AI search sends less traffic than traditional search, but the traffic it sends is highly qualified. Patrick Stox has the data to prove it.✅ Win AI visibility — try Semrush free for 14 days: https://semrush.sjv.io/xJro6kIn this episode, George Vlasyev sits down with Patrick Stox, Product Developer and Technical SEO Expert at Ahrefs, an industry-leading SEO platform that recently studied 75,000 brands to understand what drives visibility in ChatGPT. Patrick is one of the clearest and most grounded voices in the space on what actually works in the AI-driven search age, how to navigate the "click collapse," and what is quietly changing for brands that haven’t made the shift yet.Key Topics Covered:* The reality of the click collapse: Why AI search traffic is plummeting by over 50% but sending more qualified conversions * The freshness vs. relevance debate: Why pages with zero Google traffic are being cited thousands of times by AI * The breakdown of Google's "Web Guide": What it is, why it beats standard AI modes, and how it handles clickable links * Why attribution is "messy and difficult" right now — and the manual workarounds brands are using to track LLM impact * Personalization and memory: Why two people typing the exact same prompt will get 100% different results * The truth about AI agents in commerce: Will consumers actually trust AI assistants with their credit cards? * How Google is fighting back: The hiring of anti-scraping engineers and the blocking of traditional SEO rank tracking tools * Walled gardens and paywalls: Why established publishers are shifting toward data licensing and subscription models * Information Gain Framework: Why your content needs a mix of AI efficiency and unique human insights to be valued * How Ahrefs built 100 free AI writing tools to drive 20 million visits per month as a massive lead-gen funnel * The 30-minute CMO audit: Why marketing leaders need to "take a breath" amidst the AI bubble and focus on long-term strategy * Why SEO is transforming into GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and why brand reputation and product quality matter more than ever Connect with Patrick Stox:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickstoxWebsite: https://ahrefs.comSubscribe to Substack: https://georgevlasyev.substack.com/The Geo Blueprint Podcast explores how brands can win visibility in the age of generative AI, LLM-powered search, and shifting digital ecosystems.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro00:56 - Ahrefs studied 75,000 brands — what actually drives AI visibility?02:53 - Click collapse — traffic plummeting but conversions aren't03:56 - Attribution in AI search — how do brands track the invisible?06:23 - Agents for commerce — are we actually ready?08:43 - What is the most important AI search metric right now?11:46 - What does the future of the web look like?12:34 - Web Guide vs AI Mode — which will win?15:15 - Google is blocking SEO tools past position 30 — here's why16:57 - Should publishers go behind paywalls to protect from AI crawlers?19:22 - Junior SEO jobs — should you change careers?20:39 - Is it SEO or GEO — and why does that distinction matter?24:11 - What is uniquely human in the age of AI?31:52 - Ahrefs built 100 free AI tools — 20 million visits per month32:54 - What jobs are actually safe from AI?36:45 - CMO advice for the next 6-12 months39:50 - Vibe coding — hundreds of apps built43:44 - AI generic content vs original — what should you actually publish?46:26 - Are we in an AI bubble?50:46 - Outro#GEO #AISearch #AEO #SEO #ContentMarketing #DigitalMarketing #B2BSaaS #ArtificialIntelligence #SearchMarketing #GEOBlueprint #Ahrefs

AI search sends less traffic than Google, but the traffic it sends converts at a higher rate. Jason Patel has the data to prove it.✅ Win AI visibility — try Semrush free for 14 days: https://semrush.sjv.io/MK2yvqIn this episode, George Vlasyev sits down with Jason Patel, founder of OpenForge, an AI search analytics platform that helps brands track and win visibility across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and every major answer engine. Jason built and sold his first company on the back of SEO, and now he is one of the clearest voices in the space on what actually works in the AEO age and what is quietly killing brands that have not made the shift yet.Key Topics Covered:- Why the entire internet experience is becoming personalized and what that means for how brands show up in AI search- Why you cannot measure AI search visibility with exact attribution yet — and the workaround that actually works right now- The new AI search metrics that matter: AI