Takeaways from Eli Schwartz, Kevin Indig, and Ross Simmonds
Rank still drives citations, but the winning surface depends on the engine.
Build for the decision, not the just answer.
Being AI cited is not the goal. Being chosen is.
"We were able to focus our energy on the highest-value initiatives for the business in a matter of weeks."
SVP of Growth, Chime
“We set out to change the narrative around Sanity in AI search, not just show up more often. Staying the brand the models name most, and climbing in the categories that matter, is exactly the signal we were after, and we can see it happening week to week.”
Principal, Agentic Operations & Growth Marketing, Sanity
“If we wanted to 10x the growth we were starting to see, we needed a system that handled SEO, AEO, content production, all of it. AirOps was the first to actually deliver results.”
Head of Growth, Venn
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does SEO still matter for AI search?
Does SEO still matter for AI search?
Yes. Search rank is a strong predictor of AI citations, and SEO and AI optimization overlap by roughly 70-80%. The remaining 20-30% is where results are won or lost.
Why do Google AI Overviews and assistants like ChatGPT cite different sources?
Why do Google AI Overviews and assistants like ChatGPT cite different sources?
Google Surfaces lean on UGC (Reddit, YouTube). Assistants lean on off-site product, comparison, and review pages. They behave as two separate ecosystems, so each needs its own tactics.
Can I change my content to get fewer or more ads on my category?
Can I change my content to get fewer or more ads on my category?
Not with current evidence. Calendar week moves ad load by 53.1 points, while prompt intent moves it by 0.97 and prompt type by 1.32. Ad load is nearly flat across commercial, informational, and transactional prompts.
How do reviews and community affect AI visibility?
How do reviews and community affect AI visibility?
Review platforms account for 15%+ of citations in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude on “what’s the best” queries. Reddit and YouTube clicks rise 66% when AI Overviews appear, because buyers fact-check AI against real people.
Should every company invest heavily in SEO?
Should every company invest heavily in SEO?
No. If your buyers do not use search to solve the problem, SEO is a weak lever. Validate that search is part of the buyer journey first, then score initiatives with a framework such as THRICE instead of working through an idea dump.