We have three separate teams working on search:
Problem: They barely talk to each other. I’m seeing obvious issues:
What I want:
What I’m struggling with:
Feel like we’re leaving money on the table with this siloed approach.
I’ve helped several organizations break down these silos. Here’s the framework that works:
The Unified Search Intelligence Model:
Shared Keyword/Query Database
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Paid Organic AI
Team Team Team
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Unified Reporting
Step 1: Unified query taxonomy
Create one master list of queries/keywords that includes:
Step 2: Ownership assignment
For each query, assign primary ownership:
Step 3: Cross-team intelligence sharing
Weekly 30-minute sync where teams share:
This isn’t about merging teams. It’s about creating shared intelligence.
From the PPC side, here’s what integration changed for us:
The cannibalization fix:
We analyzed every keyword where we were bidding AND ranking top 3 organically. Found we were spending $45K/month on terms where organic would capture 80%+ of that traffic anyway.
Action: Reduced bids on those terms, redirected $35K to terms with no organic visibility.
Result: Total search traffic stayed flat, but we captured 40% more queries for the same budget.
The AI insight:
We noticed some queries where we had neither organic rank nor AI citation - total blind spots. These became priority content creation targets.
Now our content brief process includes:
The PPC-to-content pipeline:
Quarterly, I share our top converting queries with the content team. They create comprehensive content for those topics. This:
It’s a 6-month flywheel, but the ROI compounds.
From SEO side, that PPC conversion data is gold.
We used to prioritize content by search volume and “gut feel” on intent. Now we prioritize by actual PPC conversion data.
Top converting PPC query with no organic content? That’s our #1 content priority.
The reverse is valuable too - when we rank well for something that converts, we flag it so paid can reduce spend.
Specific metric we share: “Incremental organic capture potential” - estimated traffic we’d gain if content ranked #1 for current high-converting paid terms.
AI visibility fits into integrated strategy as a leading indicator.
Here’s why:
The awareness cascade:
If you’re not being cited in step 1, you’re missing the top of funnel.
How we integrate AI data:
Metric for leadership: “AI share of voice” - % of relevant queries where we’re cited vs competitors.
We report this alongside paid impression share and organic share of voice for a complete picture.
This is coming together. Let me try to synthesize:
Unified intelligence components:
Key metrics:
Workflow integration:
Question: What does the unified reporting actually look like? Anyone have a dashboard structure they can share?
Our unified search dashboard has three views:
1. Executive Summary
2. Channel Performance
3. Opportunity Analysis
Data sources:
We build in Looker Studio, refresh daily, review weekly.
Attribution is the hard part of integration. Here’s our approach:
The challenge: User asks AI, then searches branded, then clicks paid ad. Who gets credit?
Our solution: Assisted conversion model
But we also track:
The insight: AI citations drive 15-20% of our branded searches. That’s not nothing.
When we calculate true CPA, we factor in AI visibility’s contribution to awareness that feeds paid and organic.
This justifies continued investment in AI optimization even when it doesn’t drive direct conversions.
On team structure - you don’t need to merge teams, but you need to create integration points:
What we did:
Shared weekly meeting - 30 minutes, all three team leads
Unified planning - Quarterly content planning includes all three teams
Cross-functional projects - Major campaigns involve all teams
Shared metrics - All teams measured on total search visibility, not just their channel
The culture shift: From “my channel” to “our search visibility.”
It took about 6 months to really take hold, but now teams proactively share intelligence.
Quick wins you can implement this week:
1. Cannibalization audit (2 hours)
2. Content gap identification (1 hour)
3. AI citation check (1 hour)
4. Messaging alignment review (30 minutes)
These don’t require team restructuring or new tools. Just start sharing data.
Incredible thread. Here’s my action plan:
Immediate (This Week):
Short-term (Month 1):
Medium-term (Quarter 1):
Metrics to report to leadership:
Key insight: Integration isn’t about merging teams or tools. It’s about shared intelligence and unified goals.
The ROI is in:
Thanks everyone - this is exactly the framework I needed.
One more thought on where this is heading:
As AI search grows (Gartner predicts 50%+ organic traffic shift by 2028), the integrated approach becomes essential, not optional.
The brands winning in 2-3 years will be the ones who:
Starting this integration now puts you ahead of competitors who are still running siloed teams.
The investment in integration infrastructure pays dividends as AI search grows in importance.
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