mentions, citations, share of AI voice, and prompt coverage- Why asking the same prompt over and over again is currently the most accurate way to track your visibility in answer engines- Why mid-funnel and commercial content is where the real opportunity is — and why top-of-funnel content is becoming increasingly dangerous to rely on- The information gain framework: why the only content AI will consistently cite is content it cannot create on its own- Why AI search traffic converts at a higher rate than traditional search traffic despite lower volume- How to win visibility differently on ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity — and why Perplexity has the largest magnitude of difference from all other platforms- Why there is no golden ratio between first-party and third-party citations and how to find what actually tracks for your specific market- The 30-minute CMO audit: where to start when your traffic is flat or declining- Why structured data and schema are no longer just important — they are mission critical for AI search- Why SEO is not dead but is transforming into something bigger, more lucrative, and more holistic- What people are getting most wrong about AEO and GEO right now- Why the AI age will create more jobs than it destroys — and why human connection becomes more valuable, not lessConnect with Jason:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pateljasonWebsite: https://www.openforge.ai/Connect with George:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgevlasyevSubscribe to Substack: https://georgevlasyev.substack.com/Download The GEO Blueprint Guide: https://thegeoblueprint.com/The GEO Blueprint Podcast is hosted by George Vlasyev — exploring how brands can win visibility in the age of generative AI and LLM-powered search.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro00:52 - How Is AI Changing Search & Marketing?02:37 - Can You Measure Visibility in AI Search?05:22 - Which AI Search Metrics Actually Matter?08:06 - How Do You Track AI Search If AI Hallucinates?09:25 - Will AI Analytics Kill AI SEO Tools?11:23 - Why Mid-Funnel Content Beats Top-Funnel Content15:07 - What Kind of Content AI Can't Replace17:32 - Are AI Agents the Future of Commerce?19:10 - How Do Brands Win on ChatGPT, Gemini & Claude?27:02 - Do First-Party or Third-Party Citations Matter More?30:24 - What Should CMOs Do About Declining Traffic?38:33 - What's the First Thing Every Company Should Do for AI Search?42:41 - What People Are Getting Wrong About AI Search, AEO or GEO?46:18 - Will AI Replace White-Collar Jobs?50:04 - Why Human Connection Matters More in the AI Era?55:04 - Where Can People Find Jason Patel?#GEO #AISearch #AEO #SEO #ContentMarketing #DigitalMarketing #B2BSaaS #ArtificialIntelligence #SearchMarketing #GEOBlueprint

Only 1% of website traffic comes from LLMs right now and Patrick Reinhart has the 3 billion session study from Conductor to prove it.In this episode, George Vlasyev sits down with Patrick Reinhart, VP of Professional Services at Conductor, where he has spent nearly 11 years helping enterprise brands navigate the intersection of SEO, data, and now AI search. With 23 years in the industry, Patrick leads strategic consulting for some of the world's largest organizations and runs Conductor's monthly 3030 webinar series. He brings one of the most data-grounded perspectives on GEO, brand visibility in LLMs, and what search professionals actually need to do right now.Key Topics Covered:- Conductor's benchmarks study covering 3 billion sessions and 54 million prompts — and what the 1% LLM referral traffic number really means- Why Conductor is shifting from SaaS to data as a service and what that signals for the future of software- What Google values vs. what LLMs value after two years of side-by-side tracking- Why backlinks matter in traditional search but brand sentiment is the authority signal in AI search- The attribution problem in AI search and why a rise in direct traffic is your best proxy right now- AI commerce agents: where they will work (flights, subscriptions) and where they won't (anything above a comfort-price threshold)- The gamification of AI search and why a human in the loop is the real line between sustainable and black hat- Why the SEO vs. GEO debate is mostly pointless and what search professionals should actually own- Why your brand is a mathematical entity in AI and what that means for sentiment, share of voice, and visibility- Google Personal Intelligence, Gemini pulling citations from Gmail, and what hyper-personalization does to the search journey- AI overview coverage swinging from 23% to 47% back to 34% and what the volatility actually signals- Why ads in AI chat are fundamentally not conducive to the experience — and what the early test results are showing- Direct CMO advice for right now: reset expectations, fix the process, and stop treating traffic as a success metricConnect with Patrick:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickreinhart/Website: https://www.conductor.com/Download The GEO Blueprint Guide: https://thegeoblueprint.com/The GEO Blueprint Podcast is hosted by George Vlasyev — exploring how brands can win visibility in the age of generative AI and LLM-powered search.