In this episode of The Long Game Podcast, Alex Birkett speaks with Nick Lafferty (Head of Marketing) and Josh Blyskal (AI Strategist) from Profound, an AI visibility platform focused on answer engine optimization (AEO). They explore the shift from SEO to AEO, where brands must optimize for AI-driven search experiences across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews. The conversation covers why agility is the new moat, how brand mentions and structured content shape AI visibility, and how both startups and incumbents can compete. Nick and Josh share tactical approaches—from Wikipedia and affiliate strategies to structured HTML tables—that improve citations in AI-generated answers. The discussion underscores the rising importance of PR, off-site visibility, and concise, high-utility content in the AI search era.

Key Takeaways

• AEO Defined: Answer engine optimization is about making your brand the chosen answer in AI-driven search experiences.
• User Experience Wins: Search is converging with chat—people want answers, not links—so engines prioritize utility and ease.
• Agility as a Moat: Speed and adaptability matter more than long-term content calendars in today’s volatile AI search space.
• Brand Mentions Beat Keywords: AI models lean heavily on off-site mentions (Reddit, Wikipedia, affiliates) as trust signals.
• Structured Content Boosts Citations: Bullet points, HTML tables, and concise formatting make content “citation-friendly” for AI.
• Startups vs. Incumbents: Incumbents benefit from brand equity, but startups can flank them by acting faster and publishing niche, high-utility content.
• PR Is Back: Media coverage and Wikipedia presence play a critical role in being cited by AI engines.

Show Links

• Visit Profound on Linkedin and X
• Connect with Nick Lafferty on LinkedIn
• Connect with Josh Blyskal on LinkedIn
• Connect with Alex Birkett on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Connect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or Twitter

Some interviews you might enjoy and learn from:

Actionable Tips and Secrets to SEO Strategy with Dan Shure (Evolving SEO)

Building Competitive Marketing Content with Sam Chapman (Aprimo)

How to Build the Right Data Workflow with Blake Burch (Shipyard)

Data-Driven Thought Leadership with Alicia Johnston (Sprout Social)

Purpose-Driven Leadership & Building a Content Team with Ty Magnin (UiPath)

Also, check out our Kitchen Side series where we take you behind the scenes to see how the sausage is made at our agency:

Blue Ocean vs Red Ocean SEO

Should You Hire Writers or Subject Matter Experts?

How Do Growth and Content Overlap?

Connect with Omniscient Digital on social:

Twitter: @beomniscient

Linkedin: Be Omniscient

Listen to more episodes of The Long Game podcast here: https://beomniscient.com/podcast/

In this episode of The Long Game Podcast, David Ly Khim interviews Michael Walrath, CEO and Chairman of Yext. Known for building and exiting multiple companies—including RightMedia and Moat—Michael shares how Yext evolved from a local lead-gen platform to a digital presence powerhouse. He dives deep into the fragmentation of search, the shift toward generative engines, and the rise of “agentic” AI-powered experiences. With candid reflections on strategy pivots and digital transformation, Michael urges marketers to rethink discoverability, measurement, and structured content in an era where your next customer might not be human, but an AI assistant making decisions on their behalf.

Key Takeways

• Yext’s Strategic Pivots: The company evolved from call-based lead gen to local visibility, to enterprise search—each requiring bold but risky reinvention.
• Google Dominance Has Peaked: With 92%+ of search traffic once flowing through Google, that landscape is now fragmenting due to LLMs and AI agents.
• Structured Data Drives Discovery: Clean, contextualized data remains a marketer’s best lever for visibility—whether on Google or in LLM-powered engines.
• Brand Visibility Beats SEO Rankings: As AI agents answer more queries, brands must optimize for visibility across platforms, not just search engine results pages.
• The Agentic Web Is Coming: AI assistants with memory and context will handle more decision-making—marketers must build for both humans and machines.
• AI Shifts Are Already Here: Yext observed traffic shifts 6+ quarters ago—marketers should act now, not wait, to influence AI results.
• Reframing Attribution: Zero-click answers and agentic transactions require a shift from traditional web metrics to outcome-focused measurement.

