Ep 35. Found in AI: Can You Rank #1 in ChatGPT?

In this episode of Found in AI, Cassie is joined by Kristina Frunze, founder of WebviewSEO, an SEO and AI search optimization agency for B2B SaaS. Together, they unpack what AI visibility really looks like in practice—and why share of voice, intent alignment, and brand consistency matter far more than screenshots of a single AI answer.

Rather than chasing the illusion of ranking, this episode reframes GEO around measurable influence, bottom-of-funnel visibility, and the structural signals AI systems use to interpret and recommend brands.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why “ranking” is the wrong mental model for LLM visibility
• How AI answers vary, even when prompts stay the same
• What AI Share of Voice actually measures (and why it matters)
• Why tracking 150 prompts is usually unnecessary—and what to track instead
• How bottom-of-funnel prompts drive more meaningful visibility than top-of-funnel queries
• Whether long-form content still works in AI search (and when shorter answers perform better)
• How to build objective, methodology-driven listicles that AI systems trust
• Why brand consistency across LinkedIn, directories, and owned assets impacts LLM understanding
• How messaging ambiguity weakens AI confidence signals
• What brands can do today to improve frequency of mention in AI-generated answers

Transcript: Can You Rank #1 in ChatGPT?

Can You Really “Rank” in LLMs? Why That Question Is Misleading

A lot of conversation is happening in the AI visibility space — and for good reason. It’s a new layer of discovery that we really need to figure out sooner rather than later. But there are big promises and overly confident claims circulating, and LLMs don’t work like traditional search engines. They’re probabilistic. Based on Rand Fishkin’s research and tests done here at Found in AI, the same prompt can produce different answers just minutes apart.

In this episode, I’m joined by Kristina Frunze, founder of WebViewSEO, an SEO and AI search optimization agency for B2B SaaS — particularly in construction tech. We unpack the myth of “ranking” in LLMs, what AI share of voice actually means, why bottom-of-funnel prompts matter more than broad brand visibility, and one of the most overlooked GEO strategies you can act on today.

Who Is Kristina Frunze?

Kristina Frunze is the founder of WebViewSEO, an SEO and AI search optimization agency for B2B SaaS companies, primarily in the construction technology space. It’s a niche she finds herself working in every day as the agency continues to grow steadily.

There Is No Such Thing as Ranking Number One in LLMs

Kristina’s viral LinkedIn post — featuring an eye-roll GIF from The Office — called out a growing problem: so-called experts promising to help brands “rank number one” in LLMs like ChatGPT.

Her message was blunt: there’s no such thing as ranking in LLMs. You either show up or you don’t. It’s always random, and no one can guarantee your brand will appear. If someone promises that, run.

The frustration comes from watching two very different camps emerge on LinkedIn. On one side, genuine SEO researchers doing their best to understand how LLMs work. On the other, people capitalizing on the hype — creating fear of missing out for audiences who don’t yet understand the technology. A post claiming to show how to “rank number one in ChatGPT” was the final straw.

The core issue: just like Rand Fishkin’s research shows, no matter how many times you type the same prompt, you will get a different result every time. The idea that this can be gamed or guaranteed is misinformation.

What Rand Fishkin’s LLM Research Actually Shows

Rand Fishkin and his team did substantial testing across industries and prompts — and while the research is valuable, Kristina notes there’s still a lot of room for error. We are at the very beginning of understanding how this works.

Her own tracking with AI monitoring tools confirms the same pattern. Checking client visibility on a daily basis across target prompts, the results are never consistent. Competitors aren’t showing up consistently either — the position is always different. The takeaway: there’s currently no reliable way to manipulate LLM appearances, and that’s arguably a good thing. It pushes brands toward producing genuinely valuable content that answers real questions, rather than gaming the system.

Do Listicles and “Best Of” Posts Still Work for AI Visibility?

A nuanced discussion worth understanding: Lily Ray’s research flagged that “best of X” listicles — especially self-promotional ones — are losing effectiveness in AI search. But SEO strategist Steve Toth adds important context: these posts do work if they’re fully objective. That means giving competitors credit where they deserve it, and acknowledging your own brand’s cons as well.

If you’re publishing 200 listicles where your brand always wins with no drawbacks, it reads as spam. Balanced, honest comparison content is what AI engines are rewarding.