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro01:36 - Who is Patrick and what does Conductor do?02:30 - Conductor is shifting from SaaS to data as a service — what does that mean?04:45 - What will be the moat of software companies moving forward?06:08 - Conductor's study — 3 billion sessions, 54 million prompts, only 1% traffic from LLMs11:33 - What Google values vs what LLMs value — 2 years of tracking15:43 - The attribution problem in AI search20:02 - What's your take on agents for commerce?22:52 - Gamification of AI search — what companies should NOT do26:57 - Is it SEO or GEO — why does that debate matter?32:43 - Demographics, AI adoption, and why your audience determines your strategy38:21 - Your brand is a mathematical entity in AI39:17 - Google personal intelligence — the data behemoth finally unlocks46:22 - AI overview coverage went from 23% to 47% back to 34% — what that tells us52:12 - Hot take — ads in AI55:12 - CMO advice for right now58:38 - Outro#GEO #AISearch #SEO #GenerativeEngineOptimization #DigitalMarketing #B2BSaaS #LLMOptimization #ContentMarketing #SearchMarketing #GEOBlueprint

300 million websites. One of the most unique vantage points on AI search in the world.✅ Win AI visibility — try Semrush free for 14 days: https://semrush.sjv.io/2RyML7In this episode, George Vlasyev sits down with Crystal Carter, Head of AI Search and SEO Communications at Wix, where she helps shape how hundreds of millions of websites navigate the shift from traditional SEO to AI search visibility. Crystal is a global keynote speaker, Harvard Business School presenter and author of the upcoming book New Rules of AI Search. She brings one of the most grounded and data-rich perspectives on GEO, agentic commerce and the future of the web available anywhere right now.Key Topics Covered:- How search is actually evolving right now and what the data from 300 million Wix websites is showing- What NL Web is and how Wix built a one-click solution to make websites ready for AI agents- How the Wix ChatGPT integration works and what you can actually do with it today- Why your website needs to stop being a destination and start being a resource- Why Wix became the first CMS to sign the Agentic Commerce Protocol and what that means for the future of shopping in ChatGPT- How small businesses can compete in agentic shopping against large enterprises- How far away agents making purchases on our behalf actually are and why the shift will be slow until it's suddenly fast- Why different audiences use completely different AI platforms and how brands should use that data to prioritize their GEO strategy- How Aria tags work for both visually impaired users and AI agents and why that overlap matters for your website- Whether there will be one AI winner or whether models will stay scattered across different use cases and audiences- What zero click and click collapse actually mean for your business and what to do about itConnect with Crystal:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystal-carter-digital/Website: https://www.wix.com/📖 Crystal's Book (Pre-Order): https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Rules-Search-Results-visibility/dp/1394399693Download The GEO Blueprint Guide: https://thegeoblueprint.com/The GEO Blueprint Podcast is hosted by George Vlasyev — exploring how brands can win visibility in the age of generative AI and LLM-powered search.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro00:53 - Who is Crystal & what does she do at Wix?02:44 - How is search actually evolving right now?07:34 - NL Web — how to make your website ready for AI agents in one click14:09 - Wix's ChatGPT integration — what can you actually do with it?17:39 - Your website needs to be a resource, not just a destination20:33 - Wix signs the Agentic Commerce Protocol — what does that mean?22:11 - How can small businesses compete in agentic shopping?25:42 - How far away are agents making purchases on our behalf?32:45 - Wix had an AI website builder in 2016 — slow until it's fast35:11 - Who actually uses which AI — and how brands should use that data38:03 - Aria tags work for blind users and AI agents. Here's why that matters.40:52 - What is your go-to LLM model?43:57 - Will there be one AI winner or will models stay scattered?48:57 - Zero click and click collapse — what to do about it51:54 - Outro#GEO #AISearch #SEO #AgenticCommerce #DigitalMarketing #B2BSaaS #LLMOptimization #ContentMarketing #SearchMarketing #GEOBlueprint

