Say goodbye to traditional SEO?
Remember when the key to online success was ranking on Google?
That world is shifting fast.
These days, more people are getting their answers straight from AI summaries instead of clicking through to websites.
It’s no longer about just showing up on Google, it’s about showing up inside AI-generated responses.
Search engines like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity are rewriting the rules.
Instead of a list of clickable links, users get direct, AI-crafted answers. That’s great for convenience but not so great for brands losing traffic.
So, what now?
AI-Focused SEO: Generative Engine Optimization
A new wave of startups is helping businesses figure out how they show up in AI search results.
One of the biggest players? Profound.
CREDIT: FORBES
Profound works with big names like U.S. Bank, Docusign, and Indeed.
Their mission? Help companies understand how their brands appear in AI answers and how to get more visibility.
Here’s how it works:
- Synthetic Prompts: Profound creates thousands of sample queries like “best budget laptop” or “eco-friendly shampoo.”
- Real-Time Monitoring: They track which parts of a company’s site get crawled most by AI bots.
- Sentiment Checks: Their tools flag any negative associations that pop up in AI answers.
- Optimization Suggestions: Think keyword tweaks, metadata improvements, and even AI-generated content designed to be bot-friendly.
Investors Are Paying Attention
It’s not just brands that see the shift. Investors do, too.
Profound recently raised $20 million from Kleiner Perkins, Nvidia, and Khosla Ventures, giving the startup a valuation of over $100 million.
Clearly, this new world of “Generative Engine Optimization” isn’t just a trend. It’s a new category of marketing.
It’s Not Just Profound. Meet the Competition
Bluefish AI
Based in New York, Bluefish AI helps brands monitor their presence across AI engines like Gemini, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.
They’ve raised $5 million and work with companies in travel, retail, and pharma. Their edge?
They analyze the data sources that AI engines rely on – platforms like Reddit often top the list.
Athena
Founded by a former Google DeepMind researcher, Athena has built its own AI engine to help brands track metrics like:
- How often they’re mentioned
- What sources feed AI answers
- Which referral paths bring visibility
Athena’s dashboard gives companies a clearer view of their AI reputation—something traditional SEO tools just can’t deliver anymore.
Why All of This Matters
AI isn’t just answering questions, it’s shaping consumer opinions.
Even if a tool like ChatGPT sends only 1% of a site’s traffic today, its influence is growing.
One SEO expert at a major job platform said it best: “We were in the dark. Now, we’re finally seeing how AI talks about us.”
The tough part?
AI search results can change with every prompt. What shows up now might not appear tomorrow. That’s why constant tracking and real-time insights matter more than ever.
Bots Are Your New Audience
Most websites are designed for humans.
But if you want to win in the AI era, you’ll need to optimize for bots too.
As OpenAI’s Andrej Karpathy put it, “99.9% of attention is about to be LLM attention.”
Think about it. AI systems crawl countless websites and spit out answers instantly.
If your brand doesn’t show up there, you’re invisible to a growing segment of users who won’t even click a link.
Profound’s team sees this as a good thing.
Cadwallader believes the future lies in a “zero-click world,” where people only interact with answer engines and bots become the main visitors to websites.
So, what’s the takeaway?
It’s time to stop obsessing over page one of Google, and start thinking about how you show up in AI’s brain.
