Don't Worry About AI Search Rankings

Just Build Trust That Actually Converts and It Will Happen

Everyone's losing their minds about ChatGPT and how AI is "killing SEO." Meanwhile, I'm sitting here with 30 years in digital marketing watching business owners panic about the wrong things.

Here's what's actually happening: Yes, AI tools are changing how people search. No, it's not the apocalypse the LinkedIn thought leaders want you to believe it is. And the solution isn't some expensive AI optimization service your current agency is suddenly hawking.

The solution is something we should have been doing all along: building genuine trust and demonstrating real expertise.

Let me break down what's actually changing, what it means for your business, and what you need to do about it—without the vendor panic or the corporate buzzword soup.

The Real Shift: From Rankings to References

Here's the part that actually matters: When someone asks ChatGPT or Claude or Perplexity about products or services in your space, they're getting a short, curated answer with a handful of brand names. Not a list of 50 blue links. Just a few carefully selected recommendations.

That's it. That's the new first page.

And here's the kicker—the AI doesn't pick those brands based on who paid the most or who has the fanciest website. It picks them based on which brands show up consistently in credible places across the web as authorities in their space.

This isn't about gaming a new algorithm. This is about whether your business has actually built a reputation that can be verified.

Traditional SEO still matters—don't let anyone tell you it doesn't. But there's now a second layer of visibility that matters just as much: whether AI systems see your brand as trustworthy enough to recommend when someone asks for advice.

What E-E-A-T Actually Means (Without the SEO Jargon)

Google's been talking about E-E-A-T—Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—for years. Most businesses ignored it because they were still ranking fine without it.

That's about to bite them.

Here's what these actually mean in plain English:

Experience = You've actually done the thing you're talking about. You've worked with real clients. You have case studies. You have before-and-after results. You're not just regurgitating what you read on someone else's blog.

Expertise = You know what you're talking about. You have credentials, training, or years of hands-on work in your field. You can explain complex things clearly because you understand them deeply.

Authoritativeness = Other credible sources recognize you. Industry publications mention you. Other experts cite your work. You speak at conferences. You get quoted in articles. Your reputation extends beyond your own website.

Trustworthiness = Everything about your business is consistent, transparent, and verifiable. Your information is accurate. You don't make claims you can't back up. You update outdated content. You're honest about what you can and can't do.

Notice none of this is about keywords or backlinks or technical SEO tricks. This is about actually being good at what you do and being able to prove it.

Why This Matters for Your Bottom Line

I know what you're thinking: "Great, another thing I need to worry about. How much is this going to cost me?"

Here's the business case: AI-generated answers don't show your competitors' pricing. They don't show your competitors' fancy hero images. They show which brands they trust enough to recommend.

When someone asks an AI tool for advice and your competitors get mentioned but you don't, you've lost that potential customer before they ever visited a website. They've already been told who the credible players are, and you're not on the list.

That's lost revenue. Not in six months. Right now.

And here's what makes this particularly dangerous: You have no idea how often this is happening. Someone asks Claude "What's the best restaurant equipment supplier in Colorado?" and gets an answer that mentions three companies. If you're not one of them, you'll never know you were even considered. They're not clicking through to your site. They're not showing up in your analytics. They just never enter your funnel at all.

This is the new top of funnel, and most businesses are invisible in it.

What You Actually Need to Do (The Practical Part)

Alright, enough about the problem. What do you actually do about it?

1. Make Your Expertise Visible and Verifiable

Stop hiding your best people behind generic "our team" pages. Every piece of content you publish should clearly show who wrote it and why they're qualified to write it.

This means:

• Author bios on every blog post (real ones, not "John has been with the company for 5 years")

• LinkedIn profiles that match your website

• Professional credentials where relevant

• Clear explanations of experience and background

If you wrote about HVAC installation, your bio should explain that you've installed 500+ systems over 15 years, not just that you "work in the HVAC industry."

2. Keep Your Content Current

That blog post from 2019 with outdated information? It's actively hurting you. AI systems see old, stale content and assume you're not actively engaged in your field.

This doesn't mean you need to publish new content every day. It means you need to review and update your existing content regularly. Update statistics. Add new examples. Remove outdated references. Show that you're still paying attention.