Show Links

• Visit Visit Yext on Linkedin and X
• Connect with Michael Walrath on LinkedIn
• Connect with David Khim on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Connect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or Twitter

Some interviews you might enjoy and learn from:

Actionable Tips and Secrets to SEO Strategy with Dan Shure (Evolving SEO)

Building Competitive Marketing Content with Sam Chapman (Aprimo)

How to Build the Right Data Workflow with Blake Burch (Shipyard)

Data-Driven Thought Leadership with Alicia Johnston (Sprout Social)

Purpose-Driven Leadership & Building a Content Team with Ty Magnin (UiPath)

Also, check out our Kitchen Side series where we take you behind the scenes to see how the sausage is made at our agency:

Blue Ocean vs Red Ocean SEO

Should You Hire Writers or Subject Matter Experts?

How Do Growth and Content Overlap?

Connect with Omniscient Digital on social:

Twitter: @beomniscient

Linkedin: Be Omniscient

Listen to more episodes of The Long Game podcast here: https://beomniscient.com/podcast/

In this episode of The Long Game Podcast, Alex Burkett interviews Logan Freeman, Global Head of SEO at ManyChat. Together they explore the evolving landscape of SEO in the AI era, particularly the rise of GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and how it’s changing everything from keyword strategy to attribution modeling. Logan shares tactical approaches for optimizing content for LLMs (large language models), including using FAQ schemas, focusing on off-page visibility, and thinking like a product marketer. They discuss how brand mentions are now more powerful than backlinks, why traditional SEO tools fall short for GEO, and how Logan approaches measurement when attribution is nearly impossible. The episode also explores LLM perception, off-site trust-building, and creative ways SEOs can future-proof their strategies by merging content, digital PR, and product

Key Takeaways

• SEO vs. GEO: Traditional SEO focuses on keywords, while GEO requires optimizing for hyper-personalized, conversational queries used in LLMs.
• LLM Perception Is Real: How AI models “perceive” your brand based on off-site mentions can limit (or expand) your visibility in AI answers.
• Brand Mentions > Backlinks: In the world of AI search, brand visibility across trusted platforms outweighs classic SEO signals like links.
• SEO as Product Marketing: SEOs must deeply understand users and position content like a PMM would—focused on problems, personas, and differentiation.
• Dark Attribution Is Growing: Most traffic influenced by LLMs doesn’t click through—making measurement harder and more reliant on referral glimpses and qualitative insights.
• Go Beyond On-Page Optimization: Embedding schema, FAQs, and latent questions can increase the odds of being cited in LLMs.
• Get Creative with PR: To influence LLM results, you may need broad digital and traditional PR campaigns that shift how your brand is referenced across the web.

Show Links

• Visit Manychat
• Connect with Logan Freedman on LinkedIn
• Connect with Alex Birkett on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Connect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or Twitter

Some interviews you might enjoy and learn from:

Actionable Tips and Secrets to SEO Strategy with Dan Shure (Evolving SEO)

Building Competitive Marketing Content with Sam Chapman (Aprimo)

How to Build the Right Data Workflow with Blake Burch (Shipyard)

Data-Driven Thought Leadership with Alicia Johnston (Sprout Social)

Purpose-Driven Leadership & Building a Content Team with Ty Magnin (UiPath)

Also, check out our Kitchen Side series where we take you behind the scenes to see how the sausage is made at our agency:

Blue Ocean vs Red Ocean SEO

Should You Hire Writers or Subject Matter Experts?

How Do Growth and Content Overlap?

Connect with Omniscient Digital on social:

Twitter: @beomniscient

Linkedin: Be Omniscient

Listen to more episodes of The Long Game podcast here: https://beomniscient.com/podcast/