The internet as we know it is changing faster than most brands realize. And the window to adapt is shorter than anyone wants to admit.✅ Win AI visibility — try Semrush free for 14 days: https://semrush.sjv.io/n4PoZAIn this episode, George Vlasyev sits down with Bastian Grimm, CEO of Peak ACE, a performance marketing agency based in Berlin with over 25 years of experience in SEO and digital marketing. Bastian is one of the most forward-thinking voices in the industry, regularly speaking at major conferences and pushing the boundaries of what GEO, entity SEO and AI search actually mean for businesses right now and in the years ahead.This is one of the deepest and most future-focused conversations on the show so far, covering everything from the agentic web to personal intelligence, MCP protocols and what brand visibility even means when there is no fixed search result anymore.Key Topics Covered:- Why the biggest shift in internet history is machines talking to machines and what that means for every brand with a website- Why agents doing research, browsing and buying on your behalf changes the entire foundation of digital marketing- How Google is operating at roughly 5% of its actual AI capability and why legal guardrails are the only thing holding it back- What personal intelligence actually is and how Gemini is now building responses from your Gmail, YouTube history and purchase behavior- Why your website might eventually become a brand entity and data provider rather than a destination- What MCP is, why it matters for AI visibility and how brands should be thinking about connectivity standards right now- Why the open web is in decline and what the new interface layer between humans and information might actually look like- How Google's Stitch technology could generate entirely personalized UIs on the fly and what that means for traditional SEO- Why traffic is a proxy metric and what actually matters when there is no default search result- The future of paywalled journalism and publishing in a world where AI constructs responses without sending clicks- Why Bastian moved his entire agency from ChatGPT to Claude and what drove that decision- Persuasive AI, dark patterns and the ethical guardrails that are still missing from the industry- Vibe coding, Claude Code and how building tools has completely changed for non-developersConnect with Bastian:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bastiangrimm/Website: https://peakace.agency/en/Download The GEO Blueprint Guide: https://thegeoblueprint.com/The GEO Blueprint Podcast is hosted by George Vlasyev - exploring how brands can win visibility in the age of generative AI and LLM-powered search.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro01:33 - Who is Bastian & 25 years in SEO02:02 - Is SEO dead?02:49 - The agentic web — what does it mean when AI searches and buys on your behalf?04:48 - How far away are agents making purchases for us?07:59 - Google agent traffic is now distinguishable in your server logs10:53 - Profound raised $1B — will Google make AI visibility tools obsolete?13:28 - Why Bastian wouldn't bet on OpenAI right now19:44 - Are we even going to visit websites anymore?27:38 - Paywalls, journalism and who's going to train the models31:31 - Google's personal intelligence — Gemini now knows everything about you36:25 - Google is operating at 5% of its real capability39:12 - What is MCP and why does every brand need to understand it?47:04 - Hot take — ads in AI52:52 - AI can generate a personalized UI on the fly — what does visibility even mean then?59:40 - Do we even need websites at this point anymore?01:01:35 - What excites you most right now?01:07:22 - Outro#GEO #AISearch #SEO #DigitalMarketing #AgenticWeb #MCP #PersonalIntelligence #B2BSaaS #ContentMarketing #GEOBlueprint

