SEO On-Air

How AEO And GEO Help Users Choose Your Brand

Is showing up in AI results enough to win the customer, or is being found only half the job?

In this episode of SEO On-Air, host Koa Kauwe sits down with Philip Weafer (Brafton), Ben Carsley (C-4 Analytics), and Patrick Gilbert (AdVenture Media) to work through the gap between appearing in an AI answer and being the brand a user actually chooses.

The conversation examines why visibility and selection are two different problems. Philip calls the SERP the new search funnel, where you may lose the click but still plant a seed, the way billboards work on the drive to a stadium. Ben pushes back that you cannot be chosen unless you can be found, which puts organic impression share at the center. Patrick treats the rest as a branding problem, citing Google's Decoding Decisions study and its finding that the power of showing up drove more revenue than any other factor they measured.

They also get into who owns search strategy once SEO stops being a silo, the digital land grab of 2013 to 2017 that made strategy optional, whether AEO and GEO are new disciplines or SEO renamed, the Search Console shift to branded versus non branded reporting, the death of vanity traffic, and why what Reddit and review sites say about you now outweighs your own domain.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

Why being found and being chosen are two separate problems
Why the SERP now works like the middle of the funnel
What Google's Decoding Decisions study revealed about buyer choice
Why an unremarkable brand never gets picked from an AI list
How much of AEO and GEO genuinely differs from SEO
Why organic impression share matters more than clicks
How to report on traffic drops that are actually good news
Why branded versus non branded search is the new reporting split
Why what Reddit and review sites say about you outweighs your domain
What agencies need to ship, not just recommend, going forward

Whether you own an agency, run search in-house, report on SEO performance, or plan brand strategy, this episode gives you a clearer split between visibility work and selection work, plus the reasoning behind why the two now need separate answers.

🎧 Tune in to hear why the brands that get picked from an AI answer are rarely the ones that optimized hardest to appear in it.

How To Budget For SEO And GEO In 2026

Should GEO get its own line item in 2026, or is your SEO budget already the GEO budget?

In this episode of SEO On-Air, host Koa Kauwe sits down with Jeff Carrier (Restoration Digital Marketing) and Andrew Seidman (Digital Reach) to work through how agencies should price, structure, and sell search in a year where organic traffic is falling but revenue is not.

The conversation examines whether GEO deserves its own budget line, with Jeff stacking AI search work on top of retainers because it takes different people, and Andrew arguing clients should hold one pipeline budget instead. They cover the time horizon test for when SEO is the wrong investment, what Gemini above the ad slot changed for local results, and why AI counts brand mentions Google ignored without a follow link.

They also get into the agency-building side, including narrowing your service list faster than feels comfortable, why trust and referrals beat any spreadsheet, the scaling cracks that stay harmless at one client and turn fatal at scale, knowing when to make your first hire, why interest rates rather than AI are reshaping client expectations, and why phone calls survived as the KPI that still matters.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

Whether GEO is a separate budget or part of the search budget
Why one pipeline budget beats five separate channel line items
The time horizon test for when SEO is the wrong investment
Why AI search work gets stacked on top of a retainer, not swapped in
Why AI counts brand mentions that Google never gave credit to
What Gemini sitting above the ad slot changes for local search
Where AI genuinely replaces agency work and where it still fails
How to know when to narrow your service list and pick a lane
The scaling mistake that only shows up after you grow
Why phone calls, not traffic, are the KPI that survived the shift

Whether you own an agency, run marketing in-house, sell SEO retainers, or plan next year's search spend, this episode gives you two contrasting and equally defensible ways to structure a 2026 budget, plus the reasoning behind each so you can pick the one that fits your clients.

🎧 Tune in to hear why the SEO budget and the GEO budget are heading toward becoming one line item anyway, and what to do with them until they merge.

How Marketing Will Change In The Next 2 Years

Is AI transforming marketing faster than businesses can adapt or are the fundamentals of great marketing simply evolving alongside new technology?

In this episode of SEO On-Air, host Koa Kauwe sits down with Courtney Henderson (Price Weber), Jack Giblin (829 Studios), and Alan Reed (Hawk Digital) to explore how AI is reshaping marketing, search, and customer acquisition and what businesses should be doing today to stay competitive over the next two years.