3. Get Clear on Your Entity

This is the technical part, but it matters: Your business needs to be clearly defined as an entity across the web.

This means:

• Consistent business name, address, phone everywhere

• Schema markup on your website that defines who you are and what you do

• Matching information on your Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, and other platforms

• Clear organization structure on your website

When AI systems look at you, they should clearly understand: This is a specific business, with specific people, doing specific things. Not a vague blob that might be three different companies.

4. Build Real External Validation

This is the hardest part and the most important: Get other credible sources to mention you.

This doesn't mean buying links or running a PR campaign (though those can help).

This means:

• Contributing expert commentary to industry publications

• Speaking at industry events

• Getting featured in local business media

• Earning legitimate press mentions

• Building relationships with other credible businesses in your space

Every time a credible source mentions your business, you're building a signal that you're actually known and respected in your industry.

5. Create Content That Demonstrates Original Insight

Here's where most businesses fail: They create content that says the same thing everyone else is saying.

"5 tips for choosing a contractor" is not original insight. It's generic filler that AI systems will ignore because it's been said a thousand times.

Original insight means:

• Proprietary research or data

• Detailed case studies with real numbers

• First-hand experiences that no one else can write about

• Contrarian takes based on actual experience

• Deep analysis that goes beyond surface-level advice

This is the content that can't be replicated by AI because it comes from your unique experience and perspective.

The Measurement Problem (And What to Watch Instead)

Here's the frustrating part: You can't easily track whether you're appearing in AI-generated answers. Most of these tools don't send referral traffic. They don't show up in your analytics.

But you can watch for these signals:

Branded search volume: Are more people searching for your business by name? That suggests they're hearing about you somewhere—possibly in AI-generated answers.

Direct traffic increases: People who hear your name in an AI conversation often come directly to your site later.

Qualified inquiries: Are you getting more people who already seem to know about you before they contact you?

There are also new monitoring tools emerging that track brand mentions in AI responses. They're early stage, but worth exploring if this is a priority for you.

The Part Nobody Wants to Hear

If you're consistently struggling to rank in traditional search, you're going to struggle even more in AI-generated answers.

I see this with prospects all the time: They come to us frustrated that they're not ranking, and when I dig in, they have:

• Thin, generic content

• No clear expertise demonstrated

• Inconsistent business information across the web

• No external validation

• Outdated information everywhere

They want a quick technical fix. There isn't one.

The businesses that rank well—and that get cited in AI answers—are the ones that have done the foundational work of building genuine expertise and trust over time.

If your current rankings are weak, that's your early warning signal. AI systems are going to be even more selective about which brands they trust.

What This Really Means for Mid-Market Businesses

If you're running a business with $5-10M in revenue, you're in an interesting position. You're too small to have a massive brand recognition advantage, but you're big enough to have real expertise and case studies to demonstrate it.

This shift actually levels the playing field in some ways. You're competing on demonstrated expertise, not marketing budget. A well-documented track record beats a bigger advertising spend.

But you can't ignore this. Your larger competitors are already figuring this out. And the smaller, nimbler competitors are building trust signals while you're still deciding whether to care about this.

The businesses that win in this new environment will be the ones that:

• Actually know their stuff (and can prove it)

• Consistently demonstrate their expertise across multiple channels

• Build genuine relationships and get genuine mentions

• Keep their content and information current and accurate

• Show up as credible authorities when AI systems go looking for trusted sources

The Bottom Line

Look, I've been doing this long enough to see a lot of "the sky is falling" moments in digital marketing. Most of them are overblown.

This one isn't.

AI search isn't replacing traditional search yet. But it's creating a new visibility layer that you can't afford to ignore. And the businesses that figure this out now will have a significant advantage over the ones that wait until they're already losing market share.

The good news? The solution isn't buying expensive AI optimization services or completely rebuilding your website. The solution is doing what you should have been doing anyway: building genuine expertise, demonstrating it clearly, and earning legitimate recognition for it.

If you're doing that already, you're ahead of most of your competitors. If you're not, now's the time to start.

Because in six months, when AI-generated answers are even more prevalent, it'll be too late to build the trust signals that take time to accumulate.

Build your reputation deliberately. Make it visible. Keep it consistent. That's not SEO advice. That's business advice.

And in the AI era, it's the same thing.