Google traffic is declining. AI search is rising. And most brands have no idea what to do about it.✅ Win AI visibility — try Semrush free for 14 days: https://semrush.sjv.io/0GyAMRIn this episode, George Vlasyev sits down with John Campbell, Head of AI and Innovation at ROAST, a digital marketing agency with offices in London, New York and Cape Town. John has spent the last few years building one of the most sophisticated GEO measurement frameworks in the industry, working with major brands including Experian, and thinking three to five years ahead about where AI search is actually going.This is one of the most forward-looking and practically grounded conversations on AI visibility, prompt tracking and the future of search you will find anywhere right now.Key Topics Covered:- The three AI visibility measurement products ROAST has built: brand index, consumer preferences and key phrase level data, and what each tells a brand about their AI visibility- Why running 100,000 prompts is the only way to get statistically significant AI visibility data given how non-deterministic LLMs are- Whether shopping inside LLMs is going to be as big as everyone predicts and what brands need to do to prepare- How to figure out what a model actually finds important when recommending products in your category- Why Reddit, YouTube and social listening are becoming critical components of any AI search strategy- What ROAST found when experimenting with GPT apps and why the results were surprising- Whether your business should be building a ChatGPT app right now- Why clicks are dropping while impressions are growing and what is actually happening underneath- Whether SEO fundamentals still apply after nearly 20 years and what has genuinely changed- Why PR, affiliates and socials are the new AI citation strategy- Why most prompt tracking tools might be misleading everyone and what to use instead- Fan-out queries: how AI models are searching your brand by name automatically without users asking for it- Why voice search is different this time around and why it matters for GEO- The hot take on ads coming to AI and what it means for the industry- Why LLMs might eventually stop relying on Google and Bing and build their own search indexConnect with John:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnpcampbell/Website: https://weareroast.com/Download The GEO Blueprint Guide: https://thegeoblueprint.com/The GEO Blueprint Podcast is hosted by George Vlasyev — exploring how brands can win visibility in the age of generative AI and LLM-powered search.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro00:50 - Who is John & what does ROAST do?02:32 - The 3 AI visibility products — brand index, consumer preferences, key phrases05:55 - Is shopping going to be big inside LLMs?09:37 - How do you figure out what the model actually finds important?12:37 - Reddit, YouTube and social listening as an AI strategy22:41 - GPT Apps — live experiments and surprising findings28:15 - Should your business build a ChatGPT app right now?29:42 - Clicks dropping, impressions growing — what's really happening?32:58 - Have clients actually lost business because of the click decline?34:15 - Do SEO fundamentals still apply after nearly 20 years?35:10 - PR, affiliates and socials — the new AI citation strategy39:10 - Why prompt tracking tools might be misleading everyone47:51 - Fan-out queries — AI models search your brand by name automatically52:33 - Voice search — why it's different this time around56:24 - Hot take — ads in AI58:48 - What's your go-to LLM and would you bet on OpenAI?01:03:18 - Outro#GEO #AISearch #SEO #DigitalMarketing #B2BSaaS #LLMOptimization #ContentMarketing #SearchMarketing #AIVisibility #GEOBlueprint

Most brands are tracking thousands of prompts and getting data that tells them almost nothing. There is a better way.✅ Win AI visibility — try Semrush free for 14 days: https://semrush.sjv.io/Agn21oIn this episode, George Vlasyev sits down with Genie Jones, Knowledge Graph and Entity SEO specialist at InLinks, where she has spent years helping brands strengthen their topic associations, internal linking and schema to become genuinely visible to both search engines and LLMs. With a background in applied linguistics, Genie brings one of the most unique and intellectually grounded perspectives on how computers actually learn language and what that means for your brand's AI visibility.This is one of the deepest, most practical conversations on entity SEO and AI visibility you will find anywhere right now.Key Topics Covered:- What entities actually are and why most brands are not covering them deeply enough to rank in Google or get cited in LLMs- Why tracking 10,000 prompts gives you a false sense of security and what to do instead- Why the probability of two AI responses producing the exact same brand list is less than 1 in 1000, and what that means for prompt tracking- How applied linguistics explains the way LLMs learn and why understanding that gives you a real edge in SEO- Whether AI is truly capable of creativity and where the line between human and machine thinking