AI, Video, & SEO: David Golubev’s Cutting-Edge Strategy for Ranking in LLMs & Google

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, traditional SEO tactics are no longer enough. Clayton Turner of Leedly sits down with David Golubev, founder of a SEO consulting firm Local Business Consulting , to uncover the groundbreaking strategies he’s using to get clients ranked #1 in AI Overviews and ChatGPT. This isn’t theoretical; David shares what’s working right nowin November 2025 to drive real conversions from high-intent buyers.

Key Takeaways You’ll Learn:

• Why YouTube has surpassed Instagram for business growth in the AI era.
• The exact steps for getting your content picked up by ChatGPT and other LLMs.
• How to turn a 4-minute video into 100,000 views through strategic repurposing.
• Critical technical SEO basics most businesses are still overlooking.
• The unexpected power of Google Maps reviews in AI Overviews.
  

The New SEO Frontier: Optimizing for AI Overviews & LLMs

David Golubev opens the conversation by highlighting a crucial shift: the new battleground for visibility isn’t just Google’s organic results, but increasingly, AI Overviews (formerly SGE)and Large Language Models (LLMs)like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. He’s achieving first-position rankings in these AI environments, leading to a significant increase in client inquiries and calls. This isn’t just about traffic; it’s about attracting high-intent buyerswho are already engaged enough to pay for premium AI tools.

YouTube: The Unsung Hero of Business Growth (More Than Instagram!)

David makes a bold claim: YouTube is now more important than Instagram for business growth.

His reasoning is compelling:

• TV Reach:YouTube is one of the only platforms that streams directly to TVs, offering a massive opportunity to reach audiences in their living rooms, not just on small mobile screens.
• Google Integration:As part of Google, YouTube content is inherently favored in Google’s ecosystem and for its AI Overviews.
• Useful Content Drives Views:Beyond quick “hooks,” content that provides useful, digestible informationis what gets recommended and keeps viewers engaged.

Unlocking 100,000+ Views: The Strategic Video Chop-Up

A common mistake businesses make is creating a great video and then just letting it sit with mediocre views. David reveals his strategy for maximizing video reach:

• Repurpose, Don’t Retire:A single 2-minute or 4-minute video is rarely “done.” David takes client videos and strategically chops them into 2, 3, or 4 different segments, each focused on a specific topic.
• Example:One client’s 4-minute video, when cut into four focused segments, collectively achieved 100,000 combined views.
• Organic Testing:Before running ads, test multiple video variations organically on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. The one that performs best organically is your winnerfor paid campaigns.
• Call-to-Action: Organic testing helps validate if people genuinely want to watch your content, informing which video is best to use for ads with specific CTAs (e.g., “Visit our website,” “Get a quote”).

The Underestimated Power of Community & Reviews in the AI Age

David emphasizes that SEO isn’t just about your website; it’s about your entire digital footprint:

• YouTube Comments:Just like Reddit (which Google highly values for community interaction), YouTube comments are being read by LLMs like Gemini. Engaging with comments and providing detailed responses about your product or service feeds valuable context to AI models.
• Google Maps Reviews:With the rollout of AI Overviews for Google Maps, contextual reviews are more critical than ever.
  • Be Specific:Encourage customers to leave specificreviews about whythey loved your car wash or massage, not just “good service.”
  • Reply to Everything:Actively reply to all reviews on Google Maps. This shows Google you’re an engaged, authentic business.
  • Verification Hoops:Google is increasing verification requirements for Google My Business listings, especially if businesses move or unusual activity occurs, further emphasizing the need for authentic, well-managed profiles.

