I’m thrilled to sit down with Milena Traikovich, a seasoned Demand Gen expert who has helped countless businesses craft powerful campaigns to attract and nurture high-quality leads. With her deep expertise in analytics, performance optimization, and lead generation, Milena is the perfect guide to help us unpack the fascinating world of Perplexity AI’s Discover Pages and their transformative impact on SEO and digital marketing. In this conversation, we’ll dive into how these AI-driven pages are reshaping content curation, the strategies marketers need to adopt, and what the future might hold for search optimization in this rapidly evolving landscape.
How would you describe Perplexity AI’s Discover Pages to someone unfamiliar with them, and what sets them apart from a traditional search engine results page?
Discover Pages are a unique feature from Perplexity AI that focus on curating trending topics across various categories like tech, finance, and entertainment. Unlike a typical search engine results page that lists links based on a user’s query, these pages provide AI-generated summaries pulled from real-time web data. It’s like getting a snapshot of what’s happening right now, without having to dig through multiple sources. They’re designed to keep users informed in a streamlined way, almost acting as a hybrid between a news feed and a search tool.
What makes the content curation approach of Discover Pages stand out when compared to traditional SEO methods?
What’s really striking is how Perplexity uses AI to automate content creation at an unprecedented scale. Traditional SEO often involves manual effort or basic programmatic templates to build pages, but Discover Pages dynamically synthesize information in real time. They also lean heavily on user engagement signals—like how people interact with content—to refine what’s shown. It’s a much more adaptive and responsive system, almost like the platform is learning and evolving with every click.
In what ways do you think Discover Pages are influencing the strategies digital marketers and SEO experts need to adopt?
They’re definitely shaking things up. Marketers now have to think beyond static keyword optimization and focus on real-time relevance. It’s about creating content that’s fresh and aligned with trending topics, because Discover Pages prioritize what’s current. This means adopting a more agile content calendar and being ready to pivot quickly. Certain industries, like tech or news, seem to have an edge here since their content naturally aligns with rapid updates and high user interest.
What are some of the critical factors you’ve noticed that affect how content ranks on these Discover Pages?
From what I’ve seen, freshness is a huge factor—content that’s just been published or updated often gets a boost because the platform aims to reflect the latest information. Engagement metrics, like click-through rates, also play a big role. If users aren’t clicking on a summary or a linked source, that content’s visibility can drop fast. Domain authority in niche areas matters too; being a trusted voice in your field can help get your content cited more often in these summaries.
Could you share some actionable advice for businesses looking to optimize their content for visibility on Discover Pages?
Absolutely. First, make it a habit to update your content regularly—don’t let it sit stale for too long. Even small refreshes can signal relevance. Also, use structured data to help the AI understand your content better; things like schema markup can increase the chances of being featured. Lastly, focus on creating authoritative, in-depth pieces that answer specific user needs. The more your content aligns with what people are curious about right now, the better your shot at ranking.
Perplexity recently introduced a revenue-sharing model with publishers. How do you see this changing the dynamic between AI platforms and content creators?
It’s a promising step toward building trust. By sharing revenue, Perplexity is incentivizing publishers to optimize for their platform, which could lead to a flood of high-quality content tailored for Discover Pages. However, there are still hurdles—some publishers worry about losing control over how their content is used or whether the compensation will truly match the value. It’s a balancing act, but I think it’s a move in the right direction to foster collaboration rather than competition.
There’s been some concern about Perplexity potentially disrupting traditional search revenue models. What’s your perspective on how this might impact the broader search industry?
I think there’s valid concern, especially for ad-heavy search engines. Perplexity’s model, with its focus on direct answers and summaries, could pull users away from platforms that rely on ad clicks. It might force marketers to rethink where they allocate their budgets, prioritizing platforms that offer direct engagement over traditional ad placements. At the same time, it’s pushing everyone to innovate, which could lead to better user experiences across the board.
Looking ahead, what is your forecast for the role of platforms like Perplexity in shaping the future of SEO and search in the coming years?
I believe platforms like Perplexity are just the beginning of a major shift toward AI-native search. We’re likely to see SEO evolve into something more collaborative, where content creators work alongside intelligent systems to anticipate user needs in real time. The focus will move even further from static rankings to dynamic relevance, and those who adapt early—by embracing automation and prioritizing user intent—will have a significant advantage. I expect we’ll see more integration of AI tools in everyday marketing workflows, fundamentally changing how we think about visibility online.