actually sits- The structural gap study built from 19,000 data points: 57% of all AI visibility gaps fall into just three categories- A real case study: how InLinks went from position 6 to position 1 in AI recommendations in just 8 weeks by filling entity gaps- Why share of voice as a metric is misleading and what you need to measure instead- How to build strong brand to entity connections through content, internal linking and schema- Why PR, Reddit and third party content are becoming more important than ever for AI visibility- Whether LLMs are using live data or relying on training data and why most brands have this completely wrong- Why the brands that win long term in AI search are the ones with the best products and strongest social consensus- What stays uniquely human as AI takes over more of the knowledge workConnect with Genie:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genie-jones/Website: https://inlinks.com/Download The GEO Blueprint Guide: https://thegeoblueprint.com/The GEO Blueprint Podcast is hosted by George Vlasyev — exploring how brands can win visibility in the age of generative AI and LLM-powered search.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro00:44 - AI Visibility & SEO: Setting the Stage01:08 - What Do You Do & Why Does It Matter Right Now?02:46 - What Are "Entities" in SEO? (Simple Explanation)04:09 - Biggest Mistakes Marketers Make with AI SEO06:04 - Why Tracking Prompts Doesn't Work08:20 - How Applied Linguistics Gives an Edge in SEO10:34 - How LLMs Actually Learn (In Simple Terms)11:36 - Can AI Truly Be Creative?14:12 - Study Breakdown: Where Brands Lose AI Visibility17:31 - Case Study: From #6 to #1 in 8 Weeks19:18 - SEO vs AI Visibility: What's Different?20:27 - Why "Share of Voice" Is Misleading22:38 - What Is Entity SEO, Really?25:00 - How to Build Strong Brand–Entity Connections28:14 - Why PR, Reddit & Third-Party Content Matter31:55 - Does AI Use Live Data or Old Training Data?35:09 - Best LLMs & Should You Even Use Them?38:07 - What Clients Really Want: "Are We #1?"42:14 - Who Wins in the AI Era? (GEO Blueprint)47:00 - The 3 Biggest SEO Gaps (From 19,000 Data Points)52:04 - Will AI Actually Hurt Big Brands?55:18 - The Future of Work: What Stays Uniquely Human?58:25 - Vibe Coding: Building Without Code01:01:32 - Where to Find Genie + Outro#GEO #EntitySEO #AISearch #LLMOptimization #SEO #DigitalMarketing #B2BSaaS #KnowledgeGraph #ContentMarketing #GEOBlueprint

Everyone wants to know how to appear in AI search. Most of the advice out there is noise. Yaser Ayub is one of the few people actually testing what works.✅ Win AI visibility — try Semrush free for 14 days: https://semrush.sjv.io/QYA4xoIn this episode, George Vlasyev sits down with Yaser Ayub, founder of Rayze Digital, an SEO and AI search agency helping brands build lasting visibility the right way. Yaser has been doing SEO for over 14 years, survived Penguin and Panda, ranked on page one of both Google and ChatGPT for SEO consultant London, and is one of the most grounded voices in the GEO space right now.This is a conversation about fundamentals, long term thinking and what AI search actually rewards.Key Topics Covered:- Why the wrong way to do SEO is chasing short term tactics like listicles, poor links and AI generated content at scale- How to have the honest conversation with clients about why SEO is a marathon and not a sprint- How AI overviews are affecting client traffic and the two content strategy approach Yaser uses to address it- The framework for measuring AI search visibility: what AI knows about your brand, entity level share of voice and prompt tracking with open ended questions- Why share of voice measurement is often misleading and what to do instead- The most important KPIs for AI visibility from a business revenue perspective- Inside the ChatGPT ad pilot: deep pockets required, tracking still broken, but a massive opportunity is coming- Which LLM will win and why different models are already being used for different purposes- How Yaser ranked on page one of both Google and ChatGPT for a competitive keyword by doing the basics exceptionally well- Why brand mentions without links are now just as important as links for AI citations- Why fresh content wins in AI search and the case study proof behind it- What businesses with zero AI visibility should actually do right now- Why the best products win long term and how Warren Buffett's investing principles apply to SEO strategyConnect with Yaser:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaserayub/Website: https://www.rayze.co.uk/Download The GEO Blueprint Guide: https://thegeoblueprint.com/The GEO Blueprint Podcast is hosted by George Vlasyev — exploring how brands can win visibility in the age of generative AI and LLM-powered search.