How to use AI to reduce your PPC costs & unlock a bigger SEO budget – summarizing a talk from John Readman at brightonSEO

TL;DR? Here’s Your Game Plan: 

• Get your data in one place: GA4 + AdWords + Search Console. 
• Use ASK BOSCO® to identify PPC keywords where you’re not ranking organically. 
• Shift budget from wasteful paid clicks to targeted SEO content. 
• Use AI to streamline your content strategy and delivery. 
• Watch your ROI soar. 

Coffee, PPC, and the problem with your digital strategy

Let me ask you something. Do you ever feel like your marketing strategy is stuck in a loop? You’re throwing budget after budget into PPC, because that’s what your business’s board wants, right? It’s predictable. It’s measurable. It “works.” But here’s the problem… it’s not sustainable. We’re addicted to it. In the same way that we’re addicted to our morning coffee. 

Now, I’m not saying PPC is evil. But the way we use it? The way it eats into budget that could be driving long-term value through SEO? That’s the real issue. I’ve spent the last few years building ASK BOSCO® to help solve this exact problem. And I want to show you how to use AI and data to flip the script on your digital strategy. 

The PPC addiction: we need a healthier marketing diet 

We’ve all been there, PPC’s delivering quick wins, revenue looks good, the CEO and board members happy. But it’s like your business is living on diet pills, when what we really need is a lifestyle change. I’ve seen brands spending six figures a month on Google Ads, and then barely scratching the surface when it comes to SEO investment. 

It’s time to rebalance your PPC 

We’ve analyzed over 250 million sessions and 7 million conversions through ASK BOSCO®, across multiple sectors, and the data’s clear. Organic traffic converts better than paid. In fact, the average order value (AOV) from SEO is often higher. So why are we still letting PPC dominate? 

The fix: How to shift budget from PPC to long-term SEO growth

Here’s where AI, data, and a bit of common sense come into play. We need to:  

1. Connect all your data – that means Search Console, GA4, and AdWords – all in one place. You can use ASK BOSCO® to skip the heavy lifting.
2. Identify the keywords that matter – the ones you’re paying for in PPC but aren’t ranking for organically. 
3. Forecast and reprioritize – if you’re spending £/$41,000 on certain keywords in paid search, imagine the long-term value of ranking organically instead.
4. Use AI to drive content strategy – this is where it gets fun… 

How AI (and ASK BOSCO®) makes this possible 

We built ASK BOSCO® to help marketers forecast, optimize, and actually use their data. It’s not just about tracking performance, it’s about smarter planning. 

• We analyze your PPC data to identify the most valuable, non-brand keywords. 
• We cross-reference those with your organic rankings. 
• ASK BOSCO® shows you exactly where to invest SEO effort for the biggest return. 

It’s about finding the low-hanging fruit. Instead of gunning for the massive, expensive keywords, we look at what you’re already paying for and show you how to divert some of that spend into strategic SEO gains. 

Now here’s the kicker, most businesses only do this analysis once a year, if that. But with ASK BOSCO®, it’s baked into your reports, so you can monitor and track this instantly. 

Supercharge content plans with AI workflows 

Now, let’s talk execution. Building SEO content plans the old-fashioned way? Painfully slow. But with AI tools and workflow platforms like n8n, we’re seeing agencies and brands automate parts of the process—everything from clustering keywords to generating briefs. 

Combine this automation with ASK BOSCO®’s insights and you’ve got a scalable SEO engine that’s data-driven and budget smart. 

Let’s stop feeding the PPC machine blindly. It’s time to play smarter and use the data you already have, combine it with AI, and make SEO the engine room of your growth strategy. If you want to watch my full video of my talk from brightonSEO you can watch the video here.