“What’s one unexpected insight you gained from implementing AI-based data analytics in your small business? How did this insight change your business strategy?”
Here is what 5 thought leaders had to say.
AI Reveals LinkedIn Posts Outperform Direct Founder Interaction
One unexpected insight came when we used AI to analyze our client conversion data across different lead sources. We’d always assumed that our strongest-performing leads came from pitch deck workshops and founder meetups—we’d poured most of our time and budget there. But the AI surfaced something we hadn’t picked up intuitively: a quiet stream of inbound leads from niche LinkedIn posts, written months earlier, had a far higher conversion rate and average deal size.
At first, I brushed it off. I thought, no way can a few posts outperform direct founder interaction. But the data was clear—and humbling. We shifted our strategy, pulled back slightly on events, and doubled down on structured content tailored to investor pain points. It wasn’t flashy, but it delivered. That one change has brought in some of our most aligned clients—and frankly saved a ton on CAC.
Niclas Schlopsna, Managing Consultant and CEO, spectup
Video Content Drives 40% Higher Purchase Likelihood
One unexpected insight I gained from implementing AI-based data analytics in my small business was how much customer behavior could predict future sales trends. Initially, I used AI to track website traffic, but what surprised me was the depth of analysis it provided on user actions—like how long they stayed on specific pages and where they dropped off. This data revealed patterns in buying behavior that I hadn’t anticipated. For example, I discovered that customers who engaged with product videos were 40% more likely to make a purchase. Based on this, I shifted my strategy to prioritize video content in our marketing and product pages. It led to a noticeable increase in conversion rates, and we started creating more targeted content. This insight completely changed how we approached product presentations, focusing more on engagement rather than just promoting features.
Nikita Sherbina, Co-Founder & CEO, AIScreen
Page Load Hesitation Doubles Bounce Rate Risk
Ever had a dashboard slap you in the face with a metric you never even knew existed? When I plugged AI-driven analytics into a client’s Shopify store, the model surfaced a sneaky “time-to-first-scroll” signal—basically how long folks hover before they even budge the page. Turns out shoppers who hesitated more than 1.7 seconds were twice as likely to bounce, so we trimmed hero images, compressed scripts, and—let’s be real—ditched a cheesy autoplay video. Site speed shot up, Core Web Vitals went green, and revenue per session popped 38 % in eight weeks. That little insight reminded me why I treat data like keywords: find the one friction point holding back growth and fix it fast. Scale by SEO helps businesses increase online visibility, drive organic growth, and dominate rankings through strategic audits, killer content, and laser-targeted link building, and we combine the power of expert writers with the precision of AI tools to deliver search-optimized wins that connect with real people. And hey, if we haven’t shown clear progress after six months, we keep grinding at no extra cost—because y’all deserve results, not excuses.
Wayne Lowry, CEO, Scale By SEO
AI Exposes Gap Between Assumed and Actual Results
By far the #1 insight we’ve gained from using AI-based analytics, especially for our marketing, was that many of our assumptions about our audience weren’t very accurate. When we analyzed our top-performing content with AI, we found that many guides and articles that performed well from both engagement and commercial perspectives were very different from the ones we thought were driving results.
The result of this has been a reassessment of our marketing activities and a focus on what generates results, which often slipped under our radar before. I think this is a key benefit of AI — although it has its weaknesses, it offers a fresh pair of virtual eyes that can often spot opportunities that we, as people with our own biases and beliefs, often miss.
Hershel Glueck, CEO, Hero Time
Comparison Pages Beat How-Tos by 32% Conversion
One surprise from using AI-based analytics? Realizing our highest-converting content wasn’t what we thought it was. We’d been putting budget behind long-form how-tos, assuming they drove leads. Turns out, short, direct comparison pages, ones we nearly scrapped, outperformed them by 32%.
That shifted our content strategy overnight. We trimmed the fluff, leaned into what actually answered questions fast, and rerouted ad spend to support those “boring-but-useful” pages.
It also changed how we report to clients. Now we highlight what actually works, not just what looks shiny in search. AI didn’t just give us data, it gave us a reality check.
Lesson learned? Don’t trust your gut when you can test your assumptions. AI will quietly hand you the truth… and a little ego bruise on the side.
Nick Mikhalenkov, SEO Manager, Nine Peaks Media