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro00:47 - Who is Yaser & what does Rayze Digital do?02:01 - What is the wrong way of doing SEO?03:12 - How do you tell clients SEO takes time?04:33 - Have AI overviews affected your clients' traffic?06:26 - What does Rayze Digital do differently from traditional SEO?08:44 - Framework for measuring AI search visibility09:49 - Share of voice — and why you need to be careful10:37 - Most important KPIs for AI visibility12:04 - Hot take — ads are coming to AI14:45 - Will AI ads become a money spinner?15:09 - Which LLM model will win — or will there be many?17:43 - How Yaser ranked on page one of both Google and ChatGPT19:13 - How important is PR and brand mentions for AI visibility?23:26 - The best products win long term — Warren Buffett meets SEO28:08 - The number one question CMOs are asking right now29:04 - How has AI changed your day to day workflow?30:36 - What should businesses do if they have no AI visibility?32:51 - Does ranking on Google guarantee AI citations?34:04 - Fresh content wins in AI — case study proof34:44 - What's the upside of an AI overview if there's no click?36:41 - Is AI search an opportunity or a threat?38:29 - Which AI platform should businesses focus on first?40:23 - First mover advantage — blessing or curse?46:07 - SEO is not dead — it's just adapting47:17 - Don't be everywhere for the sake of being everywhere48:22 - Outro#GEO #SEO #AISearch #LLMOptimization #B2BSaaS #DigitalMarketing #ContentMarketing #EntitySEO #SearchEverywhereOptimization #GEOBlueprint

Most people selling AI visibility guarantees have no idea what they're talking about. And Gareth Bull has been in SEO long enough to spot the difference.✅ Win AI visibility — try Semrush free for 14 days: https://semrush.sjv.io/PzR4qQIn this episode, George Vlasyev sits down with Gareth Bull, founder of Bulldog Digital Media, a link building and SEO agency, and co-founder of Email Octopus, a SaaS email marketing platform he built from scratch at 20 years old and has grown for 13 years. Gareth brings one of the most grounded, data-driven and refreshingly sober perspectives on SEO, AI search and what actually moves the needle for real businesses in 2026.Key Topics Covered:- Why links are still the big mama of SEO and AI search visibility, regardless of what anyone tells you- The listicle flywheel: how Email Octopus built AI visibility through brand mentions, outreach and compounding relationships- Why if you are good at SEO you will rank in LLMs too, and why the GEO vs SEO debate is largely overblown- The attribution problem hiding inside AI overviews and why traffic dropping does not always mean business is dropping- Why Gareth would call bullshit on anyone guaranteeing AI search visibility- Why B2B SaaS is far easier to optimize for AI than e-commerce, and why in-LLM purchasing is overhyped- The 3 steps every small business owner should take to get real SEO ROI right now- How to use paid search data to guide your entire SEO strategy and find your most profitable keywords- Worst and best ways to do SEO in 2026, from culling decaying content to building topical clusters- Why Reddit and YouTube brand mentions are becoming critical citation sources for LLMs- The disconnect between the AI echo chamber online and what is actually happening on the ground- LinkedIn ads for agencies: what works, what does not and why lifetime value changes everythingConnect with Gareth:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garethbull/Website: https://emailoctopus.com/Download The GEO Blueprint Guide: https://thegeoblueprint.com/The GEO Blueprint Podcast is hosted by George Vlasyev — exploring how brands can win visibility in the age of generative AI and LLM-powered search.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro00:48 - Who is Gareth & how did he discover SEO?02:27 - Email Octopus — building a SaaS business at 2004:27 - The AI SEO offer at Bulldog — what it looks like05:55 - Are links still relevant in the age of AI?06:17 - Brand mentions and the listicle flywheel06:50 - Email Octopus case study — how they built AI visibility08:07 - 3 steps for small business owners to get SEO ROI09:28 - Traffic dropped because of AI overviews — did business drop?10:28 - The attribution problem hiding inside AI overviews11:26 - How will AI change organic reach in the next 5 years?12:26 - Contrarian take — if you're good at SEO you'll rank in LLMs13:26 - "I would call bullshit" — on AI visibility guarantees14:42 - Why B2B SaaS is easier to optimize