Field notes Research, essays, and reports from the practice

The Blog.

Original research on how AI engines pick which brands to surface — and the methodology we use to engineer that outcome for our clients.

How to Find AI Referral Traffic in GA4 (Why It’s Fragmented)

AI search now sends real, measurable traffic to websites, and Google Analytics 4 was not built to isolate it cleanly. ChatGPT, Claude,…

Does Your Link-Building Program Produce Any AI Visibility?

For years, link-building success has been measured by backlinks, search rankings, referral traffic, and domain authority. These metrics still matter, but they…

Branded vs Non-Branded Search: How to Read the Split

Branded search comes from users who already know your company. Non-branded search comes from users who do not. The two halves answer…

How to Write FAQs That Earn AI Citations

Many articles include FAQ sections, but few create FAQs that earn AI citations. The problem isn’t the number of questions it’s that…

AEO vs GEO vs SEO: What’s Actually Different

Search has evolved beyond blue links. Today, people discover information through search engines, AI answer engines, and generative AI assistants, each relying…

Entity Optimization: Build a Strong AI-Ready Brand in 2026

Search engines and AI assistants are changing how they understand information. Instead of relying only on keywords, they increasingly identify entities; people,…

Impressions Up, Clicks Down: What It Means and What to Do

Rising impressions with falling clicks is the pattern I get asked about more than any other. It is usually not a penalty.…

The Complete Guide to Getting Cited by AI

Getting cited by AI means your content is selected as a trusted source for AI-generated answers. As platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI…

Buyer-Intent Queries: How to Build Your Prompt Universe

AI search engines answer questions before a brand ever gets the chance to make its case. ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews…