Stop Writing "What Is" Posts. Why "Transactional GEO" is the Only Way to Earn $10k/Mo.
⚡ Key Takeaways:
The Crisis: Google's AI Overview now answers "Informational Queries" (Definitions/History) instantly. That traffic is gone.
The Opportunity: AI cannot make a purchase decision for you. "Transactional Queries" (Reviews/Comparisons) still result in clicks.
The Math: Transactional traffic has an RPM (Revenue Per Mille) 10x-50x higher than Informational traffic.
For the last decade, the strategy was simple: "Top of Funnel."
Write generic articles like "What is Artificial Intelligence?" or "History of Chatbots" to get massive traffic. Then, try to sell them something.
In 2026, that strategy is Financial Suicide.
Why? Because AI is the ultimate "Top of Funnel" killer.
If I ask Gemini "What is AI?", it gives me a perfect summary. I never click a link. Your website gets 0 visitors.
But if I ask Gemini "Is Gemini Advanced worth the money?", the AI hesitates. It gives a summary, but it links to Reviews and Reddit threads because "Worth" is subjective. The user needs a second opinion. They click.
To hit our $10,000/month goal at the Infomly Lab, I have completely banned "Informational Content."
We are now 100% focused on Transactional GEO.
The "Intent Gap" Experiment
I analyzed the AdSense data from two different articles on a test site. Both had roughly 1,000 visitors.
Article A (Informational): "The History of Large Language Models."
Visitor Intent: Curiosity / Student.
AdSense RPM: $2.50.
Earnings: $2.50.
Article B (Transactional): "Best AI Coding Tools for Python."
Visitor Intent: Buying software.
AdSense RPM: $45.00.
Earnings: $45.00.
The Lesson:
One visitor looking to buy is worth 18 visitors looking to learn.
You don't need 100,000 visitors. You need 5,000 buyers.
The 3 Types of "Money Keywords"
If you want to survive the "AI Overview" apocalypse, you must target keywords where the human wants to leave Google.
1. The "Vs" Battle (Comparison)
Keyword: "Gemini vs ChatGPT" (Post #3).
Why it works: The user is holding two products. They are paralyzed. They need a judge. AI tries to be "neutral." You can be opinionated.
AdSense Signal: High value. Advertisers (like OpenAI or Google) bid high to sway this decision.
2. The "Best X for Y" (Segmentation)
Keyword: "Best AI Tools for Solo Founders" (Post #5).
Why it works: Generic "Best AI Tools" is too broad (AI answers it). But adding a specific persona ("Solo Founders") forces the search engine to look for niche experts.
Affiliate Potential: Massive. You are recommending specific solutions to specific problems.
3. The "Alternative" (The Switch)
Keyword: "Free Alternatives to Midjourney."
Why it works: The user is frustrated with a price or feature. They are actively hunting for a new tool.
Conversion Rate: Extremely high.
The "Buy Button" Rule
Here is the new rule for the Infomly Lab:
"If the user doesn't have a credit card in their hand (mentally), don't write the post."
Draft: "How LLMs work." -> DELETE. (No credit card).
Draft: "Is Replit Agent worth $20?" -> PUBLISH. (Credit card ready).
Why AdSense Loves This Strategy
Many people think AdSense pays the same for every click. False.
AdSense is an auction.
Bidder A (History Blog): Selling T-shirts or cheap courses. Bid: $0.10.
Bidder B (Tech Blog): Selling Enterprise SaaS ($1,000/yr subscription). Bid: $5.00.
By writing about "Tech Stacks" and "Software Reviews," we attract Bidder B.
This is how you make $10,000/month with a small audience. You are selling access to High-Value Decision Makers.
Final Verdict: Be the Closer
The AI is the Librarian. It answers questions.
You are the Salesperson. You close deals.
The Librarian works for free. The Salesperson gets the commission.
Don't be the Librarian.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Will AI eventually answer transactional queries too?
It tries, but "Hallucination Risk" is high in shopping. Users don't trust AI with their money yet. They trust human experience ("I Cancelled One"). That trust gap is your profit margin.
Do I need affiliate links to make this work?
No. Even if you only use AdSense, targeting transactional keywords raises your RPM because the ads shown will be for high-value products. Affiliate links are just a bonus multiplier.
Is "How-To" content dead?
Simple "How-To" (e.g., "How to change margins in Docs") is dead; AI answers it. Complex "How-To" (e.g., "How to build a business with AI") is alive because it requires strategy and nuance.