Technical SEO: The Non-Negotiable Foundation

Before any fancy marketing, David insists on strong technical SEO:

• Crawlability & Readability:Ensure your site is technically optimized for search engines to easily crawl and understand your content.
• Fix Redirects & Canonicals:Clean up all broken links, redirects, and canonical issues.
• Image Optimization:
  • Descriptive Filenames:Never upload images as “image123.jpg.” Use descriptive names (e.g., “blue-widget-product-shot.webp”).
  • Alt Tags:Always add descriptive alt text for accessibility and SEO.
  • WEBP Format:Convert images to WEBP format for faster loading times and better SEO performance.
• Clear Messaging & CTAs:Your website must clearly articulate what you sell and what you want visitors to do. Avoid pretty but content-light portfolio pages without calls to action.
  

Mastering LLMs: Training Your AI Assistant

David shares advanced strategies for leveraging AI beyond basic queries:

• Train Your AI:Don’t just use ChatGPT “out of the box.” Train the modelon your specific business, goals, objectives, and challenges.
• System Prompt:Create a foundational “System Prompt”detailing your company, offerings, and brand tone. David advises asking ChatGPT to “interview me about my business” to build this.
• Operational Prompts:Build out master prompts for marketing, operations, finance, and customer service.
• “Deep Research” Mode:Explicitly tell LLMs when you want them to perform deep, internet-connected research, as they can sometimes be “lazy” otherwise.
• Q&A Content:Create short videos and social media posts directly answering common customer questions (e.g., “How do you buy a car in South Florida?”).
• AI for Customer Service:Use AI to draft professional, empathetic responses to challenging customer reviews, ensuring consistent and polite communication.

Caution:Don’t automate mass responses to reviews; Google detects this as non-human interaction and can penalize your Google Maps listing. Human touch is still necessary.

Emerging AI Tools & The Future of Content Creation

David touches on several cutting-edge AI tools and trends:

• Sora / HeyGen / Opus:These tools are making video creation and repurposing incredibly accessible.
  • Avatar Creation:Use tools like Sora to create avatars for shorts and test different hooks if you’re uncomfortable on camera.
  • Strategic Use:While powerful, David cautions against making content look “generic AI.” Human oversight is crucial to maintain brand authenticity.
• Vid IQ:An essential tool for any YouTube creator for title suggestions, descriptions, thumbnail help, and identifying competitor outliers.
• YouTube Collaborations:YouTube has recently rolled out a feature allowing up to five collaborators on a single video, mirroring social media functionality.
• Tech Stack:David keeps it simple: CapCut (video editing), Vid IQ, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Cling AI (for animating still photos, though Sora and Gemini are catching up).

The Imperative: Embrace AI or Be Left Behind

David’s stark warning is clear: businesses not using AI will struggle to survive.

• Competitive Advantage:AI allows competitors to enter markets and dominate searches with unprecedented speed and efficiency.
• Efficiency:AI transforms processes from inventory management (Shopify) to customer service.
• Visionary Power:AI gives visionary business owners access to “talented agents” for a fraction of the cost, enabling new product creation and business scaling.
• GoDaddy vs. WordPress:David strongly advises against restrictive platforms like GoDaddy for serious SEO. WordPress (or similar platforms with full control) is essential for proper headings, URLs, and crawlability.

Scaling Your Business & Staying Authentic

As a boutique consultant, David emphasizes:

• Niche Focus:Not every client is a good fit. Focus on businesses with genuine scalability.
• Human Touch:While AI is powerful, a human touch is still required in content review, customer interactions, and ensuring authenticity.
• Delegate Strategically:Use VAs and AI to automate repetitive tasks, freeing up business owners to focus on higher-level strategy and learning.
• Follow-Up is Key:Implement instant follow-up systems for leads (phone, text, email) as high-intent buyers are often shopping around.

Conclusion: Your AI-Driven Future Starts Now

The world of SEO and digital marketing is undergoing a seismic shift, driven by AI and video. David Golubv’s insights provide a clear roadmap for businesses to not only survive but thrive in this new landscape. By focusing on quality video content, intelligent repurposing, entity optimization, robust technical SEO, and strategic AI integration, you can position your brand for top rankings in both traditional search and the burgeoning AI Overviews. It’s time to get serious about AI, and the opportunity is still wide open.

Contact David Golubv:

• Website: local-business-consulting.com