Intro
Everyone is talking about AI. In the last few years, I haven’t been in a single meeting where someone didn’t bring it up or show how it fits into their daily process. I think it’s a great technology that already makes our work easier—and we’ve yet to see its full benefits. I use it for content production, image generation, voice-overs, SEO optimization and audits, code analysis, and plenty of other tasks. It saves an enormous amount of time and is a must-have for automation. The caveat is human: misuses, spammy outputs, and headline-grabbing blunders remind us to experiment, but verify.
Human × AI: The Only Sustainable Path
Neither humans nor AI will thrive in isolation. The wins that matter most are the ones that augment real expertise—think AI triaging medical imaging for early cancer detection—rather than gimmicks that summarize your chats. Treat AI like a power tool: massive leverage, but only as good as the craftsperson and the process around it.
No, SEO Isn’t Dead
“SEO is dead” resurfaces every few years. It’s still wrong. AI search changes how answers are assembled and displayed, not why pages earn trust. Classic search remains the largest, most reliable demand-capture channel. AI layers a conversational interface on top of the open web and draws from sources it already trusts. Do SEO well, and AI has better reasons to surface and cite you.
GEO, AEO, AIO: Same Foundations, New Angles
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), AI Optimization (AIO), Chat Engine Optimization (CEO)—the acronyms differ, but the work is familiar. What consistently performs is well-structured, authoritative content with crystal-clear entity signals: who you are, what you do, where you operate, and why you’re credible. Buzzwords come and go; fundamentals remain.
Write for Answers, Then Expand
AI search is inherently conversational. People expect direct, succinct answers before they want the deeper story. Lead with the essentials—definitions, steps, prices, key takeaways—and expand for readers who want to go deeper. Pages that deliver a fast “answer paragraph,” then unfold logically, are easier for humans to read and for models to parse.
Experimentation and Structured Data
Tests matter. Some formats get cited, others don’t. A consistent result across sites is that structured data helps—Product, Organization, Person, Article, FAQ, HowTo, Recipe, Review, and image metadata—so long as the markup matches the visible content. Schema won’t rescue a thin page, but it packages your facts in a machine-friendly way that models and search engines can trust.
Brand Signals and Real-World Trust
According to Slava Djordjevic of Slava Digital, the single strongest predictor of appearing in AI answers is whether the model already trusts your brand. That trust compounds through consistent entity clarity on your site, strong About and author pages, credible third-party mentions, and authentic discussions about you across platforms. Traditional marketing still matters: even an offline effort like a local billboard can correlate with an uptick in branded search, which then reinforces your perceived authority online.
Earned Presence in Listicles and Communities
Another practical lever is repeated inclusion in reputable “best of” roundups, video comparisons, and community threads. When editors, creators, and real users cite you across formats, AI engines are more likely to include you. This isn’t gaming the system; it’s earning attention with useful tools, unique data, clear comparisons, and expert commentary that people actually want to reference.
Technical Foundations That Still Win
The technical layer separates close competitors. Keep the DOM clean with one H1 and a logical H2/H3 hierarchy. Use definition boxes and numbered steps where it helps clarity. Ensure mobile-first speed and stable layouts. Maintain pristine sitemaps, avoid parameter bloat, fix soft 404s, and monitor server logs so crawl budget flows to what matters. Core Web Vitals—especially interaction latency—remain meaningful tie-breakers when content quality is similar.
Measuring What Matters
AI search is growing, but for most sites it still represents a small slice of traffic. Measure brand search trends, assisted conversions, and exposure across surfaces like YouTube, Maps, Discover, and news. Periodically test for inclusion in AI answers (manually and within platform rules) to understand where and why you’re appearing. Treat AI visibility as another view of the same fundamentals: clarity, credibility, and utility.
The 2026 Playbook in Practice
Build for people first, then format that value so machines can understand it. Start each page with a plain-spoken answer paragraph. Prove expertise with first-party data, case studies, and real authorship. Earn mentions in credible places where your audience already spends time. Use schema to package facts faithfully. Keep the site fast, stable, and easy to crawl. AI won’t kill SEO; in 2026, it will keep rewarding teams who execute these basics relentlessly well.
