most valuable optimization.
Recently, I’ve been exploring LinkedIn’s Reserved Ads feature, which is now open to all managed advertisers. This exciting update lets me secure the prized top-of-feed placement, fundamentally boosting visibility and engagement for my B2B campaigns.
LinkedIn has now made Reserved Ads accessible to all managed accounts, allowing me to grab the first ad slot in the feed. This prime location guarantees premium visibility for my advertising efforts.
What’s new. With Reserved Ads, I can secure top-of-feed placement at a consistent rate, ensuring predictable delivery and enhanced reach. According to LinkedIn, this format drives up to 75% higher dwell time, 88% higher view-through rates, and achieves 99% of forecasted impressions, making it a powerful choice for my marketing strategy.
How it works. These ads appear in the most visible ad slot on LinkedIn’s feed and support a variety of Sponsored Content formats like Video, Single Image, and Carousel Ads. My LinkedIn account representative assists me in reserving this valuable inventory and setting the pricing strategy.
Why we care. For me, LinkedIn Reserved Ads are a game-changer, providing guaranteed top-of-feed placement. This increases my campaign’s visibility and engagement, helping me stand out in the competitive B2B space. The premium positioning enhances brand recall and influences potential leads early in the funnel.
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The predictable delivery and fixed pricing models mean I can plan my campaigns with more certainty, while also building high-quality retargeting audiences for future conversions.
The big picture. By utilizing Reserved Ads, I’m effectively bridging brand awareness and demand generation. Anchoring my campaigns at the top of LinkedIn’s feed enables me to create higher-quality retargeting pools, with LinkedIn reporting up to a 101% increase in mid-funnel engagement as a result.
The bottom line. LinkedIn’s Reserved Ads provide me, as a B2B marketer, with a predictable way to command attention and transform it into significant demand.
I’ve discovered that LinkedIn is rolling out some exciting ad tools aimed at making B2B brand advertising more predictable and personal. These new features are designed to enhance brand awareness using premium placements, personalized messaging, and scalable AI-powered creativity.
Recently, I learned about LinkedIn’s latest innovations for B2B marketers. These tools are all about helping us strengthen brand awareness and personalize our messaging. Their aim is clear: reach potential buyers early in the sales funnel.
What’s new in LinkedIn advertising:
Firstly, Reserved Ads provide prime visibility in the LinkedIn feed. This ensures a predictable number of impressions and grabs more attention than our competitors. This format works seamlessly with Video, Thought Leader, Single Image, and Document Ads, allowing us to maximize our creative impact.
Additionally, Ad personalization empowers us to tailor messages dynamically using member profile data like first name, job title, and company. Personalized ads matter: a McKinsey study shows that while 71% of consumers expect personalized ads, 76% feel frustrated in their absence.
This isn’t all. With AI-powered creative tools, I find it easier to test various ad versions. AI Ad Variants create fresh, on-brand content from a single input. Plus, the upcoming Flexible Ad Creation, expected in early 2026, will let us upload multiple assets, which LinkedIn will mix and optimize for top performance.
Why these updates matter to me. With these tools, building a brand on LinkedIn becomes more effective. The boost in visibility and enhanced personalization capabilities simplify our creative production process immensely. Reserved Ads, for example, guarantee prime placement at the top of users’ feeds, capturing attention even when the audience isn’t actively searching.
Meanwhile, by tailoring messages dynamically (like by name, company, or job title), Ad Personalization makes advertisements more relevant. Plus, AI tools such as AI Ad Variants and the soon-to-come Flexible Ad Creation streamline our creative workflows. This allows us to test more variants quickly, enhance engagement, and reach audiences effectively at the top of the funnel.
The big picture in advertising. As buyers take non-linear, self-directed paths, establishing an early-stage brand presence is crucial. These tools help deliver scalable, personalized creativity efficiently, boosting awareness, engagement, and conversion across campaigns.
What’s next for me as a marketer. I plan to experiment with Reserved Ads, delve into ad personalization, and leverage AI-driven creative tools. This approach should enhance my impact at the funnel’s top, refine our messaging, and optimize our performance—all with minimal manual effort.
The bottom line on LinkedIn’s ad innovations. These advancements are designed to make brand building more predictable, relevant, and scalable. They enable marketers to reach the right audience with the right message at the right time.
