Wil's perspective: His favorite metric is the share of traffic that comes from social and direct sources like WhatsApp, Slack, Teams, email, etc. Those signals show that a real person curated or shared the content. Wil believes that if you earn human trust, you have a chance of winning both Google and AI - but chasing the proxies alone wins you neither.
What your brand can do: Analyze your social and direct traffic sources - are they consistently low? If so, you might not be creating content that resonates with your audience. Prioritize content that customers and users want, content that helps answer questions or solves problems.
Wil's perspective: In the old SEO model, brands could win rankings with keyword stuffing and by gaming the Google algorithms. AI works differently, by looking to validate brand claims against third-party sources. Wil mentions Banana Republic, which ranks for "ethical jeans" on Google but never appeared in 500 AI runs because AI showed brands with real proof (certifications, awards, media coverage).
What your brand can do: Work across departments to build content that proves your brand's claims or desired narrative. AI can detect and discount shortcuts like mass-produced listicles and same-day directory launches.
Wil's perspective: Some parts overlap, but SEO and GEO aren't the same. The differences matter, especially if you're sharing those numbers with executives. Visibility metrics can rise even when AI is telling people not to use your brand or relaying negative user reviews.
What your brand can do: Document why, when, and to whom you want to be visible. Then track top prompts on different AI platforms to see what AI is saying about your brand (and if you need to work to change the narrative). And don't rely on SEO tactics and KPIs for GEO - it won't work.
Wil's perspective: Since AI tends to cite brands and names it already trusts, people with established credibility and distribution have an advantage. Wil suggests leveraging the people in your company who already have a personal brand over paying influencers. Instead of asking "but what if they leave?" consider asking "what if they never join?"
What your brand can do: You can't shortcut your way into being cited by AI. Ask teammates who are already active in the community to play a bigger role in your brand, and encourage others interested in being more active to do so. Focus on earning citations by speaking up, helping people, and providing a product or service worth reviewing.