The conversation examines whether AI visibility is delivering measurable ROI, why businesses should treat AI search as a long-term investment in brand authority, and how traditional SEO continues to serve as the foundation for success in an AI-first world. The panel discusses the growing importance of EEAT, AI citations, local visibility, authority building, and why companies that invest early in AI optimization will have a significant competitive advantage as search continues to evolve.

They also dive into the challenges of measuring AI-driven marketing performance, the relationship between SEO and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), how AI is changing customer discovery, and why human strategy remains the driving force behind successful marketing campaigns.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• How marketing will evolve over the next two years
• Whether AI search is delivering measurable ROI today
• Why AI visibility should be viewed as a long-term investment
• How SEO and AI optimization work together
• Why EEAT is becoming even more important in AI search
• How local businesses can capitalize on AI-driven discovery
• The biggest opportunities businesses have before AI search matures
• How marketers should measure success beyond traditional attribution
• Why authority, trust, and brand visibility matter more than ever
• How agencies are preparing clients for the future of AI-powered marketing

Whether you're a business owner, marketer, SEO professional, agency leader, or digital strategist, this episode offers practical insights into navigating the next generation of marketing, building long-term brand authority, and preparing for the rapid evolution of AI-powered search.

🎧 Tune in to discover why the future of marketing isn't about replacing proven strategies with AI it's about combining AI with strong marketing fundamentals to build lasting visibility, authority, and growth.

How To Distribute Content Across Social Media And Search

Are you creating great content, but not getting enough people to see it?

In this episode of SEO On-Air, host Koa Kauwe sits down with Bryan Williamson (SpiderNow), Michael Ramirez (SearchRPM), and Cory Young (BCC Interactive) to discuss why creating content is only half the battle, and how strategic content distribution is becoming one of the biggest competitive advantages in SEO and AI-powered search.

The conversation explores how agencies are repurposing long-form content into multiple formats for social media, blogs, newsletters, and search platforms to maximize visibility. The panel also shares how AI is streamlining content workflows, why technical SEO and brand messaging must work together, and how businesses can identify the platforms that deliver the highest return instead of trying to be everywhere at once.

They also discuss the growing role of Search Everywhere Optimization, balancing AI with human creativity, improving client communication, and why distributing content effectively is just as important as creating it.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Why content distribution is essential for modern SEO
• How to repurpose one piece of content across multiple platforms
• Why Search Everywhere Optimization is replacing channel-specific strategies
• How AI helps streamline content creation and distribution
• The role of technical SEO in improving content visibility
• How to communicate SEO strategies to clients more effectively
• Why every platform doesn't deserve equal attention
• How to identify the channels that generate the best results
• Why authentic brand messaging still matters in the AI era
• Practical strategies for increasing content reach and engagement

Whether you're an SEO professional, agency owner, marketer, content creator, or business leader, this episode offers practical insights into building a smarter content distribution strategy that improves visibility across search engines, social media, and AI-powered search.

🎧 Tune in to learn how leading agencies are extending the life of every piece of content, reaching audiences across multiple platforms, and building stronger brand visibility in the future of search.

Google Indexing Tips for AI-Generated Content

Does it matter who wrote your content if Google indexes it either way, or is the writer the whole point?

In this episode of SEO On-Air, host Koa Kauwe sits down with Adam Torkildson (Tork Media) and Brandon Leibowitz (SEO Optimizers) to get into what actually gets AI-assisted content indexed, and what quietly keeps it out of the index entirely.

The conversation examines Adam's indexing formula, drawn from publishing close to half a million articles over fifteen years: keep the read time near five minutes and put three to four links in the body, because one link underperforms and more than five does too. Brandon adds the crawl side, pulling new pieces into the index by linking from older posts that already rank.

They also get into the Google News story Adam published claiming a prospect was his best friend, which had ChatGPT repeating it within hours, plus why 20 AI posts a week rank then sink, prompt building that strips the obvious AI tells, why LLM rank tracking may be a short lived industry, building brand visibility with zero links at DR 30 and above, and collaboration over competition in a crowded agency market.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

The read time and link count that get articles indexed
Why three to four body links beat one link or six
How internal links from old posts pull new content into the index
How one Google News article seeded ChatGPT within hours
Why publishing 20 AI posts a week ranks then collapses
How to build prompts that strip the obvious AI tells
Why LLM rank tracking may be a vanity metric
How brand mentions work with no link attached at all
The DR and traffic thresholds worth targeting for LLM visibility
Why clients want leads and phone calls, not traffic

Whether you publish at scale, run an SEO agency, manage content production, or buy placements for clients, this episode gives you a publisher's view of what makes content get indexed and a practitioner's view of what makes it worth indexing.

