Як AI обирає, кого рекомендувати: GEO-стратегія у 2026 | Артур Квак

Introduction to the Podcast and Guest

Overview of the Podcast Episode

• The host welcomes listeners to the next episode of "Колаборатор" featuring guest Arthur Kwak, founder and head of Compass Agency.

• Arthur has extensive experience in SEO, including six years as an agency owner and teaching SEO since 2017. He is a certified Google Analytics specialist.

Discussion on AI in Marketing

• The conversation focuses on how AI selects recommendations, particularly in the context of marketing strategies for 2026.

• Arthur shares that his agency began implementing AI-driven promotion strategies around February 2024 after testing them since 2023.

AI Implementation and Case Studies

Development of AI Strategies

• Initial results from algorithm development led to offering services to clients with minimal budgets, resulting in successful outcomes.

• Clients hired Arthur's agency specifically for geo-targeting services, separate from their existing SEO teams.

Understanding Geo Optimization

• Geo optimization differs from traditional SEO by focusing on user intent rather than just keywords; it involves optimizing content for long-tail queries.

• This approach allows users to find results more quickly without navigating through multiple website pages.

The Importance of Geo Targeting

Trends in Marketing Strategy

• Businesses benefit from geo-targeting as it provides an additional traffic channel, helping them acquire customers directly through LLM systems.

• Arthur emphasizes that geo-targeting is not just a trend but a new traffic acquisition strategy essential for brands moving forward.

Future Projections

• As search engines evolve, up to 40% of queries may be generated by models like GPT, indicating a shift in how businesses should strategize their online presence.

Focus Areas for Brands

Key Platforms for Engagement

• In Ukraine, ChatGPT leads as the primary LLM system; however, other platforms like Perplexity are less popular locally but gaining traction abroad.

• Successful case studies show that even small projects can see significant traffic increases when leveraging these technologies effectively.

Shifts in User Behavior

• Users increasingly prefer using LLM systems over traditional sources like Wikipedia for information searches.

• While some informational sites lose traffic due to this shift, commercial projects often gain more visibility and higher conversion rates through targeted strategies.

Recommendations and Trust Signals in Content Creation

Key Factors Influencing Recommendations

• The speaker discusses the primary factors that Aishka considers when recommending a company or service, emphasizing the importance of internal trust and expertise.

• Content structure is crucial; chaotic or unclear writing diminishes the likelihood of being recommended. A thorough exploration of topics is essential for credibility.

• Author authority plays a significant role; if an author has established credibility through various media outlets, their content is more likely to be favored by AI systems like ChatGPT.

• For commercial queries (e.g., recommendations for dentists), ranking articles on trusted platforms influences visibility and recommendation likelihood.

Importance of Reviews and Feedback

• The presence of reviews significantly impacts brand perception. Negative feedback can overshadow SEO rankings, affecting overall visibility.

• Collaboration with clients to gather positive reviews can enhance brand reputation over time, particularly for commercial endeavors.

• It's not just about appearing in rankings; having positive reviews across multiple platforms is vital for building trust.

Identifying Trusted Platforms

• Understanding which platforms are trusted by AI models like ChatGPT is essential. Google Maps reviews are highlighted as particularly influential for local businesses.

• Researching sources from which AI pulls information helps identify effective platforms for content publication and review solicitation.

Brand vs. Content Signals

• The significance of brand signals versus content signals varies based on query type; content signals are more relevant for informational queries while brand signals dominate commercial ones.

• Statistical analysis shows that enhancing brand-related queries leads to improved performance in commercial search results.

EAT Principles in Business Websites

• Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EAT principles) apply similarly to business websites as they do in SEO contexts.

• Well-known authors who publish frequently gain higher trust levels from AI systems, leading to better visibility in recommendations.

Linking Strategies

• Mentioning brands with links is preferred over mere mentions without links; high-quality donor resources improve link effectiveness.