for AI than e-commerce15:25 - E-commerce and shopping in LLMs — is it overhyped?19:16 - Survey of 46 SEO experts — where is search heading in 2026?22:28 - Are you aggressive on Reddit, Quora and YouTube?23:17 - Ads coming to AI — the YouTube strategy that became George's main business36:10 - Worst and best ways to do SEO in 202639:11 - Reddit and YouTube for brand mentions — is it worth it?39:50 - George's YouTube strategy explained45:45 - ICP — who are your best customers and why it matters47:29 - LinkedIn ads for agencies — what works and what doesn't49:07 - What are you most excited about moving forward?49:57 - Outro#GEO #SEO #AISearch #LinkBuilding #B2BSaaS #DigitalMarketing #ContentMarketing #LLM #SearchMarketing #GEOBlueprint

Traffic is no longer the right KPI for AI search. And most brands haven't figured that out yet.✅ Win AI visibility — try Semrush free for 14 days: https://semrush.sjv.io/KBO4Y9In this episode, George Vlasyev sits down with Antoniya Darova, Senior SEO and AI Search Specialist at Dentsu, one of the world's largest media and marketing agencies, where she leads a £2 million+ SEO portfolio across international enterprise accounts. Antoniya has spent the last year developing Dentsu's proprietary four-pillar framework for LLM optimization and is one of the first practitioners running live ads inside ChatGPT as part of OpenAI's exclusive ad pilot program.This is one of the most practical, data-grounded conversations on GEO and AI search visibility available anywhere right now.Key Topics Covered:- Why the shift to AI search has been overwhelming even inside a 150-person agency — and how Dentsu is managing it- Why only 15-16% of people are actually using AI search — and what that means for brands investing in GEO now- The biggest mistake enterprise brands make when thinking about AI search: obsessing over traffic instead of influence and brand mentions- What you can and cannot measure in AI search right now — and how to use directional signals to build the case internally- Why LLMs have become a discovery and consideration channel, not just a traffic source- The four-pillar framework for LLM optimization: Visible, Readable, Credible and Shoppable- Why shopping and shoppable formats have become a critical part of every AI search strategy in 2025- Whether AI agents will take over the buying journey — and what the trust barrier actually looks like- Inside Dentsu's $5 million ChatGPT ad pilot — what they tested, what they learned and what's coming next- Why Gemini and Google's infrastructure make them impossible to bet against in the long run- The new hybrid role of the AI search generalist and why large organizations need one nowConnect with Antoniya:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-darova/Website: https://www.dentsu.com/Download The GEO Blueprint Guide: https://thegeoblueprint.com/The GEO Blueprint Podcast is hosted by George Vlasyev - exploring how brands can win visibility in the age of generative AI and LLM-powered search.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro00:46 - Who is Antoniya & what does she do at Dentsu?02:00 - How has the AI shift been inside a 150-person agency?04:31 - It feels like everyone uses AI — until you look at the numbers04:53 - Do we have a GEO blueprint yet?05:45 - Why has shopping become a major part of the framework?07:40 - Will people let AI agents do their shopping?09:40 - The biggest mistake brands make thinking about AI search10:47 - If not traffic, what should the KPI be?13:22 - What you cannot measure in AI search13:58 - What you actually can measure right now16:06 - Is Google going to release an AI visibility tool?18:21 - Authority and subject matter expertise in the age of LLMs19:26 - The 4-pillar framework — Visible, Readable, Credible, Shoppable20:20 - Pillar 1: LLM Visible — technical infrastructure21:22 - Pillar 2: LLM Readable — content architecture23:05 - Pillar 3: LLM Credible — external sources and brand representation27:00 - Pillar 4: Shoppable — feeds, merchant center and checkout29:16 - You need to be everywhere — search everywhere optimization29:50 - Ads coming to AI — Dentsu joined OpenAI's ad pilot32:43 - Are you positive about ads coming to AI?36:13 - The trust problem with ads inside AI38:23 - Will there be one AI winner or many scattered AIs?40:20 - I would not bet against Google — here's why42:50 - The new hybrid role — AI search generalist47:15 - 2026 predictions — why it's going to be a wild year49:32 - Final question — what should I have asked?51:50 - Outro#GEO #AEO #AISearch #LLMOptimization #B2BSaaS #DigitalMarketing #SEO #ContentMarketing #SearchEverywhereOptimization #GEOBlueprint