The Dave Gerhardt Show (from Exit Five)

How Marketing Leaders are Thinking About AEO


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#324 | Dave is joined by three marketing leaders from different industries to talk on a live session about AI and SEO and what they've learned over the last year. Dave Steer (CMO at Webflow), Marcy Comer (CMO at EagleView) and Clare Schmitt (VP, Marketing & Communications at Piedmont Global) break down how buyers are learning about products through ChatGPT and why traditional SEO fundamentals still matter. The group shares real examples of how they’re approaching content, prompt tracking, PR, and brand authority, plus advice for marketers on where to focus, what to ignore, and how to guide their teams through this search shift.

Timestamps

  • (01:06) - Why AI + SEO is the hottest (and most confusing) topic in B2B marketing right now
  • (03:53) - Meet the panel: marketing leaders from Webflow, EagleView, and Piedmont Global
  • (07:31) - How AI search is changing buyer behavior vs traditional Google search
  • (11:14) - EagleView’s real approach to AI search, greenfield opportunities, and prompt tracking
  • (14:21) - What “black hat” vs “white hat” tactics look like in AI-driven search
  • (18:28) - Webflow’s take: integrated marketing, generosity, and building useful tools
  • (26:25) - Getting past high-level advice and into real execution
  • (31:25) - “Circle the buyer”: how content builds demand before buyers are in-market
  • (35:08) - Why PR is back: long-form press, citations, and brand credibility in AI search
  • (42:08) - What to do if you’re a startup with no budget: focus on positioning first

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    ***


    Brought to you by:

    Webflow - A website platform built for the agentic web, helping modern marketing teams build fully custom sites—no developer needed—that perform in AI search. Learn more at webflow.com/for/exitfive.

    Markup AI - A content quality platform that scans your content against brand voice, preferred terms, messaging standards, and AI-search readiness before it goes live, right inside Google Docs. Learn more at markup.ai.

    Optimizely - A no-code AI platform where autonomous agents execute marketing work across webpages, email, SEO, and campaigns. Learn how to deploy agents on your marketing team at Agents in the Mix. Learn more at optimizely.com/exitfive.

    Walker Sands - An integrated B2B marketing and growth services agency that helps marketing leaders turn strategy into measurable business impact through their Outcome-based Marketing model. Learn more at walkersands.com/exitfive.


    Knak - A no-code, campaign creation platform that lets you go from idea to on-brand email and landing pages in minutes, using AI where it actually matters. Learn more at knak.com/exitfive, or check out the MCP server by clicking this link.



    ***


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    The Dave Gerhardt Show (from Exit Five)By Exit Five

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