Hi, Reader!
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Last Thursday, I kicked off my 2026 predictions with Traffic ≠ Trust/Sales (plus a quick primer on my ACT Framework). If you missed it, look for that email in your inbox, or read the full post here.

Today, I’m sharing what’s changed in search, how AI overviews fit in, and how to show up where buyers actually see you.

Prediction #2: Beyond SEO — Why Presence Matters More Than Clicks

Search hasn't been just “ten blue links” for a good, long while. Google now surfaces AI Overviews, video carousels, FAQs, maps, and featured snippets—places where people can encounter your ideas before they click to your site. Meanwhile, the classic 7–11–4 reality still holds: it often takes ~7 hours of exposure, ~11 touchpoints, and ~4 locations before someone is ready to buy.

You’ll see new acronyms - AIO, GEO, AEO, “Search Everywhere Optimization.” The truth? They mostly rebrand solid, ethical SEO: serve the searcher, structure your content, and show up in more than one format. Also, relying on any single strategy (SEO included) isn’t healthy for your marketing ecosystem. Presence across formats and channels is what compounds the returns on your efforts.

Why this matters (for service providers like us)

Click counts aren’t the whole story anymore. Trust often builds off-site - through a snippet, a short video answer, or an AI summary that cites your work - long before someone reaches your Services page. That off-site familiarity shortens the on-site decision. The goal isn’t only to rank; it’s to be present where best-fit clients look, in multiple formats they see, remember, and can reference.

The daily reality (how this shows up in your week)

• You can’t force a click—but you can raise the odds buyers see you. If video results appear for your topic, publish a 60–120s answer. If FAQs show, add them clearly on your page (with the right structure/schema). If your framework gets questions, write an easily quotable explainer.
• Acronym sprawl ≠ a new discipline. AIO/GEO/AEO are mostly shiny labels on long-standing fundamentals. Use this to vet providers: do they talk about serving searchers, structured content, and multi-format presence, or mostly buzzwords?
• LLM/AI touchpoints are real - but they don’t replace search intent (especially for services). In a 2025 dataset across ~973 ecommerce sites, ChatGPT/LLM traffic was tiny (<0.2% of visits), bounced less than paid social, but converted worse and with lower order value than Google Search. Translation: LLM exposure builds relevance/awareness; search still captures buying intent.
• What that likely means for non-ecommerce service sites: expect LLM visitors to act like early-stage researchers - sampling a “How I work” page, scanning FAQs, or opting in for a low-commitment resource. Booked calls will continue to skew toward search/direct/referrals/email (your intent channels). You may see anecdotal leads from LLMs—treat them as assists, not a primary driver.
• How to measure it without chasing ghosts: track a few presence signals alongside clicks—video impressions/completions on target queries, FAQ/snippet impressions, lift in branded search, return visits to offer pages, and email → offer CTR. If these rise while consult bookings hold or improve, your off-site presence (including LLM touchpoints) is doing its job.

AI crawling & your Intellectual Property

First, you have a choice. Most AI systems learn from what their crawlers can access. You can allow or block some of those crawlers via your "robots.txt" file (and, for specific files like PDFs, with "X-Robots-Tag" headers). This affects training/citation visibility, not your normal Google search indexing - because you can block Google’s AI training bot (Google-Extended) without blocking Googlebot search crawling.

What’s happening:​
AI tools learn from what they can crawl. Allowing access can boost off-site visibility (citations, “I saw you in…” moments), but it can also surface your ideas without a click - and credit/attribution isn't guaranteed.

Most models synthesize from many sources; some experiences show citations or source links, others don't.

Net effect: more people may encounter your ideas off-site, while first-click visits may decline, and attribution can blur (people meet you elsewhere, then return later via branded search or direct).

You can influence this: set rules in your site's "robots.txt" file to allow/block specific AI crawlers, and - because not every bot honors robots - pair those rules with server/CDN blocking on sensitive paths if needed. (If you need help, ask your developer.)

Three things to keep in mind:

• Allowing can expand awareness. More off-site encounters with your ideas (citations, summaries, mentions).
• Allowing can reduce clicks and blur attribution. People meet you elsewhere, then show up later via branded search/direct.
• Citations are inconsistent - plan your measurement accordingly. Expect mixed credit; watch branded search, return visits, and consult/book-a-call conversions to see second-level impact.

How to choose what's right for you:

• Is visibility your priority right now?​
  If you want your ideas referenced in AI answers and you’re playing a long game of reputation/authority, you might allow AI crawlers.
• Is protecting proprietary IP the priority?​
  If your value lives in named frameworks/process docs and you don’t want them paraphrased elsewhere, consider blocking AI on sensitive paths (e.g., /frameworks/, /clients/). You’ll trade some discoverability for control.
• Prefer a balanced middle?​
  Go hybrid: protect the “crown jewels,” but create public, citation-ready “trailheads” (short videos, FAQs, summaries) you’re happy to see surfaced widely.

Behind the scenes: how I’m applying this for 2026

I haven’t finalized my site-level AI stance yet - I’m still weighing visibility vs. IP protection - but here’s how I’m acting on this prediction now:

Publish first, but on a high-leverage platform. I’m continuing to publish original, depth-rich pieces on my area of expertise and approach to marketing online - then using YouTube as a primary discovery engine to get those ideas in front of the right people. Videos point back to my site, where readers can engage with my frameworks, methods, and measurement approach. Publishing short, searchable videos gives me discoverability that LLMs often cite, while embeds on my site strengthen on-page engagement. Click here to subscribe to my channel relaunching in Jan 2026!​

Social as distribution, not the main channel. I’m treating social as a delivery channel for what I’ve already made (video clips, article highlights, FAQs), not a place that dictates my cadence. I’ll be on social less, and when I am, it’s repurposed substance over “post daily.” (For wider context to those of you newer to the list, I just wrapped my 100-Days Threads experiment; I’ll share takeaways in a future post/video/email, so stay tuned.)

Syndication > scattered posting. To meet people where they already read, I’ll syndicate selectively (e.g., Medium, LinkedIn) with a canonical/teaser strategy so my original site posts get the search credits, always pointing back to the core piece on my site. Open to additional platforms where my best-fit audience naturally gathers, if there are any you use regularly.

Earned reach with aligned rooms. I’m proactively pitching podcast guest spots and speaking opportunities (virtual and in-person) that align with measurement-first marketing and my data-as-stewardship approach to beating the traditionally pushed "hustle" of marketing.

Measurement that respects presence. I’m watching my branded search, return visits to my offers, video impressions/completions on target topics, and consult bookings by source - not just sessions. Benchmarks that will guide me on whether to turn up YouTube, add a syndication channel, or double down on a particular topic or talk that’s converting.

If you’re undecided, start with trailheads you want seen everywhere, protect anything you’d regret seeing paraphrased, and let your presence signals + consults tell you whether to open up more or tighten down.

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Here's to being found by the right people!

Ashley Clayton ​CEO | Owner | Founder Iterateology LLC ashley@iterateology.com ​iterateology.com​ ​​​​

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P.S. If you want updates when my channel relaunches in January 2026, subscribe on YouTube here. You’ll get the short, searchable videos plus the deeper dives as they roll out.