After decades in search and performance marketing, I’ve seen many waves of change, but my conversation with Zak Ali, who leads U.S. operations and marketing at Finder, made clear that this moment is different. We’re not just updating SEO tactics; we’re redefining what “visibility” means in an ecosystem where large language models (LLMs) and AI assistants increasingly mediate how users discover and evaluate brands.
From the Golden Age of SEO to an AI-Driven Landscape
Zak’s view is that the industry is broadly unprepared for the shift from classic “10 blue links” SEO to an AI- and geo-driven discovery world. Many marketers cling to outdated models of organic visibility while undervaluing fundamentals like quality, authority, and reputation. Ten years ago, good content and links could deliver floods of free traffic. Today, that formula still matters, but it’s just one part of a much more complex equation.
Earning Budget by Doing What You Should Be Doing Anyway
We discussed how to win executive support for visibility initiatives when direct SEO ROI is harder to isolate. My experience is that you get further by championing things the brand should be doing anyway (e.g. YouTube, podcasts, social activation) and then highlighting their byproduct effect on search and AI visibility. Zak agreed, arguing that if you show up wherever users actually spend time and keep the user at the center, performance follows.
Web Visibility as a Meritocracy in the LLM Era
We then talked about visibility as a kind of meritocracy enforced by LLMs like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. These systems ingest everything: reviews, Reddit threads, community posts, and critical commentary. That makes reputation a first-class user and algorithmic signal. Zak argued that modern SEO is increasingly indistinguishable from PR: there are “technical SEOs, and SEOs who don’t realize their job is PR.” Technical work still matters, but if you’re not actively shaping how your brand is talked about, you’re fighting with one hand tied behind your back.
Influencers, Branded Content, and the Demand for Real Humans
Branded content and influencer marketing now sit at the center of that reputation layer. They may be paid, but they’re still being ingested by LLMs alongside traditional editorial. Zak stressed that trust and fit are everything: when influencers authentically operate within their own domain of credibility, their recommendations carry real weight for both people and algorithms. In many ways, this is a reaction to the pre-AI era of generic, templated SEO content; users (and now models) are rewarding authenticity and lived experience.
Trust, Regulation, and “Your Money or Your Life”
In highly regulated “your money or your life” verticals like finance and pharma, the bar rises even higher. Zak highlighted how strict the guardrails have become: unbiased reviews, rigorous fact-checking, conservative language, and explicit disclaimers. You can’t casually push users toward a specific product. The more regulated the space, the more you live or die on trust, because regulators, users, and AI systems are all double-checking your claims.
Assisted Conversions and the Real Role of Organic
We also explored how organic visibility fits into today’s multi-touch, multi-channel journeys. A customer might first see you on Meta, then Google you, then consult YouTube or an AI assistant before converting. Zak’s point: organic presence, whether in classic search or AI answers, makes all of your paid media work harder. At Finder, when Meta campaigns wind down, they see a hit to direct traffic, underscoring how intertwined channels really are. You may not cleanly attribute every click, but organic is often the quiet driver behind strong ROAS.
What It Means to “Deserve” Visibility Now
In the next era of search, brands won’t win by gaming LLMs or search algorithms. They’ll win by building products and experiences users genuinely trust, showing up consistently across channels, and using AI as an accelerant rather than a crutch. My conversation with Zak reinforced one core principle: in a world where both people and machines are constantly evaluating you, your job is to make it unmistakably clear that you deserve to be found.
Discussion points include:
- The industry’s lack of readiness for the shift from classic SEO to AI- and geo-driven discovery
- How to justify visibility investments to senior leadership when direct SEO ROI is harder to isolate
- Why modern SEO increasingly overlaps with PR and reputation management
- The growing importance of authentic human voices in influencer and branded content
- Heightened trust and compliance demands in regulated “your money or your life” categories
- The role of organic visibility in driving assisted conversions and boosting paid media performance
- The visibility implications of rebrands and domain consolidation in M&A-heavy environments
- Turning events into a scalable content waterfall across YouTube, social, blogs, and email
- Unlocking employees as social and community-based brand ambassadors
- How AI-native org design and stronger critical thinking will separate high-performing marketing teams from the rest