Discussion on SEO and Content Strategy

Importance of Brand Mentions

• The significance of brand mentions is highlighted, even if a website isn't highly ranked. Google recognizes these mentions as part of its evaluation process.

Source Variety vs. Repetition

• It is generally better to have diverse sources for content placement rather than repeating from the same source. This diversity helps AI and Google form a more comprehensive opinion about the resource.

Quality Over Quantity in Links

• Emphasis is placed on the quality of links over quantity; having fewer high-quality links can be more beneficial than numerous low-quality ones, which may not contribute effectively to SEO efforts.

Technical SEO Considerations

• Key technical aspects include ensuring that the site is indexable and loads quickly; slow-loading sites risk losing visibility as bots may skip them for faster alternatives. Additionally, structured articles tend to perform better in AI evaluations when they are well-organized with microdata.

Types of Content Cited by AI

• Observations indicate that AI tends to cite concise definitions for informational queries while favoring lists or rankings for commercial inquiries, suggesting that content structure significantly impacts visibility in search results. Articles should ideally contain at least ten items in lists to enhance their chances of being cited by AI tools like GPT.

Discussion on Brand Promotion and SEO Challenges

The Role of Brand Recognition

• Discussion highlights the importance of brand recognition in promoting businesses, noting that both small and large brands can find their place in the market.

• It is mentioned that local businesses are easier to promote due to lower competition and better visibility on platforms like Google Maps.

Challenges in Promoting Larger Brands

• Larger companies face challenges when there is a significant amount of negative feedback online, which complicates their promotional efforts.

• The conversation touches on the concept of "negative SEO," where competitors may intentionally harm a brand's reputation through negative reviews or articles.

Strategies for Effective Promotion

• Emphasis is placed on creating independent ratings without including direct competitors, as this can skew perceptions positively for one's own brand.

• Notable examples are given regarding how certain companies avoid mentioning competitors in their analyses, indicating a strategic approach to content creation.

Steps for Improving AI Recommendations

Initial Steps for Optimization

• The first step suggested is identifying potential search queries that users might input into search engines related to specific services.

• It’s important to align website content with user intent by addressing common issues within the industry (e.g., dental problems).

Content Structuring and Internal Factors

• Recommendations include structuring content effectively on web pages while ensuring unique information about the business is presented clearly.

• Highlighting author credentials and using microdata can help differentiate a business from its competitors.

Analyzing Sources and Feedback Management

• Businesses should analyze authoritative sources used by AI systems to ensure they are represented accurately in search results.

• Encouraging customer reviews, particularly on Google Maps, is crucial since these reviews significantly influence AI recommendations.

Monitoring Tools for SEO Effectiveness

Utilizing Analytical Tools

• Mentioned tools like LML Ben from Substat help track whether a business is being recommended based on specific queries.

• The discussion concludes with an emphasis on monitoring effectiveness through various analytical resources available in the market.

Measuring GEO Effectiveness: Tools and Insights

Tools for Measuring GEO Effectiveness

• The first tool recommended is a service that evaluates whether your links are being recommended or not.

• Another useful tool mentioned is SERP at Ahrefs, which can provide insights into visibility through AI tools.

• Google Search Console and Google Analytics are essential for tracking direct traffic sources and referral traffic, although direct traffic may sometimes be underreported.

• It's important to monitor the number of visits and conversions from specific links, as well as overall branded traffic growth.

• Direct visits often come from users searching for brand names directly rather than through hyperlinks.

Case Study: Success Without a Website

• A client successfully utilized only an Instagram page and local forum engagement to gain visibility without a traditional website.

• The strategy involved actively participating in forums and leveraging Google Maps reviews to enhance local search presence.

Recommendations for Staying Relevant in AI Recommendations

• It’s crucial to attribute authorship in blog posts by linking back to the author’s profile (e.g., LinkedIn), which builds trust over time.

• Regularly publishing articles under the author's name helps establish authority within niche markets, reducing reliance on expensive backlinks in the future.