Marketers spend enormous amounts of time optimizing messaging, design and content, but rarely experience their own website the way a first-time visitor does. That disconnect often explains why polished-looking sites underperform.
When I first came across Google’s NotebookLM, I realized this AI tool offers an easy, practical way to emulate the experience of a first-time website visitor.
NotebookLM allows users to upload a URL or documents, such as a website, presentation or report and generate an Audio Overview. The output is a short, two-person podcast-style conversation that summarizes and interprets the uploaded content. When a website URL is used, the Audio Overview effectively simulates how a first-time visitor understands the site.
Why this matters for marketers
Traditional analytics reveal what users do, but not how they interpret what they see and “hear.” NotebookLM’s Audio Overview functions as a perception check, showing:
- What content resonates immediately.
- What feels unclear or underexplained.
- What critical information or calls-to-action are missing.
Listening to the conversation forces marketers to step outside internal assumptions and hear their site from an outside perspective.
This distinction between behavior and perception is critical. Heatmaps can show where users click and session recordings can reveal where they scroll, but neither captures what visitors understand when they land on your page. A user might spend 30 seconds reading your homepage hero section and still be confused about what your company actually does. NotebookLM bridges that gap by translating website content into a conversational interpretation, giving direct insight into how your messaging lands with fresh eyes.
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The curse of knowledge is real in marketing. When you work with your brand every day, you become blind to the gaps in your messaging. Internal jargon starts to feel universal. Assumptions about what visitors already know go unchallenged. NotebookLM acts as a reset button, stripping away that familiarity and presenting your content the way someone encountering it for the first time might process it.
The buried conversion path
In one case, I took a nonprofit organization’s website and uploaded it into NotebookLM. The Audio Overview accurately reflected the charity’s mission, values and services. The site was visually strong and content-rich.
However, two significant gaps surfaced immediately:
- There was no clear explanation of how to donate.
- There was no clear guidance on how community members could access the organization’s services.
Internally, the organization assumed these actions were obvious. From a first-time visitor’s perspective, they were not.
After adding the calls to action, we tested it again. The new Audio Overview confirmed that both actions were now clearly communicated.
This illustrates a pattern I see in many industries. Organizations often bury essential conversion paths because they assume visitors will naturally find them. A software company might assume users know to click “Get Started” for a free trial. A healthcare provider might assume patients understand how to schedule appointments. A B2B service firm might assume prospects know to reach out for a consultation. These assumptions cost businesses real revenue every day.
The nonprofit case also demonstrates how quickly NotebookLM can validate changes. Rather than waiting weeks for new analytics data to accumulate or scheduling another round of user testing, the team was able to confirm their fixes worked within minutes. That rapid feedback loop accelerates optimization cycles and reduces the risk of launching changes that miss the mark.
Iteration without cost or friction
One of NotebookLM’s key advantages is accessibility. The tool is free, and marketers can upload revised versions of a site as often as needed. This makes it useful for:
- Pre-launch reviews
- Post-redesign validation
- Messaging audits
- Conversion optimization checks
It’s a quick fix that lets teams check whether their intended message is being understood without waiting for internal feedback or scheduled usability testing.
The zero-cost barrier also makes NotebookLM accessible to marketing teams of all sizes. Small businesses and startups can gain valuable insights into perception. Enterprise teams can use it as a supplement to their existing research stack, running quick checks between formal testing cycles.
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It’s easy to incorporate NotebookLM into your regular content workflow. Before publishing a new landing page, run it through the tool. Before launching a campaign microsite, generate an Audio Overview. Before presenting a website redesign to stakeholders, listen to how the AI interprets the changes. These can catch significant issues before they impact real visitors and real conversions.
NotebookLM’s value goes beyond internal use
Audio Overview can also serve as a customer-facing asset.
Marketers can embed the audio directly on a website as an explainer, repurpose it as a short-form podcast, or convert it into a video using tools like HeyGen, which lip-syncs the voices to avatars.
This also creates an alternative way for visitors to understand what a company does, what it offers and what actions to take, particularly for complex products, services, or mission-driven organizations.
The accessibility benefits of audio content should not be overlooked, either. Some visitors prefer listening over reading. Others may have visual impairments that make text-heavy pages difficult to read. An audio summary of your website creates an inclusive experience that serves a broader audience.
It also opens creative possibilities for content marketing. The conversational style feels more engaging than a standard corporate video script. The two-voice format naturally breaks up information and makes complex topics easier to follow. And because the content is AI-generated from your existing website, production time is minimal compared to recording original audio or video content.
4 practical tips for getting started
- Start with highest-traffic pages. Your homepage, main product or service pages and key landing pages deserve the most attention. These are the pages where first impressions matter most.
- Listen actively, not passively. Take notes while the Audio Overview plays. Note what it emphasizes, what it glosses over and what it misses entirely. That will reveal how your content hierarchy translates to visitor perception.
- Compare versions over time. Save Audio Overviews and compare them as the site evolves. This creates a record of how your messaging clarity improves through iterations.
- Share with stakeholders. The audio format is often more compelling than written reports when presenting findings to executives or clients. Letting them hear the gaps firsthand can accelerate buy-in for recommended changes.
A new lens on website optimization
NotebookLM does not replace analytics or usability testing. It adds interpretive clarity.
Listening to how a website is summarized and discussed gives marketers insight into whether their message is coherent, complete and actionable for a first-time visitor.
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The tool fits into a broader ecosystem of rapidly expanding AI-powered marketing capabilities. As these technologies mature, marketers who experiment early will develop intuitions and workflows that give them competitive advantages. NotebookLM is a low-risk entry point for using AI to generate qualitative marketing insights.
In an increasingly crowded digital landscape, clarity is a big differentiator. Visitors make snap judgments about whether a website deserves their time and attention. If your message does not land immediately, they leave. NotebookLM helps ensure that first-time visitors understand precisely who you are, what you offer and what to do next.
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