Kristina’s approach: before creating a listicle for a client, she builds a transparent review methodology page — explaining exactly which scores they look at, how they evaluate software functionality, how they analyze third-party review aggregators, and so on. Every listicle article then links back to that methodology. The result: in just one month, a single 17,000-word article built using this method became the most-cited piece of content on that client’s website across AI platforms.

Short Posts vs. Long Posts: What Actually Performs Better in AI Search?

There’s debate in the AEO space about whether shorter posts (around 1,000 words) or longer, comprehensive content performs better in AI search. The honest answer: both have their place.

HubSpot’s approach — which Kristina found instructive — involves deeply researching their ICP’s questions and then creating short, focused articles that answer a single question directly with no filler. That performs well. At the same time, a 17,000-word in-depth listicle built on a credible methodology also performs well.

The principle: short articles work when they’re laser-focused on one specific answer. Long articles work when they’re built on genuine research and methodology. Fluff in either format hurts you.

How Many Prompts Should You Track for AI Visibility?

Some in the industry are tracking 100 to 150 prompts per brand. Kristina’s take: that’s too many, and the data doesn’t give you meaningful leverage at that scale.

Her approach: track 10 to 15 prompts per content silo. For a construction project management software client, that might look like: construction bid management, construction submittal management, and a few other specific topic areas. The focus is tightly scoped.

More importantly, she only tracks bottom-of-funnel prompts — the questions people ask when they’re close to making a purchase decision. Comparison queries. “What’s the best solution for X” queries. Prompts that are likely to convert.

Top-of-funnel prompts are not worth tracking. The goal is to understand how your brand shows up when someone is ready to buy — and whether you’re showing up for the right ICP segments, not just any audience.

AI Share of Voice: The Right Way to Measure LLM Visibility

Rather than trying to track a fixed “position” in LLMs (which doesn’t meaningfully exist), the right metric is AI share of voice — how often your brand appears relative to your competitors across the same set of prompts.

Running the same prompt 10 times back to back will produce 10 different answers. Daily tracking tools run prompts once per day, which gives a reasonable overall picture across a month, but shouldn’t be mistaken for precise ranking data. The value is in the relative comparison: are you showing up more or less than your competitors? That’s what you can actually act on.

The Most Overlooked GEO Strategy: Brand Consistency Across the Web

Here’s where things get practical. When someone asks how brands can increase how often they appear in LLMs, the answer is simpler — and more neglected — than most expect.

LLMs don’t just read your website. They pull from every signal about your brand across the entire internet. If your website describes your product one way, your LinkedIn says something slightly different, your directory listings are vague, and your Google Business Profile barely mentions what you do — AI engines struggle to confidently understand who you are and when to recommend you.

The first thing Kristina does with every new client is audit how consistently they communicate their offering across all owned and rented assets. Instagram bio. YouTube description. LinkedIn company page. Third-party directories. Google Business Profile. All of it.

It sounds basic, but it’s almost never done. Companies update their LinkedIn company page when they launch, then let it sit for five years while their offering evolves. Those outdated signals create confusion for AI engines that are trying to synthesize a coherent picture of your brand.

The fix is straightforward: make sure every platform says the same thing — the same ICP, the same problem you solve, the same category, the same positioning, in the same language.

Your GEO Action Item for Today

Open your website homepage, LinkedIn company page, founder LinkedIn profiles, Google Business Profile, and any major directory or social media listing. Read your bios and descriptions back to back.

Ask yourself: Am I describing my company the same way everywhere? Same ICP, same problem, same category, same positioning?

If your website says one thing, LinkedIn says something slightly different, and your directory listings are vague or outdated — AI engines are going to struggle to confidently understand who you are and when to recommend you. Clarity beats cleverness in AI search. That’s your first GEO move.

This transcript has been lightly edited for readability. Originally recorded February 5th on the Founding AI podcast with host and guest Kristina Frunze, founder of WebViewSEO.

If we haven’t met yet….

Hi, I’m Cassie, a fractional content strategist for early-stage startups who focuses on AI search optimization.

If AI-generated answers are already influencing your buyers, your content strategy needs to account for that. I build content programs that connect strategy with execution: clear positioning,  systems, and content that actually drive revenue. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start growing, here’s how we can work together.

Want more insights like this? Subscribe to The Visibility Report, where I break down how AI engines interpret authority — and how you can show up in the results.