Traditional SEO is dying. Or a optimists would like to say, its evolving..
And the evolution is happening right now, in real-time, as AI overviews answer basic questions before users even click a link.
But here's what nobody's talking about:
while everyone's panicking about declining blog traffic, there's a specific type of content that's not just surviving but thriving.
And it's converting 3-4x better than anything else.
Last week, I hosted a masterclass with Sathya, former CMO of a successful Shopify app studio, who shared exactly how they used this strategy to grow from $1M to $2M+ ARR.
The full tactical breakdown is available exclusively for our Indie Masterminds community members, but I wanted to share the core framework because it fundamentally challenges how we think about content marketing.
The Death of TOFU (And Why That's Good News)
First, let's define our terms:
TOFU = Top of Funnel content ("What is email marketing?")
BOFU = Bottom of Funnel content ("How to set up abandoned cart emails in Shopify")
Here's the brutal truth: TOFU content is dead for small players.
HubSpot, Forbes, and Shopify have already written every "What is X?" article imaginable. Google's AI now summarizes these answers instantly. You're not going to outrank them, and even if you did, users aren't clicking through anymore.
But BOFU is where the magic happens.
The BOFU Advantage: Why Specific Beats Popular
Sathya's data revealed something fascinating:
while their generic "How to manage Shopify stores" content saw 40% traffic declines, their ultra-specific content like "How to add appointment booking to your Shopify rental business" actually increased in both traffic and conversions.
Why?
Three reasons:
AI can't answer hyper-specific use cases - LLMs give generic answers. They can't show you exactly how to solve your specific problem with your specific tools.
Big players won't compete - Shopify will never create content about running a bike rental business on their platform. It's too niche. But for the 10,000 stores doing exactly that? It's gold.
Intent is everything - Someone searching "What is Shopify?" might never buy anything. Someone searching "How to combine shipping rates for multiple Shopify products?" They have their credit card ready.
The Jobs-to-be-Done Framework for BOFU Content
Here's the framework Sathya's team used to identify winning BOFU topics:
Step 1: List every specific job your product does
Not features. Jobs. What are people hiring your product to accomplish?
Step 2: Convert each job into a "How to..." search query
Job: Combine shipping rates → "How to combine shipping rates in Shopify"
Job: Book appointments → "How to add appointment booking to Shopify"
Job: Manage rentals → "How to run a rental business on Shopify"
Step 3: Add context layers for ultra-specificity
Basic: "How to send emails"
Better: "How to send abandoned cart emails"
BOFU Gold: "How to send abandoned cart emails in Shopify for digital products"
The narrower you go, the higher the conversion rate.
Why YouTube? The Platform Arbitrage Opportunity
Here's where it gets interesting. While everyone's fighting for Google rankings, YouTube is wide open for BOFU content.
Sathya showed us a live example: searching "Shopify appointment booking" on Google showed 10 results from Shopify.com (Domain Authority: 95). Impossible to compete.
The same search on YouTube? Their 900-subscriber channel ranked #3, right below Shopify's official channel.
YouTube doesn't care about domain authority.
It cares about recency and relevance.
A 4-week-old video with 52 views can outrank a million-view channel if it better answers the specific query.
The Results Speak for Themselves
In Sathya's case:
Blog conversions from BOFU content: 29/month
YouTube conversions from identical BOFU content: 90+/month
Same keywords, same approach, 3.25x better results
But here's the kicker: they're not YouTube creators. They don't have thousands of subscribers. Their videos are simple screen recordings with AI voiceovers.
It's not about production quality. It's about solving specific problems for specific people.
Your BOFU Action Plan
Want to implement this yourself? Here's where to start:
Audit your customer support tickets - What specific problems do customers ask about repeatedly?
Check YouTube search - Is anyone creating content for these specific queries? (Probably not)
Create problem-solving content - Show exactly how to solve that problem, casually mentioning your product as the solution
Optimize for humans, not algorithms - Remember: real people with real problems and credit cards ready
The Full Playbook (For Community Members)
This BOFU framework is just one piece of the puzzle. In our full 88-minute masterclass recording, Sathya breaks down:
The exact script formula that maintains 66%+ viewer retention
How to create videos without showing your face (perfect for introverts)
The "restocking strategy" that keeps you ranking without creating new content
Attribution hacks for tracking YouTube → SaaS conversions
The thumbnail psychology that actually drives clicks
Plus live Q&A addressing specific member questions
Join Indie Masterminds to access the full recording, our library of 20+ other masterclasses and topical mastermind sessions, plus connect with 200+ indie founders implementing these strategies right now.
The Bottom Line
Stop creating content for everyone. Start solving specific problems for specific people.
The internet doesn't need another "What is X?" article.
But those 1,000 people trying to run a rental business on Shopify? They desperately need your help.
And they're ready to pay for it.
Ayush Chaturvedi is the founder of Indie Masterminds, a community of 200+ indie founders building profitable online businesses. Each month, we host tactical masterclasses with founders who've actually done what they're teaching.
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