Answer Engine Optimization

Google released Universal Cart right before the busy holiday season, leaving ecommerce brands wondering how it will affect them. Watch to learn how Universal Cart works, who it matters for, and what you can do today to get set up on it.

Anthropic updated its usage policy to ban using Claude to build networks of fake sources that sway search results and AI answers. The rule takes effect November 12 and reaches every product built on Claude. Michael walks through why he reads this as good news, how the case that prompted it got caught, where faking still works, and what to build instead.

Briefing content for writers used to be straightforward. You’d take a look at the SERP, determine an angle for your content, and provide headers, reference links, and a ballpark word count. That’s a solid approach for creating click-worthy content for human readers. But AI retrieval systems don’t “read” content like humans do. If you want your content to surface in AI-powered search results, you need to update your briefing process.  Why Content Briefs Need To Change for AI retrieval Think...

A lot of AI search advice still centers on a company's own website: fix the technical setup and publish better content, and visibility will follow. But when ChatGPT or Google's AI Mode answers a question about a category, it builds its answer mostly from other people's pages. In this episode, Michael Transon makes the case that a deliberate brand mention program, not a stronger website, drives AI search visibility. Watch to learn why expertise and co-occurrence have to come first,...

Query fan-out breaks one search into several related questions AI systems run at once, then builds an answer from whatever addresses each. Learn how to structure content so it can be cited across that full set, not just the original query.

When marketing leaders ask whether their technical SEO covers them for AI search, Michael's answer is mostly yes. Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode run on Google's regular index, and most of a standard technical audit carries over to the other platforms. This week he sorts technical work into what to keep, what to start, and the short list of things to skip, including a training-bot decision that removes your own description of your company from what the next model...

It’s time to expand our notion of formatting beyond readability and UX. If you want your brand’s content to be used and cited in AI search, shift formatting from an afterthought to become a part of your content strategy. This article is a tactical guide to formatting content for AI retrieval.

For most of the last decade, brand was the marketing line item hardest to defend, because there's no click to track when a buyer arrives already knowing who you are. AI search changes that math. An assistant reads your website, your listings, your reviews, and every page that mentions you in passing, hands the buyer one summary, and decides whether to name you at all. This week Michael connects brand entity work to the brand building marketers already know how...

AI overviews have increased zero-click searches, making visibility critical for brand awareness. Make sure you appear for important queries in your industry with an AI overview optimization strategy.

For 15 years, marketing measurement got more precise every year. AI search is moving the other way. An assistant's recommendation happens in a conversation you can't see, and no platform will tell you what was asked. So how do you measure and report on it? Listen to find out.