Field notes. Published.
We write down what worked, including things we'd usually bill for. Posted when the result is worth the read.
Google Replaced the Search Bar. Your Brand Either Gets Cited or Gets Skipped.
On 19 May 2026, Google replaced the traditional search bar with a Gemini-powered interface that holds context, runs background agents, and cites brands by name. The ten blue links are gone. What this means for your visibility.
The AEO agency landscape in 2026: an honest comparison.
First Page Sage, Searchbloom, Optimist, Qoulomb, Masterful and more, scored on track record, transparency, engine coverage, pricing, and fit. Masterful included, with its limitation stated.
Read the agency comparison →Why AI search cannot find your business, and the four moves that fix it.
Ranking and being cited are now two different jobs. The four moves that take a business from absent to cited: a machine-readable site, direct-answer pages, off-site consensus, and freshness.
Read why AI can't find your business →How to get your business cited by ChatGPT: what works in 2026.
Where ChatGPT actually looks, the 5-step process, and the public self-test we run on our own site, with dated results.
Read the ChatGPT citation guide →AI visibility audit: what it should include in 2026.
The three options priced, the four things a real audit must contain, and the test that exposes a weak vendor.
Read what an audit should include →How coaches get recommended by ChatGPT in 2026.
The 4 signals the model weighs, the 5 surfaces in priority order, and a 30-day starting plan.
Read the coaching playbook →Why your hotel doesn't show up when guests ask AI for a recommendation.
Travellers now ask ChatGPT and Perplexity where to stay. Why your property isn't in the answer, the three reasons it's invisible, and what changes it.
Read why hotels stay invisible →How we got Perplexity to cite us in a category we don't rank for on Google.
A play-by-play of an AEO sprint that moved a brand from zero citations to first-page mentions in 38 days. The prompt-map spreadsheet and the schema we shipped.
Read the Perplexity citation sprint →How LLMs decide what to cite, and what your brand can do about it.
The retrieval mechanics behind ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude. Why some brands get cited and most don't. What to build to change that.
Read how LLMs choose citations →GEO in plain language: what generative engine optimization involves.
Wikipedia, Reddit, and what AI tools read during training: what GEO is, why it's slower than SEO, and why that's the point.
Read the GEO explainer →