🎧 Tune in to hear why the fastest way to get quoted by an LLM may have nothing to do with ranking at all.

How AI Uses Reviews To Rank Your Brand

Are online reviews becoming one of the most important ranking signals in AI-powered search or are they simply revealing which brands have earned genuine trust?

In this episode of SEO On-Air, host Koa Kauwe sits down with Nathan Chapman (Firmidable), George Little (BrandZap), and Ramsey Sweis (Aqaba Digital) to explore how AI is changing the way businesses build authority and why reviews, brand reputation, and trust signals are becoming essential for visibility beyond traditional Google rankings.

The conversation dives into how AI evaluates reviews across multiple platforms, why entity-based SEO and topical authority matter more than ever, and how structured data, authentic brand storytelling, and consistent online presence help businesses earn recommendations in AI search. The panel also discusses the evolving relationship between traditional SEO and AI optimization, the importance of About Us pages, schema markup, human expertise, and why agencies must focus on strategy instead of shortcuts.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• How AI uses reviews to evaluate and rank brands
• Why online reputation is becoming a powerful AI ranking signal
• How entity SEO helps businesses build long-term authority
• Why brand trust extends beyond your website
• The role of schema markup in AI search visibility
• How topical authority influences AI recommendations
• Why authentic brand stories outperform generic AI-generated content
• How traditional SEO and AI optimization work together
• The biggest trust signals AI looks for across the web
• Practical strategies to improve your brand's visibility in AI-powered search

Whether you're a business owner, SEO professional, marketer, or agency leader, this episode provides actionable insights into building brand authority, earning trust across the web, and positioning your business for success as AI continues to reshape search.

🎧 Tune in to discover why the brands AI recommends aren't just ranking higher they're building trust everywhere customers look.

Which AI tools are actually helping SEO agencies grow and which ones are just hype?

In this episode of SEO On-Air, host Koa Kauwe sits down with Steve Wiideman (Wiideman Consulting Group), Ashley Rodriguez (Semgeeks Digital Agency & Consultants), Adam Broetje (Odd Dog Media), and Darin Fenn (Legal Rev) to discuss how agencies are evaluating AI tools, adapting their workflows, and preparing for the future of search.

The conversation explores how AI is transforming SEO without replacing its core fundamentals. From ChatGPT and custom GPTs to enterprise SEO platforms, content workflows, analytics, and AI-assisted research, the panel shares how their agencies are testing new technologies while continuing to prioritize strategy, original content, and measurable business outcomes.

They also discuss why many AI tools still require human oversight, how agencies decide which technologies are worth adopting, and why experimentation, collaboration, and strong processes remain the biggest competitive advantages in an AI-first world.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Which AI tools SEO agencies are actively testing in 2026
• How agencies evaluate whether an AI tool is worth using
• Why custom GPTs are improving internal SEO workflows
• How AI helps with research, reporting, and content briefs
• Why original, human-created content still outperforms AI-generated content
• How agencies balance automation with quality control
• The role of analytics and business KPIs in AI-powered SEO
• Why collaboration and knowledge sharing accelerate AI adoption
• Common mistakes agencies make when implementing AI tools
• How successful agencies are preparing for the future of AI search

Whether you're an SEO professional, agency owner, marketer, or business leader, this episode offers practical insights into the AI tools, workflows, and strategies that are helping agencies stay competitive as search continues to evolve.

🎧 Tune in to discover which AI tools are delivering real results, which ones still fall short, and how leading agencies are building smarter SEO processes for 2026 and beyond.

What Ranking Factors AI Uses To Recommend Brands

Why do some brands consistently appear in AI-generated answers while others are never mentioned?

In this episode of SEO On-Air, host Koa Kauwe sits down with Brent Williams (emagineHealth), Alyssa Smith (Power Digital), and Mario Cano (Webtronix Designs Web Agency) to discuss how AI-powered search engines evaluate brands and the ranking factors that influence whether a business gets recommended.

The conversation explores how AI is changing SEO from a keyword-focused discipline to one centered around entities, authority, trust, and brand recognition. From websites and knowledge graphs to authorship, schema markup, technical SEO, and digital footprints, the panel explains why businesses need a complete online presence to earn visibility across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and other AI search platforms.

They also discuss why websites remain the foundation of a brand's digital identity, how structured data helps AI understand businesses, why authentic expertise is becoming more valuable than generic content, and how brands can prepare for the future of AI-driven search.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• What ranking factors AI uses to recommend brands
• Why entity SEO is becoming more important than traditional SEO
• How websites build trust and authority for AI search
• The role of schema markup and knowledge graphs
• Why authorship and expertise improve AI visibility
• How technical SEO supports AI understanding
• Why digital footprints matter beyond your website
• How local businesses can strengthen their AI presence
• The future of branding in AI-powered search
• Practical strategies to improve AI search visibility

Whether you're an SEO professional, agency owner, marketer, or business leader, this episode provides practical insights into building a brand that AI platforms understand, trust, and confidently recommend.

🎧 Tune in to learn how AI evaluates brands, why authority matters more than ever, and what your business can do today to stay visible in the future of search.

Why Reddit Beats Google For B2B SEO

Why are so many B2B buyers turning to Reddit before Google when making purchasing decisions?

In this episode of SEO On-Air, host Koa Kauwe sits down with Sam Heaton (Atomic Dust) to discuss how B2B companies can build authority in an AI-driven search landscape where brand trust, community conversations, and strategic positioning matter more than rankings alone.

The conversation explores why Reddit has become a powerful research platform for B2B buyers, how businesses can stand out in highly competitive niche markets, and why becoming the trusted expert in a specific category is more valuable than chasing traffic alone. Sam also shares how branding, creative strategy, SEO, AI, and automation work together to help businesses earn visibility across search, social platforms, and AI-powered search engines.

They also discuss why agencies should focus on quality over quantity, how AI is changing content creation and distribution, why "taste" is becoming a competitive advantage, and what businesses can do to become the brand customers remember when it's time to buy.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Why Reddit is becoming a trusted source for B2B buyers
• How AI search is changing B2B SEO strategies
• Why niche authority beats broad visibility
• The importance of brand positioning in competitive markets
• How branding and SEO work together to build trust
• Why quality content outperforms high-volume content
• How AI should accelerate strategy—not replace it
• Why agencies should prioritize expertise over execution
• How automation helps businesses scale without sacrificing quality
• What it takes to become the brand buyers trust first

Whether you're an SEO professional, marketer, agency owner, or B2B business leader, this episode offers practical insights into building authority, earning trust, and creating a brand that stands out in the era of AI-powered search.

🎧 Tune in to learn why Reddit is reshaping B2B buying behavior, how AI is changing search, and what your business can do to become the first brand customers think of when they're ready to buy.

Why Reddit Beats Google For B2B SEO

Why are so many B2B buyers turning to Reddit before Google when making purchasing decisions?

In this episode of SEO On-Air, host Koa Kauwe sits down with Sam Heaton (Atomic Dust) to discuss how B2B companies can build authority in an AI-driven search landscape where brand trust, community conversations, and strategic positioning matter more than rankings alone.

The conversation explores why Reddit has become a powerful research platform for B2B buyers, how businesses can stand out in highly competitive niche markets, and why becoming the trusted expert in a specific category is more valuable than chasing traffic alone. Sam also shares how branding, creative strategy, SEO, AI, and automation work together to help businesses earn visibility across search, social platforms, and AI-powered search engines.

They also discuss why agencies should focus on quality over quantity, how AI is changing content creation and distribution, why "taste" is becoming a competitive advantage, and what businesses can do to become the brand customers remember when it's time to buy.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Why Reddit is becoming a trusted source for B2B buyers
• How AI search is changing B2B SEO strategies
• Why niche authority beats broad visibility
• The importance of brand positioning in competitive markets
• How branding and SEO work together to build trust
• Why quality content outperforms high-volume content
• How AI should accelerate strategy—not replace it
• Why agencies should prioritize expertise over execution
• How automation helps businesses scale without sacrificing quality
• What it takes to become the brand buyers trust first

Whether you're an SEO professional, marketer, agency owner, or B2B business leader, this episode offers practical insights into building authority, earning trust, and creating a brand that stands out in the era of AI-powered search.

🎧 Tune in to learn why Reddit is reshaping B2B buying behavior, how AI is changing search, and what your business can do to become the first brand customers think of when they're ready to buy.