How do growth teams leverage AI search to their advantage?

In this AirOps webinar, Ethan Smith (Graphite), Alex Halliday (AirOps), and Josh Grant (Webflow) joined host Josh Spilker to explore the new methods for answer engine optimization (AEO), real-world tactics for visibility, and how growth teams can adapt now.

Top 5 takeaways

1. ‍Systems, not headcount, drive durable growth in an AEO world. Repeatable systems and workflows compound results and help teams adapt quickly.
2. ‍Long-tail, high-intent content and off-site signals are crucial for visibility. Brands must invest in deep, specific content and off-site authority to influence answers.
3. Reddit and community platforms are powerful, but require authentic engagement. Authentic participation in forums like Reddit can shape brand sentiment and LLM citations (if done thoughtfully).
4. Content is being displaced. The top of funnel has been sliced away, middle-funnel queries in LLMs are getting longer, and transactional/checkout experiences are coming to AI search.‍
5. Experimentation and cross-team collaboration are the path forward for modern growth teams. Rapid testing, shared learnings, and a shift from channel to outcome ownership will drive growth.

Best practices and key learnings

Even with so much happening, there are clear, actionable strategies that help brands stay visible and relevant. Here's what growth leaders should focus on now.

Shift your mindset from rankings to answers and citations

AI search engines now surface direct answers and cite trusted brands, not just high-ranking pages.

Brands must prioritize being the source of authoritative information.

• Build content that answers real user questions, not just targets keywords.
• Strengthen your brand's reputation across the web to increase citation likelihood.
• Monitor how your brand is referenced in AI-generated responses, not just in search rankings.

"AI discovery is… it's answer first, right? It's not ranked first. So brands are referenced...They're not just clicked." — Josh Grant

Josh shared incredible results from Webflow, including how they have 62% AI search visibility (#2 in their space and a 33% signup conversion rate from AI search.

Build systems, not just campaigns

Durable growth comes from scalable systems and workflows—campaigns alone can't keep up with the pace of AI-driven change. Teams that operationalize knowledge and invest in ongoing processes outperform those relying on short-term tactics.

• Develop repeatable workflows for extracting, updating, and distributing internal expertise.
• Create rituals for testing and learning, so your team adapts with the market.
• Focus on always-on content and authority-building, not just one-off projects.

"The real way to make progress here is also to think about the systems you're building internally and the ways to start to layer on those systems that can accelerate your team over time. The velocity of learning will correlate with your velocity of progress, and so how can you learn faster what works for you, and where you start to see real results." - Alex Halliday

Focus on long-tail content and off-site authority

AI models process longer, more specific queries, making long-tail content and off-site signals critical for visibility. Brands need to cover deeper topics and build authority beyond their own websites.

Identify and address high-intent, niche questions in your content. Build and maintain off-site presence on platforms that influence AI citations (e.g., Reddit, partner sites). Regularly update content to keep pace with how users ask questions now.

"The average number of words per search on Google is 3.5, whereas for prompts, it's 60 words... the tail is much, much larger, and it has a deeper semantic understanding." — Ethan Smith

Engage authentically in communities

Forums like Reddit are powerful sources of influence for LLMs, but require a thoughtful, authentic approach. Brands that participate genuinely can shape sentiment and increase their chances of being cited.

• Monitor key community conversations and contribute only when relevant.
• Respond to feedback and criticism with transparency and respect.
• Avoid self-promotion on Reddit and instead focus on adding value to discussions.

Ethan shared a great example of him getting banned from a subreddit only to be invited back later to give one of its most popular AMAs.

Agents and ads will the funnel faster than traditional search ever did—but this shift is still nascent.

‍
As AI platforms experiment with in-stream discovery, recommendations, and even checkout, growth teams should test early and learn in public rather than wait for a fully formed playbook.

• Experiment with agents as a new conversion surface
  Test how agents recommend tools, trigger actions, and move users down-funnel without a traditional click.
• Evaluate ads through impact, not impressions
  Focus on how ads influence high-intent outcomes like activation and revenue, especially as premium users may never see them.
• Operationalize learnings across teams
  Share results across growth, product, and content so agent behavior, messaging, and offers improve together as a single system.

Check out Alex's article on how Google is shifting the check-out experience.

Create a place for experimentation and cross-team learning

Growth in the AI era depends on rapid testing, sharing results, and shifting focus from channel management to business outcomes.

• Encourage regular experimentation and share learnings across teams.
• Connect with peers at other companies to exchange test results and insights.
• Shift team goals from channel metrics to revenue and business impact.

Make your mark in AEO and AI search

Growth now belongs to brands that adapt quickly, prioritize authoritative answers over rankings, and build systems for sustained visibility

Go deeper with these resources:

• Apply to AEO Conf on 2/19 in San Francisco
  Join CMOs and senior growth leaders for closed-door conversations on what’s actually working in AEO, AI search, and modern growth systems. Speakers from OpenAI, Reddit, G2, Webflow and more will be there. Apply here.
• How Webflow turned AI chats into a growth channel. A concrete case study showing how AEO translated into 94% share of voice growth from LLMs and higher conversion rates. See the case study.
• Webflow’s AEO solutions hub. A practical look at how content, SEO, and product marketing teams are adapting to answer engines. Get your free AEO assessment.‍
• Page 360 in AirOps. Find AI search signals, clicks, impressions, CTR, sessions, and freshness dates all in one place within AirOps. Learn more.

Ready to see how AirOps helps teams use these strategies and create great content? Book a call to get started.